Towing Eyes

[MMiskoe]

So per the latest Fast Track, we need to add towing eyes. Sorry if this already got discussed in the 5 pages of comments posted.

Looking for opinions about the response to removing a marker light to create a location for securing the towing eye. Can you remove a marker light in order to route a tow strap? If the opening does not create any aerodynamic effect to the front of the car and only serves to allow the tow point to work correctly, would this be viewed as a clever way to provide a tow point that works or would it be considered a no-no since you can't remove lights? Same for cutting a hole/slot in a bumper cover to expose the structure behind it.

[lateapex911]

negatory on the removal..

and technically no joy on the cutting, I think...unless you use the allowed holes for brake ducting...

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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]

[Geo]

I'm not so sure I agree Jake. Both seem reasonable to me. I'm not sure I'd remove a marker lens, but I wouldn't think twice about cutting a bumper cover to accomodate a tow hook.


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George Roffe
Houston, TX
84 944 ITS car under construction
92 ITS Sentra SE-R occasionally borrowed
http://www.nissport.com

[lateapex911]

This is one of those..."I really don't have an issue with it myself, but..." deals.

Where does it say you can?
How about thru a fender? Or a metal nose peice? And make it large enough to give a little lead in all directions...sure it gets silly when you think in extremes, but it can be useful.

IIDSYCYC..


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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]

[shwah]

Seems a silly rule to me. My Golf has 4 factory designed towing eyes that are very accessible. Now I have to add a 2"ID one. I understand the need for this in some classes, but it seems like an answer to a question no one was asking in IT.

[planet6racing]

Well, after having my windshield broken from tying the tow strap around the cage and getting pulled off Road Atlanta, putting a tow eye in is a good idea.

Plus, the faster they can get you out of trouble, the faster everyone can get back to racing. Mandatory tow eyes that are easily accessible are a good idea and will give everyone more race time.

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Bill
Planet 6 Racing
bill (at) planet6racing (dot) com

[bldn10]

OK, I'm trying to figure out what the rule requires. It says one in front and one in back but does that mean absolutely on the front and rear planes of the car? As opposed, e.g., to the underside? It just says they have to be accessible. My 2nd Gen. RX-7 has stock towing eyes on the frame rail forward of the A-arm. It is accessible through the wheel well unless the car is buried in a gravel trap. The size of the eye aside, is that an acceptable (legal) location? I really don't want to cut through my bumper cover.



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Bill Denton
87/89 ITS RX-7
02 Audi TT225QC
95 Tahoe
Memphis

[wbp]

I believe a close reading will reveal that tow eyes are only recommended in IT. Remember Catagory takes precidence over GCR. And ITCS says "recommended". Tow eyes are a good idea, but not required.

[bhudson]

It's now a requirement - the GCR was amended for 2005 to include all cars without exposed roll bars.

And if you want to get moved out of a gravel trap, it is in your best interest to make the tow eye easily accessable.

Bob Hudson
SIT, Atlanta Region

[ITANorm]

I'm in the same situation as shwah - 4 perfectly good factory towing eyes with an I.D. of >2" in one direction, but not in all. I specifically asked the question of the CRB at the Convention. Their take on the rule is that it means a minimum of 2" I.D. all the way around the eye.

Now to the next question . . ..
If I'm superceding my factory towing eyes with the GCR-mandated ones, may I remove the factory ones??

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Norm - #55 ITA, '86 MR2. [email protected]
http://home.alltel.net/jberry/img107.jpg
Website: home.alltel.net/jberry (http://home.alltel.net/jberry)

[gran racing]

To keep things simple, why not just add a nylon tow rope end to your factory tow hook?

I'm going to use a tow strap and just cut off the two ends along with the lenght I need.

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Dave Gran
NER ITB #13
'87 Honda Prelude si

[MMiskoe]

Thanks for the responses. It doesn't say anywhere that you can drill a hole in the inner fender well to route the wire for your transponder either....

To answer the question of "why not use the factory eyes" they are located behind some of the mounts for the bumper cover & would be highly likely to destroy the bumper cover if used. The back is wide open, but currently too small.

Why the Board can't just recognize that IT, SS, Touring & AS cars out number open top cars, most of which have small towing eyes and therefore make sure the recovery truck is properly set up is beyond me. You can buy a tow strap for $20 w/ hooks on the end that fit just about anything.

[gran racing]

You need to remember that we're not using the clubs wreckers - we are using the tracks'. With that in mind, we are in the minority.

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Dave Gran
NER ITB #13
'87 Honda Prelude si

[Matt Rowe]

Trying to clear gravel (or mud) from under a car to get to a solid point for a hook is not enviable in the best conditions. Then try it with race traffic zipping by under a standing yellow. Personally, the hour of work it took me to put on tow points is a small price to pay to make sure a worker can safely and quickly get my car yanked from a bad spot. That and with the loop I can control where they hook rather than ending up with a torn bumper cover or bent suspension.


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~Matt Rowe
ITA Shelby Charger
MARRS #96

[ddewhurst]

Some of this new rule "ya SHALL have 2 inch inside diameter towing eyes front & rear" makes sense & some of this new rule makes zero sense IMHJ.

Makes sense: The rule may have been requested by the workers so that the workers can do a better/quicker/safer job.

Makes sense: Two inch inside diameter towing eye front & rear.

Makes ZERO sense: Hooking a tow strap to the roll cage of a open top race car. Ya know what happened to a H Production car at the Runoffs last year when the tow strap was hooked to the roll cage. The friken car was pulled deeper into the depth of the PEA GRAVEL. But no we can't ask the Production car owners to cut a hole in their open top cars so that the tow loop can be placed where it belongs below the center line of the wheel so that the car wants to be lifted above the pea gravel..

Have Fun http://Forum.ImprovedTouring.com/it/wink.gif
David

[ITANorm]

FWIW - the factory tow hooks on my car are not behind any sort of a panel. They also won't damage anything when used (within reason) - I have literally picked up the car with the factory hooks and ratchet straps before. They are also essentially at axle height. I don't see any reasonable way to install anything higher. In fact I intend to remove and replace 2 of them.

And I agree about not attaching to the roll bars. I have seen a SRF almost put on its head because of this.

If worker safety is an issue, there needs to be an edict about minimum and maximum heights at which they must be installed.

[wbp]

Bob, the December 18 action of the BOD added the requirement for a tow eye to the GCR. But it didn't alter the ITCS which leaves the tow eye as optional. ITCS trumps the GCR, so the tow eye is still optional in IT.
But a really good idea anyway.

[Joe Harlan]

I would bet the issue will get fixed under error's and omissions. I am putting them on all cars so we don't get caught out.

[Greg Amy]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">...so the tow eye is still optional in IT.</font>

BRAACK! You lose the "Who Wants To Be A Rules Nerd?" game.

GCR 17.31, as per March 05 Fastrack, now states "All cars without an exposed roll bar shall have a towing eye or strap..." including IT, SS, and Touring.

ITCS 17.1.4.D.10.h states, "Towing eyes per GCR Section 17., may be fitted."

That ITCS "may" (allowed) does not trump the GCR's "shall" (required), thus these items are required in Improved Touring.

Note that the ITCS 17.1.4.D.10.h was redundant prior to 01/01/05 anyway; GCR 17.31 did not require it in Improved Touring, but did recommend it, so you were allowed to do it even without the ITCS.

And 'they' keep arguing the rules are clear enough and don't need to be re-written...hah!

Good try, though. - GA

[bldn10]

Like Norm's, my factory hooks work perfectly fine. So, again, does that location comply w/ the intent of the rule?

I say intent because, although it is absolutely clear that the CRB thought they were now requiring tow hooks in IT, SS, and T, wbp is right - there is now a conflict between GCR 17.31 (SHALL) and ITCS 17.1.4.D.10.h (MAY). GCR 1.2.4. provides: "If there is a conflict between the GCR and a Specification Book (...ITCS...) the Specification Book has precedence over the GCR." Nothing in there about "SHALL" trumping "MAY." The ITCS rule should have been deleted and, as Joe suggested, probably will. I've pointed out similar inconsistencies in the GCR but the CRB doesn't seem to have the time or inclination to clean it up.

Re the 2" spec, I suspect the intent was that any eye was OK as long as one of those large tow strap hooks could get into it. Thus I was going to simply attach a 1"x2" ID oval removable chain link to the stock eye. And that's what I'm going to do until someone in authority says otherwise.



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Bill Denton
87/89 ITS RX-7
02 Audi TT225QC
95 Tahoe
Memphis

[Sterling]

Consider this...

