What do YOU use to tow your track car?
05-03-2011, 12:38 AM
#41
I had a 1997 5.2L Dodge Dakota, sold it in good+ condition for $3,500 with 121K miles. Sucks gas, but that's true of most anything that can tow. It had really comfortable seats which you'd want for long trips, plenty of power, handled well and it looked good. If I ever get another truck, it'll be a Dakota R/T, which had a bigger engine etc then the 'Sport' that I had
Here's a twin of mine:
Here's a twin of mine:
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05-03-2011, 02:29 AM
#42
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crunching knees on the bed while crawling around positioning and accessing stuff really sucks
...so stand up. I've never crawled around the bed of my truck.
TrackDayHookey tows his Miata with a diesel Sprinter. From what I can gather, he loves it.
If you're towing a Miata like 2-3 times a year there are a lot of vehicles that will do it just fine - pretty much every V6 SUV, all the V8s, etc. The question is whether you want to do it. A V6 SUV will get **** mileage, you will struggle up hills, and forget about passing anyone. Having a V8 makes the journey that much less stressful - you aren't worried about the next set of hills. When I've just spent 2 days at the track tending to two cars, I don't want to stress about the semi rig next to me, or who else is about to blow my doors off as I struggle up a 6-7% grade at 45mph - I want to set the cruise at 70, set the A/C, crank up the tunes, and relax. With a flatbed and a Miata in tow, pretty much every half-ton pickup/SUV made in the last 15 years will allow you to relax when you're towing.
The gap from V8 to Diesel is much smaller than the gap between V6 and V8. Diesel will get better mileage and give you the ability to tow BIG **** if you ever want to. If you're only talking about a 5000lb open trailer, though, a half-ton truck will do the job very well.
Having said all of that, if you buy an enclosed trailer and tow it with a gas truck, you're a fool. I get better mileage towing 9000lbs on an open trailer than I do towing our empty 28" enclosed, which weighs half that. If you're going to the track often enough to justify the cost of an enclosed trailer, sack up.
...so stand up. I've never crawled around the bed of my truck.
TrackDayHookey tows his Miata with a diesel Sprinter. From what I can gather, he loves it.
If you're towing a Miata like 2-3 times a year there are a lot of vehicles that will do it just fine - pretty much every V6 SUV, all the V8s, etc. The question is whether you want to do it. A V6 SUV will get **** mileage, you will struggle up hills, and forget about passing anyone. Having a V8 makes the journey that much less stressful - you aren't worried about the next set of hills. When I've just spent 2 days at the track tending to two cars, I don't want to stress about the semi rig next to me, or who else is about to blow my doors off as I struggle up a 6-7% grade at 45mph - I want to set the cruise at 70, set the A/C, crank up the tunes, and relax. With a flatbed and a Miata in tow, pretty much every half-ton pickup/SUV made in the last 15 years will allow you to relax when you're towing.
The gap from V8 to Diesel is much smaller than the gap between V6 and V8. Diesel will get better mileage and give you the ability to tow BIG **** if you ever want to. If you're only talking about a 5000lb open trailer, though, a half-ton truck will do the job very well.
Having said all of that, if you buy an enclosed trailer and tow it with a gas truck, you're a fool. I get better mileage towing 9000lbs on an open trailer than I do towing our empty 28" enclosed, which weighs half that. If you're going to the track often enough to justify the cost of an enclosed trailer, sack up.
I currently have a single axle car trailer that is just big enough for the miata. no trailer brakes but big beefy commercial size mega ply tires on it. It is really light. I don’t think it weighs much more than 400 lbs for just the trailer. I can lift the tong up and walk it around the yard by hand even can lift and scoot the back of it sideways by hand while it is hooked up. It is very well made too. Can’t buy anything like this anymore.
My 95 S10 blazer has no problem pulling it up to speed with a Miata on it and I towed over Cyuse pass on the flank of Mt Rainer with it several times The braking ability of the Blazer is a bit lacking so you have to be careful about getting into a panic stop situation is the only issue. The V6 blazer gets about the same mileage towing this trailer setup as the Dodge but will go a bit faster without killing fuel economy 70 is no problem and right now regular unladed is way cheaper than diesel so it is significantly more economical. My issue with the blazer is it is a 95 with almost 300k miles on it and it has never had a major repair it is going to have a major failure some time and could use replacement soon. A heavy *** U-haul type car trailer over my light weight trailer makes a pretty big difference in the way it will tow a Miata as well. The 3500 diesel Sprinter looks like it has the about the same hp and torque as my S10 V6 Blazer and the things seem to get great milage especially unloaded.
I’m also considering a 20’ enclosed trailer though so I could put tools and tires all in the trailer and it would solve my packing the back of the truck issues. Maybe get a light weight camper for the truck and save on hotel bills too.
Bob
Last edited by bbundy; 05-03-2011 at 03:03 AM.
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05-03-2011, 08:18 AM
#43
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Any of you try using a Bully Dog with your tow rigs?
Last edited by GeneSplicer; 05-03-2011 at 04:32 PM.
