Has anyone found good tiedown points on the front end (Z51) for trailering?

 

Are you using open or enclosed?

 

Can you use crossed straps and use the factory slots while using these?

 

Don't even think about using anything but straps through the wheels on all four corners. That's the way they're loaded on transporters from the factory, and that's the way most vehicles are flat bedded now.

 

Just FYI, I only use the strap tie downs in all 4 wheels when I picked up my C8 from the museum. The E track for the enclosed trailers will not work as the C8 is too low to tighten the ratchet device. Wheel tie downs to the D hooks.

 

When I tie a car down I use axle straps at the forward in board lower A arm attachment points and cross the ratchet straps to the trailer attachment points (D loops). The trailer is a 20 foot Featherlite enclosed trailer. I put the car on the ramp and looked under and it seems like the Z 51 Black plastic tray attached to the lower A arm will have to be removed.

I will have to look to see if I can use a slotted attachment hook. Is that the way the factory transports them?

The rear inboard aft A arm attachment looks feasible although there will be a little axle strap bearing on the plastic under tray.

I was not expecting all the plastic I see on my car under the A arm. This was what I was expecting (bottom half).

 

See post #4. The factory shipping contractor transports them with straps through all 4 wheels. That's also the way most every vehicle is transported these days, including on flat-beds. Any other method of strapping down the C8 for transport would be very foolish.

 

I've trailered my Vettes to many race tracks and shipped 8 Vettes and 8 other vehicles by container overseas including Africa. There is only one place to tie down and that is the lower A arms and no where else. Everywhere else has movement. Never wheels because they slip and loose pressure and you damage the finish. No where that is 'sprung' weight.

 

I like these!! Protects finish as well.

 

The wheel straps do look good however they interfere with the body panels when I connect them to my existing D rings on the trailer floor.

it looks like I will have to remove the large A arm Z51 fairings to be able to grab the A arms.

 

These are very similar to what BG's shipping contractor uses for every C8 that leaves the factory. I haven't seen a single report of wheel blemishes on new cars arriving at dealers all over the country.

 

It took my alignment guy about 25 minutes to get those A arm cover off and they even had it on a rack. I couldn't imagine doing it on the ground and than having to put them back on when I got to my destination. They use loctite to put those screws on.

 

Simple, just use these. Corvettes do not have a long soft spring suspension where there is a lot of motion after strapping down the car from the frame. I never had any problem with this method. I never heard anyone else having problem with these. Just cross the straps and you're good to go. Much less stress on A-frame bushings, suspension adjustments when you do it with these. No chance of scraping wheels. On my aluminum floor I could easily see if a car moves around in the trailer (tire marks) and I never saw evidence of it. Also, there is 0 chance of the hook to get loose on the Corvette! People tend to overcomplicate simple things sometimes.

 

Why would anyone do something significantly harder, when the professional auto transporters move millions of vehicles annually using wheel strap-downs and virtually no problems? If there were obvious benefits to the harder methods, perhaps I could see it, but there aren't.

 

Not all wheels are easy to strap and if the wheels turn (not strapped at the right angle) it would get more loose than the other methods. When the wheels are strapped the car bounces more than when you ratchet it down from the frame.

If I had a set of straps already for the wheels I would be open for either solutions. For car transports the wheel solution is quicker, hence cheaper. For my own, I would still favor anchoring the frame. Old school.

Edit: attaching my T-hooks on my trailer's ramp was such an easy maneuver that I could do it with my eyes closed. I had a chain with the T-hooks on each end. I would winch the car into my inclosed Featherlite by attaching the winch cable to the center O-ring I had on the middle of the chain. Once I had the car in the trailer I attached my straps to 2 other O-rings on the chain off-center. Tied the straps in a cross pattern to the floor D-rings. The middle of the chain between the 2 off-center O-ring was not tight after ratcheting down the straps. I didn't have to crawl UNDER or AROUND the car in the trailer at all. For the rear, I attached my T-hooks to the frame on the ramp and loosely made a knot on the straps hanging off the T-hooks, so I won't drive over them as I pulled the car into the trailer. This procedure was easy, fast and I never found a better way. After all day on the track I learned the easiest, fastest and most secure way to start my way home. I should've made a youtube video about it.

Also, strapping down the wheels on a low car with even lower splitters is difficult, especially in an inclosed trailer. New cars are transported without splitters for a reason.

 

Does anyone have any reason to not leave a C8 in park (trans parking paul locked and emergency brake on during transport? I always left my other Corvettes in neutral when transporting but don't think that is possible with the C8.

And thanks for all the input on tiedown options, I should be able to take it from here.

 

^^^
That's exactly how I'd do it.

 

Going online to get a TJ Hook I can't find the size information. Like might be for a 1/2 inch wide slot (because of the carry load based on std. chain). The c8 slots are 5/8" - 16.2mm wide. The hooks should almost fill the slot. What size are yours?

 

Hi Bill, I don't have them, just know they are made for the tie down spots on the frame. Just trying to help.

 

This is the one I've been using, perfect fit: