Curt Hitch Install

[littlerascal]

Does anyone have a hitch on their EX 35? I had one installed, and had a bike rack with one bike on it, and apparently I bent the bumper supports. Dont know if it was installed properly. Does anyone have photos of their install?? Need HelpThank P

[Mark Booth]

Someone has already responded to your question in one of the other topics. But two suggestions:

1) Don't post the same question in multiple threads.

2) Don't ask folks to E-mail you an answer. That comes across as kinda of "too important to bother checking back with the forum".

Mark

[dividedhighw]

We have quite an active group of EX35 owners and enthusiasts here, so welcome to the forum, littlerascal!

If you follow Mark's suggestions, you will find that it's a win-win for everyone. You get the fastest/best answers possible from our members while lurkers and members alike will benefit from a respectful exchange of solutions, information and discussions of every sort.

Anyone interested in the thread/pics discussing EX35 hitch installation and bike transportation, click here.

Thanks so much, Mark - your comments are dead on!

Cheers,David

[hitch guy]

I am also very interested in the issue you experienced with your Curt Hitch. I believe you are probably the same person who made us aware of this issue. Do you have any pictures of where the hitch mounts below the bumper bracket. We are also working on getting another Infiniti EX 35 back in here to confirn how the bumper is actually mounted on.

[gtimbers]

BEWARE This hitch will break your EX if you tow anything at all. It will probably do damage even if you only use it for a bike rack. It is a very nicely built part which fits exactly as advertised, however, it mounts to the bumper supports which are made of a very flimsy sheet metal. As a result, continued up and down motion such as a bouncy bike rack or the routine undulations of a trailer captured by the ball mount will fatigue and break the metal that holds the bumper mounting supports to the car. I have already done this to mine after a few hundred miles of towing a jet-ski. Another owner mentioned on this forum that his bumper support is now bent as a result of carrying a bicycle. I suspect that a bike may be even worse than towing as the bike holders are cantilevered quite a distance from the receiver and at that distance, the bouncing of a 40 pound bike will definitely fatigue the bumper support. 2 bikes will really cause a problem. Infiniti chose not to use a shock type mounting for the rear bumper, probably to save cost. There is nothing wrong with their design. The sheet metal is designed to crumple and collapse in a rear end collision and absorb energy. It is just not suitable for mounting a hitch. Unfortunately, some of this action occurs during towing and bike racking so damage WILL ensue. I am amazed that Curt did the design as they did. There should definitely be some support members attaching to the floor pan of the car as well as to the bumper support.

Also be aware that Infiniti will not honor your warranty if they think you have been towing. I have been there and they told me to pound sand. My car has two holes in it's bottom that were factory errors. Infiniti still refuses to honor their obligations. One of the holes doesn't have a plug as it is supposed to and the other leak is due to an open seam that wasn't caulked at the factory. Water got into the car and shorted out my Camera control unit. They couldn't find the problem and when I showed the two holes to them they got testy and refused to fix it under warranty. Infiniti Customer Care backed the dealer without even sending anyone to look at the car. Infiniti, like Nissan, is quite sleazy regarding their warranty work and should be watched very carefully. Lexus they are not!

[LGmobile]

Sorry for the bump of this old topic but I thought it should be cleared up.

I am in the process of adding a hitch to my ex35 to tow my jet ski (1200lb trailer and jet ski, ~100lbs tongue weight).
I would like to see if anyone is towing small trailers with their ex35. It seems like last post here ends on a bad quite spiteful note bashing infinit. I have only had good experiences with my dealer so far and love my ex35.

Back to the towing hitch, having taken the exhaust off several times during my mods I noticed that the hitch attaches to the chassis of the car, so how in the world the first post bent the bumper mounts is beyond me. Just wanted to get some input before I install my hitch. My previous car was a sedan and it had a 3500lbs towing capacity. There is no way the ex35 has a smaller tow capacity structurally anyways. Im not saying the transmission due to awd is as durable as a fwd or rwd but the chassis will most certainly not bend as the past post here suggests. It would be good to clear this up for future searches who see this info.

I will post pics of the progress on mine as well.

Cheers

[meanie]

I have had a Curt on my 2011 for about a year and have used it to tow a snowmobile (single trailer) and have a quite heavy Thule scissor rack which I have put up to 3 bikes on. These bounce around like crazy because I had to put an adaptor on the rack to fit the smaller opening on the Curt, which extends it way out and isn't very stable. The hitch was mounted professionally, and I think it does attach to the chassis. I haven't looked under there in a while, but I think all is well. I'll look under tomorrow and if there is an issue post it.

[LGmobile]

I have had a Curt on my 2011 for about a year and have used it to tow a snowmobile (single trailer) and have a quite heavy Thule scissor rack which I have put up to 3 bikes on. These bounce around like crazy because I had to put an adaptor on the rack to fit the smaller opening on the Curt, which extends it way out and isn't very stable. The hitch was mounted professionally, and I think it does attach to the chassis. I haven't looked under there in a while, but I think all is well. I'll look under tomorrow and if there is an issue post it.

Thanks for the input, your response coincides with what I expected. It might be that the earlier posts were using some sort of makeshift hitch that mounted directly to the alloy impact support perhaps. I know some guys on the 350z forum were towing with those hitches and those looked scary.





My only worry was seeing these posts, I've seen a little toyota matrix tow decent sized trailers so the EX has no excuse to get bent out of shape.

However, this is what my hitch looks like. It's in the mail now, getting it sprayed with that bedliner stuff so it never rusts on top of the powdercoat it already has.



Looking forward to the pic and I will post install pics of mine since I am so skilled at removing the exhaust now

[xfortay]

Over a year later but curious, LGMobile, did your Curt hitch work out for the Infiniti ex35? I bought a 2010 ex35, meticulously researching every detail...other than the fact that Infiniti didn't rate it for towing which I foolishly took for granted. I only need to tow and launch the occasional jetski but break\trailer wiring would be nice in case I do take it on the road and away from my home lake. In the past I towed and launched my jetski from a Mustang GT so the ex35 "should" be fine I would think. I notice you went for the "euro" Curt trailer hitch, any reason why you chose that one? I do not understand the difference between euro and standard other than the looks difference. Also, did you wire it for lights to the car? Any input is appreciated, I was surprised to see some manufacturers do not even acknowledge a hitch for the ex35 (Croft trailers). Thanks

[LGmobile]

Over a year later but curious, LGMobile, did your Curt hitch work out for the Infiniti ex35? I bought a 2010 ex35, meticulously researching every detail...other than the fact that Infiniti didn't rate it for towing which I foolishly took for granted. I only need to tow and launch the occasional jetski but break\trailer wiring would be nice in case I do take it on the road and away from my home lake. In the past I towed and launched my jetski from a Mustang GT so the ex35 "should" be fine I would think. I notice you went for the "euro" Curt trailer hitch, any reason why you chose that one? I do not understand the difference between euro and standard other than the looks difference. Also, did you wire it for lights to the car? Any input is appreciated, I was surprised to see some manufacturers do not even acknowledge a hitch for the ex35 (Croft trailers). Thanks

Hi, I had mine installed a long time ago, no problems whatsoever. I think the guys who had issues were using the plate style hitches that only mount to the rear crossmember and that piece is just alloy.
I take my hitch off during the winter months since im not a huge fan of the hitch look with my ex35 rear.

Wiring was pretty easy, its all inside the trunk and our cars have a rubber gourmet that exits out underneath the spare wheel compartment. You will need a trailer module due to the separate signals/brake on our cars. The euro and regular receivers are the same, just as you mentioned, one has a sleeker design and the ball is permanently fixed to the tongue.

I went with the curt because of the price, the overall look (very hidden once installed), and the overall strength of it. Curt is also quite well known for good builds on their hitches. The kit came with everything needed including the towing grade bolts and lock washers. It was a quick install but a hoist or at the very least ramps are required due to the exhaust weight.

A few notes about the curt hitch
- sections of the hitch need to be cut to prevent the tips and exhaust can from hitting over bumps (it will make a loud bang otherwise)
- the exhaust and hitch are now attached, its a real mess. The hitch requires you to remove the oem hangers.
--The exhaust also sits a bit lower with the hitch installed so I didnt like that look.
- I will take pics of it this summer when i put it back on, but I modified mine with the following changes
-- cut the sides of the hitch to allow the exhaust more travel room
-- cut off the hitch exhaust hangers
-- made custom hangers that attach to the hitch from underneath (this allows you to remove the exhaust and hitch separately instead of together as the original design.
-- installed stiffer exhaust bushings to prevent any rattle/excessive travel.
-- remove fixed bolts from exhaust midpipe to rear can and install stainless steel bolts for easy removal (since i take it off in the winter).*Optional if its a one time deal.

I test fitted the new design and the exhaust fits just like oem. The curt is still an excellent hitch and im sure 99% of users would have it installed and never care to look at fine details like me. I will make time to post some pics on here, just been really busy with work and my other hobby with custom headlights.

Cheers
-Ciprian

[xfortay]

Hey thanks for the fast reply. It really helps with my search. I am a little concerned with the exhaust rattle you mentioned. Now that I think about it, on one of my cars, after I had a hitch installed, every time I would hit a decent bump it would rattle. Drove me crazy. I was not planning on installing it myself, Croft trailers said they didn't offer a hitch for the ex35 but if I brought one in they would install it for 50$, bringing the grand total to 200$ for the Curt hitch and install with no wiring. I just think if I complained about a rattle they would say "hey not our brand not our problem". Uhaul will install one for 250$ which as far as I can tell is a DrawTite brand....maybe the extra 50$ would be worth it to be able to go back and have them figure a rattle out....hmmm. I am sold on Curt other than the potential to rattle... decisions decisions!

