wstar's Journal

travisjb · 01-15-2014, 09:06 PM

not sure if i mentioned this already, but i just stack my tires on the floor in front of my car and have never had an issue... i have an expensive tire rack in my trailer but it is never used... you'll see

wstar · 01-15-2014, 10:08 PM

You stack them 2-high and 2-wide and set them against the bumper basically, or? The e-track rail I'm planning to strap them to can be used for other stuff down the road, so I figure it's no harm installing it for now.

travisjb · 01-16-2014, 06:35 AM

i throw them on the floor and then drive lol

i should mention that my floor is coated with a gravel/texture like surface... not this one exactly but similar FLOOR-TEX® | Textured Concrete Coating | Durable Non-Slip Coating | SEAL-KRETE®

wstar · 01-16-2014, 08:43 AM

Does your floor coating do ok with the hot car tires w/ rocks embedded in them? I was planning to put down a couple runners of tread plate where the car drives in, because I figured the tires would try to tear up the floor over time.

travisjb · 01-16-2014, 12:35 PM

i'm not worried about messing up the floor... my trailer is for towing, not showing... i have 2x8 boards on each side for the front tires that helps me to jack up the front of the car so the doors clear the wheel wells and 100% easier to get to the tow hooks behind the front wheels... in fact i stack two of those boards on each side and just drive right up

the floor almost looks like crushed pebbles covered in paint... very abrasive surface that is great on a rainy day... no slipping of car, driver or contents

wstar · 01-16-2014, 12:45 PM

I don't mean for show

As delivered my trailer floor is just plywood with some cheap grey paint on it. I figure hot rubber + rocks will chew through the paint, then I'll start getting water into the plywood and it will rot and tear up eventually.

Re: front straps - I've been test-fitting a solution using axle-straps through the wheel itself down low, seems to work without having to raise the car in the trailer. I'll snap a pic in a few minutes when I'm out there.

wstar · 01-16-2014, 01:14 PM

Basically this, except I'd go one spoke further up/forward on the wheel (but where I happened to set the car in just now, the valve stem is in that spot, I'll have to figure out how to avoid that):

sig11 · 01-16-2014, 06:13 PM

I put my tires on my counter. Have only had them fall one time... I just need room for more than four.

I strapped them down (too tight probably) a few times and had a pair hanging halfway off the shelf though.

etrack on each wall and bars across that are what I want to do. I finally did some googling and found this thread: Rennlist Discussion Forums - View Single Post - Trailer Balance L-R that's very similar to what my buddies did. Some of them strap through the wheels some just let them ride. One of the guys is using the bars to hold a bed after he unloads the tires!

wstar · 01-16-2014, 07:12 PM

I did pick up an e-track shoring beam as well (just one). I still feel like, as heavy as tires+wheels are, I'd rather have them sitting on the floor one way or another. I still haven't done any work on cabinets and/or work surface up in the front area either, so... for this initial setup, I'm basically going to run E-track down low along the driver's side up front, and also in front of the door for a couple of feet on the other side. Then I have basically a large plastic cargo bin (full of tools, winch, chains, whatever) and 5x wheel/tire to keep from sliding around the floor. I figure one of the two can be strapped to the long wall of e-track near the floor, and for the other I can put against the shoring beam up front and then strap to it.

wstar · 01-16-2014, 07:14 PM

travisjb's link to that seal-krete stuff is making me rethink my floor plans, though. Maybe I'll ditch the tread plate and find something like that at Lowe's this weekend.

travisjb · 01-16-2014, 07:43 PM

I'm a big fan of crossing up the straps for safety at the front and rear... assuming you still have the OEM tow hook points behind the front wheels, it's really not difficult to reach under there and hook up, if you get the wheels ~4" off the floor... your approach is probably fine, and I know you wouldn't do it if it wasn't structurally appropriate, just wanted to give you and alternative to think about. i also like that my doors clear the wheel wells, that's a big plus getting in/out

wstar · 01-16-2014, 10:18 PM

I've never even looked at/for the points behind the front wheels. I feel like I've stared at that area of the car a thousand times from underneath before, but I can't picture them because I've never looked for them

I'll go look again and see how it works out. I'm planning to cross the rears in any case, it just didn't seem easy to cross the fronts (without lifting, or removing the bumper or something).

