http://www.nasaproracing.com/norcal/events/awd.pdf


NOTICE TO AWD CAR OWNERS

If your AWD car needs towing at the track, please be advised of this information from our towing crew:

All STi owners must ensure that their DCCD switch is in the manual mode to prevent damage to their drivetrains. Please consult the owner's manual for more information.

All other AWD cars, note that the only safe way to tow an AWD car (at the track) is all four wheels on the ground, or with one axle lifted at limited speeds and distance; and only when OEM lift points are still available.

If OEM lift or tow points are removed, disabled, covered, or not safety usable because of aftermarket items such as larger bumpers, ground effects, or larger intercoolers, NASA may not be able to retrieve your vehicle to the
back paddock, and will take great care to move it to a safe place on the track. Arrangements to retrieve your vehicle from the track can be made with race control. This might likely be hours later during a break or even
at the end of the day.

These instructions and warnings are only in place to make your track experience safer and less stressful. With the increasing popularity of AWD vehicles at our events, we are concerned over how to properly manage these vehicles to everyone's satisfaction.

Racers are required to have a tow point that can also safely lift an end of your vehicle as well, lack of such can cause a dangerous track situation.

FROM unk source

TOWING. As a rule of thumb, do not tow an All-Wheel Drive vehicle with any wheels on the ground. Instead, tow the vehicle on a trailer or flatbed truck with all four wheels off the ground and the transmission in Park. If you have a manual transmission model, you can tow it with all four wheels on the ground in neutral, or with all four wheels off the ground on a trailer or flatbed truck with the transmission in gear and the parking brake applied. Never attempt towing with only two wheels on the ground or two wheels on a dolly.

You must get all four wheels off the ground. If you desire to tow it behind - you will need to remove the four bolts that connect to the rear end and pry it back away from the rear end housing, then you will will need to remove the four bolts at the tranny the same way as you did @the rear end at this point the shaft will be out. Remember when you remove the shaft secure the wheels (blocking ) and leave the tranny in nuetral so to keep the pressure off so the shaft will come out without taking your head off. Looking at my ford it appears you will need a 12 point wrench to do the job. Good luck and remember DO NOT DRIVE IT WITH THE DRIVE-SHAFT OUT. Trying to move the truck on the front shaft only will cause the truck to lock-up .

By Ann Job

The Cadillac Escalade with all-wheel drive has caused special problems in towing, Matthews said.
The Escalade AWD can't be pulled behind a tow truck, but must be flat-bedded for the same reasons described for
Subaru vehicles.

Since an Escalade AWD weighs more than 5,500 pounds, a medium-duty flat-bed truck is required, and "they're hard to come by as a lot of [roadside service companies] may not have them," Matthews explained.
Cadillac engineers are working on a solution, he added.

Always make certain that the tow truck driver knows the proper way to tow your vehicle. by Ann Job Sophisticated new vehicles require great care and different types of towing techniques to avoid damage during towing.

It's not something any of us likes to think about. It's certainly not something we want to have to face. On occasion, our car, van, truck or sport-utility vehicle can break down and need to be towed. Decades ago, it wasn't uncommon to see a friend, family member, neighbor or Good Samaritan towing the stranded vehicle home for a needy driver. It's rare to see this today—for good reason. Towing practices, like today's vehicles, are more sophisticated than they were years ago— so sophisticated, in fact, that there are more rules and "don'ts" than ever before.

Even AAA, the largest member-supported roadside assistance service in the United States, offers a towing manual for tow truck operators that has "more than 350 pages of details involving every make and model," said Larry Keller, editor at AAA of Michigan. As each year progresses, AAA sends out further towing news via service bulletins, Keller said.

So, no, towing isn't a simple procedure where someone throws a rope or chain around a car's front bumper and "tows" the vehicle home. In fact, if there's one key thing to remember about towing, it is that you should always follow the owner's manual and make sure your tow truck operator does, too. If he refuses to do so, find another tow truck. Otherwise, you can face the risk of damage to your vehicle.

Front- and Rear-Wheel-Drive Vehicles
Lubrication is an issue in rear- and front-drive vehicles, too, and draws attention to the need for tow-truck operators to be skilled in different towing procedures.

For example, the Mazda RX-8 is a rear-wheel-drive car and "should have its rear wheels off the ground" if it's being towed, according to the owner's manual. By keeping the rear wheels, which are the wheels that receive power via the transmission and driveshaft, immobile and off the ground, there's no moving of the linked parts and thus, no lubrication issues. In contrast, a front-wheel-drive car is generally OK to tow with its front wheels off the ground for the same reason, Matthews said.

In this case, the front wheels are the drive wheels connected to driveshaft and transmission and so need to be kept immobile during towing.

Beyond the driveline issues, owners of vehicles with lowered chassis and sport-body appearance kits should be sure tow truck operators take extra care to ensure the spoiler, lower body kit pieces and/or undercarriage aren't damaged as a vehicle is raised and lowered onto a truck.

Other Towing Insights

You might wonder, then, just how RV owners manage to flat tow vehicles behind their large mobile homes. Actually, I've long wondered why I see so many Saturns towed behind big RVs.

Sue Holmgren, Saturn spokeswoman, had the answer. In fact, she said lots of RVers know that Saturns are easy to flat tow, and typically don't require major modifications, such as a lubrication pump or driveline disconnection, before towing.

Specifically, all Saturn S-Series and L-Series cars, even with automatic transmissions, and all Ions and VUEs with manual transmissions can be flat towed. Owners must follow instructions in their manuals. But RVers take note: L- and S-Series Saturns are no longer in production.

Automatics tend to be more problematic. Holmgren noted the S- and L-Series Saturns have automatics with bearings, which require less lubrication than do automatics on some other cars that have bushings or thrust washers.
In addition, "the input shaft into the torque converter needs to be able to rotate freely," which is what these Saturns have, she said.

Generally, a vehicle can be flat towed as long as the transmission internals are not turning. Thus, an SUV trailing behind a big RV most likely has had its driveshaft disconnected from the transmission. Bottom line: It is critically important that vehicles be towed according to the owner's manual instructions.

Ann Job is a freelance automotive writer.

http://autos.msn.com/advice/article....tentid=4022110