Transporting FFR Cobra with a car hauler

[Fman]

I am going to be transporting my car to my painter at the end of the month, trying to figure out what is the best way to secure vehicle in enclosed car hauler? It has 4 D rings on the floor. I need to purchase a set of tie down straps, if anyone has recommendations please post them up. I have never transported a vehicle in enclosed hauler before so I want to make sure I do it correctly.

Thank you

[Papa]

Get the type that doesn't go through the wheels unless you have some cheap roller wheels to ship your car with.

https://www.amazon.com/Ratchet-Wheel-Hauler-Straps-Swivel/dp/B07QB47YL5/ref=sr_1_24_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=car+tie-down+straps&qid=1605804506&sr=8-24-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExUlVKSDFNWkNMUEpUJ mVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUExMDIyMTk0MjZPMzNLOElDU1RQMiZlbmN yeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTEzMzMzQ1lFTjFZTUFENjZLJndpZGdld E5hbWU9c3BfbXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm9 0TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

[Fman]

Get the type that doesn't go through the wheels unless you have some cheap roller wheels to ship your car with.

https://www.amazon.com/Ratchet-Wheel-Hauler-Straps-Swivel/dp/B07QB47YL5/ref=sr_1_24_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=car+tie-down+straps&qid=1605804506&sr=8-24-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExUlVKSDFNWkNMUEpUJ mVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUExMDIyMTk0MjZPMzNLOElDU1RQMiZlbmN yeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTEzMzMzQ1lFTjFZTUFENjZLJndpZGdld E5hbWU9c3BfbXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm9 0TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Papa, is it possible to tie off on the frame? Or is preferred method on the tires?

[Papa]

Papa, is it possible to tie off on the frame? Or is preferred method on the tires?

Both carriers I used to ship my car did the tire tie downs, but the frame should work, too. You have the tow eyes on the front, but would need to go over the cross tube for the rear.

[Gordon Levy]

I like wrapping around the control arms.

[bcshannon5448]

I just brought mine back from the painter using axle straps wrapped around the control arms.137962

[Rdone585]

He will need more than 4 D rings if he is to use those straps, and they should be properly placed. Most D ring trailer setups I've seen are designed to haul attaching to the frame tie down points. If you have E track installed on the floor where each of the tires will be then the straps indicated above will work great.
Tying down the over the tires won't load the shocks, many prefer this approach. I however, have tie down points on my car and attach straps to the frame. No reason why except that's what I've always had available even though I've installed E track. The E track gives me flexibility to strap the car further forward or backward to balance the trailer load and get the proper tongue weight.

[Fman]

After looking over the car it looks like the front is easy with the two eye holes to attach to and the rear I should be able to come across the rear frame rail behind the LCA.

For straps, would assume 2" are plenty with some soft axle straps?

[Papa]

Here's a handy "how to" with examples and safety tips: https://www.wikihow.com/Tie-Down-a-Car-on-a-Trailer

[FLPBFoot]

I run straps to the front eye holes on the 4" tube. On the back there are holes on the inside of each of the lower shock mounts. I have a 3 link. Strap hooks will go right in them and car is solid. I leave it in gear and pull the parking brake as extra friction to any movement.

Steve

[Fman]

Here's a handy "how to" with examples and safety tips: https://www.wikihow.com/Tie-Down-a-Car-on-a-Trailer

Thanks, I appreciate that... what are your thoughts on this setup? They are american made straps rated at 5k lbs each built by a father and son business which would be great to support them. They look like a quality set up, they are not 2" but 5k should be plenty?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F23GJKF/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AJ3T3IHU5XRWT&psc=1

These are also another options I was considering, 2" heavier duty but prob made in China.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FT1B4BB/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_2?smid=A2L1VR97BJVQKI&psc=1

[Rdone585]

Our roads in WI are rough. I do not leave the car in gear, I have it in neutral. I don't want the gears being banged on as I go down the road. I do use wheel chocks in front of the front tires, and behind the rear tires.

[legend42]

I hauled mine out to California and back for paint, 1400 miles each way. I used D rings in the floor. I did add a pair of D rings for the front about 6 inches in front of the frame eyelets( then attached to D rings about 4 feet further) so as to keep the straps safely away from the low clearance bottom of the nose. I did also use LCA straight back to D rings in the rear, and then cross strapped rear with regular motorcycle tie downs. Trailers often have more vibrations the further back you go, and since these cars are so light in the back, they will try to dance around a little. The really nervous time is the trip home with a newly painted car:) I ALWAYS check my straps every time I stop for gas or anything else.

[RBachman]

I like the tire straps on all 4 corners, but you'll need more D-rings. The reason is they allow the car to use its own suspension system in during transport in addition to whatever the trailer has. And as by Rdone585, mentioned above, leave it in neutral, chock the wheels, and set the parking brake. One thought on the straps, you don't need anything stronger than the strength of those D-Rings. Just make sure the D-rings can hold the load. Regardless, those are some nice looking straps, and certainly appear to worthy as durable keepers for other projects.

[Fman]

Appreciate all the info.

