niro EV trailer hitch
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Curt Class III hitch for PHEV
I have a 2018 Niro PHEV. It appears to be the same as my neighbor's 2019 PHEV. I mounted a Curt Class III hitch for a bike rack. There is a problem in that there is a piece welded to the frame on the passenger side which interferes with the hitch. The solution is to notch the vertical plate on the hitch so it fits around it. It can be done with a hacksaw blade on sawmill or cutting blade on grinder, a very simple modification of the hitch. It does not appear to affect the strength of the hitch, which is secured by 6 bolts. There is a small plastic piece under the car that needs to be trimmed too. I know the Curt works well and it easy to install. etrailer.com has some videos for the Curt hitch (perhaps for earlier model Niros or non-PHEV) which are 95% accurate (except for the notching). Of course none of this might apply to the EV. Robert
I have a 2018 Niro PHEV. It appears to be the same as my neighbor's 2019 PHEV. I mounted a Curt Class III hitch for a bike rack. There is a problem in that there is a piece welded to the frame on the passenger side which interferes with the hitch. The solution is to notch the vertical plate on the hitch so it fits around it. It can be done with a hacksaw blade on sawmill or cutting blade on grinder, a very simple modification of the hitch. It does not appear to affect the strength of the hitch, which is secured by 6 bolts. There is a small plastic piece under the car that needs to be trimmed too. I know the Curt works well and it easy to install. etrailer.com has some videos for the Curt hitch (perhaps for earlier model Niros or non-PHEV) which are 95% accurate (except for the notching). Of course none of this might apply to the EV. Robert
Good deal of INFO has been posted time back (Hybrid NIRO) about trailer hitches.
They are not rated to tow I did call Customer Service and reported the results of that on a post at that time).
Seems the answer about warranty was - having a trailer hitch would not void warranty (unless there was evidence of too much load on the vehicle). Sort of a vague answer.
Anyway, I did not mount one on my 2017 EX Hybrid. How would you convince them if they wanted and out that you only mounted bicycles or a light load?
They are not rated to tow I did call Customer Service and reported the results of that on a post at that time).
Seems the answer about warranty was - having a trailer hitch would not void warranty (unless there was evidence of too much load on the vehicle). Sort of a vague answer.
Anyway, I did not mount one on my 2017 EX Hybrid. How would you convince them if they wanted and out that you only mounted bicycles or a light load?
well i bought a curt class III receiver hitch for my niro EV. it fit pretty good. there were two studs on the chassis for the under panel in the rear, that had to be removed. and had to trim panel to fit around hitch. the curt hitch had to be ground away at one of the bolt holes a little bit. otherwise it was an easy fit.
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37 Posts
I just bought a 2019 Niro Plugin and was told by my local trucksmart that there is no hitch for it, what is the part number you ordered and what all did you have to do to get it to fit?
Roof rack would probably be cheaper than the hitch + install. $260 for the rack from KIA.
Doro is right, the manual explicitly states towing is not recommended thus, you really tempt fate installing a hitch even just for a bike rack.
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I’m happy to report that the shop “Rack Attack” in Vancouver BC was able to order and install the Curt 13329 on our 2019 Niro EV. It took them longer than expected, having to enlarge / grind the holes on the hitch, and they completely removed the plastic mud guard. The install looks beautiful overall. 2” receiver! See pictures attached.
Thanks to those above who posted that it can be done on the Niro EV. It helped to know that it is possible.
Thanks to those above who posted that it can be done on the Niro EV. It helped to know that it is possible.
Attachments
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Nice
So, the shop just removed the mud guard, and made some little mods to the hitch itself, nothing else was done to the NIRO-EV?
I'm planning on doing this to my EV as well, so I'm just making sure of what is involved.
If you can take a few more pictures, I want to compare to my own car before the mod and after as well.
Thanks, I'm looking forward to having a hitch for a bike rack rather than putting them on the roof!
S
So, the shop just removed the mud guard, and made some little mods to the hitch itself, nothing else was done to the NIRO-EV?
I'm planning on doing this to my EV as well, so I'm just making sure of what is involved.
If you can take a few more pictures, I want to compare to my own car before the mod and after as well.
Thanks, I'm looking forward to having a hitch for a bike rack rather than putting them on the roof!
