jayunsplanet

iTrader: (1)

What is your first hand experience with having a lowered TL towed? If I was making the call to the towing company I would definitely tell them the car was lowered. I don't even want to imagine it... I doubt they would baby it and make sure things didn't scrape or snag or bend body parts.

I'm trying to get a clear picture of things...

Regarding THIS setup:
Coilovers. Lip kit all around. Aftermarket exhaust. Frame of car sits ~5" off ground.

Even though the car may not appear low in the front... the front lip makes the front end quite a distance from the wheels.. and it looks like it gets in the way of the tow hook path. The TL has a lot of overhang after the wheels... which is why I/we scrape all the time going up/down inclines.

Either situation would suck....

Wheel lift truck....
Issues: mufflers dragging, front end hanging too close the the tow truck lift parts, any straps that rub on lip/bumper

Rollback truck.... Will the car even make it up the incline without the front lip scraping AND/OR the mufflers dragging on the ground? ALSO, the tow strap/chain that pulls the car up the rollback -- will that clear the front lip and not push up the bumper?

(Search came up with nothing.)

01tl4tl

rollback only
there should be a hook inside the grill area they can get to, and if the angle is too steep for the mufflers they adjust it as needed while the thing is in motion

At the racetrack we can get a car much lower than yours on the rollback safely.
On thurs-friday have to be very careful not to damage the car during the assisst~
On sat-sun its- Get that thing off the track ASAP regardless!!

harbtheforcaster

have them use a piece of wood or somthing underneath the tires before it hits the bed so the front lip wont scrape

jayunsplanet

iTrader: (1)

In theory, ok. Hope for the best.
That's what I figured... and why I would specifically mention it was lowered.
Is it a TL? Are you guys concerned with knicks and scrapes on a race car? I'm super anal about that on my personal car. My car isn't perfect, but I don't want it scraped up by some podunk wrecker driver smokin' a cig and talking on his newly discovered bluetooth headset as he's loadin' up my car...

adamlee05

covered vertical lift truck, VIP baby

JCharged

iTrader: (5)

I was lowered about 2.2 in the front and 2 inches in the back and was on stock 16's, full lip kit, and apexi ws2 exhaust with the shitty oem hangers.

Well when my transmission died, first thing they sent me was a wheel lift truck. Nothing scraped at all. Everything was intact and I thought my whole under car would be damaged.

Second time I got it towed (the next day) they sent me a wheelback. Pissed me off. I scraped my mufflers, front lip and bumper started to bend in and all types of unwanted shit. Pissed me off. When I had to get it off the incline it was worst and my drive way is hill like..

Hope all goes well with your car.

mrchan625

iTrader: (3)

When I got my car towed I had them put it on the flatbed wasnt really easy to get it up but we got it up eventually

mrchan625

iTrader: (3)

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-1999-2003-98/my-poor-tl-688981/

theres a pic with me on the tow truck i think its better to use the flat beds

01tl4tl

a few pieces of 2x4 are on most flatbeds but ask when you call- and mention its lowered
I keep a few boards for my car out of habit from the shop, so I assume everyone does~

At the track- ALMS cars, no not a TL but definetly verrrrrrrrry low cars
During practice sessions they want the car removed from the gravel trap or what-not with Minimal= No damage from the tow. They have enough to fix without you adding to it.
Those cars are very expensive and you dont want to tear anything off or bend a 10k$ suspension bit.
Once its race day and the car crashes- its doesnt matter how pretty you get it on the truck- the car is done for the day, and all Race Control wants is the track cleared so they can go Green flag racing--especially at live tv events,,they want it cleared in 30 seconds~ by any means

Rockstar21

iTrader: (1)

last vehicle i had towed got to the tow yard with no exhaust... at the time i didnt mind because insurance totaled it.. but after i bought it back i was a little ticked off

EL19

iTrader: (4)

just mentioned its lowered and they will bring wooden blocks...been towed way too many times

bowlgers

i drive a tow truck for a living. ive towed mine its lowerd but i know what im doing .flat bed it i know its more cash but some of these guys out here are suspect,ive seen some cars get damaged.most tow company dont drug test and ive even seen tow trucks out side of bars with the driver "just eating lunch" with 2-3 beers.trust me ive been doing this ten years ive seen some shit.

jayunsplanet

iTrader: (1)

^No doubt. I bet/know there are some crummy guys out there.

Interesting!
That is exactly what I originally had pictured in my head, to the "T".

Guess I'll have to just be really nice over the phone and hope for the best. Hopefully, I'll never need a tow truck though, lol. If I ever did, might try giving my friend who has a trailer a call and just pay him.

JDM Inspired

See you guys should invest in tow hooks and hook that bitch right up to the tow truck and boom your car looks sexy while being towed from a tow hook!!!!! j/k........pending on whether you have engine or suspension issues.....J/K!

fsttyms1

Either will work. If your there when its being towed let the guy know and not to tilt it up as much.

jjashaa

iTrader: (23)

better yet...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBj1v4wpNMI

CJITTY

having my shit towed has always been a fear of mine. not much room for error at all...i almost passed out when i saw a bmw 745iL that was strapped down using chains..yes chains going through the front and rear wheels just fawkin up the 6 in lips on the rear wheels...wtf were they thinking??

bowlgers

i tow a lot of high end cars like porsche,aston martins,vettes oh ya a lot of vettes i would never use chains we have all the proper straps do your research its easy to crack the oil pan on our cars even when not lowerd

SLAKERZ

In my past experience, flat bed is better w/ blocks of wood on lowered cars. Just one question... If you're on coilovers, why not raise the car all the way up to be on the safe side? Adjustability is one of the benefits of paying for coilovers in the first place IMO. It's pretty easy.

CJITTY

I hear ya man, but I'm tellin you, i saw the shit on the highway here in Atlanta...a BMW 7 series with some high end wheels and chains were holding down the wheels to the flatbed..so, not all tow drivers give a shit or care, luckily you do

I know our cars are mighty low..when i moved from Minneapolis to Denver, I towed my TL (not lowered) on a car full car trailer (wheels off ground) and just driving it up the ramps was close, so i am just going to do everything in my power not to get towed. If it does happen, i just pray they know what they hell they are doing and treat it with some dignity lol

FirePR2002

but you'd need a new alignment every time you adjust the height one way or the other. if you're getting an alignment anyway, no big deal, but for other service, it'd be a potential waste of time, effort, and ultimately money.

harbtheforcaster

so your sayin if you raised your car up just for the tow, then when it was fixed lowered it back to its original position it was in before it was towed you would still need an alignment? yea if that is true that would suck but id rather pay for another alignment then to pay for a cracked lip and paint job ya dig

SLAKERZ

Exactly. If you raise it for the tow and return it back to exact position after you get it back, you're not going to need another alignment done. I'm not an expert, but based on my experience playing around with my ride height, it hasn't affected alignment as much as hard steering and hitting bumps/dips on the road all the time.

FirePR is technically right if you're constantly raising and lowering, but I'm assuming OP is dealing only with a just a tow to and from a shop.

bowlgers

flatbed it.. you can call aaa get a member ship its like 60 bucks wait a day and call request a flatbed no extra charge u might have to pay mileage if its five or more miles.then if your car brakes down again your set.that also covers tire change,jumps,lockouts and winching.no i dont work for aaa or do towing for them but im a member tooo.i go out of state alot i had them come when i lock the kets in my tow truck once. kinda funny

8800honda

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4AsQfaF9OY

Gfaze

That's perfect!!

8800honda

I dont think most towing company have that one but it is a cool idea. I sure that if a company have one they would charge more for using that truck.