Towing

[jeclarke]

If you need to tow your Superformance Cobra a short distance with a rope where should it be attached to the car? The eye at the front of the frame seems too high.

What should a tow truck hook on in order to pull the car onto a flatbed?

[1795]

If you are doing a rolling tow with a strap/rope you can loop the strap through the quick jack if you have them. If you have the bumper over riders I am not sure if they will be strong enough. I use the quick jack for the tow point on the 289 FIA race car.

Have no idea where a flat bed tow truck would hook up to and dare not hazard a guess.

Jim

[Andheeezonit]

The front frame eye should be fine for a rollback. What happened?

[jeclarke]

No problems on my end. It’s a new car. Just finishing up the build and trying to know ahead of time how to handle a breakdown.

Thanks for the info.

[Morris]

At the track they just wrap a strap around the roll bar and the driver holds the twisted strap and the tow the car back to the paddock ....or pull the car up on the flatbed truck.....

[Karl Bebout]

I fabed a removable 5/8"x18" eye bolt that screwed into a double nuted bracket that I welded onto the cross member. Only problem was keeping the nuts from warping from the welding heat. Just went slowly and often twisted the eyebolt in the nuts. Made for a nice, use as needed, doo hickey.

I'd been stuck on the road, twice, when the tow truck drivers were afraid their strap would cause body damage, when attached under the nose.

[Phx Mike]

Not Superformance but for what it’s worth I have had my Kirkham pulled up onto a flatbed by hooking the tow straps over the front frame crossmember. The straps came close but did not hit the bodywork.

[snapier]

As for a flat bed tow truck, we end up pushing it up the incline (3 people). One to drive and use the brake and two to push. Very easy for a light weight car. We tried using a strap under the front end but found that it would make contact with the front lower part of the body and would damage it.

[ACademic]

For the SPF, the trick to towing on a flat bed is to grab it from the BACK.

Use nylon straps and hook to the rear tab that is on the cross-frame just aft of the differential. Prior to that, the tow operator should place 4x4's on the street and angle his bed to rest on the top of them. You can also align a 2x4 in front of the 4x4 to build a slight ramp, and with a little momentum two guys can push the car up onto the 2x4 and even the 4x4 easily. Then hook the straps and with the correct bed angle they should barely brush up against the fuel tank.

Done this twice and both times the tow operators were incredulous that it wouldn't work. They both learned a new trick that day.

You will potentially crack/ruin the front cowl bodywork if you tried this from the front. The only other option is that the tow operator has a "split bed" which will enable them to properly lift any low profile vehicle. In populated areas these are more prevalent for Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc.

One note. With the windshield now pointing backwards up on the flat bed, I'd keep the speeds below 50mph as it will become a large air flow catcher. Luckily for me my breakdowns were local and didn't require freeway driving.

[CSX 4133]

I use a short recovery strap that is looped over the quick jacks on the front of the car. I then winch the car into my trailer. So far I've had no issues or damage to the car. I use the type 2 listed within this link.

Shorty Strap II and III – Factor 55

[kevins2]

Not a Superformance, but these 5 foot straps work perfectly routed through the lower cowling - hardly even touches the fiberglass while under tow.