Page 1 of 1

Show me your front tow strap

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2013 12:02 pm
by rix313
I've got an idea of how I'm going to mount it but just wondering what others have done? Got one if these coming http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/performan ... trap-fixed

Re: Show me your front tow strap

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2013 12:25 pm
by milescook
Rich got one of those myself and the local garage installed it:

Image

Some welding was done, that's all I know sorry.

Re: Show me your front tow strap

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2013 2:35 pm
by DanThe
Neat job /\

This how I bodged mine on :D

Image

Re: Show me your front tow strap

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2013 2:50 pm
by steve_k
DanThe wrote:Neat job /\

This how I bodged mine on :D

Image
dan, what size bolt did you use to fit it??

Re: Show me your front tow strap

Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 8:11 am
by zaust
That's the one I'm using too. Yes.

I have bolted mine through the chassis rail with a 17mm bolt.

Re: Show me your front tow strap

Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 9:40 am
by maxfield
Image
Image

I just cut the bumper and went through the bumper bolt.

Re: Show me your front tow strap

Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 8:34 pm
by rix313
That's what I had in mind so that's cool. Cheers guys :thumb:

Re: Show me your front tow strap

Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 8:37 pm
by Sanchez
cant you use the existing bolt hole for the towing eye? (im not up on track rules)

Re: Show me your front tow strap

Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 8:47 pm
by milescook
I tried that method but need to find a crazy unique sort of bolt!

Re: Show me your front tow strap

Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 8:48 pm
by milescook
I tried that method but need to find a crazy unique sort of bolt!

Re: Show me your front tow strap

Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 9:55 pm
by rix313
Standard tow eye thread is a bit of a special very course thread that I doubt you can get a bolt for. As the others have done the M12 bolt which holds the bumper on will do I just wanted to check to see if that's what people had done.

BMWfans lists a 100mm and 90mm long bolt any one tell me which they run? Also what thread pitch are they? Will get a couple of cap heads from the local fixings place.

Re: Show me your front tow strap

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 9:25 pm
by kimbo
Speaking as a marshal, I wouldn't want to be standing in line with the tow line (usually a wire rope) when the head of the bolt snaps off, if it's as per DanThe's install.
With the greatest respect, the bracket is clearly designed to be mounted horizontally, i.e. above or below (or even on the side of, I guess) the chassis rail, so that there is no tendency for the plate to bend and try to pull the head off of the bolt.
I've seen these things fly off on numerous occasions (some even caught on live TV) and the results are never pretty - the best outcome is that your bumper gets pulled off, the worst is that the wire rope gets you at shin height - I'll leave you to imagine what the results could be.
The best install I have seen (NOT) was on a BTCC car built by a team of some repute where the fixing plate was fixed to a bracket which in turn was attached to the front subframe with four 3mm pop rivets - I kid you not. The result of that was that the front bumper of the car was pulled off and the marshals were roundly criticised by one and all for being incompetent - oh well, cant win 'em all. All caught on TV of course :D

Kim

Re: Show me your front tow strap

Posted: Tue May 07, 2013 12:22 pm
by Demlotcrew
The best is a nice solid bracket that welds to the chassis rail. I too would not mount a tow strap like that (but I think the bolt is seriously large so would probably hold!). With these cars you have to be careful of rusty bumper mounts!