DALE C

I put a set of d hooks on my front and rear crossmembers to strap the car down. This worked great but I just put a set of expensive shocks and springs on my car over the winter and dont like the idea of loading my suspension. Any ideas without having to buy the wheel straps? The car is a low C5 with Grand sport wheels on a split deck trailer.
Thanks, Dale

John Shiels

Use the chassis holes provided. Buy the pieces that fit in from a wrecker supply. If you want pictures I'll sent them. I have low C5 with GS rims. It takes 5 minutes for me to strap it down. Don't go to the suspension.
Check this out
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=286490


[Modified by John Shiels, 7:15 PM 5/6/2002]


[Modified by John Shiels, 7:16 PM 5/6/2002]

Z11409

I run the tie down straps thru the wheels and back to the deck hook

91mongoose

Me too. But I worry about that effecting my alignment by pulling on the suspension. Any thoughts on that?

John Shiels

I will try the chassis holes on the C4 tomorrow.

DALE C

I was thinking about running the straps through the wheels but was woried it would rub the paint off. I don't want to use the holes in the frame because I would still be loading the suspension.

John Shiels

Even when you use the holes in the frame the car still has travel up and down it works fine.

rcr162

Running the straps through the wheels works great for me. Slight marring of the black paint is not a big deal especially compared to the Hawk blue brake pad dust which seems to be permanently bonded to the wheels at this point.
Also attaching to the provided chassis points is perfectly fine and won't hurt anything.

VetteJohn

Thought I'd throw my two cents worth in on this one. One think I've learned over the years is you will never get the two sides (pull the car down on it's suspension verses let the suspension float) to agree.

After years of towing a couple of different C3s and several different C4s I've sort of fallen into the middle. I hook up on the frame. Where on the frame depends on the individual car. My last C4 (Grand Sport) I used the front tow hook locations and on the rear I used the rear end cross member. I pull the strapes down to take a little of the float out of the suspension but don't feel like you need to "bottom it out". I never leave the straps tight unless I'm actually towing. Never leave them pulled down for long periods (like over night at the hotel or once you get home or to the track). Tieing on to the suspension is never a good idea, you start pulling the components in directions that they were never intended to go and you just don't know what will happen.

The "strap through the wheel" method doesn't sound too good, again you are subjecting components (wheel bearings) to loads they are not designed to take. Plus you could be marking up a perfectly good wheel.

What ever method you pick here are a couple of things that you need to keep in mind: always tie all four corners down with independent straps, keep the straps so short as possible, and never run the straps over square edges.

Good luck

rcr162

(The "strap through the wheel" method doesn't sound too good, again you are subjecting components (wheel bearings) to loads they are not designed to take. Plus you could be marking up a perfectly good wheel.)

If wheel bearings can't take this load I wonder what they're doing at 140MPH on the banking at Charlotte Motor Speedway? What about all the trailering companies that sell custom wheel straps designed exactly for this purpose?

Rob 93ZR-1

I don't believe it would hurt the shocks to put some load on them for towing. I use the four tie-down points on my car cuz I figure that's why the engineers at gm put them there. I'd risk damage to the car strapping it this way over risking it coming off the trailer. :seeya

Mike Schriber

I tie my C5 down using the factory frame hook points. I load the suspension quite a bit to keep the car from hunting around on top of the trailer. Been towing for quite a while and I've never had a problem.

Mike :flag