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Old 05-30-2012, 10:25 PM   #51
CXT
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With the curt hitch, do you guys have to use the stabilizer strap when using a bike rack? Or is it pretty stable with bike or bikes attached to the rack?
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Old 05-31-2012, 12:25 PM   #52
KnucklesPisano
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I don't use any straps on my bike rack. I plan to modify the rack to eliminate the slop where the rack goes into the receiver.
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Old 05-31-2012, 06:49 PM   #53
darkbug
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KnucklesPisano
I don't use any straps on my bike rack. I plan to modify the rack to eliminate the slop where the rack goes into the receiver.
My rack has a bolt to secure it to the hitch. I only use it if I'm traveling bumpy roads or long distances.
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Old 06-11-2012, 07:34 PM   #54
chesterboy2003
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Default Curt Hitch #11286 -> Modified to 2" Receiver

Hey All, first time posting to this site.
I too installed the Curt Hitch #11286 on my 2012 Impreza Sport Limited. However, I didn't use the supplied hardware so no drilling is necessary as we fabricated a larger carriage plate to better distribute downward forces. Also, modified the hitch to have a 2" Receiver

Please note... I do not intend on towing anything. I only did this modification to so I can use my old bike rack which requires a 2" receiver.

Parts costs:
>Curt Hitch #11286 $150 shipped
>Curt Receiver $30 (don't have a part number, but here's the part on etrailer.com -> http://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Access...Curt/E-11.html). I had purchased the 12" length, but the 6" length will work and is cheaper.

Additional info. Curt was cool enough to create a page on their site regarding a question I had about their hitch. http://www.etrailer.com/question-39798.html?fb=yes

End State pic with hitch attached.


This approach requires the removal of the rear bumper and bumper reinforcement thingy (not sure what it's called).


Fitment test with the original Curt hardware. The 12" receiver shown for size comparison.


Fabricated carriage plate


Plate slides right in.


Underside view of the plates inserted into the carriage.


Used a band saw to cut the Curt hitch and TIG welded on a Curt 2" receiver


TIG welds


When all was said and done, we sprayed on primer and painted the sucker gloss back. Initial load test shows that the hitch is fairly stiff. We noticed more flex in the bike rack than the hitch itself.
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Old 06-11-2012, 08:59 PM   #55
2012ruimpreza
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Looks hella good! DIY FTW
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Old 06-29-2012, 06:05 PM   #56
ans2k
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im looking into installing the hitch myself. i am looking at the curt Trailer Hitch #11286. how is the hardware that is supplied? i dont like the way the supplied hardware looks.
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Old 06-30-2012, 01:39 PM   #57
ans2k
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Well you guys, i just got off the phone with SOA and they said you can't install a hitch. they said it will mess up the differential and transmission because of the extra weight. I told her that the hitch would only weigh 40 pounds and she goes on to say that the car wasn't intended to have a hitch installed. That means that, those with tow hitches, if your tranny of diff goes out, prepare to dish out some money. SOA are pretty strict on their warranty, and since i have their extended warranty to 100K miles, I don't think I will be adding any tow hitch soon.
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Old 06-30-2012, 01:59 PM   #58
Commander Keen
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Let's wait for the first documented case of warranty denial due to hitch installation.

The salesman will say you can do everything with your car, the bean counters will say you can do nothing with it.

If the sales brochure has my car pictured wearing mountain bikes as a hat, I have a hard time believing I can't carry one on the frame.
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Old 06-30-2012, 04:13 PM   #59
ans2k
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That's what I told the person on the phone
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Old 06-30-2012, 04:59 PM   #60
mvray
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That's odd SOA would say no hitch given that towing capacities are listed for other markets for the same vehicle.

The Subaru Australia lists the "New" Impreza towing capacity 650 kg to 1,200 kg.

http://subaru.com.au/new-impreza/2.0i-l-hatch/specs

The Subaru UK site and the XV towing capacity is listed as 1,200 kg to 1,600 kg. They don't have the new Impreza specs up yet. But the XV is essentially the Impreza. At least from what I have read.

http://subaru.co.uk/vehicles/xv/

Last edited by mvray; 06-30-2012 at 05:08 PM. Reason: Add info.
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Old 06-30-2012, 06:50 PM   #61
Commander Keen
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It says even the 1.6i can tow 1500 kg.

