enclosed trailer tie downs

[Drew]

I have borrowed a 24 foot car hauler to make a 1000km trip so I can get some seat time in my viper. What is the best way to restrain a 2010 coupe in an enclosed trailer.
DT

 

[lmcgrew79]

E track is what i like. With the net over the tires.

 

[treesnake]

Check some of the threads at the bottom of this page....

 

[past ohio]

Most trailers already have the d-rings in the floor, I believe in crossing the straps before ratcheting them down, and be sure and check from time to time if any strap has failed....a viper in a 24 foot trailer must be carefully loaded so that you get about 55% weight forward of the wheels, or if you load it all the way into the nose it may sway a lot going down the road, will you have equalizer bars and sway bar (s), I believe in both...my $.02

 

[SoCal Rebell]

E track is what i like. With the net over the tires.

Agreed with the e-track, D-ring are difficult and may rub the front facia.

 

[Magnus_]

What is the load rating of the e-track itself, and a single e-track mount?

D-Rings have a 5000lb load rating.

It may not matter for normal towing, but if your trailer detaches, or you get a blow out, etc..

 

[Drew]

So over the tire restraint is ideal? I believe the trailer only has D rings in the floor, no etrack.

 

[steve911]

I have had tie downs pull out of etrack in the past, and I know of others also that had the same problem. I use "R" hooks that go into the factory shipping slots in the frame and the floor mounted "D" rings in my trailer. thousands and thousands of miles w/o incident.

 

[Drew]

Factory shipping slots....got pictures?

 

[Drew]

Steve911
I crawled under my car. Are these the points for r hooks you described. See attached photos

 

[happy56]

I have towed numerous cars thousands of miles and always cross the straps , rightside to left tie downs, left to right. Check often especially when you first start trip until everything ''settles'' in place.

 

[steve911]

Steve911
I crawled under my car. Are these the points for r hooks you described. See attached photos

You are absolutely correct.

 

[Camfab]

E track, although very popular does not have sufficient strength to safely tie down a vehicle. The five thousand pound D rings only have a 1600lb wll capacity as well. In a severe accident, the chances of a car coming loose within the trailer are very high. Take a look at the tie downs in properly engineered trailers and you will never see those ***** tie downs. Like everything else in this world, onesize fits all trailers can be very unsafe. Sure everyone's got an uncle who's tied his car down with **** for the last fifty years without a hitch, ya I know................

 

[Viper X]

Have towed multiple Vipers 30K+ miles in enclosed trailers using R-hooks in the factory holes (as pictured above). Cross the straps front and rear and use HD ratcheting tie downs with hooks. Make sure you have a couple of "wraps" of the tow straps on the center of the ratcheting part of the tie down. Check the straps when you stop for gas or food and tighten as necessary. They really just need to be snug, so don't kill yourself making them super tight.

I've had no problems with the splitter to tie down strap clearance (and my ACR is lower than "smooth track" ride height) but you will likely have to trim a small area of the CF around the oblong hole in the frame if you have an ACR. Dodge did not think this through very well (ACR's will be trailered more than other Vipers) and as a result, partly covered the front oblong holes in the frame with a small section of the CF splitter. Trimming it is not a big deal and easily accomplished.

Call or email: www.awdirect.com for more info on towing accessories like straps and R-hooks. Very helpful, knowledgeable company that sells to pros. Never had a car come loose in any trailer while many other Viper friends have had cars come loose. It's never pretty.

Placement of the D rings in the trailer floor is important as your tie downs won't work well if they are too close to the car front or rear. You should check the trailer you are going to borrow for D ring placement before you take off.

Would not recommend the E-track for reasons above (strength) and don't like the idea of using tires to tie the car down as I don't want to chance messing up my alignment, even if it is unlikely.

Good luck,

Dan

 

[Drew]

K, slowly getting this figured out. My only question is ideal location of d rings in the floor and which d ring to which factory frame hole