Dumb question about tow hooks

[Tidybuoy]

Does the N/A 944 use a tow hook. I keep seeing them for sale on e-bay but I was unaware of any tow hook receptacle. I've looked over my 1988 thoroughly and I can't find any place for a hook.

Not that I need one, but I once had my car towed and we had a heck of a time finding a safe place for a tie down strap.

Thanks....................Vern

[Techno Duck]

No 'usable' tow hook on the 944 unfortunetley. You have a few options to get one though. There is one on each front frame rail, but honestly i would avoid using these at all costs to avoid damaging your front valance.

You can buy the KLA bumper tow block and use it with the aluminum bumper (i did this). This is a nice option as its in an easy to reach spot which has no possibility of damage to the car, unlike the stuff that goes under the car, with the exception of the rear (depending how low your car is). The tow block can be mounted behind the license plate so that it dosent stand out. I have been considering remounting it next to the license plate however.

You can also get the rear KLA tow points. The tow points actually use the factory location (rear of the car), there were two brackets bolted here from the factory when the cars were being shipped over state side. I would estimate more than 99% of 944's and 924S's had these removed prior to being sold. My 924S however still had them on. I thought about taking them off as they looked kind of goofy, but figure they would be useful if the car ever needed to be put on a flat bed. The best setup would be a tow block in the front and the tow points in the rear. The tow points should really only be used to secure the car to the flat bed. If your car is as low as mine, the straps would probably be rubbing up against the rear valance (if your car has one).

A second option is to buy the hooks that bolt inline with the lower shock bolts (on the rear trailing arm).

You could get a 944 euro front bumper which has a tow hook provision on the passenger side by the square pad. The rear 944 Turbo bumper also had cutout in the rubber strip for a tow hook. Kind of an extreme method just to get a tow hook though..

http://www.klaindustries.net/

[BrianT]

I own a towing and recovery company, the proper way to tow a Porsche 944 is to use the front tow hooks to pull the car up onto the deck, they are not strong enough to use as a securement point. To secure the car on the deck you use loop straps around the rim and tire and ratchet it to the deck. The thing is finding a tow company that has that. The other way to secure is using a over-the-wheel straps that start at the center of the deck, up over the wheel and back down to the deck.


It is rare to find a tow company that knows how to tow a car properly, most use the winch to secure the front and one chain in the rear. They have a 8,000lb winch pulling against that chain on one side in the rear, guess what can happen. If you have ever worked with a winch much you know they can break or slip. I see cars lost or broken all the time. I see the "T" slot that you grab on newer cars torn out all the time. The winch is made to pull the vehicle onto and off of the deck, not to secure.
Sorry, I got on my high horse, it is a sore spot to see cars damaged and people put in danger. Your car could be damaged and you don't know it.

Brian

[pozican]

Shame to see that car on a flatbed...

Was it just for transportation purposes?

[BrianT]

I was transporting it the Porsche in this picture and two mini coopers to a show down in Naples.

[BrianT]

This is the strap over the tire onto the deck method. We took this one to Atlanta, GA.

[Tidybuoy]

Shame to see that car on a flatbed...

unless your stealing it.....lol



thanks for the towing tips. I'm going to make my own towing straps like the one's in your photos.........Vern

[wreckersteve]

Also when using the T hook slots on the front if you put a 4x4 of wood across the front behind the cover it will keep the chains from lifting the cover and cracking the paint. I do not own a towing co but have been in the business since 92.

[BrianT]

Find you 4 3in wide ratchet straps about 10ft long. You can run these around your wheels and hook back onto it's self and take the other end to the banjo eyes on the deck, they will hold very well. It is better than letting someone break of damage your car. I see it every day. Unless you have a vehicle that has a full frame, do not let anyone use the winch and chains to secure your car to the deck. Using ratchet straps you cannot put enough preasure to damage the car, on the other hand a 8,000lb winch can do a lot of damage in a hurry.

[toolboy62]

I've used U-Haul trailers to tow cars several times; they have special made tie downs that go over the front wheels of the car. The webbing is sewn together so it actually ties the tire to the deck; no chance of the strap slipping and damaging a CV boot for instance. I'm not a huge fan of U-haul but this is one thing they definitely did right.

