Slipstream - April 2002

Tow Hitch Installation-Who needs a Cayenne to tow?
By Noby Takahashi
On a rainy Sunday afternoon in December, a few Mavericks
gathered at the home of Rocky Johnson to install a trailer
hitch on a Boxster. Our trailer hitch kit was purchased
from Evolution Motorsports (http://www.EvoMS.com) in
Tempe, AZ, 800-998-8510. Why were we doing this? So that
we can tow our track tires and associated tools out to our driving
events. This is an alternative to the Tow Vehicle/Car Trailer
scenario.
Photo by Noby Takahashi
Photo by Noby Takahashi
Taking apart Wayne’s car
the tongue extension with a rubber mallet. Be sure that the
center hole is perfectly aligned with the tow hook hole. That big
bolt requires a 1-1/4” socket.
Swifttow Trailer Hitch System
. . . we would have spent all night
camping out in Rocky’s garage. . .
The physical installation of the hitch is relatively simple.
First, remove the rubber bumperette covers with a 6mm hex
wrench. Taking off the license plate/bracket results in this:
Photo by Noby Takahashi
Trust me, it is 1”. Blame the photographer!
Photo by Noby Takahashi
This is Wimbledon Green if you’re wondering...
Notice how filthy it is. Might want to clean it up before
proceeding. A 5/16” hole needs to be drilled through each
Aluminum bumperette. EVO provides a template to mark the
location. It is easier by starting out with a small pilot hole and I
recommend fairly sharp drill bits for this task even though it is
just Aluminum (FYI, don’t borrow them from Rocky).
Now for getting the hitch on the car. As seen in the picture,
the main bar needs to be on the backside of the bumperettes. In
order to ‘shove’ the piece behind the left bumperette, we needed
to wedge it with a large flathead screwdriver and tap ‘gently’ on
The rubber bumperette covers will need to be notched out
for the main bar using a sharp Exacto knife. And for the tow hitch
ball, the hole is 1” (shank diameter).
The following items from a local PepBoys or AutoZone is
needed to complete the trailer light wiring job:
European Tail Light Converter Hoppy P/N 48845
Quick Splice Kit, 16-14AWG Conduct-Tite P/N 85464
Ring Terminal Connector (for the ground connection)
Plastic Tie Wraps
And I spliced into the following wires on the car, according
to my wiring diagram:
Left Turn Signal Black/White
Right Turn Signal Black/Green
Brake Light Black/Orange
Tail Light
Gray/Red
Many thanks to John Hrad and Wayne Corley of The Porsche
Store for stopping by and lending a hand (as always)! Thank you
for allowing us to check out the installation on Wayne’s car.
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