Hitch mount for F8x?

[gopggo]

Originally Posted by Sivart321

Does anyone know if these do/will exist and if they would even fit given the very limited clearance near the muffler? I know this might be considered sacrilegious, but I need something to carry bikes and it is still unclear if the CF roof can be modified to have the threaded studs installed.

Any help is appreciated.

Funny story - I went biking this morning with a trunk mount rack (that I will NEVER put back on my M4), and my friend asks why I don't have a hitch. I say it can't been done.

Later today he sends me these two photos from his friend who owns a hitch shop in Myrtle Beach, SC. I know NOTHING about this but am passing along the info as apparently the guy will mail this out.

He is Jason Strader - Trailer Hitch Depot - mynewhitch@yahoo.com

[ciaranob]

This is not really any different fro the Westfalia hidden hitch systems that have been available for years in Europe and they provide the OEM solutions to BMW, Audi etc. I had a Westfalia hitch system in my previous E91 and bought the very cool Westfalia (BMW model) bike carrier with fold out tail lights etc that also hooked into the cars electronics which allowed for turning off the back-up sensors when reversing etc. The electric hook-up also folded up when not in use and again whole system entirely hidden. They also have fully electric versions that flip down with toogle of a switch.

Looked into retrofitting one of these to the M4 out of interest as we are big bikers too, as they have it available for the 435i convertible - company said there were clearance issues with the M4 bumper but I believe it is still very doable having looked into the clearances myself - biggest deal is that you swap out the rear bumper vs a much simpler looking install with the system you have used. Might also be that the product you are using is somewhat cheaper to buy here in the US as I had mine shipped from the UK (PF Jones) which was not cheap! Very interesting!

Originally Posted by Sivart321

I gave in and bought the invisihitch mount for the F30 at risk. I installed it a few weeks back and had no real issues with the install. Pretty much all of the steps are identical to the F30.

There is a secondary portion/piece of the heatshield which could likely be cut (they have instructions on hot to cut the F30 heatshield) but removing it seemed to work just as well, and I am not too worried about the exhaust temps in that particular area as the hitch does provide a little extra protection. I have been keeping an eye on it and have not noticed any issues. It does eliminate two of the four bolted mounts on the bottom of the diffuser, which has the potential to make that portion flop around, but again, I have not really noticed any problems. I left the bolts in so the bumper connects to the diffuser, but neither connect to the heatshield any longer.

As you can see in the video, the hitch insert does move the diffuser up slightly, but only touches a small portion which isn't visible from the back of the car at all (I am sure a small piece of xpel or PPF would prevent damage). I am not sure that this would work with any of the carbon fiber rear diffusers though. I imagine it likely won't work.

Video of the hitch adapter being removed/installed: https://www.dropbox.com/s/j04p4aipea...%20PM.mov?dl=0

Photo Album:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/apq3csfrz...qd-0jU0Wa?dl=0

With bikes:

[teefive]

Hi all. First post on this board (apologies if lengthy.) I'm ordering an F80 for ED -- was going to wait a bit longer before joining (delivery in early 16,) but wanted to jump in on this discussion because I've done a good amount of research on towing with F80s (and because there are too many hitch haters on here...)

I plan on adding an Execuhitch and towing my jet ski (also a huge enthusiast) with my future F80. Some points:

1. "It looks stupid" (and conversely, "it would look cool") isn't an argument for/against towing capability.

2. "Buy a beater" is nice except beaters are more expensive than a hitch, take up space, need to be insured, and are generally unpleasant and unreliable.

3. The hitch mounts in the same location using the same hardware as the F30. The F30 316d is rated by BMW to tow 1600lbs unbraked / 3500lbs braked. The 316d has 116hp / 200lb/ft.

4. The M modifications such as a high hp/torque engine, heavy duty drivetrain, brakes, and cooling system only make a more capable/reliable tow vehicle. These vehicles were designed to cope with intensive track days -- they can handle a small trailer on public roads.

5. You can enable sport+ for more engine cooling power (likely not needed, see next point.)

6. Towing an 800lb trailer with a tongue weight of 50lbs is much less stressful on a car vs 800lbs of passengers/gear (equal to four people with some light luggage.)

Execuhitch manufactures OEM hitches in Europe for multiple manufacturers incl BMW.

