Towing your race car...

[number3]

My tips on driving a tow vehicle with your race car on a trailer:

I will not go into the proper loading of the truck or trailer or the importance of using the right tools for the job. I will however layout a few tips I use when pulling my 3250 lbs race/show Galant VR4 on a dual tandem axle trailer to and from events with my 2003 Chevy Avalanche 1500 4x4.

I think the most important thing while driving a tow rig is to drive like you would a car on a road course. Let me explain.

I have had many hours, over the last couple of years, of professional performance driving training. I never in a million years thought that most of that training would translate into me being a better driver of a tow vehicle. (Disclaimer: The instructors never once say that their race car driving training is a carry over to tow vehicles. It is only something that I have come to relies on my own.)

I find that if I stay calm, look ahead to my next move and drive very smoothly (sound familiar?) that I am able to greatly reduce many of the “scary things” that can occur during towing a car to and from the next event.

What are some of the “scary things” that will occur while towing a car? Swaying, turning, and braking are the main ones.

Swaying can be caused by many things but mostly I notice it comes from unneeded steering wheel inputs. Now this may seem obvious but the smoother the input on the steering wheel the less the truck and trailer move back and forth (sway) on the road way.

Hold the steering wheel lightly in your hands (use both). I place my thumb though the inside of the wheel and on the top of the steering wheel spoke. The nine O’ clock and three O’ clock positions are best.

Don’t jerk the wheel to make small adjustment, this causes very undesirable effects. Do turn the wheel by pulling down on the wheel spoke (not pulling up on the wheel away from the spoke) while feeding the proper resistance with the opposite hand allows for very precise and smooth steering inputs to the wheel. This makes all the difference in the world as far as control and hand fatigue and it helps stop the sway from starting in the first place.

The above technique helps out when turning the truck and trailer at any speed but especially well at highway speeds. I use the “look through the turn” technique to help judge the proper line and speed of turn. It also allows for proper timing to plan and correct for the turn if needed.


Concentration is very important at any speed. For example, because my truck is my daily driver I once was driving my truck and trailer down a local 35 MPH road (aptly named Crooked Lane) and forgot about the trailer and my car on it. Trust me it is easier to do than you think. I came into a turn too fast for the extra load and almost drove off the road. Fortunately, I did not panic and quickly slowed down my pace with out locking up the brakes, looked through the turn, finished the turn unscathed and vowed never to forget about the trailer again.

Driving and braking up hills is much easier than driving down them. The reason for this is as you climb the hill the trailer is pull taut on the ball and hitch, because of its weight, behind the truck. This automatically keeps the trailer straight and sway free.

Driving down hill is a bit trickier and can be scary but again if you keep a cool head, keep all your movements smooth and plan ahead you will be just fine. Slamming on the brakes to slow down for an obstacle is not the best option and is dangerous. The trailer will want to pass the truck causing you to “jack knife” and loose control. Proper brake controller settings will help minimize this effect this but leaving two to three times the room that you think is safe between you and the vehicle in front of you is the very best way to prevent this danger in the first place. If you think you have enough buffer, add a little more.

Unless the driver that just passed you has driven a truck and trailer; I truly believe that the other drivers on the road never stop to think that it will take you 2-3 times more stopping room than it will them to stop safely. I find that other drivers will constantly eat up the buffer you made for yourself and you will just have to calmly build it back up. Smile, you are on your way to a fun place with your car. Don’t let them spoil it for you. This goes for any type of elevation change or flat roads you find yourself driving on.

Another situation that you may find yourself in while driving down a hill is the dreaded swaying of the trailer. This is where the trailer is not being pulled by the truck as much as it is just following you down the hill. Because the trailer is not being pulled taut or forced in a straight line by the ball and hitch the trailer may start to sway back and forth.

This can be very nerve racking. But what every you do not apply the truck brakes. What I do is accelerate ever so slightly and gradually to see if the trailer falls back in line. Most of the time this works very well and you continue on with your happy trip. But if that doesn’t work don’t panic! Calmly reach down to your brake controller and apply the trailer brakes. Focus on what you are doing and where you are going. You now only have one hand on the wheel when you could really both now more than ever but it is the best way to stop a bad sway in this rare case. This slows down the trailer, pulls the trailer straight behind the truck and once the swaying has stopped release the trailer brakes, put both hands back on the wheel and you are back in business. This process usually only take a few seconds to perform.

I usually practice this move in my driveway a few times before every trip. This will help you to learn exactly where your brake controller is with out having to take your eye of the road.


A properly loaded and equipped truck and trailer is actually pretty safe. One night I had a blow out on my trailer while traveling north on I 95. I was able slow down, move over 2 lanes of traffic and get to the side of the road all under control. I credit not panicking and practice to be a large part of the success of not loosing control in that situation.

I hope this was helpful. Race on!

 

[Tevenor]

Nice post Harry. Making this a sticky.