Re: doors, do you have an escape door on the trailer? I made it out of the car door once successfully, but it didn't seem like a very pleasant experience, even if I had been able to crack open the door a little wider over the fender. I figure I'll probably winch the car in.

sig11 · 01-17-2014, 07:01 AM

I wear cowboy boots at the track so that I can take them off when I crawl out of the car. So much easier climbing out the window barefoot.

wstar · 01-17-2014, 08:19 AM

I had to stand on my door bars on the way out

Actually, I was wearing a heavy coat when I tried too, it was cold that day. Might not be so bad with the extra 3 inches of door opening and lighter clothes.

wstar · 01-17-2014, 03:43 PM

Yeah so, travis, I found the front OEM tow hook points, duh. The clip-hooks on my existing ratchet straps get through them, but not cleanly - they hang up at an odd angle where the tension would be trying to bend the hook sideways (it's those blade-shaped hooks you can see on the blue ratchet strap in the picture above). I think I can fix it with some larger, more rounded hooks I have here (which has a clevis pin on the other end), and link them with one of those chain links with the screw connector on the side (all rated for the car's load of course).

And yeah, raising the car makes the door much easier to deal with, and the tow straps. I have a solution now (as you recommended!) with some 2x12 lumber, I think I'm just going to nail the lumber down in place so it doesn't slip as I drive over it.

01-15-2014, 09:06 PM	#676 (permalink)
travisjb A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: GSO Posts: 2,803 Drives: VIR Rep Power: 188	not sure if i mentioned this already, but i just stack my tires on the floor in front of my car and have never had an issue... i have an expensive tire rack in my trailer but it is never used... you'll see __________________ 2009 370Z #104 For Sale

01-15-2014, 10:08 PM	#677 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3594	You stack them 2-high and 2-wide and set them against the bumper basically, or? The e-track rail I'm planning to strap them to can be used for other stuff down the road, so I figure it's no harm installing it for now. __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

01-16-2014, 06:35 AM	#678 (permalink)
travisjb A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: GSO Posts: 2,803 Drives: VIR Rep Power: 188	i throw them on the floor and then drive lol i should mention that my floor is coated with a gravel/texture like surface... not this one exactly but similar FLOOR-TEX® \| Textured Concrete Coating \| Durable Non-Slip Coating \| SEAL-KRETE® __________________ 2009 370Z #104 For Sale

01-16-2014, 08:43 AM	#679 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3594	Does your floor coating do ok with the hot car tires w/ rocks embedded in them? I was planning to put down a couple runners of tread plate where the car drives in, because I figured the tires would try to tear up the floor over time. __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

01-16-2014, 12:35 PM	#680 (permalink)
travisjb A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: GSO Posts: 2,803 Drives: VIR Rep Power: 188	i'm not worried about messing up the floor... my trailer is for towing, not showing... i have 2x8 boards on each side for the front tires that helps me to jack up the front of the car so the doors clear the wheel wells and 100% easier to get to the tow hooks behind the front wheels... in fact i stack two of those boards on each side and just drive right up the floor almost looks like crushed pebbles covered in paint... very abrasive surface that is great on a rainy day... no slipping of car, driver or contents __________________ 2009 370Z #104 For Sale

01-16-2014, 12:45 PM	#681 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3594	I don't mean for show As delivered my trailer floor is just plywood with some cheap grey paint on it. I figure hot rubber + rocks will chew through the paint, then I'll start getting water into the plywood and it will rot and tear up eventually. Re: front straps - I've been test-fitting a solution using axle-straps through the wheel itself down low, seems to work without having to raise the car in the trailer. I'll snap a pic in a few minutes when I'm out there. __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

01-16-2014, 01:14 PM	#682 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3594	Basically this, except I'd go one spoke further up/forward on the wheel (but where I happened to set the car in just now, the valve stem is in that spot, I'll have to figure out how to avoid that): __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

