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Hi Guys, been trying to read through all the posts in the Truck and Trailer section. I have a new 718 GT4 that will see lots of track duty. I want to get my first trailer to haul it back and forth. Since the car is so low and the splitter sticks out so much, it seems it's a hard car to easily get onto trailers. I've been reading about lowering trailers (e.g. Futura, the new hydraulic Timpte 718), and tilting trailers made for low profile cars (e.g. Aluma EX-8218LP-TILT) and just standard nothing fancy trailers. Looking for an open trailer. With the GT4 it sounds like all of these trailer options (even the lowering trailers) still require boards/ramps to get on and off.
For the GT4 folks who currently trailer their car, what setups work the best?
For trailers start with Trailex, or Featherlite. Both are rock solid aluminum trailers and tend to hold most/all of their value. In terms of the other brands you listed, there are plenty of people who have them and love them. But I have also heard horror stories about lowering/tilting trailers malfunctioning and leaving someone stranded. IMO when it comes to trailers, simple is better.
For ramps there is a wide range of options, from homemade wooden ramps all the way to Race Ramps. It all works, just a matter of how fancy you want to be. No matter which trailer you end up with (aside from a futura) You most likely will need additional ramps of some kind to get your 718 GT4 on without scraping. (I use the Race Ramps TR5s with my Trailex enclosed trailer).
I tow a 718 Clubsport on a Trailex 8045. I use race ramps RR TR5 ramps (67in long) in addition to the trailex 11ft ramps. It's a pretty long setup to load/unload. The Trailex website calculator indicated much longer ramps needed, but I did my own drawings and calcs and the TR5 ramps just allow enough clearance for the splitter. Depending on the surface I can gain a little extra clearance by raising the trailer nose. On the trailer I use the RaceRamps trailer mates to raise the front enough to make tieing down easier.
@zedcat Wow, that's a long ramp to drive up/down! Thank you for the information.
Indeed. That's a characteristic of the Trailex design. The deck is relatively high which allows the car doors to clear the trailer's fixed fenders, but then requires the long ramps. Some other designs have a lower deck/ shorter ramps and then need removable fenders. The Trailex ramps are aluminum but can be a bit awkward to handle. Can be tough on a weak back lol. The Trailex though is the lightest open trailer I'm aware of. That can be important if your tow vehicle capacity is limited.
When I had my GT4 I had a Trailex 8045 w/ a tire rack, tool box, winch, and front faring. It worked great. I graduated to an enclosed trailer and SPB race car now. Both are low. RaceRamps are your friend.
There have been some posts here about people having issues w/ Futura trailers and not being able to get parts from NZ when problems have occurred. There is a US made "copy" of the Futura discussed here that sounded promising...can't remember the name but it's in here somewhere.
@Nickshu thank you for the info. Yes, I've seen some folks with long wait times, seems everything these days has long wait times for parts. The other US made competitor is the Timpte trailer. Looks very similar only they use hydraulics to raise/lower the trailer instead of a rope/pulley system. The Futura looks to lower just a bit more than the Timpte.
Featherlight 17' and 5' race ramps piece of cake. I do use the built in trailer jack to raise the nose a little.
Peter
Thank you for the feedback.
Where do you store/secure the race ramps? I’m worried about strapping them to the trailer or leaving in bed of truck and someone walking off with them at hotel stays.
Where do you store/secure the race ramps? I’m worried about strapping them to the trailer or leaving in bed of truck and someone walking off with them at hotel stays.
Knock on wood, over 15 years and over 100,000 miles towing an open trailer I have never had anything stolen. It would be nice if you could lock them up but I just run a ratchet strap over them. A longer truck bed, which the Colorado doesn't have, would allow the Ramps to fit inside. Actually I don't need the Race Ramps for the GT4, I have a set of wood ramps they would suffice, but my 987.2 TT car has a splitter with less than 3" of ground clearance.
The Race Ramps are a nice product. They work well and are light.
That said, you can buy a lot of 2x10 or 2x12 lumber for the price of those ramps. The wood is much heavier. On the upside, no one is likely to steal what looks like scraps either.
These small wooden helpers work fine for my Trailex 8055 even with the shorter 19" wheels on.
That (two pieces of wood) was my solution for years with a GT4 and Featherlite. I just got some race ramps - they are 3" high and I will set the trailer ramps on the ends of them. The RR are pretty short - 3-feet or so, but slightly longer than my wood pieces. Also, I view the splitter as a consumable, so it is beat up and I'm not too concerned with it. I agree with other posters, raising the tongue slightly makes a big difference if you really want to ensure you do not scrape.
01-18-2023, 03:53 PM
Best Setup for GT4