It's all marketing, just another imaginary constraint to shove North American buyers into a more expensive car. This is the same reason we can't get leather in anything but the Limited, yet ROW buyers can get leather all the way down to the 1.6.

It's very simple. If Australians can't use an Impreza to tow small motorcycles or watercraft, they will buy a competing vehicle that can, like the Corolla.

For a company that prides itself on all things outdoors, this is unimpressive.

Last edited by Commander Keen; 06-30-2012 at 10:33 PM.
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Old 06-30-2012, 09:42 PM   #62
WLS
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[quote=jd_24;36994345]Curt Manufacturing has a hitch for the 2012. I haven't tried it myself yet.
Curt Manufacturing - Hitches[/quote
That's what I had installed by my dealer on my new Sport. I said I wanted it for using a bike carrier and they gave me no grief about it. It installs to the frame easily no replacing any bumper parts and it is tucked away nicely so it does not show much. That removable square in the center of the bumper is not for a hitch as some think but is for the European required lower Fog/Safety light. I just put a reflector there, looks fine
I'm happy with it as lifting mountain bikes to the roof is not something I can do without scratching the paint of the car.

Last edited by WLS; 06-30-2012 at 09:49 PM.
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Old 06-30-2012, 10:19 PM   #63
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[quote=WLS;37498749]
Quote:
Originally Posted by jd_24 View Post
Curt Manufacturing has a hitch for the 2012. I haven't tried it myself yet.
Curt Manufacturing - Hitches[/quote
That's what I had installed by my dealer on my new Sport. I said I wanted it for using a bike carrier and they gave me no grief about it. It installs to the frame easily no replacing any bumper parts and it is tucked away nicely so it does not show much. That removable square in the center of the bumper is not for a hitch as some think but is for the European required lower Fog/Safety light. I just put a reflector there, looks fine
I'm happy with it as lifting mountain bikes to the roof is not something I can do without scratching the paint of the car.
thats fine and dandy but what if you diff goes out, or the transmission for some random reason. do you think that SOA ans the dealership wont try to blame you for towing something?
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Old 07-01-2012, 08:40 AM   #64
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[quote=ans2k;37498959]
Quote:
Originally Posted by WLS View Post

thats fine and dandy but what if you diff goes out, or the transmission for some random reason. do you think that SOA ans the dealership wont try to blame you for towing something?
Well it's not likely there will be such a problem and if there is I had the dealer install it so I'm protected there and towing lighting was not installed so I can take the defendable position that there was no towing done just bike carrying. I'm more worried about the piston ring issue and oil consumption. I wouldn't have bought it if there were no bike carrier option.
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Old 07-01-2012, 01:19 PM   #65
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[quote=ans2k;37498959]
Quote:
Originally Posted by WLS View Post

thats fine and dandy but what if you diff goes out, or the transmission for some random reason. do you think that SOA ans the dealership wont try to blame you for towing something?

Not sure why the US Impreza would be different to ours, mine has a Dealer fitted Genuine Subaru accessory Toe bar, I will only use it for a bike rack for my MTB but it seems an odd thing for them to say for a life style marketed vehicle, the Drivers manual contains the toeing restrictions wonder if those pages are absent from your manual ?

One negative worth considering is that the bottom of the bar scrapes too easily requiring care when entering and exiting driveways with even a mild dip or incline.

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Old 07-02-2012, 12:52 AM   #66
ans2k
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I am going to call SOA tomorrow. just sent them this message:

"I have sent a message earlier about adding a tow hitch to my 2012 Impreza 2.0i. Well i called and the customer service told me that the "2012 Impreza was not designed for it. The frame, rear differential, and the transmission was not designed for it." All i want is to do it use a tow hitch for cargo carrier (not trailer) and a bike rack. Can you tell me what are the design difference in engineering between the U.S. version and the Australian version? Not only do they have a maximum towing capacity of of 650 Kg or 1430 Lbs and have a maximum hitch load of 120 Kg or 264 Lbs, but they also have a genuine Subaru Tow Bar or a Tow Hitch. "
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Old 07-02-2012, 06:04 AM   #67
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ans2k View Post
I am going to call SOA tomorrow. just sent them this message:
Car companies must hate the internet, makes it hard for them to hide anything or trying to pass a " red face test " when talking to an informed customer.