Some caveats:
1. Smarter to stick with the 6MT for towing. The hill-hold feature and auto rev match greatly reduces clutch wear. Towing with a DCT is a question mark.

2. Wet/mossy boat ramps with rwd. The LSD helps though.

I sent an email to Execuhitch regarding hitches on F8Xs, reposted with permission:

Thanks for asking me about the possibility of fitting your new M3 with our invisihitch. I must warn you that my answer is going to be a mixture of "technically we fit the M3/M4" and "officially we do not sell or warranty a hitch for the M3/M4." I apologize in advance for giving you that type of response. It really is not our company's style to speak in such a corporate-sounding manner, but in the case of the M3/M4 a conscious decision was made to not support the vehicle due to liability concerns about the very real probability that a customer would burn their hand on the muffler.

We have had both the M3 (F80) and the M4 (F82/F83) in our development shop for hitch fitments. In both cases (M3 and M4), our current F30 hitch that fits all flavors of the 3/4 Series (F30/F31/F32/F33/F36) bolted up perfectly to the F80/F82/F83 chassis. However, there is only a very tight space between the muffler and the rear of these M vehicles -- which is where our hidden hitch beam must mount. Our F30 hitch fits in that tight space nicely. This would be fine except that this tight space is right next to the muffler, and this is exactly where a person must put their hand in order to turn a hidden handle on our hitch when they want to release the removable piece. (The removable piece being either our rack-mount receiver or our ball-mount for towing).

The risk of a potentially severe burn injury was deemed to be quite probable. For this reason, you will not find a hitch offered on our website for the M3/M4, and if you attempt to phone-in an order for one you will be told that we do not offer a hitch for the M3 or the M4. We do not support it, and we will not warranty it.

Having said that, I am aware that some customers have taken it upon themselves to order our F30 hitch and then install it on their M3 or M4. Customers have published the fact that our F30 hitch fits their M3/M4, so we cannot hide that fact. Also, if such customers were to insert/remove our removable piece ONLY when the vehicle is completely cold, such as after the vehicle has been sitting unused overnight, then there would be no risk of getting burned. However, that is a risk that we are unwilling to assume, so we only provide installation instructions, photos, and tow-capacity specs for the F30. So please do not ask me for installation instructions for the M3/M4. The only instructions, photos, and specifications that we have available are for the F30.

Also, as you can see from one of the online posts by a customer, if our F30 hitch is installed on an M3/M4 the removable piece will make contact with the bottom edge of the fascia and cause the fascia to deflect upward slightly by about 1/8" whenever the removable piece is inserted. Over time, this rubbing could mar the paint at the center of the bottom edge of the fascia. To prevent this, I might add a thin piece of foam tape to the removable piece where it makes contact with the fascia.

Now, as for our F30 hitch, it is available in two different packages:

1. A Rack-Only package that includes a removable 1.25 inch square receiver to support bike racks. The removable receiver is not certified for forward/aft towing forces; it is only for hitch-mounted racks. Also, this package has no safety-chain attachment points and no wiring for trailer lights. Our F30 Rack-Only package costs $490 delivered to you, with F30 installation instructions. The hitch supports a maximum rack+bikes weight of 350 lbs.

2. A full Tow+Rack package that includes everything in our Rack-Only package, plus the following additional items:
• a separate removable one-piece ballmount with tow ball (2-inch ball unless you specify otherwise).
• a BMW-specific wiring harness with F30 installation instructions. The wiring harness terminates in a 4-way flat connector for the trailer, and this connector is mounted behind the fascia to preserve the original appearance of the F30 when not towing.
• safety-chain attachment points, which are recessed under the vehicle, again to preserve the original appearance of the F30 when not towing.
The delivered cost of our F30 Tow+Rack package is $619.
The maximum towing capacity is 3,500 lbs / 350 lbs tongue weight.

To order our F30 hitch at these prices, please phone-in your order and mention that you saw this pricing posted on a BMW message board. Our phone number is (678) 400-0121, and our hours are Mon-Fri,8am-5pm Eastern.

I hope this is helpful information.

[bimmerboyE92]

Awesome! Thanks for reaching out to execuhitch and sharing!

