Reply to "Car hauler and the Pantera ???"

Here’s how I tie my Pantera racecar in its enclosed trailer:

Front: I wrap axle straps (those foot-long straps with heavy rings on each end) around the angled brace section of the lower A-arms. I then clip the straps to the tie-downs that I run under the front part of the A-arms and forward to the ring on the trailer floor.

Rear: My preference is to wrap a second set of axle straps around that stout brace right under the ZF - that place where everyone jacks up the rear of their car - and back to the rear trailer rings. But some cars' transaxle mounts make this impossible. In those cases I just wrap another set of axle straps around those same diagonal braces on the lower A-arms, hook them to the tie-downs that I run under the rearmost arm, and back to the trailer ring.

Before tightening the straps for the last time I put the car in neutral to avoid stress on the ZF. I also put sandbags in front and back of one rear wheel just in case.

Crank the tie-downs tight but not guitar-string tight. A car banging back and forth on a loose strap will put a lot more stress on its suspension than one that’s having its movement gently absorbed by the stretchiness of the straps.

Some people criss-cross the tie-down straps when they’re using a trailer that’s too short. In such cases I’d strongly suggest that you first consider a different trailer.

By the way, I NEVER use tie-downs with open hooks. If a strap with open hooks comes loose it'll just fall completely off the car leaving great potential for a true automotive horror story.

Hope that helps.

Matt Merritt
(former) #2171