Modular2v said:
there is no reason why you couldnt use c clip eliminator on the street! i did it for two years
srothfuss said:
As for the C-clip thing... I think we recently debated this, and I still say there is nothing wrong with getting rid of the c-clips on a street car.
88gt said:
Not be arguementitive, but, if rears w/o c-clips (pressed-on bearings at the axle flanges) is a bad idea....why are there so many 9 inch rears out there on daily driven cars? need more input please?
OK, I found the c-clip eliminator article "The C-Clip Fallacy".
Mustang Enthusiast, May '05. Written by Chris Hemer sourcing Randys Ring & Pinion, who I'm sure knows more about this than any of us. Anyway:
According to RR&P tech marketing specialist Jim McMillan, less than 1% of all vehicles with c-clips have had them fail. He says that c-clip eliminators were never intended to increase strength, nor are they designed for street use. They are simply for safety, in the unlikely event that a heavy side impact (like hitting a wall at the track) could cause c-clip failure, which could cause the loss of an axle shaft at high speed sending a car into the stands. It has nothing to do with power levels, you won't break c-clips with a supercharger, you'll break them by crashing. Furthurmore,
"The bearings used in c-clip eliminator kits are the small, ball bearing variety that aren't well suited to long duty cycles or carrying heavy loads. They have a life expectancy of three to five thousand miles, which is plenty on a drag car- but nothing on a street car. Over time, the seals break down and they start to leak oil, which can eventually saturate your rear brakes and cause deterioration of braking performance."
Which leads into the comment/question about 9" rears- a Ford 9" is not the same as an 8.8" with c-clip eliminators. They use a larger, far superior tapered Torrington bearing, which should last hundreds of thousands of miles. A far better (and allegedly cheaper) method of insuring yourself against losing an axle in an 8.8 is to simply weld 9" housing ends on it and use the 9" Torrington bearings. Incidently, using 9" parts on your 8.8" will make it stronger, not just safer. Again- c-clip eliminators don't "beef up" your rear any more than a driveshaft loop makes your driveshaft stronger. They aren't typically required by sanctioning bodies above the 8 or 9 second "street" bracket, and it's a non- reversable process. If your making enough power to go that fast, you should have a 9" or seriously worked over 8.8 with 9" parts already, therefore you probably never needed them to begin with. The summery is this:
"In short, there are planty of aftermarket part you can put on your car to make it faster, safer and better. Don't waste your time or money on c-clip eliminators unless they are required by the sanctioning body you run in."
In other works, on a daily driver that doesn't even go to the track (regardless of power level), there is no reason to screw up a perfectly good rear with them at all.
