Flat-towing 96 Miata

[Skyfarmer]

One more time..before I buy..how many of you flat tow Miatas, and what, if any, are the issues? Looking at a '96. Lee

[Skyfarmer]

I towed my 2000 from SW Florida to Wisconsin and back..no issues. Tim will set you up. Lee

[j-d]

Tim, Is Miata one of those where the transmission really isn't lubricating itself being towed in Neutral, Engine Off? But idling the engine every so often with the clutch engaged in Neutral, spins oil back onto those parts that don't lube being towed. My Nissan Frontier is like that with it's 5-speed manual. The Honda CR-V is like that with its automatic. That's why the lube-it-up process is to be done right before getting underway. NOT "I towed 300 miles today, let me lube up tonight so I can tow 300 more tomorrow."

If the Miata is like that, and the owner didn't lube up, I can see where something would run dry and seize.

[Healeyman]

eheading wrote:
It is hard to say what they did wrong, but obviously they must have done something.

Hey Ed,

Probably, but not necessarily.... Sometimes "Poop just happens".

Tim

[eheading]

Good news indeed. Years ago the Miata magazine showed that the 5 speed wasn't towable and how it didn't lubricate the gears with only the output shaft rotating. When I studied the diagrams it looked like it would be okay and I wrote a note to the author, but he never answered me.

My data point was one owner and one car, so I am pleased to hear that this was not a typical case. It is hard to say what they did wrong, but obviously they must have done something.

Ed

[j-d]

I'd guess something went wrong with that 5-speed. Or, owner left it in gear. I left our Tercel (extreme opposite end of the Cool Scale from a Miata!) in gear once and I could feel it as soon as our Class C started to move. A Diesel Pusher won't feel an FWD car left in Park!

Then, nothing's "more towable" than a Wrangler, but every once in awhile we hear a Transfer Case disintegrated...

[Healeyman]

Ed,

Sorry about your friend's 5-speed.

I towed a 2000 5-speed over 35,000 miles and have 2 friends who have now towed a 2001 5-speed and a 2003 5-speed well over 50,000 miles.



NONE of us have had ANY issues.

I have helped more than 40 Miata 5-speed owners to get their cars flat towable. MANY of them are on this forum. No one has ever told me that they had a problem.

It is true that even the nay-sayers agree that a 6-speed is "more towable" than a 5-speed (whatever "more towable" means???). To me, it is either towable or NOT towable. I don't understand degrees of towability.

I now tow a supercharged 2012 Miata 6-speed retractable hardtop.

Tim

[eheading]

It is my understanding that the 6 speed manual transmission is towable, but the 5 speed is not flat towable. We towed a 99 with the 6 speed manual transmission over 10,000 miles and didn't have any problems. A friend with a 5 speed manual transmission burned theirs up flat towing it.

Ed Headington

[Healeyman]

KeninAZ wrote:
We have a nice 2007 Miata but I tow it on a PJ car trailer, a 16' model.

Ken,

I'm glad that you have found a way to take your Miata along on your adventures. I'm sure that you get admiring looks from others towing Jeeps and minivans as you wheel in and out of the RV park with the top down.

I am flat towing a 2012 supercharged retractable.



I have flat towed 3 Miatas nearly 100,000 miles.

I also have a 16' enclosed trailer for my Austin Healey, but I have not used it for my Miata.



Keep on haulin' your Miata and keep on grinnin'.

Tim

[KeninAZ]

We have a nice 2007 Miata but I tow it on a PJ car trailer, a 16' model.
It's much easier to back up when the time comes and as the Miata sits so low to the ground I would really be worried about rock/debris damage to the car and windshield so low to the ground.
I must admit that I have only towed 4 down with one car. That was at the time a new Toyota Corolla with a manual transmission in 2008. But of course that is not all there is too it. I had to have the plate mounted that involved welding and such and buy a brake unit for the car and such. I would bet that I spent close to $2000 setting that car up and it was almost impossible to back up if I had to. Also note that I ran into a number of people that seemed to have unusual front end alignment issues towing 4 down, not sure why?
I gave $3000 for my PJ car hauler and it's rated for nearly twice the weight of my Miata. It loads and unloads quickly and it's up off the road And there is little to no wear and tear on my car or the suspension.

HealyMan~nice ride ride. I had a '66~loved it. Had so many sports cars over the years. I guess you could say I am hooked!

[ronfisherman]

Moved from Class C.

[pauldub]

The rest of us don't get to know the answer? Please share.

[Healeyman]

Healeyman wrote:
I plan to call you tomorrow (Thurs).

Lee,

It was good to voice-chat with you.

Get back with me when you get a Miata and I will walk you through everything.

Tim

[CharlesinGA]

I suspect that quite a few rear wheel drive standard shifts fall into the same category.

When the transmission is being driven, the input shaft is constant mesh with the cluster gear, and the cluster gear is constant meshed with the individual constant mesh gears. All of this is spinning when being driven, or idling in neutral with the clutch released, and fluid is being sprayed everywhere by the gears.

When being towed, the only thing in the transmission that is spinning is the output shaft, no gears to throw up lube and keep the bearings and bushings lubed. I was looking at a nice BMW Z3 that was for sale nearby. Thought it would be a neat toad for my Winnebago View. Then I discovered that no one made baseplates for them, and went to the Z3 forum and did some searches and found out why. Fluid level is fairly low and thus the mainshaft will quickly run dry when being towed.

I have an old '67 Ford Falcon with a three speed. For years my Dad and I both had problems with the rear mainshaft bearing failing, and the slip yoke bushing wearing out. Finally I concluded the fill plug was engineered too low and not enough fluid was making its way to the bearing and bushing, even in normal driving. I overfilled the transmission thru the top cover and installed it, putting it nose down when I removed the dummy yoke and installed the drive shaft, and have never had a rear bearing or slip yoke bushing failure since. In the course of a clutch replacement I replaced the fill plug with a iron pipe street ell which allowed me to fill to the higher level thru the fill plug.

Charles

[theoldwizard1]

The only way I would tow such a nice car is with a dolly under the rear axle and the steering properly locked (NOT using the ignition).