[Falafel Combo]

Originally Posted by Sivart321

Does anyone know if these do/will exist and if they would even fit given the very limited clearance near the muffler? I know this might be considered sacrilegious, but I need something to carry bikes and it is still unclear if the CF roof can be modified to have the threaded studs installed.

Any help is appreciated.

[M4Now!]

Originally Posted by teefive

Some caveats:
1. Smarter to stick with the 6MT for towing. The hill-hold feature and auto rev match greatly reduces clutch wear. Towing with a DCT is a question mark.

Great info, thanks for posting. Regarding DCT, it also has hill-hold, and I can't really believe that the rev matching isn't as good as the 6MT? It's computer controlled...

Cheers

[teefive]

Originally Posted by M4Now!

Great info, thanks for posting. Regarding DCT, it also has hill-hold, and I can't really believe that the rev matching isn't as good as the 6MT? It's computer controlled...

Cheers

Thanks, and understood with hill holding and rev matching. My question mark comment wasn't as clear as it should have been -- manual transmissions are proven capable to tow, I just don't know enough about the DCT to confidently say it's capable.

[visi107]

How about a trunk amount? for people that want to carry bikes. I currently am driving a F30 and in the summer i use a trunk mount for my 29' bike. I was planning o doing the same on the F80 too.

[2nd Childhood]

I recently purchased and installed the trailer towing version of the Execuhitch for my 2015 M3 F80. The unit is the same as sold for the bike rack version, except it comes with flanges to attach the trailer chains and a wiring harness. As the owner of the M4 did, I eliminated the back piece of heat shield as there was not way to make it work due to several areas where it interfered with the Execuhitch unit. Unlike the M4 owner, I am unable to push up the back facia/diffuser enough to fully engage the ball hitch in the hidden receptacle. I will need to modify the lower facia/diffuser to clear some material away that is interfering. I don't anticipate that it will be very visible. I am guessing there is some slight difference in the diffuser clearance between the two models.

Also, be sure that the hitch receiver and lock unit work properly before you install the unit and put everything back together. I found out the hard way that the unit had been assemble incorrectly by the supplier and had to be fixed. Only was to diagnose the problem and fix the issue I had was to disassemble the unit off the car. What a headache.

[mjcecil]

Originally Posted by Sivart321

Does anyone know if these do/will exist and if they would even fit given the very limited clearance near the muffler? I know this might be considered sacrilegious, but I need something to carry bikes and it is still unclear if the CF roof can be modified to have the threaded studs installed.

Any help is appreciated.

Buy a different car to transport the bikes. Seriously.

[Mandi90TT]

Originally Posted by mjcecil

Buy a different car to transport the bikes. Seriously.

Mind your own business. Seriously.

Some of us (myself included) have a genuine use for a hitch mount. Bicycles, and race trailers. Or both.

[nicknaz]

I this for an F80/82/83 ?

I thought it would be F85 X5M ?

[mjcecil]

Originally Posted by Dave 90TT

Mind your own business. Seriously.

Some of us (myself included) have a genuine use for a hitch mount. Bicycles, and race trailers. Or both.

Normally, I'd take this and say "easy, sparky, this isn't a personal thing. All I'm saying is that there are better and easier ways to transport a bunch of bikes."

But, today's not that day. So, I'll tell you what... You post your question out here, it's in public, and you get what you get. Don't get butthurt when you get something you don't like.

Mark

[Mandi90TT]

Or, you know, you can just not be a dick in your original post.

[kitesurfer]

Originally Posted by 2nd Childhood

I recently purchased and installed the trailer towing version of the Execuhitch for my 2015 M3 F80. The unit is the same as sold for the bike rack version, except it comes with flanges to attach the trailer chains and a wiring harness. As the owner of the M4 did, I eliminated the back piece of heat shield as there was not way to make it work due to several areas where it interfered with the Execuhitch unit. Unlike the M4 owner, I am unable to push up the back facia/diffuser enough to fully engage the ball hitch in the hidden receptacle. I will need to modify the lower facia/diffuser to clear some material away that is interfering. I don't anticipate that it will be very visible. I am guessing there is some slight difference in the diffuser clearance between the two models.

