I clearly can't use my tow hooks on my 99 style/feed bumper.

same front bumper as rotaryressurection

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=415713

Driver side,the tow hook is to high, and the tow trucks chain will damage the lip by the sever angle, and passenger side, is blocked by the bumper support for the lip. So is there anybody out there that had to modify their tow hooks, or add new ones? Is it possible to make a set of tow hooks ,from the rear , so i can pull it from the back of the car

 

Those aren't tow hooks, those are hold down hooks for helping to keep the car in place on a flatbed. You should never pull the car from those hooks.

A good tow company should be able to strap you down using other chassis points like the front suspension etc.

 

first you need to get a flat bed, not a tow truck.

second, you'll need to get a few lengths of 2"x4" (wood) to provide a stepped up ramp onto the flatbed so the bumper doesn't scrape.

third, you need a tow truck guy who knows wtf he is doing and wants a tip for not ******* up your car

 

I never tow my vehicle's with two wheels on the ground, i meant tow truck with a flat bed. They should Never tow my car from those hook's ? It's been done a few times, many of times. The tow truck uses it to pull it up the flat bed. I've had tow trucks peeps say they won't tow it unless i sign a piece of paper so it would protect them if they mess my bumper up. Didn't know they could use chassis point, or suspension points. thanks for the reply's, i guess when the time is needed, i'll make some boards to carry with me, and make sure the tow guy uses other tow points, unstead of the hooks. Thanks

 

Carry boards around with you? How often are you getting towed?

Any competent towing company will have boards with their flat bed in order to get lowered vehicles up the bed.

 

Yep.

silverflash2, just tell the towing company when you call them that the car is low and will require a flatbed and boards to tow it. They will send the appropiate equipment to do it right.

 

Always wanted to be a tow-truck driver.

 

Could it be pulled onto a flat bed using a strap around the strut bar?

 

I hope your not talking about the stock r1/r2 strut bar...I wouldnt trust that thing worth ****...

 

^^nor any other strut bar.

pull using the chassis points.

 

wtf? That some funny ****. You're gona scrape no mater what. If you don't want to scrape just take off the bumper. It only got like 10 bolts(?)

 

Dolly'ing (if thats a word) works pretty well in a pinch. But I would say flat bed all the way with planks of wood so you don't scrape. My car is lowered and been towed a few times. Both those work.

 

I keep this ramps in my car. I need them just to jack the car up. So I keep them in the car in case I get a flat. They are small enough to fit in a back pack but they raise the car up just perfect..
https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=409432

 

Could it be pulled onto a flat bed using a strap around the strut bar?

I was wondering if that was possible also. I have a aftermarket cusco (sp?) strut bar, but i don't know if using the strut bar, will cause the lower lip to dig in the flat bed cause of using a higher angle, it seems like if you go under the car, it will slightly raise with the ramp.

 

God, you don't use a strut bar! Man, a competent tow truck driver should be able to handle this. Again, just how often are you having your car towed here?

 

use a flatbed and get LONG runners and drive that ****** onto the flatbed, thats what i had to do. Mine is lowered and has the feed front end.

 

Last time i called for a tow truck, was when parked my car in a friends 1 car garage, during all the hurricanes going on in Fl, needless to say, I had a rat eat through all my coolant hoses during a hurricane, My friend had no tools, I had like 4-5 hoses that needed replacing, i have tools at my house, so i called a tow truck, and he said that he wouldn't touch my car, with that lip on, unless i sign a wavier. and I said no thank you, and went and bought tools. I'm curious if anyone else has had problems, i thought that they use the tow hooks in the front for pulling up the flat bed, but people mentioned not to use that for towing,it was ment for holding the car on the truck. That's fine,cause mine's blocked anyways. So I need some runners, and where should the tow truck guy hook the chains to pull it up the bed? So i know he doing it right? thanks

 

like everyone else said, you run the car up on boards angled on the back of the flatbed. The tow chain goes to the tow hooks on the bottom of the front of your car. the tow guy can use the chain to pull your car up the ramp. IF he (and you) are competent, you will ensure that the chain is not rubbing against the bottom of your bumper as he pulling it up. You will also adjust the boards to ensure your front bumper clears the ramp.

 

I have never had my car towed, and I own it since 1994. But, ever since I put the CWest front end on, I have wondered about how it could be done. There are no tow hooks, or anything else solid, that you could put a chain on. Maybe someplace on the suspension, if they have a way of keeping the chain inches off the ground.

 

if they use a regular tow truck they are suppost to use wheel dollies. it's even in the manual

 

Pos7, that's the problem, tow hooks are blocked by the bumper,so my only choice is to make the tow truck guy, pull it up by the suspension is what i gathered out of this thread. I understand having the blocks to help the angle onto the flat bed, but there's no tow hooks accessible to pull it up the bed.

 

I'm not claiming to be an authority, but if anyone's had their FD towed more than me, it would have to be a full-flegged racer or a TRUE trailor queen lol. I've lost count of how many times I've had my FD towed, and that's including C-west front & rear, rear diffuser, Mazdaspeed skirts, HKS exhaust. You'll see in a min why this is relevant.

