I want to thank the members of this Forum for telling me about the new Trailer Hitch made by Curt, which I installed on our IS350 this morning. It looks and works great. We will be using it for our bike rack and for the small trailer we use to carry our Kawasaki 800 SXR Jet Ski. We bought the Hitch from Etrailer.Com for approximately $133.

 

A first for me. Any pics with trailer?

 

Yeah I have to see this!

 

This thread is useless without pics!!!

 

oh yeah lets see some pics! :P I want to get a hitch to attach a bike rack eventually.

 

Just an FYI, the owners manual specifically states NOT to tow anything with your IS, so so if you cause any damage to the powertrain or drivetrain you're on your own.

Javier

 

it is the body is not designed to toe not the powertrain

 

I would like to see pictures too! But shouldn't AWD be towing?

 

The IS has an OEM Lexus available towing package in Europe. I doubt they changed something with the body between the US and Euro spec IS.

 

BJM711, I am one of the "heretics" that has been telling people about etrailer, hitches for the current IS/GS, and hitch mounted bike racks.

If you haven't wired your IS for trailer lights, you might be interested in knowing that my indie Lexus mechanic ran the power wire for my trailer light wiring harness from the trunk underneath the car to a terminal in the underhood fuse box of my LS.

It was not necessary to do any drilling -- the power wire for the trailer harness exits the trunk through an existing hole for an ABS wire. He used plastic zip ties to secure the power wire to the bottom of the car. He must have done a good job because I can not see the power wire when I look under the car. It took him less than one hour to complete the work. It would have taken far, far longer to run the power wire through the car interior, through the firewall and into the engine compartment.

The trailer light harness I use is from Modulite -- etrailer sells them but you can find them at many trailer supply stores. Be sure to install an in-line fuse in the trailer light power wire -- most convenient if installed near the battery -- the fuse on my LS is hidden under the underhood fuse box cover.

It is a generally bad idea to power trailer lights directly from the tail light assemblies -- do it right and power them from the battery or underhood fuse box to ensure that the trailer lights get full power and don't interfere with the light out sensor that can trigger a warning light in the instrument cluster.

As powerful and heavy as the IS350 is, you will be continually checking your mirror to verify your jet ski trailer is still attached. I doubt if you will "feel" your trailer while driving.

Happy towing.

 

The IS is also sold with a completely different (diesel) engine available and a full size compartment big enough to hold a full size spare. There's more differences than you realize between the two.

Javier

 

Kansas,

Thank you for the head-up on the wiring. If the non-believers could see the 6-12mm bolts that hold the Curt Hitch and muffler brackets on to the car frame rails they would quickly change their minds. The torque specification for the 6-12mm bolts is 65 foot pounds. I have been waiting three and half years for some one to make a Hitch for this car using the muffler brackets as a clamp, and now Curt has done it in a way that makes the installation very simple with no cutting of the Facia like the cutting required for the Lexus hitch sold in Europe.

 

U.S. hitch manufactures tend to use the muffler bolts on Lexus sedans as attachment bolts -- not as highly engineered as the hitches Lexus dealers sell in Europe but easier to install.

You didn't have to wait on Curt to make a hitch for the IS. Others have had hitches fabricated for their gen 2 IS cars it's doubtful it could have been done for only $133.

I just now looked at the instructions that European Lexus dealers use to route the power wire from the rear of the IS to the battery in the engine compartment -- surprised that they route it though the car interior and under the passenger side door sills. Again, the trailer wiring harnesses Lexus sells for the IS in Europe are engineered specifically for the IS and highly engineered. Sorry, I can't post the instructions -- the PDF is way to big for this forum. If you want to see them and lots of other fun stuff, they can be viewed in the "Accessory Installation Manuals" section at http://www.lexus-tech.eu There is no need to register to see the accessory manuals.

 

He's not pulling a fifth-wheel, guys. It's a small trailer with a 350 lbs. jetski on it. While the car isn't designed to be pulling anything, more or less 500-600 lbs. isn't going to put any noticeable strain on the powertrain. I've seen Porsches towing small trailers stocked with spare tires and tools to the track.

I just hope you don't have any transmission problems any time soon, seeing as the dealership will attribute it to the fact that there is a hitch on the car and that you're probably pulling something.

 

The IS350 is rated to tow 3400 lbs.

Koz