[LGmobile]

It's such a tight fit, I doubt any of the other options would even take care of the rattle for you, also check for exhaust leaks at the midpipe and exhaust (the two connections). Start the car and cover the tips with 2 rags and see if water builds up at that junction. No water should come out. The hitch basically keeps the exhaust a bit of a different angle (mounts are flipped) so thats an issue too.

My install is easily over 200$ in labour alone based on the current time spent, I have shop access though so that has helped with my rattle free craziness

Let us know how it goes

[meanie]

Hey thanks for the fast reply. It really helps with my search. I am a little concerned with the exhaust rattle you mentioned. Now that I think about it, on one of my cars, after I had a hitch installed, every time I would hit a decent bump it would rattle. Drove me crazy. I was not planning on installing it myself, Croft trailers said they didn't offer a hitch for the ex35 but if I brought one in they would install it for 50$, bringing the grand total to 200$ for the Curt hitch and install with no wiring. I just think if I complained about a rattle they would say "hey not our brand not our problem". Uhaul will install one for 250$ which as far as I can tell is a DrawTite brand....maybe the extra 50$ would be worth it to be able to go back and have them figure a rattle out....hmmm. I am sold on Curt other than the potential to rattle... decisions decisions!

I had mine professionally installed and it did indeed make some noise on sharp bumps. I went back and complained. The shop took it in and spent a couple of hours dropping/shifting the exhaust a fraction of an inch. It doesn't look any different to me (and I love the twin howitzers sticking out the rear) but fixed the problem. They also did the wiring, whihc lives in the spare tire compartment, and is brought out through the hatch when needed. Works fine.

[LGmobile]

Hey thanks for the fast reply. It really helps with my search. I am a little concerned with the exhaust rattle you mentioned. Now that I think about it, on one of my cars, after I had a hitch installed, every time I would hit a decent bump it would rattle. Drove me crazy. I was not planning on installing it myself, Croft trailers said they didn't offer a hitch for the ex35 but if I brought one in they would install it for 50$, bringing the grand total to 200$ for the Curt hitch and install with no wiring. I just think if I complained about a rattle they would say "hey not our brand not our problem". Uhaul will install one for 250$ which as far as I can tell is a DrawTite brand....maybe the extra 50$ would be worth it to be able to go back and have them figure a rattle out....hmmm. I am sold on Curt other than the potential to rattle... decisions decisions!

I had mine professionally installed and it did indeed make some noise on sharp bumps. I went back and complained. The shop took it in and spent a couple of hours dropping/shifting the exhaust a fraction of an inch. It doesn't look any different to me (and I love the twin howitzers sticking out the rear) but fixed the problem. They also did the wiring, whihc lives in the spare tire compartment, and is brought out through the hatch when needed. Works fine.

Mine has the wiring bolted to the hitch and it connects just outside the spare tire. Easier to work with and prevents scratches during towing. I wouldn't run it across the bumper/through the hatch if you can avoid that.

[meanie]

Mine has the wiring bolted to the hitch and it connects just outside the spare tire. Easier to work with and prevents scratches during towing. I wouldn't run it across the bumper/through the hatch if you can avoid that.[/quote]

Never really thought about that. The wires are inside a cable and I have clear bra material on top of my bumper. Mostly I use my daughters old Highlander for towing anyway. Just bought a new Thule aluminum hitch for the bikes, which should stop the bouncing around. I actually think it may still be hitting against the exhaust now that greater Boston's roads look like the moon's surface. I may have to take a little metal off where they make contact.

[fallenknight]

Hi guys i have had a Curt hitch for the last two years and use it with my Thule 990xt bike rack with no issue. As previously mentioned it does indeed mount to the frame so it's very secure. They did have to removed the rear factory tow hitch to mount the Curt and i know they moved the exhaust around so that it didn't hit the hitch.
There is a place just down the road from me that sells and installs them so i opted for the easy way and had them install it on the lift, a little easier then me crawling underneath and trying to unbolt everything.
I started with a top rack mounted Thule bike rack, but much prefer the ease of the hitch mounted system , especially for removing the rack all together.

[xfortay]

I went with the Curt hitch, 142$ on Amazon. I then paid Tires Plus 50$ to install it. I warned them to watch the left exhaust for a rattle and so far so good. Thanks for the help!

[mojocp]

Any updates on whether the sound ever occurred after you warned the shop about the potential for it happening?

Also, if anyone has some actual pictures of how the curt hitch changes the exhaust positioning (exterior - cosmetic changes?), I'd love to see them.

I'm about to pull the trigger on this curt hitch for a bike rack, but just want to make sure it doesnt really change the look or have a chronic noise issue that I wont be able to solve.

Thanks in advance for the help.

[mattdbaker]

This is not a regular hitch install. I only got so far removing the exahust in my garage. I brought it to a shop and its taken 3 people with the car on the lift to get it installed. I will post if I get this reported rattle after I drive home