Since it doesn't look like I'll be getting a truck for awhile, I guess I'm holding onto my Mustang.

What are your thoughts on flat towing the 914 with the Mustang? It's a '96 with 230-240 hp and a five speed manual and good brakes. Of course I'd need to get a hitch, but before I do, is this even worth bothering over?

The only reason why I even consider it is that I've seen plenty of 914s towing trailers behind them that have to weigh close to half of what they do. So if a 914 weighs half as much as a Mustang.... well, is this solid logic?

Let the ridiculing begin!

It depends a lot on how you mount the hitch to the Mustang.

A truck with a frame to mount to can pull a lot of weight. Unibody vehicles don't tend to have thick or rigid enough mounting areas so they have much lower towing capabilities. They were not built for the job.

It can be done. The 914 is likely a lot lighter than your Ford.

Thanks Dave. I knew about the difference in unibody versus dedicated frame and whatever hitch it is, will only be going into a unibody subframe. My biggest concern is getting into a crosswind or other "tail wagging the dog" scenario. The furthest I'd tow it is about 2 hours (Sebring) and back. Most of that is not on the highway either.

Have you read the manual on your car?
What is the towing capacity?

i'm not going to tell you yes you can or can't .....

how do you feel about 2,000+ lbs that can push the back end around when you hit the brakes?

cross winds aren't really a problem with flat towing since all four wheels are on the ground.

having the front end alignment setup so it will return steer well is important or you will want to bungee the wheel straight.

does the mustang have enough traction in the wet to tow dead weight behind it?

If you feel confident with the above scenarios then go ahead and flat tow.


I towed my 4,000+ lb jeep behind my suburban and felt very safe. I towed it for very short distances behind a s10 blazer around town and that felt like an "E" ticket ride!
good luck!

Just do it.

I flat tow my 914 but that's with a truck. Putting more weight on the back wheels of a Mustang would help traction. It might not help steering though.

At the end of the day the question is still whether the load from the 914 is going to rip the hitch out of the Mustang.

The old man (Troy) is right about the relative stability of flat towing. That doesn't worry me. How much does a Mustang weigh?

thanks ballsack!

the forces from pulling shouldn't be really that high, it would just be what it is going to be from keeping the 914 rolling behind the mustang [remember drafting] .

just make sure that you do not run your safety chains to the hitch but to a different secure location on the car. if the hitch fails you wont loose the car.

How often do you need to flat tow it? I'd swap rigs with a friend. If none of your friends have a truck or SUV. Then I'd just consider renting a truck for a weekend. Really not that spend

Just sell the mustang and buy a truck?

What are you towing it for? If its for racing, you can load your 914 with 4 tires, a jack, and your lunch BTDT, or get a small trailer to attach to the 914.

Thanks for the responses.


The towing capacity is apparently 1000 lbs, which I would assume applies to flat towing as well. I have towed many cars that exceeded the towing capacity of the tow vehicle before, but there's no sense in getting myself in trouble here if you all are getting a bad feeling about it. I'm still about 50/50 at the moment.

I've been considering selling it for awhile, and I can probably still get 3500 out of it, with all the maintenance I've done on it. The trick is finding a good truck for 5000 or less. No sense in towing it to the track if the tow vehicle breaks down along the way. I've been looking into something like what TC has - a late '90s F-150. Easy to work on and I know them well - but most have been used and abused.

I do have a few options on family members that have trucks I could borrow I guess. But most live >1 hour away. That could make for a long weekend.

Towing will be mostly for racing, and I've considered pulling a trailer behind the 914. But if something breaks on the 914 at the track, them I'm screwed. Also, since I share the car with my buddy Marc and FourBlades, we occasionally have to bring it across the state to swap it between us. It'll make it a lot easier to tow it rather than drive it instead of renting a car each time.

If the tow capacity of your Mustang is only half the weight of the 914, I wouldn't even consider it. The DOT will be all over you if anything happens.

I know a guy who did time after his over weight trailer killed someone. It's not worth it.

If the towing capacity of the mustang is only 1000, I would not use it to tow a 914. You're only asking for trouble, also if you get in an accident while exceeding the towing capacity your insurance may deny the claim, I'd check with yours to be sure if you try it.

Maybe pick up a tired truck cheap then rebuild it into a reliable truck, then sell the mustang. Check the classifieds, might find a smoking deal on a "mechanics special".

Hope this helps
Jeff

Good call boys. Again, I know it could be done. But now I know it shouldn't be done.

http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/bfs/4210320644.html

This looks like an option

its all good tell shit go`s bad,,then its to late to turn out good
better brake in a strait line Painted dude

Huh. I've flat towed a 914 from Texas to California and back with a Volvo S80 and an Acura 3.5 RL. The Volvo's 2.5 turbo was a little overwhelmed, the Acura did fine. The Acura made the same trip with a Karman Ghia, and my younger son pulled a VW bug (1600 lbs) from California to Connecticut behind a Subaru Legacy GT wagon, not to mention lots of local trips for each of those cars.

