Car towing tactics

[IDoSeaDoo]

so I tow my skis with a TDI jetta. The car weighs just under 4000lbs and is fwd with an open diff. It rolls on 205/55/16 tires. Currently I had teh Khumo SENSE tires on there and it does just fine on all ramps but this one on Falls Lake. I lose traction like mad and end up smoking the tires teh whole way up. It's the only ramp that I've ever had a problem on. I really like this lake since it's the one I've explored the least. So I want to keep using this ramp (it's the closest and it's free). So do you guys have any tactics on how to avoid this slippage?

I've heard of throwing towels under the slipping wheels, and letting some air out. I'm almost considering buying a Limited Slip Diff (LSD) just to avoid having to buy a truck just for towing. I love my TDI fuel economy :thumbsup:

 

[ocod]

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...ewall=Blackwall&partnum=165TR6GRAT2&tab=Sizes

Size is a little taller but will give you some nice traction and serves as good snow tire.

 

[CReynoldsMIZ]

Jeez. An open diff on a 2wd car, you basically have one wheel doing all the work! No wonder you have such trouble! Youre a youtube "boat ramp fail" waiting to happen at that location it seems like. Lol.

I always put my suv in 4x4 at the ramp.

 

[ORION '95 Speedster]

Buying a new differential means replacing the transmission. Here are some other options:

Buy some non-studded winter tires, which would have much better grip.
Change your wheel and tire size to something less low-profile. (15", 14")
Install a tow hitch on the front of your car, and pull the boat out backwards
Have friends sit on the hood when your going up the ramp
Sweep the gravel off the ramp prior to going up it
Have a friend gun the throttle on the boat while you floor it in the car (boat partly in water)
Buy a winch that attaches to the tow hitch and just winch the boat up the ramp
Design a propulsion system for the trailer tires
Get a long chain and run it down the ramp to the trailer and pull it out from level ground
Uh.. what else. ... buy snow traction planks and put them on the ground maybe?

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

I suggest considering a front mounted trailer hitch and backing up the ramp.

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

Yea, only one wheel at a time does the work. The ESP grabs the one spinning and throws the traction to the other side, but the ramp is usually slick with water and perhaps algae. IDK why it's so sliperry, perhaps the army corps built it steeper.

Oh, and you don't have to get a different tranny to get LSD. They make them, and you just drop them in place of your old open diff. Snow tires are out of the question, because it never snows here (hence why I don't need a 4x4) and I don't want the extra hum as I'm driving. I've just got to conquer this one ramp. The traction mats actually are a good idea. I've heard of people using those before. One question I have is: Wouldn't they just shoot out from under the spinning tire?

Has anyone tried using a regular towel?

 

[ORION '95 Speedster]

Is your vehicle front wheel drive? If so, its a trans swap. If its rear wheel drive, you can just swap diffs. Your not going to tear a one wheel wonder trans apart just to upgrade to the LSD.

 

[ORION '95 Speedster]

Yo wha I'm say'n mang?

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

Well, yea, you have to drop the tranny and split the case to pop out the diff. It's not very hard. I've rebuilt manual transaxles before. The diff is what the CV joints plug into. The only hurdle is the $1k pricetag. Still cheaper than a truck.

 

[Coastiejoe]

If the ramp is wide, launch at an angle. It decreases the load to go up the ramp.

 

[racerxxx]

Is your vehicle front wheel drive? If so, its a trans swap. If its rear wheel drive, you can just swap diffs. Your not going to tear a one wheel wonder trans apart just to upgrade to the LSD.

You can get a Quaife LSD Diff for a VW to get rid of the "open end" diff

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-quaife-parts/quaife-limited-slip-differential-114mm-ring-gear/qdf10r/

 

[racerxxx]

Idoo needs a truck. Dry weight of the boat less gear and fuel is probably at the max tow capacity for the Jetta.

 

[ORION '95 Speedster]

Ya, he needs an SUV or truck. Does that diff go inside of the transaxle?

 

[racerxxx]

Ya, he needs an SUV or truck. Does that diff go inside of the transaxle?

Yep, takes place of the one wheel wonder diff. I know a few guys who ran them in their golfs


Just a little old golf with awd conversion and a big hair drier under the hood, LOL. I'm sure they use full lockers.
Check out the 16 valve 4 banger vs Veyron vs gtr video from the same guys. The little dub out accelerates all of them.


