How Do You Tow A Car

Towing a vehicle wrongly can cause a lot of costly damage. It depends on the mode of transmission and other specifics. Does towing an automatic car in park damage it? Read on for details on what you need to know about the towing process and how to best tow a car without damaging it.

Towing is a process which is used to move your stalled from one position to another. If it is done by a professional, that is as much as you have to worry about. If it is done by someone who doesn’t know how to do it right or doesn’t care to do what it takes to prevent damage to the car, you may find yourself with a lot of additional repairs arising from the towing process. You don’t have to be a professional. As long as you own and drive a car, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the possible risks of towing.

Does Towing an Automatic Car in Park Damage it?

When it comes to towing, there are lots of opinions and misconceptions about what is safe for a vehicle and what is not. The most common question when it comes to towing is ‘Can towing a car damage transmission?’ It all depends on the transmission type and the gear engaged at the time of towing. Towing should always be done by a professional from a certified towing company. This person is trained on his own tow-truck and can properly assess your vehicle to determine its specific towing needs.

If the car is in park: When the car is in park, the transmission is mechanically locked with a pawl and slot mechanism. If the car is towed with all wheels on the ground, it will soon snap the lock and this can be very expensive to repair. Keeping the car in park as it is flat towed will also cause damage to the tires. This is because the wheels cannot turn and the tires will be skidding on the road. It also damages the connection between the wheels and the transmission.

If the car is in Neutral: When it comes to towing, neutral is your friend. It is always best to tow a car while in neutral position because this releases the wheels to be able to turn. There is no damage to the tires or transmission. It is important to note that neutral is only safe for towing over short distances. If it is used for long distances, there is still very high potential for damage. Here is why. Neutral position disengages the engine from transmission but it doesn’t disengage the transmission from the wheels. When the wheels continue to turn for a long distance, the transmission could overheat because the engine is unavailable to regulate heat levels. The parts are also not receiving required lubrication so friction is unchecked as long as the parts continue to move.

The owner’s manual of your car should give details on how the vehicle should be towed. Follow these instructions to the letter to avoid any damage.

Check Car Type and Mode of Transmission

Is it bad to tow an automatic car? If you are dealing with a 2wd to be towed with all four tires on the road, check if its transmission is manual or automatic. A manual 2wd can be towed for any distance. It doesn’t matter if you have to travel many miles, there will be no damage to the car, as long as it remains in neutral position. An automatic 2wd car on the other hand, can only be towed over a short distance and at low speed to avoid any damage. The owner’s manual gives specific figures in terms of maximum distance and speed it can be towed without damage.

If you are dealing with an all-wheel drive vehicle, towing gets complicated. If you have to tow the vehicle with any of the wheels on the road, it is best to remove the rear drive shaft temporarily and tow the vehicle with the front wheels suspended and the rear ones on the ground.

How to Keep Your Car from Getting Towed

If you are worried that your car could be towed away without your knowledge, there are a few techniques you could use. Keep in mind that these will not make your car completely untowable. It will hopefully give the tow truck driver enough of a headache to leave your car and move on to the next car, giving you enough time to rescue your car.

When you park, make sure your tires touch the curb slightly

This prevents the dolly from being placed under the tires. The dolly is used to lift the tires of the drive wheels off the ground for towing. Most trucks require sufficient space for the driver to secure the dolly under the tires. You probably won’t find a spot where you can park with all tires touching the curb but make sure that the tires of the drive wheels (front ones if the car is a front-wheel drive and rear tires if the car is a rear-wheel drive) touch the curb. It is these that the tow-truck driver has to lift off the ground.

Leave the parking brake on

In most cars, the parking brake is applied to the rear wheels only. This technique works best with two-wheel drive cars. The tow truck driver has to lift the front wheels to be able to tow the car without causing damage to the transmission. It would be easy to tow the car by allowing the rear wheels to roll along. If the parking brake is on, it means the rear wheels cannot turn. When the tow-truck driver realizes this, he will probably leave your car and opt to take other easier to tow cars. He will then have to get a different kind of tow truck to tow your car. That is one which does not require any of the car’s wheels to turn. Whatever the case, you will have bought yourself enough time to get your car out of there.

Park with your wheels turned

There is no law against parking with your wheels turned to the left or right. If you are worried your car could be towed away, park as such. This technique is best for all-wheel drive vehicles because it is the rear wheels which have to be lifted off the ground and the front wheels left rolling on the road. When the front wheels are turned to either side, the car cannot be towed straight. The tow truck driver will have to find a way to lift all four wheels off the ground and tow it as such. This is more cumbersome and takes longer to do.

Can You Tow A Car While It Is Running? Will It Cause or Prevent Damage?

Questions as to whether it is necessary to have the engine of a car running when towing it are a source of much debate. Some drivers say it is not necessary because no power is required since the towed car simply rolls along behind the towing car. Others say it is necessary because the towed car still needs auxiliary support from the engine.

