Will Draw-Tite or Curt Trailer Hitch Provide More Ground Clearance for 2016 Toyota Camry

Updated 01/02/2016 | Published 12/31/2015

Products Featured in This Question

Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class II - 1-1/4"

(165)

$204.58

Question:

Hi. I just brought a new 2016 Camry SE home this afternoon and, as usual when I get a new car, I combing through Etrailer.com to a hitch for my Yakima bike rack. The information Im a little concerned about is that the videos for the Curt hitch say 11inch of ground clearance to center. And in the comments section of the Draw-Tite, there is language that says the hitch has 7inch of clearance. I have bought 2 hitches from etrailer in the past because I thought they were less conspicuous, and good quality. Am I reading that right? Which hitch looks best, is least conspicuous, and has the highest clearance?

asked by: Mike

Expert Reply:

You are right that the Draw-Tite Class II Frame Receiver Hitch # 36540 will be less conspicuous on your 2016 Toyota Camry than the Curt Class II Trailer Hitch # C12107.

The measurements you are referring to are related, but are not both the ground clearance measurement.

When we installed the Draw-Tite # 36540 hitch on a 2016 Camry, we found the top of the hitch receiver to sit 11-3/4 inches from the ground. The measurement you found for this hitch is referring the distance from the mounting location to the bottom of the hitch receiver. I went out to the warehouse and measured this hitch. I found that from the top of the mounting brackets to the bottom of the hitch receiver measures 6-7/8 inches.

When I measured the # C12107 hitch, I found it to measure 7-1/2 inches from the top of the mounting bracket to the bottom of the receiver. When we installed the # C12107 hitch on a 2013 Toyota Camry, we found that from the top of the receiver opening to the ground measured 11 inches. This measurement may vary depending on the tire size on the vehicle.

The Draw-Tite # 36540 will sit approximately 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch closer to your vehicle, and have better ground clearance, than the Curt # C12107 hitch. You can use these measurements to determine the ground clearance on your vehicle my measurement from the mounting location down to where the bottom of the hitch will set. Then you can measure from there to the ground to find the ground clearance.

I have attached a photo showing these measurements for you, as well as links to the installation instructions.