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- 23 CX-5 Premium
I just finished installing a Curt #12080 on my 2013 Touring FWD and I wanted to offer a few tips which I don't believe have been adequately covered here or in Curt's installation sheet. First off, here's a link to a more complete installation guide on Curt's web site: https://www.curtmfg.com/masterlibrary/12080/installsheet/CM_12080_INS.PDF
It may be helpful to some to have some actual pictures of the process. What I want to focus on here is page 5 of the guide, which is the only thing Curt supplies in the box with the hitch. There are 6 installation steps at the bottom of the page. Here they are with my comments, if I have any, in red:
1. Lower the exhaust for ease of install. HAH; I'd like to see you get this thing in place WITHOUT dropping the exhaust!
(Remove 4 rubber hangers to lower the exhaust.) When they say "remove" they mean it! tried just slipping the hangers off at the muffler end and leaving them on the car and it quickly became apparent that there were about four too many things in the way of getting the hitch in place. At the top of the page there is a "rubber isolator removal diagram" which suggests a method of removing the hangers using a 5/8" open end wrench and a pry bar. I found it totally useless, but I did figure out a way to use successively thicker 1/2" open end wrenches to get between the isolator and the hanger rod to pry the isolator off. Don't forget to use plenty of WD-40 and let it set for a bit before trying to get them off. Also, when you drop the exhaust, let it down gently til it reaches the bottom of its natural travel. I was a bit leary about putting stress on the exhaust joints, but the system seems to handle this minor abuse well and you will need for it to be as low as it will go in order to get the hitch up over the trailing edge of the muffler.
2-3. Fishwire and reverse fishwire instructions: I have nothing to add here, their instructions are spot on!
4. Raise the hitch into position and secure using the 1/2-13 hex flange nuts. First off, you have no business tackling this job if you don't have a helper. I'm surprised that hasn't been stressed more than it has on the forum to date. It will take a person on either end of this thing to wrestle it (at an angle) up and over the muffler and then to get the outer corners past the underside of the bumper valance, line up the bolt holes and feed the fishwire throught the holes. Once the carraige bolts are fed though the mounting holes in the hitch, you'll want to (carefully) remove the fishwire from the bolt thread and hand install the flange nuts. All very carefully while the other person is doing the same thing on the other side. Oh, one other thing that is not mentioned at all in the instructions, is that somewhare during this step you'll want to reinstall the two rear muffler hangers on the car as well as on the muffler. Do this prior to getting all the flange nuts in place, because if you don't, you'll be left with about 3/8" of clearance on either side to get a 1.5" wide rubber isolator in place! Also, be careful not to get the trailing edge of the muffler heatshield caught on the leading edge of the hitch; it's easy to do.
5. Torque all 1/2-13 fasteners to 75 lb-ft
6. Reinstall the exhaust and the rubber isolators removed in step 1. Actually, you'll only be reinstalling the front isolators as you've already done the rears in the process of completing step 4 above.
Good luck! It's a quality product and the finished installation is very well hidden. It's just a little more of a chore than some here have made it out to be.
It may be helpful to some to have some actual pictures of the process. What I want to focus on here is page 5 of the guide, which is the only thing Curt supplies in the box with the hitch. There are 6 installation steps at the bottom of the page. Here they are with my comments, if I have any, in red:
1. Lower the exhaust for ease of install. HAH; I'd like to see you get this thing in place WITHOUT dropping the exhaust!
(Remove 4 rubber hangers to lower the exhaust.) When they say "remove" they mean it! tried just slipping the hangers off at the muffler end and leaving them on the car and it quickly became apparent that there were about four too many things in the way of getting the hitch in place. At the top of the page there is a "rubber isolator removal diagram" which suggests a method of removing the hangers using a 5/8" open end wrench and a pry bar. I found it totally useless, but I did figure out a way to use successively thicker 1/2" open end wrenches to get between the isolator and the hanger rod to pry the isolator off. Don't forget to use plenty of WD-40 and let it set for a bit before trying to get them off. Also, when you drop the exhaust, let it down gently til it reaches the bottom of its natural travel. I was a bit leary about putting stress on the exhaust joints, but the system seems to handle this minor abuse well and you will need for it to be as low as it will go in order to get the hitch up over the trailing edge of the muffler.
2-3. Fishwire and reverse fishwire instructions: I have nothing to add here, their instructions are spot on!
4. Raise the hitch into position and secure using the 1/2-13 hex flange nuts. First off, you have no business tackling this job if you don't have a helper. I'm surprised that hasn't been stressed more than it has on the forum to date. It will take a person on either end of this thing to wrestle it (at an angle) up and over the muffler and then to get the outer corners past the underside of the bumper valance, line up the bolt holes and feed the fishwire throught the holes. Once the carraige bolts are fed though the mounting holes in the hitch, you'll want to (carefully) remove the fishwire from the bolt thread and hand install the flange nuts. All very carefully while the other person is doing the same thing on the other side. Oh, one other thing that is not mentioned at all in the instructions, is that somewhare during this step you'll want to reinstall the two rear muffler hangers on the car as well as on the muffler. Do this prior to getting all the flange nuts in place, because if you don't, you'll be left with about 3/8" of clearance on either side to get a 1.5" wide rubber isolator in place! Also, be careful not to get the trailing edge of the muffler heatshield caught on the leading edge of the hitch; it's easy to do.
5. Torque all 1/2-13 fasteners to 75 lb-ft
6. Reinstall the exhaust and the rubber isolators removed in step 1. Actually, you'll only be reinstalling the front isolators as you've already done the rears in the process of completing step 4 above.
Good luck! It's a quality product and the finished installation is very well hidden. It's just a little more of a chore than some here have made it out to be.
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