Palting

Sorry for the ignorance, but I've never actually trailered a car. I have access to a friends Suburban for summer, and I'm planning on trailering to one of the DE's. What's the best way to secure the car to the trailer? Heck, forget about best way, how do you secure the car?

Greg Fishman

Does your car have front tie down hooks in the wheel well area? Use those and get the rear tow hooks from autometrics and you should be good to go. Maybe have your mechanic or an experienced friend help you the first time you load the car on the trailer. An extra hand is always helpful.

http://www.autometricsmotorsports.co.../996/index.htm

Tom W

I use straps through the wheels with my car on my open trailer. Remember to stop after 20-30 miles and check the straps to ensure they are still tight (they usually loosen a bit due to shifting).

JackOlsen

I had to trailer my car back from a track event last weekend. Through-the-wheel straps are very straightforward. I bought this set for the tow.

When I then had the car transferred for a AAA tow over to my shop, the AAA guy said the straps were the nicest he'd ever seen.

TMH

Please also remember that tie-down is only one of the things you will need to think about when first towing a car on a trailer. You also need to know where on the trailer to place the car so that weight distribution/tongue weight is correct. Check out the following link to learn how to measure tongue weight with a bathroom scale and some other odds and ends you have around the house:

http://www.etrailer.com/faq/trailer-towing-tips.asp

Also, do you have the trailer or will you be borrowing a friends? Does the borrowed tow vehicle have an electric brake controller installed? I will assume that the trailer will have electric brakes on at least one axle (it should/must when towing something the weight of a car).

Do a google search on towing tips to educate yourself now, before it is time to tow. For safety's sake!

Good luck,
Tom

Palting

Wow. Lots of input. Guess the question should have been "How do I trailer a car?" Looks like I need to do a lot more learning. As always, Rennlist is the best first place to ask. Thanks, guys.

Greg Fishman

If this is a one time only deal, just drive the car. It is way too much hassle for a one time deal, IMO. And the chances of something happening on your first tow are greatly increased. My first tow was a 800 mile one and I have plenty of stories to tell. Mostly due to a problem with my new trailer that didn't present until we started traveling.

ltc

This is a helpful towing guide:
http://www.sherline.com/lmbook.htm

I have the Autometrics tie down hooks that Greg mentioned as well.
I don't really like straps thru the wheels/tires; I just feel better loading down the suspension with the Autometrics as opposed to restraining the wheels and having the car bounce up and down. Probably doesn't affect alignment, but it's just personal comfort I suppose.

Luckily, 911's have the weight in a trailer friendly place (at least with respect to trailer tongue weight).
If you are in doubt, you can purchase on of these:
http://www.sherline.com/lm.htm

Best of luck.

Chaos

Roll down the windows and wrap duct tape thru the car and under the trailer.
Raise the windows to snug up the tape !

Robert Henriksen

I'd ditto what Greg said - once you get the hang of all the issues involved, it's no big deal. But it's rather a steep learning curve, especially if you're also learning on a borrowed tow vehicle/trailer/car/tie-down method/ combination that you won't be using over & over again. At the very least, get someone who knows the ropes to help you out. Towing is pretty straightforward when everything's working right; but a whole lot more excitement than you want when things go wrong.

RJay

And if you do go ahead, make sure you double check everything before moving! Trailer is properly hitched and locked. Chains not dragging. Do a test of the brakes and the settings for the brake controller and adjust for the weight of your vehicle. Check and recheck the tiedowns are tight. Car out of gear, e-brake on. Brake lights working etc. And it pays to re-check all you connections at every pit stop. The tie downs will loosen over time, so retighten. I know someone who didn't know to do this and his car rolled right off the trailer. I once had a ramp pin fall out and nearly lost the ramp, happened to notice on a pit stop break. Check, Check, Check.

RedlineMan

Palting -

I agree with Greg completely. One time deals are not worth the hassle and risk. I would suggest you go with someone experienced as they tow their vehicle. Play fly-on-the-wall and watch what they do. You will learn a lot.

If you decide to tow, ask someone experienced to go along like Robert suggests. Get the whole deal hooked up and go for a practice tow first. This will give you an idea of the parameters and how good or bad your setup is without the time pressures of getting to an event.

The boys are right on the mark here. Except for Gregg. C'mon man... RACER'S Tape, not Duct tape.
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Sebring '05 - Add another 3000+ Happy Hauling Miles!

Matt Marks

For your first time loading the car up on the trailer, give yourself LOTS of time to get it right....it's not something you want to be doing in a rush while simultaneously figuring out the best way to tie it down.

I spent 3 or 4 hours when I got my new trailer practicing putting the car on thr trailer, tying it down, and then unloading, as I figured (correctly) that it would reduce my stress level both during the load, tow, and unloading at the track.

jgrant

LOL! My dad, an ex AME (Aircraft Maintenance Engineer), still calls it 100 mph tape, for obvious reasons. Some of the stories he has of flying into the bush (Arctic Circle areas, northern Canada), fixing a plane (tape usually involved), and then flying/limping it back for "real" repairs, without the MOT (Ministry of Transport) catching him, send shivers up my back.

Darren

I buy all of my trailer tie downs from AW Direct, they have just about any kind of trailering tie down setup you'll ever need:

http://www.awdirect.com/awdirect/fin...m?itemid=17049

I bought that set of straps that they specifically market for Porsche-type wheels. The straps are just a long and flat with a d-type ring on the end. They just loop thru the wheel. I then bought a set of 3" ratchets from the same company.

Depending on what trailer I use I often put my 996 on backwards to get the proper tongue weight. If the trailer wheels are not situated far enough back then its hard to get proper tongue weight with a 911. With a 50/50 balanced car like a 944, sometimes its hard to get the car far enough forward to get the proper tongue weight (try towing a BMW 7 series, 50/50 and 100 feet long).

If its all setup right, I can go 80+ and stable as a rock. If the weight is setup wrong, its uncontrollable at 45 mph.