Towing an NSX advice

[apapada]

I borrowed a friend's 16 footer open trailer with dual axles but no brakes. I backed the NSX up and secured it down using the front hook in the lip (the one that's hidden normaly) and using the furthest back cradle cross member. btw, the car is on the trailer with the handbrake on. I test drove it today on the interstate and driving in surrounding cities, and I can honestly barely feel there are ~5000 lbs back there with my 99 Tahoe (EXT version, 4WD). Although the trailer does not have any brakes (the truck is hooked up for electric brakes, but I do not own such a trailer yet), the Tahoe's brakes seem unimpacted by the extra load. wow

Since the NSX is being trailered down the road backwards, I expect the front end to be resisting most of the force during slowing down. Since accelerating is really controlable, it should not put much if any stress on the cradle crossmember, right ? Or is it like a big no-no to hook the NSX from the cradle in general ? That was the only place I could find to securely attach the rear of the NSX without risking to break or put stress on mufflers, suspension, etc... thank you for your advice and please feel free to share your experience.

 

[NSX-Racer]

I highly recommend to fix your precious jewel on 4 corners. I do that with special ropes that go around the 4 wheels and then fixed to the underside of the trailer. That is the safest way IMO and fixes the car also in situations you don't even think of (but they happen as I know) - especialy with a trailer without brakes (mine has mechanical brakes). This pic might give you an idea:

 

[the nsxnut]

Alex, good call on the front tow hook. That will give you good restraint for decel. But, a single tie down on front and rear is not quite adequate. 4-corners is ideal. if you are not tying down on the wheels, you want to be able to tie the car down in such a way that the suspension is loaded, like on the rear frame hooks. There are also frame hooks in front, but they are usually obstructed by the spoiler. Another choice is to pass a tie down around the spokes of the wheel, assuming they are sturdy wheels.

Don't underestimate the load on your brakes... a couple of stops in a row, and your Tahoe will need a city block to whoa that load...

Happy towing, see you at the track!

 

[MarkB]

There are 4 tie-down points on my '03. If you look under the front bumper, you will see 2 of them fastened to the front frame. In the rear, they are visible just b ehind the wheels. These were put there specifically for tie down points. I will post pics later today.

Don't underestimate the load on your brakes... a couple of stops in a row, and your Tahoe will need a city block to whoa that load...

Agreed. Make sure you get a trailer w/ brakes.

 

[apapada]

Hello again, and thank you for your precious advices. I like that method using the 4 wheels the best. Any suggestions where can I get those special tie-downs?

With regards the trailer I borrowed, they are several things I'm not happy with, the biggest issue being no brakes. The one I plan on getting will definetly have electric brakes, I already have everything ready on the truck with a brake adjuster from the inside. BTW, one a 2-axle trailer weighting 2,000 lbs, what pressure do you all recommend for the truck and the trailer ? I have currently 36 psi on all tires. Should I go higher in the trailer ?

 

[NSX-Racer]

Tire pressure depends on the kinds of tires (it's usualy written in the manual or on the vehicle itself). I have 4 small wheels at the trailer (I guess 12 inch) and they need huge pressure - 6 bar. For your towing machine you may increase the rear tires pressure a bit above the factory recommendations but that is not a huge issue because the additional rear load should not exceed 100 kilogrammes if the trailer is balanced correctly with the NSX on it. A bit more than 50 kg is my usual load (the trailer was custom built for my NSX so it's balanced this way with the car in forward position).

Usualy trailer production companies have the straps for the wheel fixing. I prefer fixing the wheels rather than tie down the car with loaded supension because wheel fixing allows the car to move in it's suspension which makes the ride smoother.

(Sorry, I'm too lazy to do the conversions - I hope you forgive me)

 

[1TITENSX]

Thought I'd chime in here on my experiences. Since MarkB and I have the same trailer, I wanted to use his pic as a ref. My car is extremely low. I have some tie down straps (1st pic) that I run through the rim opening and loop thru the pad eyes on the car trailer (2nd pic). I do this for all four rims.

I was told if you don't have brakes on your trailer you risk the chance of it jack knifing. Has anyone experienced this? I have electric brakes on my trailer.

 

[the nsxnut]

Trailer tire air pressure: check the sidewall markings; for a tandem axle, 4-wheel trailer, you want load range D minimum, load range E is preferable. Locate the mfgs recommended MAX pressure, and run the tires at 100% of max. Lower pressure allows the tire to generate excessive heat, which will result in a blowout... leading cause of trailer tire failure: underinflation.

 

[Dave Hardy]

When towing, I run max pressure in the trailer tires and recommended pressure in the tow vehicle. For my E350 this is 60 psi front and 80 psi rear. My trailer tires have a 50 psi max rating.

This is how I tow my Civic - I tie down with 3 points. One strong point in the rear and 2 normal points in the front. I run doubled 3/8" chain from the center of the trailer bumper to the center rear tie down point. The front I hold down with ratchet straps that are crossed. The reason for the single rear is that i want something weak enough to bend, but strong enough not to break. I got a chance to test this theory when I was in a wreck while towing this past fall. Someone in a 70's fullsize pickup pulled out in front of me and I plowed into them, racecar in tow. Here is the results:

Just as I had planned, the rear member of the trailer acted as a crumple zone. The trailer was damaged, but the racecar was fine.

 

[apapada]

Again, thank you all for your great advice. Towing went fine. Found out several "must have"s for the trailer I will buy. This was a great learning experience. Almost as great as the 110 mph out-of-track excursion I did right after turn 10 (the "kink"). No damages (except for a bruised ego and a new set of pants :biggrin: )