AMiataCalledSteve
AMiataCalledSteve Reader
11/2/22 12:14 p.m.

I wonder if anyone on the forum has experience with tie downs of this type? https://a.co/d/4aYZlRd

I've been tying my Miata with straps through the lower control arms, but the front of the car is so low that getting to the control arms is difficult, and the straps push up against the bumper when they are tightened. The wheels are racing steelies and won't work with through-the-wheel type straps, but I've been wondering if over-the-tire straps would be easier and faster to use? My current tie setup for reference:

bearmtnmartin (Forum Supporter)
bearmtnmartin (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
11/2/22 12:25 p.m.

I have a set but rarely use them. Very frustrating to adjust and with a lowered car the bodywork interferes. 

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter)
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) UltimaDork
11/2/22 1:26 p.m.

Since I don't have a trailer, all of my car hauling experience has been with rented trailers. This is the default tie down on them. Seems to work fine, and I don't think they would use an inferior system. 

MiniDave
MiniDave Reader
11/2/22 2:51 p.m.

I've done both the thru the wheel and over the wheel tie downs with no issues, all of the Uhaul trailers work this way so if you're going to do it I would mimic their system.

An alternative would be to bolt or weld a tie down loop in a more accessible place on the car.

codrus (Forum Supporter)
codrus (Forum Supporter) PowerDork
11/2/22 7:14 p.m.

The kind shown in your picture are not going to the "hits the bumper" problem.  In fact, it will probably be worse than with the control arms because the center of the anchoring is higher.

You can also get over-the-tire tie downs that are designed to work with floor-mounted e-track.  Basically you run two long strips of e-track down the trailer deck, drive the car onto them, and then the tiedown goes over the tire and achors to the deck right next to the tire.  This is what the big pro car carrier companies use (Reliable, etc), because it will work with almost any car without rubbing on anything.  Obviously it requires some modifications to your trailer, however.

 

AMiataCalledSteve
AMiataCalledSteve Reader
11/3/22 5:16 p.m.

In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :

I thought it looked like the tie down straps would run along the outside of the wheel, but if it runs from the center of the tire that would definitely be a problem. They also make a side-mounted version, but I'm not sure if those would be acceptable. they seem popular for the SxS community.

APEowner
APEowner UltraDork
11/3/22 9:55 p.m.

I've used a couple of different variations and they're OK.  I the case of a track car I just put tie down points that are easy to access on the car.  There are a bunch of bolt on options for a Miata,  including the factory ones.  Youncan buy them for less that the straps will cost and you'll have recovery points as required by many sanctioning bodies

 

californiamilleghia
californiamilleghia UltraDork
11/3/22 10:58 p.m.

I don't trust straps only , 

I also use a chain around the rear axle and another around the front suspension .Or I will use come-a-longs and the straps.

Cheers

buzzboy
buzzboy SuperDork
11/5/22 4:15 p.m.

We switched to them for the race car hauler. The other guys seem to like them, but I do not. I was always putting them on wrong or not getting the tension right. I do like that they don't load the suspension though. My preference is the Uhaul style tire straps, or the type used on car haulers.

AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter)
AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) UberDork
11/8/22 8:49 p.m.

I spent some money and went with Macs tie downs.  Using them is the first time ever that I have cinched down a car and the straps never stretched or loosened.  They offer chains, wheel straps, and axle straps too.  I'm going to order longer padded straps so I can just grab each wheel with a strap and viola. 

 

rustomatic
rustomatic HalfDork
11/30/22 8:36 p.m.

Look at what they use on big-rig car haulers:  over-the-tire straps.  They are excellent.

Rodan
Rodan SuperDork
12/9/22 7:39 p.m.

Most tow companies have gone to the over the tire type tie downs because they are much faster to use, and they do get the car secured.

I got a set of Macs of the type Codrus was talking about when we had our ZL1, as there was really no other way to tie it down in our trailer.  It worked great, but there wasn't a lot of room to work... big car.

As noted, they require E track in the right place, and I set it up for the Camaro so it's too wide for our Miata.  It also requires some E track that sticks out from under the car... a low car may not leave room for the ratchet mechanism.

It worked great for what we needed it to do.

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