The Acura's towing capacity is listed as 2000 lbs, the Subaru 2700, and the Volvo 3000 lbs. Of those only the Acura was close to capacity, but it was actually the easiest of the bunch, solid as could be. It's definitely better to have a heavier vehicle, no question, but all these have worked for me. I do have a big Econoline van for that now though, easier on the equipment. You sure that little Mustang is only 1000 lbs?

Do you have any friends with Kennedy Space Center Federal Credit union?
(I would offer, but live in CO)

Last time I was there they had a small parking lot of cars stored ON KSC, that could be had for great prices and they finance at dirt cheap for KSC members (like 1.5%)
http://www.kscfcu.org/home/

They dont currently show any vehicles, but I am guessing they have a lot and no time to put them online.

Hi George, although it might cramp your style......how about a 3/4 ton conversion van? Save money on hotels, maybe stick an ac unit in the back window haha, they are dirt cheap!

Hey George I don't have much to offer in this other then if you do decide to tow with the mustang , I would suggest that you make sure that the tow bar sits level (parallel with ground ) or down a bit at the ball , reason being that when you hit the brakes it pushes straight or down a bit , in the case of my truck I had to get a 6" drop hitch to make it level , my rennmetal towbar mount plate , mounts low on the car, Bill D.
Click to view attachment
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I just did it from VA to TX behind a loaded up Toyota sienna minivan. It had plent of power to pull. The only bad time was in a downpour and some nut in an excursion blew by me at 90ish mph when I was doing 60. It just about blew me off the road.

Just saying

Since this was brought up, I will have to mention a 914 experience from my past that was probably not the smartest thing I've ever done. This was probably about 78'...anyway, I drive out from St. Louis to Denver for a ski trip with a bud...we crash at a high school buds place when we get to Denver and said HS bud takes my 73' out and fries the clutch.

We stay on plan, rent a car and go skiing...met some babes from St. Louis and end up riding back in an MGB (yes 3 people), when we got back within 30 minutes we were heading back in a 75' Camaro.

Got to Denver, went to a hardware store, bought nylon rope and flat toed the 914 tied to the back of the Camaro. I drove the 914 behind the Camaro for 850 miles; which was the 3rd back to back to back 850 mile trip.

Not sure how we actually survived that.

Great stories and great responses as usual. And Rich is even taking it easy on me for once.

No can-do on using the Mazda for towing. Even though I financed it, it's off limits for me... which means other things stay within limits. Fair enough.

The way I read it, the max trailer weight for the Mustang is 1k lbs. Now that's still probably just for a trailer, so flat towing would be a different story. Courtesy of Joe Sharp at the Tropical Ramble, the 914 weighs 1946 lbs currently. Long story short, the Mustang could definitely do it, and I've towed all kinds of stuff. But being prepared for the worst, or a panic situation is the prudent thing to do.

Bill, thanks for the advice on the tow bar. Never would have thought about the "dive."

Smoot, thanks for the tip on the conversion van. Yours is pretty cool dude!

Still think it's time to get a truck. I've been wanting one for awhile, and like I said, I know F150s like the back of my hand. Turns out there are some decent deals around here for under 5k. Depending on what I can get for the Mustang, I think I could swing that sooner rather than later. It'll come in handy down the road anyway - recently I've been getting more paid jobs working on people's cars and it would be nice to have something that wouldn't be such a pain in the ass to get my welder in and out of, not to mention parts and other tools.

The only downside is I'd be driving the Miata for my daily commute if I did get a truck, giving Rich a reason to PM me every day reminding me what a sissy I am.

No problem, I can text message if you can't get online, just to stay in touch.

Besides, if the miata ever breaks down, you could toss it in the back of the Ford and drive right home.

Rich

one more buzz kill,

some states require a braking system on the towed vehicle.

http://www.brakebuddy.com/Towing-Laws

Getting the truck is a good idea.

It will be so useful for many other things.

John

In the mean time, you can always borrow by suburban to get the car moved around.

Like I said before, JUST DO IT. You will never know until you try.

Some questions can't be answered no matter how many people respond to it. Hook it up, drive it around the block and see how it feels. It is up to you to decide.

Now don't ask what kind of lights to put in your garage or how to run a gas line or what size tire will fit on a 914.

Did the USA ask what to do when the Germans attacked Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

Don't stop me I'm on a roll.....

"the Germans attacked Pearl Harbor"
I musta missed that in history class......

I'd be less concerned with power to pull; I'd focus on how well that Mustang can stop with an additional 2000 lbs.

Andy

...or that movie

you got it.

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..One of the best for sure!

Paul, I'm game for just about anything, so I would try it with the Mustang. But it's got over 200k on it as it is, and sooner or later it's gonna go. Might as well get some money out of it while it's still operational. Also, I'm jealous of you and TC with your trucks/trailers, so getting a truck will be the first step in the direction of eventually being able to properly trailer the car.

Here is a picture of a Shelby Mustang that gets flat towed and I heard that he uses a 914 to pull it!

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