I'm picking up a new to me 86 SE this weekend. It's gonna ride on a trailer 150 miles. I forget. With an auto trans. Do you tie it down good and haul in neutral? Or tie it down good and haul it in park? I've heard that starting and stopping with a trailered car in park is no bueno for the trans. Thanks
Correct me if I'm wrong but shouldn't the engine be in front of the trailer wheels to prevent fishtailing? That would mean the Fiero should be backed on to the trailer.
The Fiero is so short the engine and weight are over the rear axles. If it extended past the rear axle, that could cause sway. Was perfectly stable for 14 hours driving Michigan to New Jersey, up and down the Appalachians. In fact the first half hour of that drive was on compacted snow a couple days after a blizzard, no sign of sway.
The storm began late afternoon on March 2 and dropped heavy, cement-like snow for a 12-hour stretch. Some areas received up to three feet, according to some reports, though Leelanau County’s Maple City logged the area’s highest official snow accumulation for March 3 at 21.7 inches, according to the National Weather Service
You don't want the weight centered on the trailer. It should have more weight forward of the trailer axle than behind it. Again, that prevents tow vehicle sway.
If you roll the fiero onto the (Large) trailer front-forward and position the rear (Engine) over the wheels then the total weight will be forward of the wheels for proper trailer stability. Also, the old "Tongue weight should be 10% of total weight" thing is for Large Frontal-area trailers like Big rig and Camper trailers....My boat trailer only has 150 lbs on the tongue vs 2700 lb total weight.
You should tie the car down really well- Over each wheel plus some frame straps going both fore and aft....Not sure about the trans being in or out of park- but no matter what, drive slow and careful so you don't have any sudden stops (Lots of pics online of "Boat-car" combos after a sudden stop (That is not the best way to combine a boat and car)
I trailered mine with a U-Haul auto trailer...same as the picture above. One thousand miles, 70 mph, no problems. It was anchored to the trailer by the front tires only. The straps pulled down and forward wedging it tight against the trailer. The car wasn't going anywhere. I had a fancy schmancy hitch that I could raise or lower and it measured the tongue weight and it was spot on. I adjusted it so the trailer was level. The parking brake wasn't engaged, but it was in 1st gear. The fold down left side trailer fender was nice. It made it easy to get in and out of the car.
You want the trailer to carry the weight, not the trailer hitch. Use the 10% rules as mentioned in a previous post. You have to anchor the car so it can't move forward or backwards. With the U-Haul trailer, though it is only anchor in the front, it couldn't move forward or backward unless the straps gave way. I checked each time I stopped for the back end moving laterally. It never did. Anyhow, it made it home in one piece only to blown apart into many pieces in my shop.
------------------ Stanton '88 Formula, red on gray
I'm picking up a new to me 86 SE this weekend. It's gonna ride on a trailer 150 miles. I forget. With an auto trans. Do you tie it down good and haul in neutral? Or tie it down good and haul it in park? I've heard that starting and stopping with a trailered car in park is no bueno for the trans. Thanks
Park or neutral does not matter to driveline stress; could not be less relevant. I'd put it in park just to be sure that if it comes off the trailer it doesn't keep rolling.
Focus on tying it down securely and achieving 10% tongue weight. You need four tie downs to the FRAME (not the wheels) and they need to cross left/right at both ends. Rear tie downs should be chains to keep the car on the trailer if you hit something. Use ratchet straps on the front to tension everything.
Having a backup chain around the front crossmember doesn't hurt either.
[This message has been edited by Will (edited 03-30-2021).]
Or are you referring to a trailer with all four Fiero wheels on the trailer? 
