Towing with dolly, questions inside...

#1

I have recently been towing the e30 with a towing dolly and I was wondering if I should turn the car backwards so the undriven wheels are on the ground, but would the fact that the wheels are steerable mess us the towing? Does towing with the rear wheels trailing have any negative affect to the car? As long as the ebrake is off and car in neutral wouldn’t it just be spinning the tires, diff and driveshaft only? I use a separate set of wheels on the back when towing so there is no wear on race tires. I have been going back and forth over buying a trailer and tow vehicle, but I can’t justify the expense when my wife’s suv (FX35) will tow up to 3500# and I have free access to a tow dolly. Anyone else do this or have any comments or suggestions?

Thanks,

Kevin
(HPDE 3, and just talked to the cage builder today about getting prepped for racing!)

#2

From the uhaul site

http://www.uhaul.com/guide/index.aspx?equipment=towing-towdolly

[quote]TRANSMISSION DAMAGE TO
YOUR VEHICLE-IN-TOW
When towing a rear axle driven front engine vehicle,
the drive shaft must be disconnected to prevent
transmission damage. Simply placing the
transmission in neutral is not sufficient and will not
prevent damage due to a lack of internal lubrication.
You must disconnect the drive shaft at the rear axle
and tie or wire it up. The universal joint bearing caps
must be taped on to prevent loss of the bearings. If
you choose to remove the drive shaft entirely, it may
be necessary to cap the transmission tail shaft to
prevent fluid loss and possible future damage.
Consult your vehicle owner’s manual.
U-Haul Centers and dealers are not required to
remove or reinstall the drive shaft as part of the rental.
However, some U-Haul Centers and dealers can do
this for an additional fee.
Front wheel drive vehicles do not need drive shafts
disconnected because the drive wheels are loaded on
the tow dolly.[/quote]

However I think this might only apply to automatics, but I haven’t found anything that says its ok to tow like that with a stick.

#3

More info

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=435052

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?p=15541426

I also attached the bmw towing guide for AAA operators.

#4

towing guide is too big I’ll send it to you Kevin.

#5

You may be OK but if you are serious about this hobby bite the bullet and buy a trailer and a tow rig. I have seen many people slide down the slippery slope of not committing early enough and buy all the combination’s in between “to save money” before finally landing on a real truck and an enclosed trailer if that your ultimate preference. Try to know yourself and buy what you feel you will want at the end of the road as soon as possible and skip the interim expenses of trial an error. It cost a lot more that way in the long run.