Also, devise a method so the wrecker can retrieve the car when it doesn't want to roll or is missing a wheel or has crash damage.

Even with a flat bed more damage can come from the well meaning tow people. Sometimes there isn't a flat bed available. There are some real bad stories out there.

When I had a front axle break and tire leave we were able to remove the front hood and pick the front of the car up by the strut bar. Yes the strut bar was oversized and heavy, but it saved me a lot of damage.

My production car is mid engined. We're looking at designing a way to lift the car at the one motor mounts. We can already lift the front by the strut bar.

What would you do ?


Sterling

[apr67]

I now know the reason for the 2" hook.

I busted my rear at Moroso this weekend. When they flat towed me, the wanted to run the strap through my loop. Its stiff and wont bend much so 2" it needs to be.

[ShelbyRacer]

Originally posted by wbp:
Bob, the December 18 action of the BOD added the requirement for a tow eye to the GCR. But it didn't alter the ITCS which leaves the tow eye as optional. ITCS trumps the GCR, so the tow eye is still optional in IT.
But a really good idea anyway.

Oh oh, and I can event play the intent card on this one!!!

---------------------------------------

For these reasons, the Club Racing
Board is recommending that effective
1/1/05, the Showroom Stock, Touring,
and Improved Touring cars be required to
have tow attachments.
Effective 1/1/05, delete the last sentence
of GCR Section 17.31 as follows:

---------------------------

Etc. etc. (Clipped from the 12/04 FasTrack

When the statement of intent is available, it may be used as evidence... Especially when it comes via the official method of information distribution of the club.

<pulling up sheet of clear plastic ala Gallagher>

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Matt Green
"Ain't nothin' improved about Improved Touring..."

[EV]

Thanks folks for thinking a lot about this topic.

As an EV worker I like it when I can easily locate and hook up to a car. Double that when it's a hot pull.

Picture yourself on the edge of a hot track, on your belly digging in the gravel with cars whizzing by and design your hooks accordingly.

For those with smallish factory tow hooks, add one of these http://store.karstsports.com/bldiseruny18.html . They are cheap and strong as can be. I carry one with me and I can say for sure, they work.

One more request. Mark them well (bright paint, arrows, etc). At the runoffs, I had to crawl under a GT-1 in china beach to access a hook very deep under the car. Poor judgment was used in that design.

Thanks again for helping make my life easier.


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Enjoy,
Bill

[lateapex911]

From the above site referenced:


"Use them to .....keep your rope running straight. Use them to tie-off chicken heads, loop around ...chockstones "



...sounds like they are indeed pretty versatle!

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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]

[zracre]

now i can jst imagine a bunch of it drivers with tow hooks sticking out front and rear in traffic bumping along.....now that will be ugly!!! http://ITForum.ImprovedTouring.com/smile.gif Evan

[gran racing]

That's why I'm a huge advocate of soft tow hooks!

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Dave Gran
NER ITB #13
'87 Honda Prelude si

[Knestis]

I got speared - before the green! - by a e30 bimmer at the NASA race I ran a couple weeks ago. His tow hook stuck out like 5" and poked a big ol' hole in my perfectly find rear bumper cover.

One of his Bimmer buddies clobbered me in the enduro when we got bottled up behind a really poorly driven Miata.

Rough weekend for bumpers.

K

[Ralf]

How about something like this? Paint it bright orange, make sure its 2" round and is soft enough so it doesn't do damage.
http://www.geocities.com/ralf_lindow/DSC04769.JPG

[Racerlinn]

I saw quite a few cable style tow straps attached to stock mounting points this last weekend at Gateway.

[zracre]

anyone know where to get a cable type tow hook???? Evan

[MMiskoe]

try McMaster.com They are an industrial supply house. I know they have them, but don't know if they would be small enough. Go w/ a nylon sling. Much kinder to the paint and lighter.

[benracin]

I think the one thing that concerns me is having a length of rope hanging 5 inches out the rear of my rx7 and slapping around and possibly grabbing something. I don't think I have much in the back of my car, structure wise, to wrap a strap around so that if it was pulled from the side it didn't destroy the whole back of my car.

Same thing goes for the front I guess. I have two towing eyes up there but not 2" around on the inside. Do I just hang a strap off those as well?

I guess I don't like the idea of stuff swinging around under my car. I think the rule makes sense, I just don't know if I want to go tearing holes in my bumpers and welding stuff that may or may not work or possibly do more damage then good when yanked on.

