towing my gti

[gonzo123]

Hi All

just bought a gti 16v to track for a couple of yrs and then to restore , one of my problems is I want to tow the car with my van which is a scudo weighing 2100 kgs and the car will about 900 kgs or so when stripped , the problem is my license has only the class b and b1 which means i can tow the car using the van with one of these a frame dolly gizmos (due to weight only 3500kgs combined), i have seen one that can be connected to your brake system aswell , the question is will this be safe to travel from newcastle to knockhill as this is the closest track to me as bloddy croft has no more track days , oh yes my car is taxed and tested and mot'd , this is the only way i can track my car , as i dnt want to drive it 100 miles and then track it as its an old car

cheers in advance

[Stu.750]

2100 + 900 = 3000

 you still got 500kg to play with mate you should be fine

im not sure about motorway work , im pretty certain the police take adim view , the AA and the RAC use them but i think its only a "short distance" thing 

[gonzo123]

cheers for the reply , but can you get a trailer because i would rather buy a trailer , that is 500 kgs , the ones i've been looking at are 1500 kgs upto 2500 kgs and my van can only tow 1100 kgs , i wish i thought this through b4 i bought the car , any one out have any more syggestions or are am i screwed

cheers

[Diamond Hell]

I think you're pretty much screwed.

Towing on a dolly is dangerous and you're subject to very low speed limits.

Towing on an A-frame is much safer (IMO), but if it's over 750kg ACTUAL weight it's gotta be braked, which will add a heap of cost into the equation AND you're only really supposed to use an A-frame (or a dolly) for recovery to the nearest safe location.

Get a difficult copper and you are going to get severely abused, if your 'train' is outside the rules.  There have been some changes to the legislation about A-frames relatively recently, so you may find some clued up coppers, too.

Alternatively, go get a trailer license.  How hard can it be?

[Paul86S2]

As previously said the rules on towing dolly's and A frames have recently been changed and there is a lot of misinformation about what is legal.
Why do you not want to drive the car to the circuit? If it won't make it there and back it won't survive the day on the track.

If you read your licence categories B only entitles you to drive a vehicle upto 3500kgs and tow a trailer upto 750kgs so you won't be able to tow your track car on a dolly or A frame.

I presume it is the worry of it breaking down on the day and leaving you stranded. Get yourself breakdown insurance and get someone to tow you around the corner if it breaks down, although I have seen both the AA and RAC attend breakdowns at trackdays despite their smallprint excluding it.

Paul

[gonzo123]

Hi All

again thanks for all the replys , i've done some research and spoke to the police and your totally right towing a A frame would be to risky , i'm thinking about going for my trailer license but the problem is i have only a fiat scudo to tow it which can only tow 1100 kgs , wo questions for you all if poss

1) what weight would the car weigh once striped out and two bucket seats installed



2) to the other reply regarding the car not lasting the way back home , the thing i'm concerned about is its the first gti i have owned , i also own a sti impreza which i have spent alot of money on to make it a strong car , but did not want to spend that much on the gti until i've had me fun on the track and come to restore her, has anyone else on here went to a track day and actually drivien there car to the track and what mods do i need to do , to make a safe reliabe car


many thanks for expert information

cheers

neil

[JC]

how much can the Impreza tow 

[gonzo123]

dnt know but honestly i wud not do that as its my baby , and do not want to put a towbar on to it

cheers

[Paul86S2]

1) what weight would the car weigh once striped out and two bucket seats installed

2) to the other reply regarding the car not lasting the way back home , the thing i'm concerned about is its the first gti i have owned , i also own a sti impreza which i have spent alot of money on to make it a strong car , but did not want to spend that much on the gti until i've had me fun on the track and come to restore her, has anyone else on here went to a track day and actually drivien there car to the track and what mods do i need to do , to make a safe reliabe car

1. What model GTI is it? Mk1, 2, or 3.

2. I drive mine to the track and back on a regular basis, at least once a month for most of the year. Only had one mishap which was a snapped alternator belt but still managed to get home.
Reliability wise you need to make sure the service items are regularly done, as well as having good condition drive belts esp the timing belt, make sure your radiator and pipes are in good condition, change them if in doubt neither the rad or pipes are that expensive, make sure your pads and discs will last the day, and carry a few basic spares including spare wheel and jack. Keeping fingers crossed always helps.

Paul

[gonzo123]

cheers paul and thanks for the reply i think i'm going to drive up , , what i was going to ask is what do i do with all the my tools and spare tyre and jack etc , because i'm stripping the car will I be able to carry the tools and stuff in the car aslong as they are strapped down, to compensate on weight , as i dnt want to leave them in the pits or whereever you leave them at knockhill also thinking of getting some toyo proxies for the track, new discs, and new suspension and thats it and have some fun what do u reckon how far to travel to the track mate

cheers