 

[HighPsi92GST]

Everything you said sounds good. Makes me nervous sometimes when I see people who obviously don't pull trailers often driving down the road. Some signs being they swerve in and out of lanes on multi lane roads passing people, take up more then their own lane while drivingor just plain drive down the middle of the road on 2 lane roads, and almost always drag the trailer over the corner of sidewalks in towns !

As you said, braking is a big thing with trailers because of the added wait pushing you. It takes longer distances in emergencies to stop, as well as you have to start slowing earlier before stop signs/traffic lights.

Another thing is when your pulling a trailer, people will automatically think you are going too slow and don't want to be behind you. What does this mean? When they see you coming down the road and they pull up to a stop sign, they will more then likly pull right out in front of you. No matter how close you are, or how fast your going. Same for driving on the road, seems they are always peaking around your trailer looking for a place to pass. Just something to watch out for. I can't tell you how many times I will be going down the road going the speed limit and cars will pull out in front of me to avoid getting behind me and I am forced to apply the brakes pretty hard. Close calls come often as far as people doing this.

Again, good post

 

[Ludachris]

Great post. I've recently been looking into trailers and this was a good read. If anyone has anything else to add, please do.

 

[KlowdDragon]

another tip is to keep whatever your loading as far forward on the trailer as possible, the closer all the weight is to the truck, the easier it is to move. Also upgrading the brakes on your truck or even going a little farther and installing a trailor brake kit and truck/trailor brake controller will HEAVILY benefit pulling heavy loads.

Just thought i'd throw some stuff out there

 

[92awddsm]

I would also like to add, replace your hitch pin(holds hitch into the receiver) about every 5k miles. They can be had for less than $10 each. I have been towing car trailers and 10k lb utility trailers for 15yrs and once had a pin break. Its no fun trying to bring a truck and triler to a stop with just safety chains holding them together.

As for trailers with their own brakes, only use electronic brakes, not surge brakes. The surge style brakes is very hard on the tow vehicle. You have no adjustment or control of the braking system which can eventually lead to broken or cracked hitch mounting points. With electronic brakes, you have a control box that is mounted inside the tow vehicle which has adjustment for the amount of braking force on the trailer. You will find this useful because you can turn it down when towing an empty trailer but increase it as needed for loaded trailer or for different driving conditions.

Also, when towing up and down hills or mountains, ajust the brakes to the point where you can slightly feel a slight drag on the tow vehicle. This is very important on the down hill part. Too much brake will be fine on a flat road but going down hill, this can cause a loss of vehicle control and subsequently cause an accident. Not enough brake and then you will end up overheating the brakes on the tow vehicle and still have a loss of control. When going down hill, if you do experiece a sway, activate the trailer brakes via the (generally) red button on the control box. This will add resistence between the trailer and tow vehicle and pull the trailer back in line. Now you can hit the brakes on the tow vehicle and bring it back to a manageable speed. By no means should you ever hit the brake pedal first if you have a sway while going down hill. It will take a few seconds for the brakes to engage on the trailer and when it does, it can make the sway a lot worse.

And last but not least, always inspect your trailer before pulling out on the roadway. Check all the lights, turn signals, tires, and brake operation while still in the driveway. Make sure you car is strapped to the trailer securely and no chance of it coming loose. And after a few miles of driving and hitting bumps, recheck the straps to make sure they are all still tight. If everything is well, good luck and have fun towing.

 

[98TsiAWD]

another tip is to keep whatever your loading as far forward on the trailer as possible, the closer all the weight is to the truck, the easier it is to move. Also upgrading the brakes on your truck or even going a little farther and installing a trailor brake kit and truck/trailor brake controller will HEAVILY benefit pulling heavy loads.

Just thought i'd throw some stuff out there

You want to be careful not to get TOO much tongue weight tho, bumpers and recievers can only take so much weight on them.

Also trailer brakes are a REQUIREMENT when towing a car trailer, trust me, you want them.

Another thing people always disregard are wheel bearings, repack those things often!

 

[HighPsi92GST]

another tip is to keep whatever your loading as far forward on the trailer as possible, the closer all the weight is to the truck, the easier it is to move.

Sorry, but this is bad advice.

First, putting a car as far front as possible will more then likly over load the tounge wait. You are only supposed to have 10% of the weight of the trailer on the hitch. This means, putting the car front too far will make the truck over loaded, which can cause problems with getting pulled over.

Second, putting a car front far will push down the back of the truck, and of course lift up on the front. This means you will lose steering traction, not a good idea.

 

[number3]

As I said, in the second sentence in my opening post, I will not go into the correct tools and the proper procedure of loading your car on a trailer (I might do that at another time.)

BUT in the interest of safety...

Tongue weight is real, typically no more that 300-500# is allowed (10-15%.)

If you can't steer! any speed is too fast, especially highway speeds.

A 'bigger' truck can still be easily overloaded or unbalanced if the rig is not loaded properly.

 

[captkirk9195]

Another thing you can do to improve towing is to upgrade from brakes on one axle (the norm) to brakes on both axles. This dramatically improves the braking of the trailer, reduces the burden of the tow vehicle's brakes, and makes the trailer braking more controllable because it is much less likely to "hop" the braking wheels.

