Should I drive my car to the track?

Should I drive to the track?

  • Drive it

    Votes: 73 66.4%

  • Figure out how to get a trailer behind the Jeep and haul it.

    Votes: 37 33.6%
  • Total voters
    110
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rmchrgr said:
I have a AAA membership but it's just a basic one. May look into the AAA Plus deal which is $75 and up to 100 miles free towing. Not too bad, might be cheap insurance just for this particular situation. Without the Plus membership, tow from E Town to Huntington would probably be at least $250.

If something did break, I'd probably have it towed the 10 or so miles to my bud's house in Matawan and take the train home, then get a truck and trailer during the week and go get it.

Thanks for the input guys. Let's hope that if I do this, it's a trouble free day. Just assuming the worst here. Always better to be prepared and have options rather than expect nothing and have it be a disaster.
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Either way, if you don't post a timeslip, we will send a posse after ya. Just sayin.....
 
i drive the dart to the track with 4.88's and 28" tall tires... 50mph the whole way... but the speed limit is 55 on the road there and 45 around my house so its all good...
 
u haul is going to ask you what car you are going to haul on their trailer. Tell them it's a 1967 Volkswagon bug. That is what I always tell them and they never question my truck towing ability.
 
Uhaul only asks you what car you are towing for your safety not because they want to be jerks about it .Telling them that you are towing a VW is foolish. You are not only putting yourself at risk but every body around you too.

P.S. and yes I do work for Uhaul !!!


Bob
 
I say drive it! I would bring some tools with you just in case something happens, say an alternator bracket were to come loose. Way back in 1988 I had to drive my 340 Dart home from street racing in San Diego, CA to Camp Pendelton with the four speed trans stuck in 2nd gear. Yes, it was a very long drive!! Just my two cents.
 
i have aaa platinum plus.. but better yet. my car insurance has a towing provision..last time i broke down(stupid flat on a front skinny) I paid the tow truck driver $210. and in 2 days, i was reimbursed. but i do have a trailer too.. you are more than welcome to use it.. but i think you are too far away
 
This ought to spark some conversation.

Back in the day they used to flat tow their race cars to the track.

I know that there were quite a few towing accidents but todays vehicles have far superior tires and brakes.

I will have the same problem when I finish my 383 '64 Dart. I don't have a truck or a trailer so I will have to come up with a plan b.

Mike
 
Personally, I have never been a fan of driving a car to the track, because if it does break then you are stuck there until a tow truck or a buddy with a trailer can get there. Do you have a friend that will let you use their trailer, just offer to pay there way to the track, and then buy them dinner afterwards, and I'm sure they would be more than happy to do it. That way it would work out for everyone, your buddy gets a free trip to the track, and you have a helper if you need one. My Dart isn't street legal, but the car that I owned before it was, but I never drove it to the track, because it was simply too far to take the risk of something breaking & being stuck there. I
 
80 miles one way ....4:30 gears... wow you asking for it ...save your bucks and get a trailer hook up .. 55 mph on highway with your 4:30's you will get run over by one of these clowns traveling 80 in a 55 zone ............ save your bucks do it right
 
I have the same gears and tires on the rear as you, and I have driven my duster to our local track, an hour away, with no issues. It runs at 180 to 190 degrees just as yours does, and at 55 mph, I'm turning about 3200 rpms. I say drive it, and ebjoy a great day making some passes.
 
MR.7DUSTER3 said:
Uhaul only asks you what car you are towing for your safety not because they want to be jerks about it .Telling them that you are towing a VW is foolish. You are not only putting yourself at risk but every body around you too.

P.S. and yes I do work for Uhaul !!!


Bob
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Agreed, I just hauled my car to the track useing a U-haul car trailer, they only need the make of the car your hauling for there records.
 
Have you ever thought about flat towing the car?
Put some street tires on the back of your car. Disconnect the drive shaft ( at the rear axle).
Secure the drive shaft. If you take it all the way out put another yoke in the transmission.
Get some magnetic trailer lights and go.
I just pull my 79 Volare 125 miles this way with no issues.

This way you can take a tool box and some food to feed your helpers.
 
az426hemi said:
This ought to spark some conversation.

Back in the day they used to flat tow their race cars to the track.

