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I mentioned in one of the weight reduction threads having taken off three of my four factory tie-downs -- the fourth is more difficult because of oil coolers in the way -- cutting more than 7 lbs of dead weight. A few people cautioned that may not be wise in the event of a tow...
I was under the impression that tie-down hooks generally aren't rated for towing, anyway, and that they're called "transportation hooks" for a reason. But, if true that most tow truck drivers wouldn't know how to hook up without them, I've been thinking it might be good to have a fallback.
I got the idea of racing tow hooks in front, but when I looked around, almost all of them use a plastic bracket for the webbing, even the big name brands. They look more suited to being a tie hanger than something to pull a 1.5 ton car with! I did finally find a couple options with metal brackets, but about the same time I had the idea to cut up an old, frayed seatbelt and use that.
Not my best sewing job -- the heavy duty thread kept tangling in back -- but who will ever see?
The stock tie-down bolt fits perfectly through the buckle, and I assume the whole contraption is much stronger than the rinky dink ones you can buy. My thinking is to tighten in the downward hanging position and then loosen and pivot it to point forward if ever needed for a tow. I won't be leaving it hanging out the bumper opening like a drooling child... I don't know if the seatbelt material is designed to hold up to bad weather, but I can re-sew it with nylon webbing if needed. I was proud of myself for coming up with a way to keep another SC seatbelt out of the landfill.
It's been raining so heavily the past couple days, I haven't wanted to hug the bumper to install it. It should be an easy fit with a few washers for spacing. It won't work as a tie-down unless cutting a hole in the side splash shield below it, since the factory tie-down passes through a narrow slit on the side that can't really be accessed.
Thoughts?
I thought about sewing up some simple nylon webbing loops for the rear tie-downs, but they're too close to the exhaust to not melt.
Installed, and ready to never be used! As it turns out, there's no need to reposition it for use like I was thinking. It tucks away easily behind the bumper with the buckle bracket tightened down in the "straight forward" position.
I have definitely used a seat belt to lift a 2jz in a pinch with a cherry picker, so it can probably pull a car on wheels.
Looks simple and effective as long as it doesn't hurt the bumper, I thought the last thread had to do with the rear hangers, I didn't even notice the one in the front before.
As long as it's pulled from straight on, it'll barely touch the bumper. Whether or not a tow truck has enough control over the angle it pulls from remains to be seen (or not!).
The front two tie-downs are very concealed despite being huge chunks of metal. Only the little hook portion extends down through the splash shield. The rest is a large plate that has three bolts securing it up above. The driver's side tie-down looks to be situated exactly the same, but the oil cooler covers it up, so you can't get at it without pulling the wheel well and possibly fender apart.
I knew the rear tie-downs were an easy removal after having added the axleback exhaust and seeing how accessible the shared mount is. The front ones required a bit of research in the service manual.
dude the buckle is plastic, why would this be a good idea, its just gonna break and you are gonna hurt yourself or someone else.. if you cant spend like 20-50 bucks for the real deal then don't do it..
dude the buckle is plastic, why would this be a good idea, its just gonna break and you are gonna hurt yourself or someone else.. if you cant spend like 20-50 bucks for the real deal then don't do it..
It's plastic over metal, designed to hold up to crash impacts. Surely, that's a hell of a lot stronger than the racing tow straps that are simply a plastic tab?
It's plastic over metal, designed to hold up to crash impacts. Surely, that's a hell of a lot stronger than the racing tow straps that are simply a plastic tab?
what kinda racing tow straps have you seen that are plastic tab? buy real stuff.. i have proper ones from uk used on rally cars, its rated to 10000LB they can crane a car out of a ditch with it..
what kinda racing tow straps have you seen that are plastic tab? buy real stuff.. i have proper ones from uk used on rally cars, its rated to 10000LB they can crane a car out of a ditch with it..
Search for "racing tow strap" and nearly everything you see will be nylon webbing looped through a plastic tab, even name brand stuff like Sparco. The few I found that use a metal tab use a thinner metal profile than the seatbelt buckle.
I fully intend on this never being used. It's there simply in case a tow truck driver has nothing else to hook up to. I imagine it's more than strong enough to pull a vehicle straight ahead on wheels, but I'll be perfectly happy if I never find out.
all the straps on ebay are metal tabs for example.. and propper ones are triple layer and stitched with kevlar string.. sparco one isnt plastic... dude.. i have never seen one thats plastic.. what are you looking at???
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPARCO-RACING-UNIVERSAL-TOW-STRAP-FIA-APPROVED-RED-TOW-HOOK-RIBBON-/111422298561?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item19f14959c1&vxp=mtr
http://www.ebay.com/itm/RED-HIGH-STRENGTH-RACING-TOW-STRAP-SET-FOR-FRONT-REAR-BUMPER-HOOK-TRUCK-SUV-A-/361122083957?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item54148db475&vxp=mtr
none of those are plastic.. and also the metal tab is alot thicker than the seat-belt thing bro.. do it right, dont get hurt.. and i seen broken seatbelts and didnt look like it was solid metal..
The seatbelt is metal where it clips in and metal at the exposed portion where the belt loops through. I can't imagine it wouldn't be metal throughout the rest that you can't see, given its safety purpose. You may be right about those other ones not being plastic, though. I looked back at a few and see some of them described as metal even though they look like plastic, so maybe they're coated? Others that look the same don't specify. But I read that the Sparco one which looks the same is plastic... At any rate, there's significantly more metal on the seatbelt buckle than any of those brackets. Just look at the shape and how little material they have around the tapered portion surrounding the bolt hole.
@t2d2 I like what you did...and I'm pretty sure it'll withstand crane lifting your car out of a ditch...but only ONCE. After that I'd replace it. So, just keep that in mind. It'll work, it is strong enough, but perhaps not to the "use after use after use" lifestyle that other tow hook/straps may be built for.
02-07-15, 04:17 PM
DIY racing tow strap instead of tie-downs?