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05-03-2011, 12:43 PM
#44
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I know this is probably taboo, but do you guys ever stop and think about why you modified your car so heavily that you need to buy a truck and trailer that gets bad gas millage to tow your unstreetable race car?
Honestly, any regrets?
Honestly, any regrets?
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05-03-2011, 01:01 PM
#46
.................you must have never driven on a track before.......................
............or your really old!!!!!!!
fyi, most can still drive to the track, i can but it feels alot better knowing if something happens you can still get home. that's the same wether it's modified or stock. next your gonna ask why we feel the need to go faster, make more money, or cheat on our girlfriends with our wives!
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05-03-2011, 01:01 PM
#47
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For the other I think a lot of it comes down to not having to worry about breaking something or crashing into a wall. I know when I start tracking in the fall I am planning on towing the car just because I don't want to have the worry about how I will be getting home.
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05-03-2011, 01:38 PM
#49
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As for the 2500 diesel, well, the first trip was San Jose to Grand Junction for the FM open house last year, and the middle of the San Rafael swell in Utah is not where I wanted to decide that I really should have bought more truck (actual freeway sign: "next services 120 miles").
--Ian
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05-03-2011, 01:42 PM
#50
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Nope. Driving a car to/from the track requires that you make concessions I was no longer willing to make (HVAC, side windows, headlights). I've also been stranded at the track before - having to get a ride home, then go back up the next day with a borrowed truck/trailer sucks a whole lot more than just towing it there in the first place.
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05-03-2011, 01:59 PM
#51
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Another benefit is you can push the car off the trailer when you get to the track and you're done. Not having to work before and after the event to make your car track/race worthy = epic.
Cool thread! Here's my junk, if you haven't seen it yet.
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05-03-2011, 02:12 PM
#53
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Exactly - but I crinch knowing how bad it'll be towing it with my 1500 too... all I have is a carport, so the track car gets covered up under it. An enclosed 20 or 22' hauler would be awesome for everything you mention plus a portable garage for me. I see basic new ones come and go for 4-5K.
Any of you try using a Bully Dog with your tow rigs?
Any of you try using a Bully Dog with your tow rigs?
Bob
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05-03-2011, 02:20 PM
#54
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This. Not having to unpack in the mornings is nice, but not having to pack up in the evenings is even nicer. I pull the car onto the trailer, hook up the straps, throw a few things back in the truck, and I'm gone.
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05-03-2011, 03:30 PM
#55
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Seriously considering buying that Chevy truck for 3k now...
I can't get over how much I would hate driving that thing though.
samnavy, my friend has a 98-00 (somewhere around there) 4Runner that is well kept and I know he got it for way less than 15k (I honestly can't see him spending anything above 6k on any kind of car). After some google searches though I see that the 3.4 out of the earlier 4Runners is weak as ****.
GOD DAMMIT DONT WANT BIG CAR WAT DO
Also +1 for not having to worry about your **** breaking, and unpacking/packing your **** at the track. I intend to keep my car legal enough to keep it registered so I can actually enjoy it a couple times a week.
I can't get over how much I would hate driving that thing though.
samnavy, my friend has a 98-00 (somewhere around there) 4Runner that is well kept and I know he got it for way less than 15k (I honestly can't see him spending anything above 6k on any kind of car). After some google searches though I see that the 3.4 out of the earlier 4Runners is weak as ****.
GOD DAMMIT DONT WANT BIG CAR WAT DO
Also +1 for not having to worry about your **** breaking, and unpacking/packing your **** at the track. I intend to keep my car legal enough to keep it registered so I can actually enjoy it a couple times a week.
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05-03-2011, 05:04 PM
#57
I could do it in a parking lot as well if I had to, but I would much rather do that at home. Did you have a spare transmission with you or did you have to source it? How long did the whoel thing take? There is a lot of crap that I could get done to get my car home if I had to, but I would prefer to be able to work on it at home with all the right tools and parts on my own schedule. If I have the ability to trailer it, then I always do.
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05-03-2011, 07:27 PM
#59
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Man, after hanging around a friend's local company rig at the Mitty, I totally want a semi-truck setup. Of course that's assuming your hauling 2+ cars. It's quite nice to haul 3 race-cars, a Jeep to drive around the track, all the food, a big SS grill, tables, and chairs to feed 10-15 people for the weekend, a place to sleep 3, and then stuff another racecar in it to take back home. It was quite impressive to say the least.
I have a feeling I'll need to pony up and find a truck this time next year. Thankfully I live in the land of be-loved pick-ups and I can have a reliable tow truck for ~$3k
I have a feeling I'll need to pony up and find a truck this time next year. Thankfully I live in the land of be-loved pick-ups and I can have a reliable tow truck for ~$3k
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05-03-2011, 10:21 PM
#60
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I definitely see the perks, I was just curious. If you already have a tow vehicle, then it seems like an obvious decision. I can just see how things can get out of hand quickly when modifying a car for track duty, and adding another vehicle on top of that is a pretty big commitment.
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