I know that there were quite a few towing accidents but todays vehicles have far superior tires and brakes.

I will have the same problem when I finish my 383 '64 Dart. I don't have a truck or a trailer so I will have to come up with a plan b.

Mike
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az426, I missed your post or I would not had posted.:eek:ops:
 
drive it! how many times have you flogged it down the street?i just beat the tar out of it for a week,go over the drivetrain kwik inspect, then drive it to the track and see what it runs....works for me...
 
AAA is your friend!! Made the trip from upstate NY to maple grove, PA raced the car and drove home a couple times. 360/727 with 9" conv. 4.30 gear runing 11.8's-12.0's on motor depending on air and timing. Get AAA and Drive it!!!
 
Drive it. I use to drive 35 ish miles each way to and from the track. I would get there, lay down a string of 11.1 passes at 121 mph and go home. Just check the weather before you go, bring your tools and a cell phone, and you're good to go.

Heck, I still drive my car to the track sometimes. I did at the end of last year when I sold my truck before the end of race season (oops...). Granted, I live about 7 miles from the track now...but it is still fun to see the look on peoples faces when you drive in...no trailer...go 5 rounds consistently running 6.92 in the 1/8 mile (high 10's in the 1/4), and you drive it home at the end of the day. :D
 
BigWhip ,, you must be old as me,Flat towing is all we had back then (70's) anyone that had a trailer was SOMETHING at the track,I'd say 80% of the cars were driven or flat towed.My Dad or sister would bolt the slicks on while I'd put the driveshaft on.Memories......
 
........I say drive it and have fun.........I flat towed mine till 2005.............I also drove my street legal cars 150 miles to the track.........it would of sucked if i had a break down.....I 1ce drove to the track with 4.56s and a p245/60r14 tire, that was over 3 hours....kim........
 
I own a trailer company here in California and I can make a few recommendations. Tow Dolly's are ok if there is an extra wide one available because making sharp turns the normal sized ones will get into the fenders. Trust me. A basic car hauler 16-18' weighs 1800 lbs. a Cherokee with a class 3 hitch with a weight distribution system will give you roughly 8000 lbs of towing capacity. Don't buy an aluminium trailer, they are overpriced and not way lighter. Been in the trailer industry 15 years so I know a few things about towing. Good luck
 
I say tow it..

What happens if you break at the end of the event and you call AAA. They tell you it will be an hour or so. Are you going to get pushed out of the track and sit onside of the road until they show up?

Flogging a car on the street for short burst and no prep is NOTHING like doing it at the track on a prepped surface.. It breaks things... But hey you may be a lucky guy and nothing ever happens to. After a day in the heat and racing I look forward to the a/c and a comfy ride back home. Why stress on getting there, stress over breaking something and the have stress to get back home?

As far as you haul goes I agree and don't lie about what you are towing. I always buy the insurance when I use to get a trailer and told the truth in case something ever happend like an axle falling out of the trailer and it flipping with my car on it. This was they can never say you said you where hauling a beetle not a hemi dart..

Racing is suppose to be fun.. Not stressful...
 
Having been at this car thing for a year or two now, I can honestly say I've tried most ways of getting one where it needs to be including my brother hanging on to the steering wheel of the towee' at the end of a 50' logging chain (more exciting for him than me). I finally broke down and bought a tilt deck trailer with a 8000 lb Warn wench some years back. I wouldn't do it any other way now and even if I only use it one time in a year it's worth the license fees.

That said, as long as it's street legal, throw your slicks and tools in the damn car, drive on roads that allow you to keep the engine speed down, and go for it. If you can risk breaking it at the track, you can risk breaking it on public highways.
 
i broke more stuff at the street races then the track,only thing i broke at the track was a chevy! drive it!
 
Darter6 said:
BigWhip ,, you must be old as me,Flat towing is all we had back then (70's) anyone that had a trailer was SOMETHING at the track,I'd say 80% of the cars were driven or flat towed.My Dad or sister would bolt the slicks on while I'd put the driveshaft on.Memories......
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You brought up the most importing Issue with racing. Spending time with family.
 
Tow bar or tow strap and prep the car and a trustworthy friend to brake ride or pull you sounds bout the cheapest last resort but it will get you there and back and travel at a time when trafic is at it least
 
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