[Greg Amy]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">...having a length of rope hanging 5 inches out the rear of my rx7 and slapping around...</font>

Strip Velcro, like what's used on network cable runs...

[KevSC1]

Originally posted by Racerlinn:
I saw quite a few cable style tow straps attached to stock mounting points this last weekend at Gateway.

And the 1st few sessions those cables led to corner workers reporting "something loose" on the cars. Most of us figured it out on the out lap, others didn't...

Some were dangling VERY low, and didn't look very substantial. I'd agree with the earlier poster who suggested velcro sraps to hold tehm up out of the way. Just put a nice arrow pointing to where it is. (Your friendly corner worker will thank you!)

[This message has been edited by KevSC1 (edited March 24, 2005).]

[Greg Amy]

I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to do long-term, but for the sake of getting through the annual tech (and possibly for the first race) I went to Home Depot and bought some 1/4" cable, eyes, and clamps to attach to the stock tie-downs.

The manner I resolved the loose cable was to drill a small hole someplace near the center of the cable length and secured it in place with a small plastic tie-wrap. The open end was still accessible and could be easily hooked on by a corner worker. The tie-wrap is strong enough to keep it in place in normal situations, but when the tow truck gets to a'pullin' that tie-wrap will fail instantly. - GA

[pgipson]

I bought 2 of the "runners" that climbers use (referenced earlier) made from Spectra (it's like kevlar but more pliable I guess). Got 'em at a local REI for 2 for $6. They are rated at 22KN (about a 6000 lb strength).I plan to tape them to the bumper for this weekend's race and see how that works. (on edit -- to keep them from looking like something loose hanging down)

The guy that helped me find them was looking at me sorta funny, like "What's a fat 50-something guy doing buying climbing gear?". So I explained the intended use.

------------------
Spec RX7 #11
Scottsdale AZ

[This message has been edited by pgipson (edited March 26, 2005).]

[Jeremy Billiel]

Greg - I had a similiar idea and I went to Home Depot as well, but to my dismay, the 1/4 cable is only rated to 1800 lbs! in my opinions that is not strong enough, so the search continues. I would think that burried in the sand, the cable/strap should be rated at least for 4000 lbs. No?

[ddewhurst]

Paul, thanks for the towing loop tip. I went to REI & looked at the Blue Water Titan/Spectra Runner. 27.0 kilonewtons (approx 6,000 pounds). I will call Monday & see what colors their headquaters says they have. The store said they get random colors & had purple/white & green/white in 12 inch. They had red/white in 6 inch. Ideal would be orange/white. Loop it around the OEM tow loop using a tie rap so it can't dangle loose & a rubberband to keep it out of the way & from totally dangling down & confusing the workers.

Should work for a 2380 pound ITA/7 car. Don't know if it will work for a 2580 pound Spec-7. http://ITForum.ImprovedTouring.com/wink.gif

David

ps: How much would you like to bet that a worker challenges the capability of the 9/16 inch Spectra Runner. @ which time I ask the worker, Sir/Mam what strength does the rule require for the tow loop.

[pgipson]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Don't know if it will work for a 2580 pound Spec-7</font>

we're down to 2530 now, although the actual race weight of this car & driver is a secret. We had a guy get dq'd last time out for 7 lbs under. I told his wife to put him on the "beer & brat" diet

[ddewhurst]

***dq'd last time out for 7 lbs under***

1 1/2 gallon of beer the night before would have taken care of that. Or 1 gallon of fuel.

Have Fun http://ITForum.ImprovedTouring.com/wink.gif
David

[sst1811]

if you use a nylon strap ...tie wrap it up off frame and ground then duck tape it to stiffen and make easier access

[Mike Guenther]

ISC Racing in Winter Haven, FL has a short (approx.6"), heavy duty nylon strap with a 2" I.D. ring on one end and a metal seat belt tie down on the other end to bolt or weld to the frame. You can use a tie wrap to keep it from swinging or dangling. I heard that some tracks are measuring the diameter to comply with the 2" I.D. and I was told that the 1.5" x 3" links that I've had sticking out of my front bumper and dangling from my rear frame for years do not meet the 2" I.D. requirement. Intent and the 3" direction weren't enough. I'm getting two of ISC's set up. (863)324-4539.