Toby Pennycuff

OK, please don't laugh! I have always trailered my cars to events in an enclosed trailer. Be it my 73 911S with an aftermarket ducktail or my 2001 996 Cup. Recently, I acquired an 18' Aluma 7816 open trailer, and have pulled the 911S with no issue in the (to me) "normal" position - meaning the car is facing forward on the trailer (facing in the direction of the tow vehicle). I am considering pulling my 2004 996 GT3 on my open trailer, but am wondering if the RS wing (or even the flat-bladed factory wing [no endplates] for that matter) will significantly alter the towing balance of the car on the trailer. I've not uncovered any specifics on the amount of downforce generated by the 996 GT3 RS wing - only one article in Excellence that mentioned "modest" downforce at top speeds.

Am I being a bit too finicky here? Should I just go ahead and load the GT3 on the Aluma trailer as "normal (facing forward) and not worry about additional downforce generated by the RS wing on the car at the rear of the trailer? Curious what others of you who have trailered winged cars on open trailers have experienced.

Toby

177mph

I always trailered my 996 gt3 with the same wing - forward facing. Never had an issue. No need to worry.

Frank 993 C4S

Check your tongue weight for the correct answer. It should be 10 - 15% of the total weight you are trailering. At normal towing speeds, whether facing forward or backwards, the aero effects are negligible.

Toby Pennycuff

Thank you gentlemen!

jimbo_racing

Nose first. Try and center as much over the axles. Properly balance trailer set up on your vehicle. Tow vehicle and trailer should both be level. Most likely will need 1,000-1200 pounds of tongue weight. A lot easy to drive the car in rather than back in

awrryan

1000 lbs of tongue weight? Where did you get that? Even if the trailer weights 2k lbs, that’s 20% tongue weight.

m3bs

I have an Aluma 8218 towing a GT4. I had to back my car on the trailer to get the tongue weight up to 400#.

Nickshu

Same as above when I had my 996 GT3 and open trailer I always towed it nose forward.

Locker537

I was going to ask the same thing.

RossP

Towing it nose forward should be fine. Wing wont add any meaningful weight.

Mike Roblin

I currently tow my 6Cup on an open trailer with the nose to the front of the trailer. No issues

991carreradriver

Just to clear up some information here, tongue weight should be 10%-15% of gross trailer weight loaded for ball coupler trailers. Weigh Safe has a free app that will allow you check your configuration and insure you are in the proper tongue weight range. They also make a hitch with a scale in it, to measure tongue weight on every tow. This is handy especially as your load and tow vehicle weight changes.

Youg

I was trailering my 996.2 Cup in reverse position.
But I have a light weight trailer, and it is short, so the Cup overtaked at the back when the trailer was perfectly balanced.



So, a friend built a home made wheel rack in the front of the trailer.
and now, I can put the Cup in the good position, and I find a way to have a good balance, and the Cup never overtakes at the back now.

BFT3.2

Wow, I hope you don't have to tow over any mountains with that BMW wagon.

Youg

It's nice to tow with this car, it's a 540ia with a V8 4.4 liters engine.

The trail weigths under 400kg empty, 200kg for the wheels and the wheel rack, 1'200kg for the Cup.
Il can tow 2'000kg with the 540ia.

I live in Switzerland, so I have to go through the mountains to go to French tracks, and it wasn't a problem.