1) Do yourself a favor, and pay the $7 or so on your car insurance for towing reimbursement, and you can get all this stuff for free (and/or get AAA)

2) In ALL cases, keep two spare towels or winter caps w/ you, because sometimes when tying down the wheels, the metal crank may sit close to the lip of your rims. You'll wanna stick the towel or winter cap between the two, so you don't scratch your wheels...

3) A regular tow truck w/ a tow dolley (full...ie all four wheels) is very doable. I've done it once, but keep this in mind: the way they do the tiedowns, if you have a rear diffuser, the dolley's gotta be PERFECTLY centered in the rear, or you'll only be able to tie down one wheel. The other would require crushing the edge of the diffuser... The front's got plenty of clearance. In fact, a tow dolley is the EASIEST I've seen for towing your modified/lowered FD. Quick hookup, quick release. Downsides are the tow truck's gotta go slow, and there's usually an additional charge for what's called "special equipment."

4) Flatbeds are doable, but it'll take a good 20 min or so to get the car up and secure, from start to finish.

- NEVER EVER pull the car up using the tie down points in the front, because they're just that: tie down points. See your FD Owner's Manual for more info.

- You may also want/need the above mentioned towels/winter caps to be placed under the front edge of the bumper to prevent that area from being scratched. But realistically speaking, who cares, because if you have a body kit, chances are that the front underside of your front bumper is all scratched up anyways. No one can see it...so let it slide.

- Be assertive. Tow guys get defensive when you tell them how to pull your car up. It's YOUR car, so you tell them what YOU want done. I would NOT pull up the car by hooking it to a control arm or suspension point. That screams problems. They're not made to withstand such weight. The best alternate tow point I've found is the subframe itself (I think that's what it's called). If you get under your car, from right behind the front wheels, you'll see the subframe (big metal plate right in the middle of the engine bay area) has about 6 circular holes in it. Pick the two that are closest to the front of the car. The closer they are to the front, the less upward pull on the chains, the less possibility your front bumper will be stressed when he's pulling on the chain w/ the winch.

- ALL flatbeds have these big L-shaped metal things. I'm still not sure what they're really for, but I use them to get the front tires up a bit. My car is low, so that's not enough. I roll the car up onto those metal L's, then have him place the 2 X 4s he has (or whatever size wooden planks) in front of the front tires. Once you get the front tires up onto the planks, have him raise the flatbed end/edge off the ground, and directly in line w/ the edge of the planks...so it's all one level. In fact, have him press down w/ the edge of the flatbed onto the edge of the plank, so now the planks are secure and won't move. In this way, the front end is raised sufficiently so the chains aren't being pulled UPWARD...they're being pulled FORWARD, and your front bumper won't get ripped off.

- Once the front tires are on the edge of the flatbed, take the planks and place them behind the rear tires. You may need to walk the rears onto the metal L's first. This is necessary because the angle the car is elevated at may cause your exhaust tip, canister, or even a rear diffuser to scratch. Keep in mind, since the front tires are on the edge of the flatbed, he can elevate or lower the angle of the flatbed as is necessary. Once you get the rear tires onto the plank, roll her up.

- Once all four tires are on the flatbed...and I mean the rears are barely on it...don't let him continue to pull up the entire car w/ just the hooks. Have him flatten the bed, THEN pull the car up the rest of the way. That way, you don't put so much weight and stress on the subframe.

- When tying down the tires, remember again to use the towel/winter cap to protect your rims.

5) If the tow truck guy asks for a waiver, or doesn't have the metal L's and wooden planks, ask for another truck. NO competent tow truck driver doesn't have planks w/ him, and if he knows what he's doing, he won't need a waiver. Signing a waver is asking for HUGE trouble. You're basically giving him the green light to mess up your car.

Umm...I think those are really the main points. Don't tow from tie down points; use towel/winter cap for front and rims; use metal L's and planks and raised flatbed in the front; don't forget to watch the rear as the front gets elevated; shift the metal L's and planks to the rear midway through; and flatten flatbed before pulling the car up the rest of the way. If I forgot something, feel free to add to this list. If clarification is necessary, plz lemme know. And hopefully, you won't need a tow in the first place, but in case (more like WHEN) you do lol, at least you'll know what to look for now.

~Ramy

PS: I might put this on video next time, since I know there WILL be a next time

 

Nice write-up FDNewbie! This should be something some of us should print out and leave in the car for those just-in-case moments! That would be pretty funny telling the tow truck driver what to do while reading a RX7club.com printout.

 

LOL...np Glad my misfortune could help! And yea that would be funny. I just hope you guys take a look at the spot on the subframe I'm talking about ahead of time so you know what I'm talking about. If anyone's got an underside shot of the front end of the FD, I can point it out...but being able to find it while your head is on the ground, w/ about an inch or two clearance is a bit harder I've done it so many times, I can find it w/ my eyes closed.

Just don't **** off the driver, or make it seem like he's an idiot. That's the guy who's gonna be taking care of your baby. You wanna make him happy. Usually, when they see me hit the floor w/ them, showing 'em where to put the hook on, they realize how serious I am and that I've done it quite a few times. Not too many people will get down and lay on the floor like that

 

Thanks FDNewbie, i new somebody on this forum has had some experience with a lowered Fd and towing, Great write up, but What are winter caps. I'm from FL, Thanks for the info.