Just as a completely random side note, I have seen WAY too many cars damaged by transporters that didn't know what they were doing. A friend of mine fixes up old Studebakers and ships a lot of cars. Too many people see a hole in the frame and just throw a hook in there, but a Studebaker frame is just heavy gauge sheetmetal (it's almost a unibody; neither the body nor the frame is particularly stiff by itself) a close second in boneheadedness is tying down by the front sway bar or throwing a chain over the rear axle and crimping the brake lines shut. GRR! And you tell them this when you send them to pick up the car and they act like who the hell are you to tell them how to do their job and then you have to make a claim when they do it wrong anyway... if you have a lot of cars moved it pays to find a good carrier and stick with them.

nate

[BrianT]

On a tow truck your options are limited. I know this sounds funny seeing that this is what this truck is designed to do. I too like the tie system that the U-Haul uses but for a tow truck these are not usable, the problem is you have different lenghts and different widths. You are also towing vehicles without wheels, missing wheels, fork lifts, you name it they call a tow truck to move it. You cannot have a tie system for it all. I perfer the over the wheel system in the last picture the best, this is on most of my trucks and is quick, easy to use and secures the car by the tires streight down to the deck. Very little stress is encured in the structure of the car and leaves the suspention to work freely as you travel down the road, (do not let anyone strap down your frame) and it is held by the strongest part of the car which is the wheels. The problem is when you are broken down on the road you do not know when you call a tow truck if they have the proper tie downs. I have towed my 944 several times with a wheel lift, most would frown on this and I would not let anyone else do it, but it will work. If for some reason you are forced to let your 944 be towed by a wheel lift make sure it is a manual lift. A self loader will not sinch up on the wheels good enough to keep from hitting the A/C adjuster rod and the oil pan. You VW people out their you have the same problem. The manual lift allows you to sinch up on the tire, the part that goes under the car is lower profile and you can tilt the lift to give you more clearance. Make sure they use straps to secure your wheels into the wheel grids and if the suspention is older and worn I will put a limiting strap from the frame to the lift to keep it from bouncing. A good towing operater can tow almost anything with a wheel lift if they know what they are doing. I have towed Jags, Porsche, caddys, Hummers, Alfa Romeo spider, BMW, Mercedes, I have people tell me they want a flatbed because it is damage free towing, I am here to tell you I have seen more damage due to wrong tiedowns on a carrier than I have a wheel lift. I had a lady with a broken balljoint on a mini van, she would not have it anyother way, she wanted a flat bed. I could have taken a wheel lift, scooped it up without any damage. Well with a flatbed we had no choice but to drag it onto the deck and drag it back off, tearing off the front valance and bending a fender, if that's what you want.
I do parking enforcement and a little repo, you get to where you can tow anything with a wheel lift and without damage. Just a little lesson on towing. I do tend to ramble on. Hope you learned something.

[wreckersteve]

Here is a pic fo a 356 at Pittsburgh Vintage race. He had a flat and wanted a bed. I would have messed his exhaust and the front draging it on a bed with how low it was. Wheel lifted it with no problem

[BrianT]

Glad to see you using wheel straps, I think I am the only company in this area that uses them. You are being safe to your public, and also keeping your and my insurance down. That is a nice tow, you can do soo much with the old manual wheel lifts if you step back and think about it for a second. My guys flock for the self loaders, and in a lot of cases I like them but for certen things the manual wheel lift is the better unit. I also use the slings from time to time, a heavy pickup or large van rides soo much better on the slings. Good looking truck too, don't see to many dodges as tow trucks.

[wreckersteve]

I just work there. That is the boss's personal truck. It is used by him and for public event likes races. That tow was on a closed race track. I use the straps for everything put to relocate in the yard. The co does not even have any self loaders for the reason that they are to use specific. A truck like that I can do anything but a AWD. We have 2 1tons that are 4x4. 2 f550 with 1 being 4wd conventional the other being 2wd 6000 pound wheel lift and a 5th wheel plate. A f800 conventional with 6500 pound underlift. 3 flatbeds 1 being 4x4. Then the 2 Peterbilts 1 35 ton integeral & a 60 ton 3 stage boom (no rotator ) And a 85 k30 sling truck that is for offroad recovery.