Towing eye, S2

bertieduff · Post by **bertieduff** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 8:47 pm

Cautionary tale: got me front clam off just now and was shocked at the condition of the steel brackets for the driving lights but more worryingly the towing eye bracket....rusted halfway through on a 2 year old car?!

Reckon if left a year or so more it'd have sheared if used, taking the grille and a nice chunk of clam with it. Might be just a one- off, but maybe worth checking next time you're bored peeps...

Problem partly caused by muck and water getting in the top end of the bracket i think- the replacement s/s one I got is much better design, being sealed at the ends of the shaft.

peck555 · Post by **peck555** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 5:24 am

Where did you get a S/S one? Inquiring minds need to know.

robin · Post by **robin** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 10:50 am

bertieduff wrote:Cautionary tale: got me front clam off just now and was shocked at the condition of the steel brackets for the driving lights but more worryingly the towing eye bracket....rusted halfway through on a 2 year old car?! Reckon if left a year or so more it'd have sheared if used, taking the grille and a nice chunk of clam with it. Might be just a one- off, but maybe worth checking next time you're bored peeps...

Problem partly caused by muck and water getting in the top end of the bracket i think- the replacement s/s one I got is much better design, being sealed at the ends of the shaft.

Of course you know it's not a towing eye but a securing eye for when the car is on a trailer. Not that it would secure much when rusted in half, but my point is that you are not supposed to actually tow the Elise at all ..

Geary (http://www.eliseparts.com) sells a s/s replacement for anyone that needs them.

Cheers,
Robin

bertieduff · Post by **bertieduff** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 4:02 pm

robin wrote: Of course you know it's not a towing eye but a securing eye for when the car is on a trailer. Not that it would secure much when rusted in half, but my point is that you are not supposed to actually tow the Elise at all ..

Geary (http://www.eliseparts.com) sells a s/s replacement for anyone that needs them.

Yep, Eliseparts came up with the goods... was thinking it wasn't made for towing much as it only bolts onto the plastic crash structure rather than the chassis...This season I've done 500 miles in total on transporters thru accidents/breakdowns, so I'm learning the hard way!

Btw if loading the car onto a flatbed transporter it's quite a steep ramp. If the car was undrive-able they'd have to winch it up using the eye...Wouldn't like to take my chances with the rusty one! Make way behind!

Novice Racer · Post by **Novice Racer** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 7:19 pm

Of course you know it's not a towing eye but a securing eye for when the car is on a trailer. Not that it would secure much when rusted in half, but my point is that you are not supposed to actually tow the Elise at all ..

Geary (http://www.eliseparts.com) sells a s/s replacement for anyone that needs them.

Cheers,
Robin[/quote]

I have had my car towed onto a flat bed when it was undrivable (immobilised because of alarm problem and could not be de-immobilised). I had to persuade the guy NOT to use the front ARBs and instead use the towing eye. I had no idea ot was only for securing the car. If you can't push it on, and as you say the towing eye is not for towing, how is it that elises are supposed to be loaded onto truck when undrivable (and lifting equiptment not available - ie your average AA recovery does not usually provide this)?

Novice

bertieduff · Post by **bertieduff** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 7:36 pm

Uh, wots an ARB, novice? Good question tho....tecchie gurus...advice on towing?

robin · Post by **robin** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 9:36 pm

Novice Racer wrote: If you can't push it on, and as you say the towing eye is not for towing, how is it that elises are supposed to be loaded onto truck when undrivable (and lifting equiptment not available - ie your average AA recovery does not usually provide this)?

Novice

Well you do get flatbeds that have beds that come almost flat on the ground allowing you to roll on/off. And of course they always use the wheel straps to hold it in place, so no need for the "towing" eye

However, most of the time you won't get such a flatbed (I've had the car lifted ~5 times and only once got the fully flat type. Pushing it up hill is dangerous and not advisable

Personally I think dragging it up by the inboard wishbone mounts is perfectly OK and they are secured to the chassis rather than a bit of plastic. If the car is pulled up high on the ramp and the mount rips out of the clam, the car will roll off the ramp!

Either way you should have someone in the car ready to press the foot brake should the mount fail.

Having said all of that, we towed my shed all the way up from the bottom of a pass to the top with two jump leads tied together and looped through the towing eye, so probably not worth worrying about too much

Cheers,
Robin

Novice Racer · Post by **Novice Racer** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 3:45 pm

bertieduff wrote:Uh, wots an ARB, novice? Good question tho....tecchie gurus...advice on towing?

ARB is anti-roll bar. Just could not be bothered typing.

There was a discussion on towing some time ago here and how the AA/RAC etc seemed reluctant to tow using anything but the front suspension onto the back of trucks.

Novice

dr al · Post by **dr al** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 4:08 pm

re the stainless steet towing eye thingy - you have to remove the clam to change it, don't you??

A.

Bada Bing! · Post by **Bada Bing!** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 3:44 pm

You could just take it off, sand it and spray it with some decent black paint before that happens. Not that I'm clever enough to have come up with the idea, I read it on someone's website a while back.

Post by **Shug** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 3:46 pm

Bada Bing! wrote:You could just take it off, sand it and spray it with some decent black paint before that happens. Not that I'm clever enough to have come up with the idea, I read it on someone's website a while back.

I did mine with hammerite the last time the clam was off. Didn't take it off - just used a brush

Shug

bertieduff · Post by **bertieduff** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 4:46 pm

Novice Racer wrote:
ARB is anti-roll bar. Just could not be bothered typing.

Doh! Just could not be bothered thinking

Yeah, Dr Al, it's a clam off job: the top 2 bolts have to be accessed from above, otherwise it could be done thru the front grille..

Novice Racer · Post by **Novice Racer** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 5:44 pm

bertieduff wrote:
Novice Racer wrote:
ARB is anti-roll bar. Just could not be bothered typing.
Doh! Just could not be bothered thinking

Yeah, Dr Al, it's a clam off job: the top 2 bolts have to be accessed from above, otherwise it could be done thru the front grille..

Nae bother

I was trying to sound like one of the guys in here. However, everybody in SE knows that technical details are not my forte....

Called the Novice for a reason.....

NR

bertieduff · Post by **bertieduff** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 9:38 pm

us muppets need to stick together novice...

Thank gawd for the techies when you need em, eh?

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 9:44 pm

A better solution could be a PM to Stu160 for a pair of rear towing eyes and a suitable donation my way will secure a nifty tow rope.....

Rich

Scottish Elises

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