Dr911

For a variety of reasons, I have decided to retire tracking my old G-series 911.

The replacement is a spec miata, and will need to be towed 700+ mi roundtrip to track. In my current trailer-less reality I am dependent upon the UHaul godess for a rental.

Unf, my OEM trailer hitch for the R 320 CDI is 3500lbs, and that means that I must resort to a towing dolly. In reading online, there seems to be some controversy, but UHaul's word is firm.

1. How complicated is it going to be to disengage/reattach the drive shaft for the RWD car?

2. Any pearls of wisdom from experienced users?

3. What should I absolutely NOT do or DO to keep complications to a minimum?

Thanks in adv.
A.

David T.

Sorry, no experience with towing dolly but have you considered flat tow? Few guys are towing their miatas like this on tracks that I frequent:



p.s. do you mind me asking why you went with Spec Miata vs Spec Boxster? The reason I'm asking is that I'm in a similar boat : reconsidering tracking my 993 and switching to boxster, miata or s2000.

ruth

Try the Miata.net forum. IFRC there is a thread there, in the track driving forum.

DTMiller

Welcome to the dark side. Miata.net does have some threads on this. Long story short is that the owners manual doesnt say you can flat tow the car but tons of rvers and racers do it. You do need to add a baseplate to the frame to do it though.

Mine isnt a spec Miata but it is modified. I bought a trailer the day after I drove to/from the track in mine. You should just bite the bullet and invest in trailer + tow vehicle now instead of trying to do it some other way and spending a bunch of money and effort figuring out a less useful method. Especially if you are going to race it.

Edit to add - some people rent the truck and trailer from uhaul, which always sounded terrible to me but it is an option.

TXE36

Disconnect the driveshaft? Really? Sounds unnecessary to me unless you found a credible reference that says otherwise. You could always put it on the dolly backwards as it would be easier to tie off the steering wheel. If you do this make sure to set the parking brake and leave it out of gear.

There are guys who flat tow Miatas to TWS.

3500lb tow rating is a problem. You may be able to get under it with a small Trailex. You are so close to the limit that a Featherlight may be too heavy and this assumes the Miata weighs 2000lbs. The bad news about an aluminum trailer is it will cost you a lot ($4000+) and you may have to pay to store it. Good news is you should be able to sell it for nearly what you paid for it, so no depreciation.

Even if you get the weight under the rating, it will be there just barely. For a tow vehicle you want tow rating and wheelbase. I tow my M3 on a 22ft Sooner (Featherlight) open trailer with an extended wheelbase Ford Expedition (131.0in). When I picked up the car, I hadn't bought the truck yet and was using a borrowed short wheelbase Expedition (119.0in) and the towing comfort was night and day different. The extra foot of wheelbase makes a big difference.

Thus, one suggestion is sell the Benz and get a real truck. As tow vehicles go, you don't want to be under trucked as it is much easier to drive if the truck dominates the trailer rather than the other way around. Think about braking and controlling trailer sway in addition to pulling capacity. Once the weight requirement is satisfied, the next three most important tow vehicle characteristics are wheelbase, wheelbase, and wheelbase. Plus, a truck may have convenient prewiring for a trailer brake controller - shop for one with a factory tow package, not just the trailer hitch.

I resisted getting a trailer for a long time and, now that I have it, I wouldn't go back. I love being able to show up with the race car 100% prepped and ready to go as well as the security that if something breaks, I have the means to get it home. The truck is a rolling shed, I can take *a lot* of stuff with me and it is very comfortable.

My $0.02 and down the slippery slope you go. You will be at a 30ft enclosed with diesel pusher RV tow vehicle in no time .

-Mike

CCA

Congrats on choosing the SpecMiata, you will have a blast driving it. And, should you get to the point you want to race, SM is arguable the most competitive and well attended class out there. Have you found a car yet? If not, feel free to ping me. I could ask around and/or give you some good contacts. Heck, ping me if you have any questions in general.

As for towing, I would recommend renting a truck and the U-haul over using a dolly. A friend of mine used to do this with his 944. He always showed up with a nice F150 and the questionable U-haul. Made many trips to VIR and long hauls to Watkins Glen and Roebling Road with no issues.