The D rings are rated at 5k lbs each. I am going to run off the front hole cut outs and rear cross member, I think this should be fine. My e-brake actually works pretty good right now which will be a nice bonus. I went with the 2" straps, they are probably overkill but better to have too much than not enough.

[NAZ]

A short trip to the painter and back -- use any secure method that works for your application. But if you plan to trailer your car a lot, it's best to tie down the chassis and load the springs. More race car shocks have been worn out on on the trailer than the track because racers have used wheel tie downs instead of cinching down the chassis and loading the springs to minimize the car's suspension from cycling on every bump in the highway.

Also, pay attention to the advice to keep your car in neutral during the tow.

[GoDadGo]

I feel like this summer made me the king of trailering.
Every freaking hurricane meant Redbone got moved to higher ground.
We used Tire Lasso's through the wheels with towels to protect the rims.

Tire Lassos:
https://www.uscargocontrol.com/Side-Mount-Wheel-Net-w-Ratchet-Chain-Extension-4-Pack?gclid=CjwKCAiAzNj9BRBDEiwAPsL0dygUSTDtbx2uCY9 68moJ--PNph4whuKNRmhY5XH2jAJSgpK7dlY-oBoCp5oQAvD_BwE

Da Windy Nawlins Season Dawlin:
https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2020-10-05-atlantic-hurricane-season-nearing-2005-record-storms

[Mark Reynolds]

May as well go all the way:
https://www.macscustomtiedowns.com/
The Rhino are for motorcycles and ATV's.
Granted the Cobra is light but some day you will need to strap down a larger car.

[rich grsc]

As Mark said, the Rhino straps are only suitable for ATV and motorcycles.

[Vegasjack]

Don't cross your straps. Outside D ring to outside attachment on car. Meaning don't cross the straps to opposite sides of the car. Keep the straps as short as possible. If one should come loose, you minimize amount the car can move by not crossing the straps.

[totem]

Appreciate all the info.

The D rings are rated at 5k lbs each. I am going to run off the front hole cut outs and rear cross member, I think this should be fine. My e-brake actually works pretty good right now which will be a nice bonus. I went with the 2" straps, they are probably overkill but better to have too much than not enough.

That’s the way to go. Be careful that when the suspension compress, the strap may become loose. Luckily, the Cobra is stiff and does not bounce much. Having the strap hooked far and horizontal, rather than close and downward, with limit loss of tension when the suspension compress.

[totem]

Wow, just reread my post, ... and the others,... all make sense individually but go in all direction!

We are probably overthinking this. All solutions are probably ok.

[BadAsp427]

So after reading these post you can see that several people have several different ideas. Here are my thoughts and I'm not in anyway jabbing at anyone or their opinion. And of course, this is my opinion

1st, If you use "D" rings, 2 in the front and 2 in the back, DO Cross the tie downs... reason being is that by doing so, it will keep the car centered on/in the trailer. If you have them going "straight" forward/backward, the car can and most likely will move side to side. By having them crossed, the straps are pulling the car towards the center of the trailer and holding it there. If you see any car hauler on the highway without the tie downs I describe next, they will have them crossed for this exact reason.

2nd, Look at almost any car hauler driving down the highway and most all of them will have the tire straps that go through the wheel or over the tire and literally ties it straight down to the trailer. This is the style I have installed in my trailer and phots below. And while you can not see them in my photos, these straps have 3 rubber blocks on them with grooves that go into the tread of the tires so that they can not slide off either side of the tire. Also, this setup pulls the tires straight down to the trailer deck and there is zero movement once it is tied down.

3rd, Some say that you should tie down using the suspension. I'm good with either way but I believe the tire tie downs are better than pulling down on the suspension. With the suspension pulled down, you will not pull it all the way down and thus when you hit a bump the trailer goes down and then up, the suspension on the car then compress a bit more, momentarily loosening the tie downs and then snapping them back up tight. This can happen thousands of times during transport. The suspension is designed to go up and down freely all the time anyway. Thus the reason I believe and like to allow the suspension to free float if possible.

Regardless of how you decide, use a good quality cargo ratchet strap. Do not go cheap. Don't over think it, but be sure it is secure and you should have no problems.

Here are some photos of my tie downs using E-Track -vs- D Rings. I have them on all 4 wheels and in my case, I installed the E-Track tiedowns specifically for use with my Mk4... The trailer also has 4 "D" rings for use with other cars as needed.

138026 138027 138028 138029

[7tvette]

BadAsp427 nailed it. For your trailer set up: Cross straps in the front, axle straps in back. Car in neutral.

Troy

[D02G]

May as well go all the way:
https://www.macscustomtiedowns.com/
The Rhino are for motorcycles and ATV's.
Granted the Cobra is light but some day you will need to strap down a larger car.

bought these yesterday.

[acmikee]

if you have tow points in on frame use this https://zips.com/parts-detail/b-a-long-strap-for-38-102-38-102-l
or use https://zips.com/parts-detail/zip's-tie-down-assembly-with-d-ring-zwlr1 around the rim
or use this if you have more anchor points on you trailer https://zips.com/parts-detail/aw-direct-tow-pro-8-point-tie-down-syste-tp219
DO NOT CROSS THE STRAPS