If you need to ship a luxury, exotic or high-performance car, there’s one question you won’t find on most shipping sites: do enclosed luxury shippers use straps or wheel nets?
Needless to say, the carrier’s methods for securing your car can greatly affect its safety. Luxury cars or exotics with extremely low ground clearance, sensitive suspensions, exposed carbon-fiber or other delicate components, and/or expensive wheels are especially vulnerable to damage.
Here is everything you need to know about strap securement, wheel nets and how enclosed shippers determine the safest mode.
Understand the Two Main Securement Methods
Luxury shippers often have two safe, certified vehicle securement systems at their disposal:
Soft Straps (the luxury standard)
Soft straps are made of high tensile strength materials to avoid scratching and pressure. For this reason, luxury carriers usually use soft straps.
- They never touch the vehicle’s body
- They attach to approved tie-down points
- They distribute pressure evenly
- They protect suspension components
Soft straps are two inches or four inches wide, depending on vehicle weight and configuration.
Wheel Nets (ideal for delicate or oversized wheels)
Wheeled nets usually carry the tires, rather than the rim or chassis, and are commonly used for:
- Exotic wheels
- Wide tires
- Low-profile sports cars
- Vintage vehicles with vulnerable undercarriages
Wheel nets are especially common in enclosed transport, as they minimize the possibility of the load contacting the sides of the vehicle or its wheels.
Learn Why Luxury Shippers Typically Prefer Wheel Nets
Most auto transport uses straps, but enclosed transport of luxury vehicles can use wheel nets. Here’s why that is.
Zero contact with rims or paint
Wheel nets may secure the tire alone.
- Rim scratches
- Pressure damage
- Paint transfer
Better stability during long-distance transport
Wheel nets prevent a vehicle from resting on its wheels at full extension, allowing the suspension to work properly when driving, reducing vibrations, and protecting components.
Recommended by luxury manufacturers
Several supercar manufacturers like Ferrari, Porsche, and luxury car manufacturers like Rolls-Royce recommend the use of wheel nets for enclosed transport.
Perfect for ultra-low vehicles
Ferraris, Lamborghinis and McLarens, for example, are very low to the ground so the underbody is not expose and it’s safe.
However, some specialty cars would still require soft straps, and luxury shippers use the safest method based on the vehicle’s design.
Understand When Soft Straps Are the Better Choice
There are cases where straps are preferred for packing even in luxury shipping.
Soft straps are ideal when:
✔ The vehicle has approved factory tie-down points
✔ The wheels are extremely wide or irregularly shaped
✔ The vehicle has track modifications
✔ The suspension is highly rigid or upgraded
✔ The owner requests this method specifically
High-end carriers such as Shipping-Your-Car.com work exclusively with soft straps for exotic cars, avoiding damage associated with the heavy ratchet straps used by lower cost carriers.
See How High-End Transporters Decide Between Straps and Wheel Nets
In most cases, a professional enclose carrier will carefully evaluate the vehicle transported to determine the best and safest way to secure it for transit. These considerations vary, depending on whether or not the automobile is a sports, classic, supercar or luxury car. The car’s type of wheels and materials, ground clearance (in case the car is low-set), manufacturer requirements, as well as the owner’s personal specifications will determine the method of strapping down the car. By doing this properly, the carrier can ensure the most suitable method of transportation according to the car’s engineering specifications.
Explore How Luxury Shippers Protect Vehicles During Securement
To minimize damage, shippers take several measures regardless of which mode is used.
Padding and protection
Any surface that might in contact with the vehicle is covere in microfiber or foam.
Load monitoring
Premium enclosed trailers include sensors or manual checks at each stop to ensure nothing has loosened.
Air-ride suspension trailers
They are used to absorb shocks and jolts during transport, especially exotic suspension.
Liftgate loading
No ramps, no scraping, hydraulic liftgates raise and lower the car level inside.
Four-point securement
Straps or wheel nets are applied to all four wheels to immobilize the vehicle from lateral and vertical movement.
Companies like Shipping-Your-Car.com use custom equipment specifically designed for transporting exotic and expensive vehicles.
Which Method Is Best?
Yes, enclosed vehicle shipping services use straps and wheel nets. The best option is a shipper that knows the difference and uses the one that better protects your vehicle. That’s why many exotic vehicle owners choose Shipping-Your-Car.com for high-end enclosed vehicle transport and custom securement systems. Because when transporting your luxury car, performance vehicle, or rare collectible car, the right securement system really does matter.
