[SOLVED] How much do Mazda MX5 baby teeth/tie down hooks weigh?

mazda mx5 tie down hooks baby teeth
You may have noticed the two ugly looking (probably rusty by now) "tow hooks" pointing out the front bumper of your MX5 NA.

These are not actually tow hooks but tie down hooks used for securing the cars when they were being shipped from Japan to different countries.

They have affectionately been nicknamed the baby teeth by Miata enthusiasts partly due to them kind of looking like teeth sticking out the front bumper, and partly because many see it as a right of passage for owners to "pull them out" when they first get their MX5.

weight of mazda mx5 baby teeth
The weights of the tie down hooks are often exaggerated so here are the definitive weights for both front and rear tie downs as I have just removed them from my car.
  • Front tie down hooks: 1.3kg
  • Rear tie down hooks: 1.5kg
  • Both front and rear combined: 2.8kg
The weight might vary within a few grams depending on how rusty they are. :-D

Should you remove the baby teeth?
Will you notice that kg, no, but as far as weight saving goes on cars, it's a very easy win at no cost to comfort or practicality. Probably the easiest 2.8kg you will ever save...

Some people use the baby teeth to tow the car, so bear this in mind if you do decide to remove them. However this is not what they are designed for and Mazda do not recommend using them for this purpose.

In my opinion the front bumper looks much better without the tie down hooks sticking out, especially if they have gone rusty.

How to remove MX5 Miata baby teeth?
The front baby teeth are held in place by three bolts on each tie down hook, these can be reached by turning the wheels to full lock and then reaching in from the wheel arch. As you would expect, they are likely to be rusted so it's advisable to soak with a penetrating oil before as it can be awkward to get a good angle for putting a lot of force through the spanner.

The rear are held by two bolts (I think) and can also easily be removed without needing to jack the car up.

1 comment :

  1. Hi, just a small clarification.

    Rear hooks are held by two 12mm bolts and two 14mm nuts each.

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