The answer is different for different cars. It depends on whether the car’s transmission is manual or automatic and if the steering wheel is automatically locked when the ignition is off.

If you are going to tow an automatic car with its drive wheels on the ground, it is in fact recommended that you tow it with the engine running, with the gear in neutral position. Why is this necessary? When the gear is in neutral position, it means that the engine is disengaged from transmission but transmission is still engaged to the wheels. As long as the drive wheels continue to rotate as you tow the vehicle, there is need for maintain continuous lubrication and temperature regulation. In a manual car, lubrication of transmission parts is done manually by submerging the parts in oil and spreading it to other parts. In an automatic car, lubrication is done using an oil pump which is driven by the engine. As long as the engine is off, none of the moving parts can be lubricated. If the car is towed over a long distance the entire transmission system could get damaged.

If you have to tow a rear wheel drive or a four-wheel drive vehicle with all fours on the road, it is best to disconnect the drive shaft. This is the mechanical component used to transmit torque. It is generally used when components cannot be connected directly due to distance or need to allow movement between them.

Always check your car’s user’s manual for directions on how to tow your car. You cannot go wrong with the manual because it gives directions for the specific make and model of the car and not general information.

Steering Lock

Another aspect to consider when towing your car with all fours on the ground is the car’s steering lock. If your car is the kind whose steering wheel automatically locks as long as the key is not in the ignition, it is best to have the key in the ignition and turned to ‘Acc’ when flat towing the car. If the wheel remains locked, it means the wheels cannot turn accordingly when the tow car turns. This will result in the tires scrubbing on the road and can drastically reduce the life of your tires. The towed car is comparable to a shopping cart with caster wheels. When the cart is pushed to the left, the wheels turn to the left and when the cart is pushed straight, the wheels automatically turn to a straight position.

Driving the Towing Car

Once you have safely secured the car to be towed to the back of your car, you can now begin the delicate journey. Here are a few considerations on how to tow a running car.

Speed considerations: Assuming that you are towing an automatic car with all four wheels on the ground, speeding is a bad idea. Consult the user’s manual. It should give you vehicle-specific figures on the speed limit to be observed while towing the car.

Extra caution: Driving with another car attached to yours is nothing like ordinary driving. It requires immense caution. Avoid dramatic maneuvers, sharp bends, corners at high speed and sudden braking.

Keep an eye on the temperature gauge: The engine of the towing car is under more pressure than usual because of the extra weight it is bearing. It is not uncommon to find the engine overheating especially if you are towing a car up steep roads. Keep an eye for drastic heat changes in the engine and address any problems as soon as you notice the alert.

Have a co-driver: It may not always be possible but it is a good idea to have a co-driver with you to keep an eye on the towed vehicle behind you. Your eyes should be on the road so you may not notice immediately if there is a problem with the towed car.

Does Towing A Manual Car Cause Damages?

Most manual transmission cars can be flat towed over an unlimited distance without the risk of damage. The main reason why you can do this with a manual car and not with an automatic car is the difference in modes of lubrication. In a manual car lubrication is manual not electronic. The gears spin in the lubricant and oil is transferred to other parts manually. The lubrication process continues even if the engine is not running.

An important detail to remember is that many manual cars have a lock steering column which locks the steering wheel as long as the key is not in the ignition. To be able to tow the car on its drive wheels the key must be left in the ignition and turned to ‘acc’ or ‘on.’ This then necessitates disconnection of the battery or fuses to make sure it doesn’t run out of power, especially if you are taking a long trip.

Overheating happens when the torque converter is maintained at low speed for too long. To avoid production of excessive heat, keep the towing vehicle’s RPMs (Rotations per minute) up. It may seem like a better option to drive slowly to reduce the amount of stress on the engine, but this actually causes more heat to be produced. Instead, speed up. This will also help to increase fuel economy.

Conclusion

The fact that your car needs to be towed means that you are already having a bad day. Don’t let it get worse by having it towed wrongly because this will cause further damage and cost you more to repair. Keep yourself informed on exactly how your car should be towed to avoid damage to the transmission and other parts of the car. Don’t assume that the tow-truck driver knows everything. When in doubt, consult your car’s owner’s manual. It always gives towing instructions specific to the make and model. Keep the manual in the glove compartment for easy reference in case of such problems.

FAQ

What is predatory towing?

This is a practice where both legal and illegal methods are used for towing cars. Since the practices used to tow the car are unethical they are geared towards maximizing profits. The tow companies often have some form of agreement to pay some specified amount. The biggest problem with predatory towing is that it will damage your car and the people doing the towing do not care about this.

How far should I expect AAA to tow my car?

You can call AAA if your car is not starting or has stalled. The towing company will do this for up to 5 miles without charge but if you are a classic member you can get more than 100 miles of towing.