One thing of difference in the US Vs Oz / UK markets maybe not engineering related rather " Crash compliance " as our ANCAP or Euro NCAP standards are slightly different to the US NHTSA, though as listed by "WLS" his was installed by his US Subaru Dealer so why the inconsistency ?
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Old 07-05-2012, 09:08 PM   #68
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ans2k View Post
I am going to call SOA tomorrow. just sent them this message:

"I have sent a message earlier about adding a tow hitch to my 2012 Impreza 2.0i. Well i called and the customer service told me that the "2012 Impreza was not designed for it. The frame, rear differential, and the transmission was not designed for it." All i want is to do it use a tow hitch for cargo carrier (not trailer) and a bike rack. Can you tell me what are the design difference in engineering between the U.S. version and the Australian version? Not only do they have a maximum towing capacity of of 650 Kg or 1430 Lbs and have a maximum hitch load of 120 Kg or 264 Lbs, but they also have a genuine Subaru Tow Bar or a Tow Hitch. "

I am very curious what SOA said about your phone call if you got around to it.
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Old 07-06-2012, 01:37 AM   #69
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"Thank you for taking the time to contact Subaru of America, Inc.
We are the distributor of new Subaru products for the United States only. We do not have information on Subaru models offered in other countries. We also do not have information on other countries' government regulations. The 2012 Impreza offered in Australia may have the same design as those offered in the US. It may be that the Australia government regulations are different for trailer towing than our government.
As you are aware, Subaru of America does not offer a trailer hitch for our 2012 Impreza models nor do we recommend having an aftermarket hitch installed. If you do decide to equip your 2012 Impreza with an aftermarket trailer hitch, the warranties on your vehicle would not be voided. However, if an issue arises because of an aftermarket product, the warranties may not cover the repairs.
Thank you, Alan, for the opportunity to be of service. Happy 4th of July!"
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Old 07-06-2012, 04:17 AM   #70
John451
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ans2k View Post
"Thank you for taking the time to contact Subaru of America, Inc.
We are the distributor of new Subaru products for the United States only. We do not have information on Subaru models offered in other countries.
Interesting answer and one often used on children in the end whenever their logic can't be faulted, " because I'm the parent and I say so "......
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Old 07-06-2012, 11:07 AM   #71
ans2k
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this is what i just posted on the SOA facebook page.

Do you know what make me mad the most about my new 2012 Impreza 2.0i Sport Premium? It's not the car, it's the company. I love my car. I called SOA twice about installing a tow hitch to use it for a cargo carrier and my back rack. I asked if it would be ok if I installed it to use it to carry those items. I also mentioned that i will not wire for a trailer, because I will not tow with it. I get a load of crap saying, "the transmission and the rear differential is not designed for the weight of it." I told them its about 40 pounds for the tow hitch. Come on, four grown adults weight about 550ish-580ish. The person on the phone repeated the same thing. Then, I did a little research. Apparently, the Australian version can tow with both manual and CVT. And there is a Subaru genuine "Tow Bar" or tow hitch accessory option. I emailed SOA about this. and asked what are the design differences between my car and the Australian's? The representative told me that they don't know what they are and that both car could be the same. Then, the person goes on to talk about regulations on towing of different countries. How is that remotely relavent when "the transmission and the rear differential is not designed for the weight of it"? Apparently, the transmission and the rear differential are going to break anyway. The reason that i am worried about installing a hitch is because I bought the Subaru extended warranty for 100K miles. It would be a waste if my transmission broke for whatever reason and if I had a hitch SOA would not cover the repairs. Also, I am not very tall and would hate to put stuff on top of my roof such as a bike. I would hate to slip and scratch my paint or make dents.
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Old 07-08-2012, 07:34 PM   #72
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ans2k View Post
this is what i just posted on the SOA facebook page.
You only have to go as far as Subarus "Global" site to view the specs to see its Towing capacity recommendations under " DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT " , but have you looked at your Owners manual ?

Global Linky:
http://www.subaru-global.com/12impreza_spec_5d.html
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Old 07-20-2012, 07:17 AM   #73
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yesterday I saw 2012 5-door with a hitch mounted bike rack. I did not get a good look at as it was driving by, but the bike rack was a thule.
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Old 08-21-2012, 01:33 AM   #74
BigVoxjammer
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Default Lookin' to tow a Sunfish....

