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]

Website: 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
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