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Sorry for all of the questions but I am a newbie at this time. LOL
I just am finalizing a deal on a 2008 cop car. I will be swapping out my 2017 Z06 Corvette that I have been tracking lately. Very excited!!!
I have been driving the Z. to the track and back. But obviously that will change. I am looking for the best, reasonable open trailer option. I have a newer jeep grand Cherokee SRT. it can tow 7500 lbs.
I am thinking something Aluminum with a winch. I have read that the front splitter is easily removed for increased clearance while loading. Thoughts?
I should have the car within a couple of weeks. I have a Sebring track day scheduled for 22 December. In the meantime do you think I could use a U-Haul car hauler? Has anybody used these with success?
Sorry for all of the questions but I am a newbie at this time. LOL
I just am finalizing a deal on a 2008 cop car. I will be swapping out my 2017 Z06 Corvette that I have been tracking lately. Very excited!!!
I have been driving the Z. to the track and back. But obviously that will change. I am looking for the best, reasonable open trailer option. I have a newer jeep grand Cherokee SRT. it can tow 7500 lbs.
I am thinking something Aluminum with a winch. I have read that the front splitter is easily removed for increased clearance while loading. Thoughts?
I should have the car within a couple of weeks. I have a Sebring track day scheduled for 22 December. In the meantime do you think I could use a U-Haul car hauler? Has anybody used these with success?
Thanks again for answering my questions.
Congrats on the new car. Do a search on U-Haul trailers on RL - I would not recommend it.
U-Haul open trailers probably weigh as much as an aluminum enclosed! You need to haul Nitrogen and a bunch of miscellaneous tools. You will have extra wheels and will want to change from the older set to the fresh ones so you can actually drive a good line and drive the car well, not just get around the track slowly. I am not sure of the weather where you are but in the West a 10 hour tow is not uncommon so you can expect to see all sorts of weather as you travel that far. I have to plan on temperatures being under 15 degrees anytime I tow between late October and early March. Snow and rain and crappy roads means that enclosed is the only way to go for me.
My first track day in my cup I had my shop tow it to track for me and support me. It enabled me to just focus on learning. Eg getting it to go the first time is new experience
You will never get a cup on a uhaul tailer. Ramp angle is all wrong and the lips on the sides of the runners are too high. I had a hell of a time using one for my SC. No way you'll get a cup on there.
My first track day in my cup I had my shop tow it to track for me and support me. It enabled me to just focus on learning. Eg getting it to go the first time is new experience
Just driving it was hard enough.
This is excellent advice. Theoretically you'll want it delivered to a shop that is very familiar with cups to do a full nut and bolt. They should be able to provide you with transport to the track, as well. As a new cup owner myself, I can tell you it's a whole lot more complicated than a street car and even more than most converted race cars. You'll want support from someone who knows what they're doing. There are special tools needed and little tricks (always keep pressure on the wheel nut with the air gun even when removing!).
I am going to purchase a trailer immediately. Not sure of either an open or closed though. I won’t be doing the Uhaul thing.
Alao...I am purchasing the car from NolaSport. Picking it up on the 6th. It will be serviced and ready to go. They will be showing me around the car and then I will be getting some track time with them. Then I am having it shipped home.
All good there!!
PS. While I make no claims to be an experienced car driver, I used to road race motorcycles. For 12 years total. Has my pro license (but a back marker at that level!), raced the Daytona 200, etc. I am not totally foreign to asphalt.
If you can swing it, go with an enclosed. I have a 20 foot featherlite that I tow with a Range Rover and towed it with an LR4 before that. Cups are very difficult to get on a trailer because of the angle of the nose and where the front wheels are. You'll want to look at getting race ramps to make it so you can load it. A winch is a must have as you'll burn the clutch trying to drive it in or up. Plan ahead as you'll run into a ton of challenges getting the car on a new trailer. I found this out when I tried loading my 996 Cup on my open trailer. It didn't happen and ended getting an enclosed.
Jon at Nola Sport will take great care of you. Let him help you with questions about spares, tools etc. I upgraded from a street based race car to a cup and do a combo of self support and shop support depending on the track that I am going to. I have built a half dozen Spec 944's and 944 Turbo's of various ilk's, but the Cup is more fussy on a lot of things. No crisis mind you, but more particular about a lot of things. Parts time out - really they do - and you just have a lot to chew on, so don't do things the hard way. An open trailer can be done, but why? Do you like your car to be full of dirt and dust? (I noticed that your car doesn't have the windows in it). If you have the Plexiglass windows, do you like them beat up with road grime? This will be a great adventure and you are in for a fun time!
I don’t get all the fuss here about needing fancy trailers to get a cup on and off. I understand an enclosed trailer is ideal if you are traveling huge distances through inclement weather but a cup car will go on an open trailer just fine. I have an open steel trailer with ramps and a manual hydraulic tilt. Very basic and does the job fine with my 996 cup. I’m even currently using a hand winch!!
I am going to purchase a trailer immediately. Not sure of either an open or closed though. I won’t be doing the Uhaul thing.
Alao...I am purchasing the car from NolaSport. Picking it up on the 6th. It will be serviced and ready to go. They will be showing me around the car and then I will be getting some track time with them. Then I am having it shipped home.
All good there!!
PS. While I make no claims to be an experienced car driver, I used to road race motorcycles. For 12 years total. Has my pro license (but a back marker at that level!), raced the Daytona 200, etc. I am not totally foreign to asphalt.
If you have open windows, obviously an enclosed trailer is required. Enclosed also allows you to store all the stuff that comes along with cup ownership.
Loading and offloading a race car for track days can be exhausting, especially in the heat. Then supporting the car is another job.
I would seriously consider finding a shop that can support your car so you can arrive and drive.
Beware the width of a Cup car, I had to put front wheels on the back to get it to fit on a trailex, and the fronts rode on the side rails... There are alternate widths available that will help.
In the end you'll want an enclosed (22' min) trailer with a winch and long ramps. Open does not give you the room for spares, tools, etc. Many, like me, started with open...
11-24-2018, 11:41 AM
Cup Newbie. Open trailer options??
