Cobra4B

My thread about my Panoz comming loose and rolling off the back of the trailer has gotten multiple responses to this issue. Ive always heard you tow in neutral to prevent trans wear/damage, but some insist its not an issue.

Your take and why?

Cobra4B

ttt

Armycop

I tow with an 18' open trailer, and I always leave the car in gear. it's a small safety measure, true, but it helps keep the car from moving forwards/backwards, and will lessen the chance my straps work loose. A modern gearbox's tolerances are much tighter, so slop damage is really a non-issue today.

c4cruiser

I leave my car in neutral (manual tranny) once it's on the traier but I do set the parking brake just a notch or two.

I also stop and check the straps after driving 15-20 miles after loading. I can usually count on one strap at the front or back coming just loose enough where I can take one or two notches on the ratchet.

sperkins

I strap it down with the e-brake on then put it in reverse as a backup. With it strapped to the frame and e-brake on, there shouldn't be any movement at all at the wheels that would stress the tranny gears.

Bimota Guy

Straps keep the car from moving if all is done right and nothing goes awry. So being in gear is a non-issue. However, if it all goes to hell and the straps come lose, being in gear can help save your car from coming off your trailer.

vettehardt

I have a 73 with a M-21 and an 18' open trailer. I always tow with the car in gear and have never had a problem with the tranny because of it. I have been racing the car for 13 years now. I hook the straps to the frame in the rear and use come-a-longs on the front hooked to the sway bar. I make sure it's tight before i leave home or an event. I have had a come-a-long come loose and i lost the hook because my brother didn't tighten it properly. The other one held the car so nothing serious happened.

Mikelly

In all my time towing (many years) I've had cars become loosened on straps, and move around minimally... This rocking is BAD for tranny internals, and I've had three mechanics over the years tell me the same thing. All that movement you're not seeing is banging around the internals on a tranny left in gear.

Strap it with the straps X'd and pull the parking brake or use wheel chocks.

Mike

AU N EGL

Neutral

I do have these rubber stops on the floor. So if, and the front tie downs come loose, they car will not roll more then a few inches.

They just lay on the deck and have good grip on the back side, so they dont slide.

Plus if I load the car myself, which I can not see very well, I know that when the front tires roll over the first bump on the chalk the car is in the right place

I also stick a wood block behind one rear tire.




Think I got these rubber chalks at Northern Tool or some car catalog

Cobra4B

^ Thanks Tom... I'm going to Northern Tool at lunch today, I'll see if they have those.

I figure some chocks w/ new snap ring straps will prevent the issue I had yesterday. Well.... cranking the straps better would have prevented it, but snap rings would have made it inpossible for them to come loose.

the blur

driving the car around the race track is also tough on tranny internals. So if your concerned about tranny damage from trailing in gear, then maybe you shouldn't be tracking your car.

and if your really concerned, trailer in reverse, so if something gets worn, it's the reverse gear which isn't used much anyway.

I know I killed my 3rd gear synco on the track, from a sloppy down shift. It's just part of the over all picture.

Trailering in gear is what I do, and I don't worry about it. I'd rather have the redundant saftey feature of the car not falling off the trailer.

Cobra4B

^ Good point about putting it in reverse... so it seems like there's no ultimate answer to this... it's 50/50 right now

The Spark

Neutral for me with e-brake on.

I use 4 ratchet straps attached to the frame (crossed both front and rear). I put chocks in front of front tires and behind back tires.

Haven't had the car move doing it this way.
Note: I also have an enclosed trailer. I would hope it wouldn't come off (out of) the trailer if the straps failed.

Cobra4B

^ Panoz don't have no ebrake!

So w/ the chocks... do you just force them in place and they stay put?

DALE C

The trans is not the problem with towing in gear. It is the engine think about your piston rings moving up and down in the same few MM with no oil, it will leave polished spots on your cylinder walls.

Bill Dearborn

If the car is tied down properly it is not moving fore and aft and thus doesn't present a problem for the transmission or engine. The issue is if and when the straps come loose. Putting the car in reverse and fastening the E Brake provides extra insurance the car will not move. I have been towing cars with the transmission in reverse for 15 years with no problems to the gear boxes or engines.

As for people who say it damages the tranny or engine how do they know or prove that is what happened? How many mechanics would recognize wear that occurred from trailering? Most of the cars they work on haven't been trailered so they really don't have much of an experience base on which to base their judgement. They are just guessing.

Bill

ZR1 MK

I have home made 2x6 blocks bolted to trailer. One for each tire. I drive onto the trailer over the rear blocks and the car is held in place. Same spot every time. With the blocks, straps and parking brake engaged, the car isnt moving, but I do leave it in gear.

DALE C

I have torn low mileage race engines down that have spots in all eight cylinders staggered at proper piston clocking where the hone has been completely polished away and the rest of the bore looks new.

whether or not you would see any huge issues from the damage to the hone probably not but it is there and has the potential to cause blow by, detonation due to losing then regaining tension on the ring causing piston shudder or even a broken ring

I dont see how 2 straps on each end of the vehicle can both come loose. There are several of us that travel together all the time and ALOT of long distance towing with 2 straps in front and 2 in the rear cars in neutral with no ebrake.

Reverse is also a fairly low gear, do you think the car would have stayed on the trailer with no front straps even in reverse?

And 90% of the cars we work on are trailered to the track

Bill, I would say the reason your car does not move fore and aft is due to the ebrake being set. I have no problem with using the ebrake but most dedicated track cars dont have an ebrake

The Spark

After I get the car tied down I tap the chocks in place with a small mallet. It doesn't take much force to wedge them under the tires. I tap them from the side to get them out.

I bought some plastic chocks at Wal-Mart. They are pretty sturdy.

After I get everything unloaded, I use the chocks on the trailer before I unhook the truck.

davidfarmer

I always tow in NEUTRAL.....just have to be extra carefull strapping down EVERY time.