Weighing in, here...
First off, after looking at that SOA global link above, I could not see a towing capacity mentioned. It does claim you can pack five people in the Impreza. Have you seen five Americans (hell, Aussies, too, for that matter) crammed into an Impreza? Boy, what a load of lard that would be! And we're being warned not to tow anything?

I want to tow a 130 pound Sunfish or laser hull, with a 150-200 pound trailer, and I guess another 25 pounds of mast and sail kit. I want to do this so bad! It weighs as much as my mom and my sister...(sorry), and I think if the international set can do it, we can too. If your diff blows (I have the 100k warranty, too), just pull the hitch, and know-nothing

So far, in my less than two months with the car, and 4k miles, I've not experienced low mileage, oil burn, squeaky seats, or overly sporty driving characteristics. I think we're worrying too much. They're restricting the US market, perhaps, because we buy more Scoobies than Australia, Japan, Europe and South America combined, and they are worried about the warranty costs of 200,000 North American New Imprezas burning up their trannies...They're worried we'll start towing a yard of mulch (1000 pounds) from the garden center, or the family's Camper! They're covering themselves needlessly, at the expense of our sailing/quadding/etc pleasure...I want to go sailing! I want to hear more testimonials like the folks above who tow a couple motorbikes. Don't let SOA SOB's tell you how to enjoy your car!! In a couple years, after all the dents, the scrapes, and the general diminishment of the honeymoon glow, you'll care less and less about what you are told not to do in your "active lifestyle" car: hook that damn hitch up and be an American (or an Aussie) for God's sake!!

(At least that's what I'm saying to myself...I want to f'in' sail, and I'll be damned if my car can't handle less than 500 pounds to the Columbia for five miles...pshaww, I say!!)

PS. The car's too gutless to get too screwed up towing a small racing hull, a bike, a kayak, or a fat mother....Tell me more about that 30+ mpg towing a load, please. We can do it!!
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Old 08-21-2012, 02:21 PM   #75
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigVoxjammer View Post
Weighing in, here...
First off, after looking at that SOA global link above, I could not see a towing capacity mentioned. It does claim you can pack five people in the Impreza. Have you seen five Americans (hell, Aussies, too, for that matter) crammed into an Impreza? Boy, what a load of lard that would be! And we're being warned not to tow anything?

I want to tow a 130 pound Sunfish or laser hull, with a 150-200 pound trailer, and I guess another 25 pounds of mast and sail kit. I want to do this so bad! It weighs as much as my mom and my sister...(sorry), and I think if the international set can do it, we can too. If your diff blows (I have the 100k warranty, too), just pull the hitch, and know-nothing

So far, in my less than two months with the car, and 4k miles, I've not experienced low mileage, oil burn, squeaky seats, or overly sporty driving characteristics. I think we're worrying too much. They're restricting the US market, perhaps, because we buy more Scoobies than Australia, Japan, Europe and South America combined, and they are worried about the warranty costs of 200,000 North American New Imprezas burning up their trannies...They're worried we'll start towing a yard of mulch (1000 pounds) from the garden center, or the family's Camper! They're covering themselves needlessly, at the expense of our sailing/quadding/etc pleasure...I want to go sailing! I want to hear more testimonials like the folks above who tow a couple motorbikes. Don't let SOA SOB's tell you how to enjoy your car!! In a couple years, after all the dents, the scrapes, and the general diminishment of the honeymoon glow, you'll care less and less about what you are told not to do in your "active lifestyle" car: hook that damn hitch up and be an American (or an Aussie) for God's sake!!

(At least that's what I'm saying to myself...I want to f'in' sail, and I'll be damned if my car can't handle less than 500 pounds to the Columbia for five miles...pshaww, I say!!)

PS. The car's too gutless to get too screwed up towing a small racing hull, a bike, a kayak, or a fat mother....Tell me more about that 30+ mpg towing a load, please. We can do it!!
I have the Curt hitch on my Subaru, and when my 4Runner was in the shop I was tempted to pull my Sunfish with my Subaru. I just didn't want to bother with the hassle of any potential issues. I only use the Curt hitch for my bike rack.

...okay, now I need to take off work and go sailing...
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