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How important is front tow hook?

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Old 04-06-18, 04:34 AM
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How important is front tow hook?

So this is a track car...I have a perfect fitting front tow hook but the front will require a fair bit of modding to get it to fit and I kind of want to just forget about it. What are the pros and cons of just having the rear installed?
Old 04-06-18, 07:21 AM
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Originally Posted by mkiv98
So this is a track car...I have a perfect fitting front tow hook but the front will require a fair bit of modding to get it to fit and I kind of want to just forget about it. What are the pros and cons of just having the rear installed?
Pro - It's less work if you don't install it
Con - If you go off track, the wrecker might not be able to get an angle on your rear hook to pull you back on track
Old 04-06-18, 11:26 AM
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Some orgs require both front and rear but it’s rare in a HPDE setting. I’m in the same boat as my front hook had to be eliminated for my brake cooling ducts. I still have the factory points in a pinch but I don’t see how that wouldn’t lead to the tow strap tearing up my bumper. I need to figure it out.

Most tracks ive seen don’t use a flat bed except for big wrecks so unless you want to push your car to the pits a front hook of some sort would be needed.
Old 04-08-18, 01:50 PM
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I could easily run this tow hook if I just use one bolt (which is pretty thick and long and faces vertically into the frame) instead of using both holes available...would this be a viable and safe solution?
Old 04-08-18, 01:58 PM
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lol One guy tried to hook up to my strut tower bar!!

I caught him and made him hook to the suspension arm, then bought FEED hooks the next week. The front bolted right in, no trimming or anything like that needed. The rear needs the factory tie down to work.

Buy them! Some of those tow guys at the track are complete idiots.
Old 04-09-18, 10:37 AM
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Well, let's say you live in Gardena, and you want to track at Button Willow Raceway in the winter... If the ground is soggy from the previous nights rain storm the tow trucks don't like to go off track into the slimy slippery mud because they can't get any traction. They will pull you out of the mud from the track. That's really difficult if your rear end is pointing towards the track and you don't have a rear tow hook. (don't ask me how I know this).
Old 04-09-18, 11:31 AM
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Originally Posted by mkiv98
I could easily run this tow hook if I just use one bolt (which is pretty thick and long and faces vertically into the frame) instead of using both holes available...would this be a viable and safe solution?
If your’s is like mine (Rennmetal) it wouldn’t be hard to extend the angle iron to incorporate the second hole. Not sure why they didn’t in the first place. I think one bolt is enough (using a hardened 10.9 bolt) to pull a rolling car back to the paddock or onto a trailer. I just wouldn’t use it for a retrieval.
Same for the rear. That MAZDA bracket was intended to tie-DOWN. Strong enough pulling straight, on a rolling car but not otherwise.

Last edited by Sgtblue; 04-09-18 at 11:37 AM.
Old 04-09-18, 01:46 PM
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Originally Posted by mdp
Well, let's say you live in Gardena, and you want to track at Button Willow Raceway in the winter... If the ground is soggy from the previous nights rain storm the tow trucks don't like to go off track into the slimy slippery mud because they can't get any traction. They will pull you out of the mud from the track. That's really difficult if your rear end is pointing towards the track and you don't have a rear tow hook. (don't ask me how I know this).
very specific situation there haha

I'll be at willow springs this friday (btw I have an extra ticket if anyone wants)
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