Miata Mailing List: August 1999, Message #539

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It's nothing to do with physics.  If you can't unhook the driveshaft on
the car, you should tow it with the drive wheels off the ground.  In a
wrong-wheel (oops, FRONT-wheel!) drive car, the "driveshafts" run
straight to the wheels, so you put the front wheels on a dolly and
you're off.

For a rear-driver, you can do any of the following:

a) Disconnect the driveshaft and tow with rear wheels on ground.
b) Put rear wheels on a dolly.
c) Tow backwards with front wheels on the ground.

For short distances at low speeds, it's okay to run with the drive
wheels on the ground.

Of course, you probably don't need all this info unless you're planning
to drive a tow truck for a living!  And if they send a flatbed, all of
this is moot.

Scot & Kate

--- Marisa Hom <marisa@auroratech.com> wrote:
> I was always told that if it's a front wheel drive
> car, then the front tires
> should be off the road.  I don't know the physics
> behind it, but if it's true
> that the front wheels should be suspended if front
> wheel drive, I'd deduce that
> it should be done the same way for rear wheel drive
> cars...Then again, I'm no
> engineer, so I could be totally wrong, and everyone
> who told me about the front
> wheel drive cars could be lying to me...

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