I always cross the front straps. At the rear, I try to find a fixed
location to tie down to (sometimes this gets creative or needs some of
those T-toggle eyes that Bob Tunnell has available for purchase) so I can
cross the back as well. On my '99 Cobra, there are a couple of diagonal
tube on the IRS subframe that I've found to be the best place to tie to --
and there I do use an axle strap. The straps aren't crossed, but there's
enough diagonal pull to my anchors that the back end doesn't go anywhere.
If you're tying down the back of the car with only an axle strap, you might
want to consider finding a spot near the outboard ends where you can fix
the strap laterally. Live axle tubes in particular aren't terribly fond of
having load put on them near the differential housing and have been known
to pull out, bend, or just break.
Jim Crider
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