S
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37 Posts
muffler heat shield modification
I did some modifications to the muffler heat shield which the Curt hitch instructions say to remove when mounting the C13329 trailer hitch. Number 1 because I'd like to have the heat shield, but more importantly because it kinda looked like crap and "unfinished" from behind without the flat black head shield on there
..here's before -- progress and after pics.
I did some modifications to the muffler heat shield which the Curt hitch instructions say to remove when mounting the C13329 trailer hitch. Number 1 because I'd like to have the heat shield, but more importantly because it kinda looked like crap and "unfinished" from behind without the flat black head shield on there
..here's before -- progress and after pics.Attachments
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567 Posts
The shield is there to protect the plastic bumper from heat inside the muffler. But as soon as you installed the hitch, the big massive chunk of steel in the hitch becomes a big heat sink for the muffler in it distributes the heat away from a concentrated area in the muffer and along the whole of the hitch that will cool off easier as it has a larger surface area.
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Ah that makes sens, honestly my biggest motivator for doing this was that it just looked nasty and incomplete from behind :laugh:
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567 Posts
I guess it all comes down to user preference. Most cars don't have any heat shield and you see the muffler and tailpipes coming out the back. It is an esthetic sort of thing and I am glad that you took the time to show everyone what and how you did the modification so that others know it can be done and how to go about doing it.
I had a bit of a puzzled look on my face when I originally read your post as this is part of the Hitch for a Niro EV, and I had the question on why would you have a heat shield for a muffler on an electric-only vehicle, but I quickly gathered it was more for the hybrid versions. I would ask if your car is a Plug in or just the regular HEV?
I had a bit of a puzzled look on my face when I originally read your post as this is part of the Hitch for a Niro EV, and I had the question on why would you have a heat shield for a muffler on an electric-only vehicle, but I quickly gathered it was more for the hybrid versions. I would ask if your car is a Plug in or just the regular HEV?
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37 Posts
Mines a plugin -- so the hitch had to also be modified to fit
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37 Posts
oops posted in wrong thread, though this was the PHEV thread
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Hey everyone,
New to the forum. I recently bought a 2019 Kia Niro EV and installed the Curt Class III hitch for it. And I WILL be towing with it, so look forward to details on that (reliability, range drop, stability, towing modifications, etc).
That being said, I made a video of the install on a fully electric Niro (not gas or PHEV). The video goes over the problems that you will have to address when installing. Unfortunately it seems that I cannot post the link until I have made more posts on the forum, but look up my YouTube channel "Ecobrap". It was uploaded 09/25/19. Enjoy!
New to the forum. I recently bought a 2019 Kia Niro EV and installed the Curt Class III hitch for it. And I WILL be towing with it, so look forward to details on that (reliability, range drop, stability, towing modifications, etc).
That being said, I made a video of the install on a fully electric Niro (not gas or PHEV). The video goes over the problems that you will have to address when installing. Unfortunately it seems that I cannot post the link until I have made more posts on the forum, but look up my YouTube channel "Ecobrap". It was uploaded 09/25/19. Enjoy!
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179 Posts
you are hardcore tower? curious how well it will do with an EV and how much range you will lose with complete removal of whole aero piece in the back. looks like you can trim the end pieces to seat between the hitch and the bumper and preserve some of the aerodynamics?
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Yes, we have lots of towing experience, and will be towing 3,000-3100lbs (our race car and trailer) with the Niro EV. Specifically we are on a mission to prove:
1. You don't need a 6000lb pickup to tow
2. EV's are capable tow rigs, with a few key details (55-60mph tops, low drag trailers, charging station availability, 240V hookups at the track, etc)
Once we have installed the 7 pin receptacle on our Niro to power trailer lights/brakes/turnsignals, we will be doing our first test runs. Our first documented tow will be at the end of October. Fully loaded with gear, and towing 3100lbs on a 180 mile round trip. Can't wait.
And yes, we will be making a video documenting what is required to do this safely, and legally.
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338 Posts
The Fast Lane Car on YouTube has done a lot of towing with their Tesla model X and have seen that while it has plenty of power to tow, range drops drastically. Hopefully you don’t have any hills to go over. I’ll be anxiously awaiting your report of how it goes.
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