Potential 1/4 mile time for your tow vehicle

Patientzero said:

bentwrench said:

A tow vehicle is not a race car.

A tow vehicle does not have 1/4 mile times, you get there when you get there.

A tow vehicles primary job is to do that safely (x10) and with some level of comfort. Over a span of many miles, not 1/4 at a time.

A vehicle with single rear tires is a pickup not a tow vehicle.

If your tow vehicle needs dual rear wheels that means your "race car" is too heavy.

My race car is too heavy. My driver could stand to lose some weight too. I don't need dual wheels to pull my trailer, but it does help my piece of mind.

Mine gets there by nighttime most of the time.

I'm gonna say the 1/4 mile time for this monster is "eventually".  6.slow indeed.

In reply to bentwrench :

Having towed with both duals and singles. Duals suck. You need to swing wider, need a much wider place to park, constant fear of an inside tire going flat or getting soft. Or worse a rock or chunk of something getting caught between the duals and taking them both out. 

Look at all the Semi's going to super singles in the rear. Yes they are more expensive but more and more tanker companies are going that way for safety reasons. The only real holdouts seem to be long haul truckers where operating costs per mile are measured down to the hundredth of a cent. 

Keith Tanner said:

My tow rig is a diesel stick that weighs nearly 4 tons empty. I'm usually the last one through the intersection because I drive it like it's a big heavy beast surrounded by little squishy cars under the control of unaware drivers. No idea how fast it really is.

 

Of course, I say this - but there's that one exception to the rule. I lost this race to the Maserati SUV but I did beat at least one Miata.

frenchyd said:

In reply to bentwrench :

Having towed with both duals and singles. Duals suck. You need to swing wider, need a much wider place to park, constant fear of an inside tire going flat or getting soft. Or worse a rock or chunk of something getting caught between the duals and taking them both out. 

Look at all the Semi's going to super singles in the rear. Yes they are more expensive but more and more tanker companies are going that way for safety reasons. The only real holdouts seem to be long haul truckers where operating costs per mile are measured down to the hundredth of a cent. 

Towing with duals sucks.  Are you just some kind of a perpetual outlier?

Yeah, duallies aren't much wider than regular trucks, they don't swing all that much wider, and having more tires doesn't make any of them more susceptible to issues than having fewer. There's some serious reaching going on in that post. 

They make roads wide enough for semis with wiggle room. An F350 fits fine.

Fun fact - if you're towing commercial through that little bit of I15 that runs through AZ, you need to get a permit if you have a one-ton. You don't if you have a 3/4 ton.

Been to Littlefield AZ have we?

frenchyd said:

In reply to bentwrench :

Having towed with both duals and singles. Duals suck. You need to swing wider, need a much wider place to park, constant fear of an inside tire going flat or getting soft. Or worse a rock or chunk of something getting caught between the duals and taking them both out. 

Look at all the Semi's going to super singles in the rear. Yes they are more expensive but more and more tanker companies are going that way for safety reasons. The only real holdouts seem to be long haul truckers where operating costs per mile are measured down to the hundredth of a cent. 

Not why they go to it, bulk haulers went to it for weight savings, the wide base saves the weight of one wheel and tire per axle and every bit more they can carry equals dollars. Safety is actually worse, can't roll in on a single out if you are already single and when they are run flat the damage they do is unfathomable. I've replaced a lot of floors from the alligator coming off. They are not more money either, two tires/two wheels cost the same as one super single and wheel from a quality manufacturer. It's a wash unless you lose one but even then you would have to match up treads and would end up buying more than one if you care about the overall life of your money.

1985 3/4 ton, 8,800 GVW, 350/400 trans, 4.11 gears.  0-20 pretty quick.  Faster than that, the gas gauge moves quicker than the speedo.  Screams when it finally gets to 60mph.   Dual gas tanks are a necessity.  40 series Flowmaster louder than radio.

In reply to frenchyd :

Super Singles can't be recapped, also adding to the higher cost. 

In reply to Kramer :

What are we? Trucker wanna be's? Or racers who just need a way to get the race car to and from the track? 
I started out driving to and from the track with a race car. Then towed with a S10 Chevy.  In short start cheap grow only as needed. Any money spent on the tow rig was money not spent on the race car.  
 

Cactus said:

Yeah, duallies aren't much wider than regular trucks, they don't swing all that much wider, and having more tires doesn't make any of them more susceptible to issues than having fewer. There's some serious reaching going on in that post. 

 

They make roads wide enough for semis with wiggle room. An F350 fits fine.

Roads? Not all of. Them nor driveways or spaces to park. 
What do you really want? To be a trucker or just get your race car to the track and back home? 
Money spent on the tow rig is money you can't use to make the race car faster. 

Kramer said:

In reply to frenchyd :

Super Singles can't be recapped, also adding to the higher cost. 

All the major companies cap them, Bandag has been doing it since they came out. I've never sold a capped X-one to an owner operator but fleets use them all the time. All about the $/mile.

frenchyd said:

Any money spent on the tow rig was money not spent on the race car.  
 

I have been enjoying racing more with the dedicated truck and enclosed trailer than I have ever before. Being able to pack in advance, have plenty of room, tools spares fro the day, and just park it after a long weekend are worth double what I could have put in the car. 

Paul this was the reason I got my van. As I have no desire to tow more than 65 mph I don't need anything super powerful. While I am down to 40mph on some of the big hills, all but one event I go to is within 60 miles of the house. At best a shiny new truck would get me there about 10 minutes sooner.  

As for the enclosed trailer, beyond spaces constraints, I don't want to drag around an additional 1200lbs (what would that do the 1/4 mile time). I am also way to paranoid to leave that car in overnight.

I wonder what the 1/4 mile times are for Formula One and NASCAR tow vehicles are?

The tow vehicle:

frenchyd said:

Cactus said:

Yeah, duallies aren't much wider than regular trucks, they don't swing all that much wider, and having more tires doesn't make any of them more susceptible to issues than having fewer. There's some serious reaching going on in that post. 

 

They make roads wide enough for semis with wiggle room. An F350 fits fine.

Roads? Not all of. Them nor driveways or spaces to park. 
What do you really want? To be a trucker or just get your race car to the track and back home? 
Money spent on the tow rig is money you can't use to make the race car faster. 

Saving too much money on the tow rig can also lead to you missing the race completely.

Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) said:

frenchyd said:

Any money spent on the tow rig was money not spent on the race car.  
 

I have been enjoying racing more with the dedicated truck and enclosed trailer than I have ever before. Being able to pack in advance, have plenty of room, tools spares fro the day, and just park it after a long weekend are worth double what I could have put in the car. 

When I was traveling across the country, even overseas, an enclosed trailer and a motorhome made sense. So I hear what you are saying. 
on the other hand I started building my own trailers as a way to generate extra revenue for my racing.  

But they take up space. Space people in suburbs  is too valuable to have a motorhome, trailer race cars, a daily driver, her car,  plus a few collector cars. 
 

Racing requires sacrifices, where you make them is your call. I just know how easy it is to lose race car prep time when you have the hauler and trailer to get ready too.  You have to work on them because you can't afford new and used always carries its share of maintenance to offset it's lower cost.  

I much prefer a dually,  and 7 of my last 8 two rigs have been DRW,  but the 78 k20 on the trailer doesn't do too bad.