Tiedown capacity ratings?

[alisonnic]

I've been looking for new tiedowns for my Cobra and I've become a bit confused by the various ratings. Can anyone help with some advice?

The Cobra weighs about 2400 lb, with 55% on the rear wheels. I found some nice tiedowns locally that have snap ends and a D-ring/axle strap built in. They are rated 1600 lb WLL (Working Limit Load).

Are these strong enough for a 2400 lb car? I plan to use four, two front and two rear, crossed so as to locate the car laterally as well as longitudinally.

Or do I need to use 3300 lb WLL rated straps? These are usually rated at 10,000 lb yield strength, whereas the 1600 lb WLL straps probably have a 5,000 lb yield strength.

Thanks!

[StephanAlfa]

When in doubt check with etrailer.com.
I think the limit is per axle or wheel. Ex; My strap is 1,200 lb per wheel.

[alisonnic]

When in doubt check with etrailer.com.
I think the limit is per axle or wheel. Ex; My strap is 1,200 lb per wheel.

Thanks for the tip, Stephan!

I called eTrailer and the woman I spoke to called the manufacturer of the tie-downs. Here's what they said:

The total WLL of all the straps should add up to three times the weight of the car. So, for a 2500 lb car, you need at least 7500 lb total WLL. Four straps with a WLL of 3300 lb each would be 13,200, more than enough for my car.

But four straps with a WLL of 1600 each only adds up to 6400, not enough for my car. They'd be fine for Bruce's formula car though!

[enjoythemusic]

I remember asking folks years ago when tintop'ing... They said if you have a hard stop or roll over while towing you have g-forces to mathematically factor in. So think 3x at a minimum. Also remember, if this is an open trailer you want to take care as anything that flies/rolls/goes off the trailer while you are towing could cause some very serious problems to others.

On my old tintop i used the usual 5k lbs rated straps per corner. Got them from Pegasus Auto racing Supplies