BTW, http://mazdaracers.com/ is the forum for all things SM

Dr911

Thanks for the advice and the link. The Miata has landed and is the first unmufflered car, along with missing an ignition key and steering wheel that I've ever owned. Meaning: It's a blast!!!!

Hehe Mike, re selling the benz and buying the truck: you have quoted my spouse almost verbatim...only he had this *LOOK* on his face. But it is good advice for the long term strategy.

Re: driveshaft it's pretty clear in the Miata owners manual that this is the way to go. The car is actually missing a handbrake so that complicates the reverse towing (which I'm pretty sure the aunties at UHaul wouldn't permit anyway).

Thank you...the Dark Side is quite scenic thus far. Not sure I have a baseplate on the frame, but I can look again. And thanks for the link.

Thanks! I'll check it out.

Thanks, I had not considered a flat tow, but will look and see if there's a way to do that.
Re SpecMiata vs SpecBox:

1. I've developed an unfortunate habit on track of killing momentum, so I think the lower HP 1.6 cc car being something I'm not used to (having driven ~30 DEs in the 3.2 Carrera) and will essentially force me to learn how to carry momentum and improve my skill as a driver

2. The cost of parts/repairs and the cost of the car itself: don't need track insurance; also cheaper tires than the SB.

3. Because of my short arms, I'm not physically up to the task of driving a car with no power brakes, no TCS/ABS and no power steering etc. So I just wanted a "modern"-ish car to find out if I am any good when I have a car I can easily manage.

4. Trump card: Spouse agreed to it

5. Among the 3 obvi choices (S2000 vs SM vs SB) the S2000 is an "exotic" when it comes to parts and repairs.

If I can master item 1 and get an affirmative on item 3 in my above list, then I may possibly move up to the SB down the road. But with the SM I have the option to continue in this class and go easy on the wallet. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the info esteemed RListers!

TXE36

I would trust the word of experienced SM racers over the owners manual. I don't think I've every seen someone routinely under a Miata to install/remove the drive shaft to flat or dolly tow it. I would think due to all the years of SM racing and experience that this question should be answerable beyond the owner's manual.

I do know of a local DE participant that owns his race car and trailer, but rents a pickup to tow it on track weekends.

-Mike

DTMiller

It is exceedingly unlikely that a spec miata has a baseplate for flat towing installed. They are heavy (and obvious, there will be attachments sticking through the front bumper, other than the factory tow hooks).

CCA

I wouldn't disconnect the drive shaft. Just an extra hassle, and the 4 bolts/nuts are a bit access restricted, at least they are on the '99s. You will also have to secure the drive shaft, so it doesn't move out of the transmission or you will leak out trans fluid. Look into finding a good deal on a truck rental or maybe flat towing. Though I've not seen it done on the Miata before. But that doesn't mean it can't be...

Btw, what year did you get? Color?

Dr911

That's prob true...the owners manual was written by their legal counsel no doubt. Honestly I love my Pig too much to trade out: will take your advice on the aluminum trailer. THX!

Thanks, that seems to be the CW on the miata forums...I got a 1990 1.6 Silver/Black and named her Moxie.

(My son says it sounds like a stripper. Having done 8 loads of laundry in the past 3 days, I feel like all pimped out and ready for Road Atlanta tomorrow so that seems apropos.)

TXE36

If you call that Benz wagon a pig, I'd hate to see what you would call my Expedition EL. I've taken to just calling it "The Beast" or "The Shed". And it is actually smaller than what I really wanted, a F-250 CC SB Powerstroke.

Now that looks like a race car pimped out with all the SM goodies, welcome to the dark side. Get fast in it and the name could work. Some chick hauling *** in a Miata named Moxie? Yeah, that works.

-Mike

RickBetterley

I had a 2008 version of that truck - don't make the mistake I did. The small fuel tank in the short bed is a major aggravation. Get the long bed and the 11 or so more gallon capacity.
My motto - if you're buying a truck, buy a real truck (assuming you have the room and don't have to drive it in a congested area).
Your're welcome.

DCP

Nice car! Having already gone this route, expect that it will take some time to learn the car. I blamed my car for a long time for being slow. Turned out that it was not the car.

TXE36

Is it ever?



-Mike