Also, be sure that the hitch receiver and lock unit work properly before you install the unit and put everything back together. I found out the hard way that the unit had been assemble incorrectly by the supplier and had to be fixed. Only was to diagnose the problem and fix the issue I had was to disassemble the unit off the car. What a headache.

how did you solve the rear diffuser issue/ can you post up a picture of the final product

[BEMR]

Originally Posted by Turbodog

I have the invisihitch on my F31 and it's great. You can just take the end of the hitch off if you don't need it, and no one would know there was a hitch installed.

can you take a pic of that please?

[BEMR]

Originally Posted by teefive

Hi all. First post on this board (apologies if lengthy.) I'm ordering an F80 for ED -- was going to wait a bit longer before joining (delivery in early 16,) but wanted to jump in on this discussion because I've done a good amount of research on towing with F80s (and because there are too many hitch haters on here...)

I plan on adding an Execuhitch and towing my jet ski (also a huge enthusiast) with my future F80. Some points:

1. "It looks stupid" (and conversely, "it would look cool") isn't an argument for/against towing capability.

2. "Buy a beater" is nice except beaters are more expensive than a hitch, take up space, need to be insured, and are generally unpleasant and unreliable.

3. The hitch mounts in the same location using the same hardware as the F30. The F30 316d is rated by BMW to tow 1600lbs unbraked / 3500lbs braked. The 316d has 116hp / 200lb/ft.

4. The M modifications such as a high hp/torque engine, heavy duty drivetrain, brakes, and cooling system only make a more capable/reliable tow vehicle. These vehicles were designed to cope with intensive track days -- they can handle a small trailer on public roads.

5. You can enable sport+ for more engine cooling power (likely not needed, see next point.)

6. Towing an 800lb trailer with a tongue weight of 50lbs is much less stressful on a car vs 800lbs of passengers/gear (equal to four people with some light luggage.)

Execuhitch manufactures OEM hitches in Europe for multiple manufacturers incl BMW.

Some caveats:
1. Smarter to stick with the 6MT for towing. The hill-hold feature and auto rev match greatly reduces clutch wear. Towing with a DCT is a question mark.

2. Wet/mossy boat ramps with rwd. The LSD helps though.

I sent an email to Execuhitch regarding hitches on F8Xs, reposted with permission:

Was planning to hitch my M4 or My 228i your thoughts and maybe a couple picts if you could, towed many small atv's and boats in the past towed for years with a custom hitch a Suzuki quadsport, and a 6ft boat on a custom trailer, with a 280z a cool site to see to say the least, all was a custom attachment along with custom trailer.

[DoubleDare]

New website for Invisihitch: http://www.invisihitch.com/

They're actually listing the M3 and M4 now. The prior website didn't.

I've had excellent results from mine (435i convertible).

[babraham]

For the people that have installed the Invisihitch on their F80/F82, did you do it yourself or have someone do it for you?

Just wondering what kind of project we're talking about here, as I would prefer to do it myself.

Thank you!

[lukej]

You guys can't be serious about this thread trailer hitches on the sports car that's why we have a beat up truck...

That should stir the pot.. Just having fun with you guy !!,!

It's all good ,,,,,that's why they make Neapolitan ice cream flavor for everybody ...

[BEMR]

Originally Posted by DoubleDare

New website for Invisihitch: http://www.invisihitch.com/

They're actually listing the M3 and M4 now. The prior website didn't.

I've had excellent results from mine (435i convertible).

Creepy website full of propaganda, very weird to say the least, go to the link on their website, then go to the link on the site "sitemap" very creepy and weird, something is not right.!

[DoubleDare]

Originally Posted by BEMR

Creepy website full of propaganda, very weird to say the least, go to the link on their website, then go to the link on the site "sitemap" very creepy and weird, something is not right.!

It's a hacker. Not sure why, but it seems someone has an axe to grind with the company. Apparently the hacker did enough damage to their prior (antiquated) website that it wasn't even worth fixing and they just set up this new site.

But that has nothing to do with the product. I've read that they are OEM for BMW in Europe.

I installed the hitch on my F33 myself and have had nothing but great results, including after I installed an M Performance rear diffuser.

The hitch, when inserted, does sit a little close to the ground. I scraped it once coming out of a parking lot too fast. Now I just leave that part off the car unless I'm using the bike rack.