Towing a car - Transmission in gear or neutral?

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Hi guys,

I tow a manual FWD car on a trailer when I go to the track.

I've been leaving it in 1st gear + handbrake on just so all 4 wheels are "braked".

I've heard leaving it in gear though might be harmful for the transmission, is that true?
Am I better off leaving in in neutral over in gear?
 
Originally Posted By: Spetz
Hi guys,

I tow a manual FWD car on a trailer when I go to the track.

I've been leaving it in 1st gear + handbrake on just so all 4 wheels are "braked".

I've heard leaving it in gear though might be harmful for the transmission, is that true?
Am I better off leaving in in neutral over in gear?

You heard right. Put it in neutral.
 
That is true. If it's strapped down as well as it should be I'd put it in neutral. With automatics and older stuff with beefier transmissions I put it in gear.
 
sometimes when you tow and cruising in little bumpy road, the car will slightly be shaken, so better using handbrake and strapped your towed car tight.

if the case in steep road or normal road, leaving it 1st gear is ok.

the problem is your towed car will be shaken coz of bumpy road or any obstacle and someday will harm the gear.
 
For those who are saying it will damage the transmission: how so?

I originally agreed when I read the above comments saying to leave it in neutral, but after some thought I'm not so sure I agree. There's no relative motion between wheels, and the oscillating motion shouldn't roll the axle or produce any shock, right? I'm asking to further the conversation - I don't know and haven't really ever thought about it.

With that said, I don't see any reason to have the vehicle in gear, so I'd leave the transmission in neutral and the hand-brake released.
 
I guess in theory the gears and bearings could be hammering back and forth. But what happens if you're just driving and kinda peel out? Not a solid peel but just a few chirps? That's gotta be hard too.

And if you're RACING the car, that's going to be hard on it too!
 
This is silly. Set the brake, put it in gear and quit worrying. Don't let the "hammer effect" worry you. The "shock" from letting out the clutch from a standing stop to accelerate is applying a lot more "stress" to the gears
than the leaving the car in gear on a trailer. If your transmission is that fragile, it's a piece of junk. Please do not confuse the car bobbing up and down to be stressful to the powertrain either.
 
Put it in gear and set the e-brake and strap it down. Do you think that when they ship the cars they leave them in Neutral or do any other "special precautions"? Heck no.

It will be fine.
 
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
For those who are saying it will damage the transmission: how so?

I originally agreed when I read the above comments saying to leave it in neutral, but after some thought I'm not so sure I agree. There's no relative motion between wheels, and the oscillating motion shouldn't roll the axle or produce any shock, right? I'm asking to further the conversation - I don't know and haven't really ever thought about it.

With that said, I don't see any reason to have the vehicle in gear, so I'd leave the transmission in neutral and the hand-brake released.


Agreed - if it's strapped down correctly the wheels aren't trying to turn.
 
Completely true. The transmission is subject to huge loads from driving, no way is a little bump while trailering or even a big one going to be any worse than driving it on the street.

One day when that parking brake cable snaps you may like the fact that you left it in gear!
 
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I would leave it in gear, just in case. Accelerating and deacelerating while driving would have more load on the gears that this. The shock of clutch release under power would be more than rocking on a trailer.
 
.Id leave the brake on and trans in neutral.
I'd prefer to not risk my trans with sudden unexpected higher g forces, from any number of varying directions you may encounter while towing somewhere.
You should also ratchet or bind the car down on all four corners to avoid side, fwd and rwd movement if you find you need to slam on your brakes while towing
 
You should either put it in gear or in neutral. No other choice is acceptable.

Same with the parking brake. Either set it or don't set it. Anything else would be bad.

Instead of all this worry about getting it strapped down. Also, make sure the trailer wheels don't fall off.
 
You're strapping it down, right?

You can't just leave it in gear with the brake on on a trailer. If the towing vehicle got into an accident or had to abruptly maneuver the car on the trailer would be a projectile regardless of whether the parking brake is on or not.
 
Wait, all four wheels are on the trailer? If so, it doesn't matter what you do, as long as it is strapped down. I would put it in gear, but leaving it in neutral won't grenade the transmission, any other notion is "chicken little syndrome"
 
When trailering a vehicle with a manual transmission leave the transmission in neutral.
In the short run it won't cause any harm to leave it in gear, but in the long run it will cause unnecessary ENGINE wear and potential engine damage due to the vibrations transmitted into it through the transmission, regardless of how tightly tied-down the vehicle is. Remember, when the engine isn't running the oil pump isn't working.
 
...and when the vehicle is not rolling there is nothing to transfer to the engine! If properly strapped/chained it should not move at all. Far more vibration to the driveline while in actual operation. The engine cannot rotate without turning a wheel while in gear. Think about it.

When the clutch is out and you're in gear driving the loads on the trans vary wildly due to terrain. Bumps, hills, turning, etc., place far more loads directly on the engine than sitting still in gear. Add to that the fact that if you are in first gear it is FAR harder to transfer torque backwards into the crankshaft.
 
If there is ANY risk of unnecessary wear or damage (regardless of how small), why would you WANT to leave a manual transmission vehicle in gear while trailering it? Static engine braking is not going to totally prevent a vehicle from moving (or even rolling off of the trailer) anyway.
 
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