You planning on towing that beauty of a vehicle across mountain passes in snow? Unless you are as nuts as me and would be happy if it was a total loss so it can be replaced with something better, no way no how would I tow that vehicle in snow and slippery conditions.
The trip is from Seattle to monterey California on i5. There's a relatively short section that peaks around 4000 ft in Mt Siskiyou crossing the oregon/CA border that can see some heavy snow. I'm going to have to monitor the conditions as we get closer. If there's a great deal of snow, I will bypass it and take Hwy 101 along the coastline instead.
I used to drive that route from school in CA back home to WA several times a year in college about 10 years ago and I never encountered anything more than rain (and I'd make that trip mid dec and back early Jan every year). But there's a section of road there that can get relatively heavy snowfall - just a matter of watching the forecast and planning ahead. I'm not going to roll the dice on it if there's heavy snow/ice. But I do want to be prepared and I think some light snow is probably do-able. Will just have to see how I get on with my learning. Might do a quick dry run up to the mountains nearby here that already have snow. Take the subaru and get a feel for my capabilities.
I would highly recommend finding someone you trust who is familiar with trailering anything at all, and getting some training from them.
Pull the trailer around town empty. Learn how it feels, learn how to set yourself up properly when turning, learn how Tow/Haul works, learn to back up properly without using the ***** knob on the dash, learn how to hitch and unhitch yourself, learn how to load and secure the car proficiently.
DO NOT load a 100k+ race car up on your truck and trailer with no prior experience and take off like a banshee down I5. You’re going to get yourself or somebody else killed.
Side note: That open deck trailer is a good starter trailer because you can see behind you for the most part. An enclosed trailer takes more skill to drive and back effectively.
Fun fact: The ACR spoiler generates so much drag, you’ll see a noticeable decrease in fuel mileage at speed according to Ralph Gilles.
Agreed 100%! In fact the deal I made with the trailer dealer was contingent upon the salesman covering all of that in detail with me.
I read through the F150 trailer manual sections today.
I'm planning on doing a LOT of practice with the empty trailer, moving up to towing my 07 subaru, and only then bringing the GT3 onboard.
When I get to the point of trailering the ACR (that's going to require e-track modification to the trailer so it's more of a spring project) I also need to look into how much downforce that wing generates at 60-70 MPH, it may not be a negligible figure, especially as I'm right on the edge of what's considered the max capacity for my raptor with a weight carrying hitch.