[video=youtube;Fuj7x4Px6zQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fuj7x4Px6zQ[/video]

 

[ORION '95 Speedster]

I hate pulling out front wheel drive transmissions (transaxles). To me it would not be worth the trouble. However, three of my rigs are 4x4 and have class 3 hitch receivers. So perhaps the trans mod would be less appealing to me.

 

[racerxxx]

Lol, pulling a transaxle isn't that bad in a vw. But, I'd rather buy a beater Chevy tahoe for a grand to tow with.

 

[XP 787]

Do you pull your boat with the Jetta also?

 

[racerxxx]

Do you pull your boat with the Jetta also?

I have a Passat wagon and want to get a hitch to pull my skis, but only my skis. I'd never tow a boat with a car. I know how much my speedster pushes my Yukon and our mini van when braking. Putting that behind a car with my wife and kids in there.....um no. That's just way too risky. I'd say it would be a whole different ball game if the trailer had brakes. But, then you have to deal with getting up the ramp. I see so many guys barbecue the one tire of their truck just getting up the ramp. But down the shore the rapid are almost flat and ideal for a car and skis.

 

[racerxxx]

Yes, I bought our can with the tow package which includes nivomat rear socks which hydraulically "fill" to level the ride height so your not draggin ass and popping a wheelie which lessens the effectiveness of you front braking axle.

 

[XP 787]

Yeah I think pulling a boat is schetchy with a car. My Accord can handle the skis. I use the Explorer for the boat.

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

Just tried the new jetta towing the boat. Went to a "safe" ramp that I know I can pull out of, and it towed it flawlessly. The little challenger only weighs like 1200lbs, trailer adding another couple hundred. New jetta pulls it strong and sure, and stops just fine. Having 100ft-lbs of torque more, it's HUGE improvement over the 2004 TDI. This car is heavier, stronger, and has bigger brakes. I will be increasing the tire size from 205/55/16 to 225/50/16. It's a 10% increase. Also, once my rotors wear out, I'm going to buy the bigger ones. Saving up for that LSD. Gonna take a while, but I think ultimately, that's going to be worth it as it'll improve all aspects of the way this car drives.

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

Also, dropping transaxles is much easier IMO than the traditional transmissions. Versus having to work underneath the car to balance and lower using that expensive transmission jack, I just use an ordinary engine hoist to lower it under the car, then just slide it out. It's easy. Only takes an hour or so for the average car to have it completely out of the vehicle. Also, they're much lighter and easier to deal with than the bigger, longer RWD transmissions.

 

[ORION '95 Speedster]

Also, dropping transaxles is much easier IMO than the traditional transmissions. Versus having to work underneath the car to balance and lower using that expensive transmission jack, I just use an ordinary engine hoist to lower it under the car, then just slide it out. It's easy. Only takes an hour or so for the average car to have it completely out of the vehicle. Also, they're much lighter and easier to deal with than the bigger, longer RWD transmissions.

Hi, you dont need an transmission jack to pull a rear wheel drive trans - just bench press it out of there. And as for pulling the transaxle on an average car in an hour? I would have to call BUL*SH*T on that one. You can not pull an average FWD transaxle in an hour. Period. There may be transaxles on certain cars that come out easier than others, but the average time would not be even close to an hour.

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

Back when I was 18 or so, I could pull my eclipse tranny down in under an hour. I timed it. It was around 49min or so. It's really not hard. My old VW was a little longer as the half-shafts are bolted on, but it's still a cake walk. The longest part of the procedure is waiting for the fluid to drain. Having access to all the bolts makes it easier than working on RWD trannies, as the top bolts are a pain to get at due to their proximity to the firewall.

 

[ORION '95 Speedster]

I would think that you could make a very good living working in a transmission shop if you can pull the average transaxle in an hour. Just charge the repair shop a flat rate of $100 per pull and $100 per install. The shop would save a lot of money on labor. You could probably make it into the Guinness Book Of World Records too. Actually, I know of several cars in this area that need the trans swapped, but the car is being scrapped instead. The first one is a 2000 Chrysler Concord. The second one is a 1993 Honda Accord. The 3rd on is a Early 90's Chevy Astrovan. Hmm. I could probably hire you to to pull transmissions full time, or if you prefer we could do it on a flat rate kinda deal.