[Shop-talk] which tie down best for car hauler

[Steven Trovato]

Here's what miata.net has to say about the Miata hooks:


On both the front and back of the Miata are a pair of (ugly) hooks. 
These hooks are used when Miatas are transported on ships from Japan 
to the States. The cars are secured by the suspension, and these 
hooks are used as backups to prevent the car from bouncing around a 
cargo ship should the primary hold downs fail. These are not tow 
hooks, and according to the factory, using them to tow the car can 
damage the bodywork/frame of your car. However an analysis performed 
by Lance Schall proves that the car would not be damaged. Still, your 
Miata will look a lot better for it. The mounting holes for the rear 
tie down hooks are frequently used for mounting a trailer hitch or 
bicycle carrier. Some competition sanctioning bodies (SCCA) consider 
the tie down hooks standard equipment and may not allow their removal 
in Stock classes. (Unless you trophy at a National Event, this 
probably isn't a big problem. Keep them just in case though!)

I also recall that there was a situation years ago with cars being 
transported by rail.  Apparently, the very regular bounce caused by 
the train movement was causing some sort of suspension or shock 
issue.  I don't remember the details.

-Steve Trovato
strovato at optonline.net

At 03:11 PM 7/17/2012, Mullen wrote:
>On the other hand, my
>Miata (and Honda) have tie down hooks built into the chassis for shipment when
>they make the car.