Also, as stated above, if you start to sway either *slightly* accelerate, OR slightly apply **TRAILER** brake via the controller and do NOT even think about hitting the brakes on your tow vehicle.

 

[HighPsi92GST]

Put as much weight on the front of the trailer as possible. When you have weight on the rear of the trailer it lifts the rear of the truck. So when you're having to fight the sway of going highway speed just think of how nice it would be to just cruise with no worries.
And seriously, losing steering traction? You're towing a car and trailer, how fast will you be going to worry about steering traction. That is the most ridiculous thing I've read on here. And if the weight of the car all the way forward overloads the truck then you need a bigger truck. Just putting the weight in the rear won't help. 10% of the weight on the tongue???? Oh yeah here's a tip when buying a trailer, you will enjoy having a trailer with the axles 3/4 of the way to the rear.

This thread is about safely hauling a car on a trailer and pulling it with a tow vehicle. Please do not post wrong information here. I hope the moderators come along and clean up potentially dangerous posts like this one.

 

[schemauer]

Do not load the car as far forward on the trailer as possible..... You want the load weight approximately 60% forward of the trailer axles and 40% behind. This is for a typical dual axle car hauler.

Regarding hitch weight. With a properly loaded trailer you will see about 10% of the total trailer weight on the hitch. My enclosed trailer weighs 2,300 lbs empty and has an empty hitch weight of about 245 lbs.

A big help is using a proper weight distributing hitch. These are the hitches you see with the two "arms" that attach from the bottom of the hitch back to the trailer frame. I have these on my trailer and they make it much easier to control - while also distributing the weight of the trailer to the front wheels of the truck.

 

[Slow old poop]

One of the most overlooked aspects of towing a race car is: How do you protect everything in the truck and trailer when you park it at the hotel?

When we went to MidAmerica Motorplex last year, we parked the truck and trailer in the hotel parking lot, walked across the street for dinner, and came back to find someone had smashed in the passenger side window of the Eclipse in broad daylight! They stole suitcases, a camera, two helmets, the data logger, and were working on the Apexi when they were apparently spotted by a guest at the hotel and high-tailed it.

Items in the back of the truck are especially vulnerable, because it's a quick grab-and-go for tool boxes, wheels, tires, gas cans and everything else you might be carrying.

There are several solutions, short of schlepping everything valuable into the hotel room at night.

1. Choose a secure tow vehicle. This can be a pickup with a locking hard cover or topper over the pickup bed, a van or an SUV, perhaps with window tint to prevent people from seeing inside. The last thing you want to tow with is a pickup with an open bed. It's an open invitation to steal. (When purchasing a tow vehicle, also consider how many people will be going to the track. Few DSM racers can do it alone, so you may need a crew cab pickup or SUV with room for four people and baggage.)

2. Build or buy a locking toolbox on the trailer. I've seen toolboxes on the side rails and on the front of race trailers. These are fairly secure, and keep tools and other valuables in a nice, handy, weatherproof box.

3. Build a locking tire rack for the truck or the trailer. A locking steel bar across the width of the trailer will hold 4-6 wheels and tires.

4. Try to get to the event early enough on Friday evening so you can unload the car at the track and leave the car and trailer. Most tracks have overnight security and road racers who are camping there usually don't bother other people's stuff. (Anybody who drives in with a $250,000 motorhome is not going to steal your tires)

Nothing stops a determined thief, but these measures will at least slow them down. When they see you are locked up, they will find easier prey.

Rich

 

[colonel_odem]

One thing that I didn't see mentioned above by anybody, but still very...Very important. When towing anything, be it a motorcycle, lawnmower, Car... Make certain that you are tying it down Proper! Using come-alongs Is a great advantage. I use good heavy chains on specific structure points on anything that I tow, (I used to excavate and tying down a 12,000 - 20,000 lb vehicle just becomes second nature to question and re-check a point of contact, chain tautness, and clearance)

schemaur, I think that the bars you are referring to are "sway bars" and yes, they are very helpful to help sway control.

Hope this is helpful info!

 

[schemauer]

The bars I was referring to are the weight distribution bars that connect from the hitch head back to the trailer. I don't have sway control on my trailer, but, as you mention, this is something else that can be added if necessary.

 

[TSi999]

One of the most overlooked aspects of towing a race car is: How do you protect everything in the truck and trailer when you park it at the hotel?

When we went to MidAmerica Motorplex last year, we parked the truck and trailer in the hotel parking lot, walked across the street for dinner, and came back to find someone had smashed in the passenger side window of the Eclipse in broad daylight! They stole suitcases, a camera, two helmets, the data logger, and were working on the Apexi when they were apparently spotted by a guest at the hotel and high-tailed it.

Items in the back of the truck are especially vulnerable, because it's a quick grab-and-go for tool boxes, wheels, tires, gas cans and everything else you might be carrying.

Rich

That really sucks Rich! I went with an enclosed trailer for just the situation you described.

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