"But I Hardly Ever Use This Lot!"

[Chromatix]

Actually, I think Arga was being *sarcastic*.

RWD cars tend to be harder to tow even with the cooperation of the owner. Many types drive the oil pump for the rear diff from the engine, so it can only safely roll a short distance with the engine off. But if it's been left in gear (or in Park for an automatic), the rear axle is effectively braked quite firmly. And the front wheels can't be used as the sole support because of their steering.

FWD cars have the steering and drive in the same place, and the rear wheels' lubrication needs are independent of the engine. So unless the handbrake has been left on, you can just pick up the front wheels and tow it that way. (The handbrake usually acts on the rear wheels rather than the front.)

[Argabarga]

Actually, I think Arga was being *sarcastic*.

RWD cars tend to be harder to tow even with the cooperation of the owner. Many types drive the oil pump for the rear diff from the engine, so it can only safely roll a short distance with the engine off.

I don't know of any RWD car that uses a system like that, the differentials are independent of the motor, they have their own self-contained lubrication, the bottom parts of the gears are constantly submerged in gear oil, engine on or off makes no difference, the gears will get lubed as long as the rear wheels turn, provided the differential hasn't developed a leak and let out all the oil. Moot point though, once those wheels come off the ground, nothing connected to any part of the driveline (transmission/differential/driveshafts) will turn during the tow. I could tow a RWD car with a seized-up diff, with shards of gear teeth sticking through the sides without hurting anything else just by picking those rear wheels off the ground. If I can't reach them, (car's backed in) then I have to dolly it.

You're probably thinking of the gears inside the transmission, which DO need oil that is only supplied when the system is pressurized (engine on) which is why you should never tow a car in neutral with the drive wheels on the ground AND the engine off for more than a few blocks, those gears will get starved for oil and bad things may happen.

Since most people pull into parking spaces, RWD cars can be picked up, strapped, and taken in about 2 minutes tops. Since the rear wheels are the only ones connected to the engine or the parking brake, once they're off the ground, nothing is keeping the car from rolling freely on the front wheels alone. The only thing that you have to watch out for is if the front steering wheels lock or not. Most do, but a handfull of makes/models don't. As long as they lock within a few degrees of "straight" you can tow that car until the wheels come off without damaging anything.

But, since most cars these days are either FWD or AWD, you end up dollying most of them since almost everyone pulls in to where they parked, meaning the front wheels are locked in "P" and you have to get them off the ground before the car will move.

Rarely, you'll get someone who backs in w/ a FWD car, and then doesn't set their parking brake, and they're even easier than RWD cars because there's no chance of the rear wheels not following you in a straight line, unless it's a pretty bad wreck SPeak of the devil, I had one today, a Toyota Corolla backed in w/ the parking brake off

On scene time: 2:51pm Clear time: 2:52pm

[wolfie]

You're probably thinking of the gears inside the transmission, which DO need oil that is only supplied when the system is pressurized (engine on) which is why you should never tow a car in neutral with the drive wheels on the ground AND the engine off for more than a few blocks, those gears will get starved for oil and bad things may happen.

On some cars, the transmission must be splash-lubricated instead of pump-lubricated, because they can be flat-towed (i.e. small car being towed behind an RV) without damage. For a couple manufacturers I checked with, any front wheel drive Hyundai with manual transmission can be flat-towed, while for Honda only the CRV (not available with manual) can be flat-towed.

I'm one of those "back in" people - it amazes me that people will pull in nose-first. First of all, you have to pull MUCH further out of the space before you can see traffic coming down the aisle (so you're at a bigger risk of an at-fault collision). Second (some vehicles like the Chevy HHR get a pass on this) if you need a jump start and the spaces beside you are occupied, you need extra-long cables in order to reach.

[Argabarga]

On some cars, the transmission must be splash-lubricated instead of pump-lubricated, because they can be flat-towed (i.e. small car being towed behind an RV) without damage. For a couple manufacturers I checked with, any front wheel drive Hyundai with manual transmission can be flat-towed, while for Honda only the CRV (not available with manual) can be flat-towed.

I'm one of those "back in" people - it amazes me that people will pull in nose-first. First of all, you have to pull MUCH further out of the space before you can see traffic coming down the aisle (so you're at a bigger risk of an at-fault collision). Second (some vehicles like the Chevy HHR get a pass on this) if you need a jump start and the spaces beside you are occupied, you need extra-long cables in order to reach.

We just assume nobody can be flat towed, that way even if we mess up and they can, we're still covered because we dollied it, same with cars that have FWD and AWD versions of the same model, if there's any doubt, just dolly it, it only takes 3 extra minutes to set up, and that extra 3 minutes is worth not having to shell out a couple thousand for a new transmission! Fortunately, I have extra-long jumper cables in the truck that are about 4x longer than normal ones, and can reach just about anything, even if the car is dead inside a garage, and I can't get closer than the driveway leading to it

I think most people pull in because, in my experience, a lot of people are just BAD at backing up, and they know it, and would rather back into the "open" of the lot where there's more room.

[Andara Bledin]

I think most people pull in because, in my experience, a lot of people are just BAD at backing up, and they know it, and would rather back into the "open" of the lot where there's more room.

This.

I can back in better than most people can park in forward.

In exchange, I had to practice a lot to be able to parallel park.

^-.-^

[RealUnimportant]

It's unlikely you'll ever have to tow one, but I know a lot of old Triumphs had a diff that required the engine to be running in order to maintain adequate lubrication.

Conversely, some old cars like the Renault 5 are FWD and have the handbrake operate on the front wheels, so would be doubly easy to hook up if nose-out.

[Argabarga]

It's unlikely you'll ever have to tow one, but I know a lot of old Triumphs had a diff that required the engine to be running in order to maintain adequate lubrication.

Conversely, some old cars like the Renault 5 are FWD and have the handbrake operate on the front wheels, so would be doubly easy to hook up if nose-out.

You'd be surprised. There was an old Triumph Spitfire that came up a couple tickets short of a tow at a parking meter here a year or so back..... it's a college town, so between oddball students and oddball professors, you see all kinds of stuff on wheels. The only Renault I've seen around here lately is a positively ANCIENT Renault Alliance, which isn't so much a real Renault as one assembled by AMC on discarded tooling in the 80s

In recent memory, I've also seen an unrestored 57' Chevy at the meters, a Merkur XR4ti, a banana-yellow Lamborghini, 2 different Maseratis, and a Lotus around town..... my trainees like to laugh when I show them that "Ferarri" is in the computer under "search for vehicle type" before "Ford" but, don't be so sure you won't have to tow one eventually