Towing advice.
Thread Starter
Pit Crew
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 158
Likes: 6
From: nj
Towing advice.
Hey guys,
So im headed back to the east coast and unlike my trip out here i do not want to drive the LS across country again. Instead i am renting an SUV and towing the car behind. I understand a full tow bed is recommended but my question is this:
Being a RWD car : can i use a Tow Dolly and tow the car from the back wheels?
it is my understanding that tow dollies are for FWD cars, and if you tow a RWD car from the front it will screw up the trans. So.... could i simply tow it from the back.
just an FYI the price difference is 2:1 which is why im asking.
Thanks for all the help.
So im headed back to the east coast and unlike my trip out here i do not want to drive the LS across country again. Instead i am renting an SUV and towing the car behind. I understand a full tow bed is recommended but my question is this:
Being a RWD car : can i use a Tow Dolly and tow the car from the back wheels?
it is my understanding that tow dollies are for FWD cars, and if you tow a RWD car from the front it will screw up the trans. So.... could i simply tow it from the back.
just an FYI the price difference is 2:1 which is why im asking.
Thanks for all the help.
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 301
Likes: 15
I thought there was a reason for not doing so and here's what I found.
With the drive shaft removed, the wheels are no longer connected to the engine; they're simply spinning along the axel. Drive shaft removal isn't necessarily a quick operation. For many people, this job is best left to a professional mechanic. This adds to the cost of to transporting a car -- on top of purchasing or renting a tow dolly. So why not simply back the car onto the tow dolly in the case of a rear-wheel drive car -- then it would be just like towing a front-wheel drive car, right? Wrong. Tow dolly rental companies and manufacturers explicitly warn against towing a rear-facing car with a tow dolly. This is due to the weight distribution found in most cars. Tow dollies are designed to accommodate most (if not all) of the car's weight. Since the bulk of a car's weight is found in front due to the weight of the engine, having that weight hanging off the back of a tow dolly can create an imbalanced weight distribution. At relatively low speeds, this improper weight distribution can cause the car in tow to whip -- a violent sway that can take both cars off the road.
With the drive shaft removed, the wheels are no longer connected to the engine; they're simply spinning along the axel. Drive shaft removal isn't necessarily a quick operation. For many people, this job is best left to a professional mechanic. This adds to the cost of to transporting a car -- on top of purchasing or renting a tow dolly. So why not simply back the car onto the tow dolly in the case of a rear-wheel drive car -- then it would be just like towing a front-wheel drive car, right? Wrong. Tow dolly rental companies and manufacturers explicitly warn against towing a rear-facing car with a tow dolly. This is due to the weight distribution found in most cars. Tow dollies are designed to accommodate most (if not all) of the car's weight. Since the bulk of a car's weight is found in front due to the weight of the engine, having that weight hanging off the back of a tow dolly can create an imbalanced weight distribution. At relatively low speeds, this improper weight distribution can cause the car in tow to whip -- a violent sway that can take both cars off the road.
Thread Starter
Pit Crew
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 158
Likes: 6
From: nj
well it looks like i will be driving the car across country. tow and carriers arnt going to work in my time frame.
going to need to do the 120,000 mile servicing.
does anyone have any other advice on how to prep the car for the journey.
going to need to do the 120,000 mile servicing.
does anyone have any other advice on how to prep the car for the journey.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
vital
IS - 2nd Gen (2006-2013)
54
Sep 28, 2011 07:23 PM