01-16-2014, 06:13 PM	#683 (permalink)
sig11 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Detroit Posts: 1,294 Drives: 09 370Z Red Sport-MT Rep Power: 18	I put my tires on my counter. Have only had them fall one time... I just need room for more than four. I strapped them down (too tight probably) a few times and had a pair hanging halfway off the shelf though. etrack on each wall and bars across that are what I want to do. I finally did some googling and found this thread: Rennlist Discussion Forums - View Single Post - Trailer Balance L-R that's very similar to what my buddies did. Some of them strap through the wheels some just let them ride. One of the guys is using the bars to hold a bed after he unloads the tires!

01-16-2014, 07:12 PM	#684 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3594	I did pick up an e-track shoring beam as well (just one). I still feel like, as heavy as tires+wheels are, I'd rather have them sitting on the floor one way or another. I still haven't done any work on cabinets and/or work surface up in the front area either, so... for this initial setup, I'm basically going to run E-track down low along the driver's side up front, and also in front of the door for a couple of feet on the other side. Then I have basically a large plastic cargo bin (full of tools, winch, chains, whatever) and 5x wheel/tire to keep from sliding around the floor. I figure one of the two can be strapped to the long wall of e-track near the floor, and for the other I can put against the shoring beam up front and then strap to it. __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

01-16-2014, 07:14 PM	#685 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3594	travisjb's link to that seal-krete stuff is making me rethink my floor plans, though. Maybe I'll ditch the tread plate and find something like that at Lowe's this weekend. __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

01-16-2014, 07:43 PM	#686 (permalink)
travisjb A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: GSO Posts: 2,803 Drives: VIR Rep Power: 188	I'm a big fan of crossing up the straps for safety at the front and rear... assuming you still have the OEM tow hook points behind the front wheels, it's really not difficult to reach under there and hook up, if you get the wheels ~4" off the floor... your approach is probably fine, and I know you wouldn't do it if it wasn't structurally appropriate, just wanted to give you and alternative to think about. i also like that my doors clear the wheel wells, that's a big plus getting in/out __________________ 2009 370Z #104 For Sale

01-16-2014, 10:18 PM	#687 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3594	I've never even looked at/for the points behind the front wheels. I feel like I've stared at that area of the car a thousand times from underneath before, but I can't picture them because I've never looked for them I'll go look again and see how it works out. I'm planning to cross the rears in any case, it just didn't seem easy to cross the fronts (without lifting, or removing the bumper or something). Re: doors, do you have an escape door on the trailer? I made it out of the car door once successfully, but it didn't seem like a very pleasant experience, even if I had been able to crack open the door a little wider over the fender. I figure I'll probably winch the car in. __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

01-17-2014, 07:01 AM	#688 (permalink)
sig11 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Detroit Posts: 1,294 Drives: 09 370Z Red Sport-MT Rep Power: 18	I wear cowboy boots at the track so that I can take them off when I crawl out of the car. So much easier climbing out the window barefoot.

01-17-2014, 08:19 AM	#689 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3594	I had to stand on my door bars on the way out Actually, I was wearing a heavy coat when I tried too, it was cold that day. Might not be so bad with the extra 3 inches of door opening and lighter clothes. __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

01-17-2014, 03:43 PM	#690 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3594	Yeah so, travis, I found the front OEM tow hook points, duh. The clip-hooks on my existing ratchet straps get through them, but not cleanly - they hang up at an odd angle where the tension would be trying to bend the hook sideways (it's those blade-shaped hooks you can see on the blue ratchet strap in the picture above). I think I can fix it with some larger, more rounded hooks I have here (which has a clevis pin on the other end), and link them with one of those chain links with the screw connector on the side (all rated for the car's load of course). And yeah, raising the car makes the door much easier to deal with, and the tow straps. I have a solution now (as you recommended!) with some 2x12 lumber, I think I'm just going to nail the lumber down in place so it doesn't slip as I drive over it. travisjb and SPOHN like this. __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

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