Traction bars

Rmoore45 · Aug 1, 2011

With my T-5 installed now, I cant get traction (or do a good burnout). I tried launching at 3,000 and all I got was wheel hop, it shuddered and jumped leaving leaving tire foot prints instead of tire tracks . I'm looking for traction bars but I don't know where to start, mustang steve has a diagram on how to make Shelby style traction bars. Mustangs unlimited has a set for $89. With different styles of traction bars out there I want to make sure that I'm getting a decent set. Its a daily driver but I occasionally do burn outs and races, I don't want wheel hop when I try to show off .

iskwezm · Aug 1, 2011

first figure out why you have wheel hop.Pinion angle? Leaf Springs? Shocks?Worn Bushings?

65fastbackresto · Aug 2, 2011

I have same setup T-5

High quality rear leaf springs fixed my situation. I went with Meiyer Racing 4 1/2 leafs stock height (wish I had lowered it 1 inch) and it rides good and I never have anything crazy going on out back, except for tire smoke....

NMEMJCM · Aug 2, 2011

Caltracs.... nuff saif. These things work great. You see them all the time on cars at the track, they are also easly adjustable, I have a set on my '64 here is a link Calvert Racing - The Leader in Leaf Spring Innovation

2+2GT · Aug 2, 2011

I have Traction Masters™, same as the 66 Shelby. Less than half the cost of CalTracs, easy to install. The front bracket does require welding.

blown65 · Aug 2, 2011

Traction masters are great on a low power slug. Otherwise they bind and the rear does exactly the opposite it needs to to get traction.

Caltracs are definitely the way to go for street and drag performance. Even my car on the street gets awesome traction with the drag radials.

2+2GT · Aug 2, 2011

blown65 said:
Traction masters are great on a low power slug. Otherwise they bind and the rear does exactly the opposite it needs to to get traction.

Really? I wish I had known that before doing all those time-trials and autocrossing with my 4-speed Tri-Power-equipped 289 High Performance. No binding, no loss of traction, just smooth power to the pavement.

I dunno where that "binding" rumor got started, but with all that racing, and over 200,000 miles on the street I have yet to experience it.

blown65 · Aug 2, 2011

Got those bars on a couple cars here and then my Caltracs. They dont compare at all in how the perform as a traction device.

As for binding, maybe your right there.

blown65 · Aug 2, 2011

I should add, watch a car with those bars accel hard and tell me what the rear does. It squats. That does nothing for putting the tire to the groud aiding in gaining traction. Now look at a caltrac car and see what it does.

dennis112 · Aug 3, 2011

The Caltracs offer adjustability at the track and can drastically change the launching characteristics. It is the poor man's 4 link.

The Caltracs are more for drag use than for autocrossing.

2+2GT · Aug 3, 2011

blown65 said:
I should add, watch a car with those bars accel hard and tell me what the rear does. It squats. That does nothing for putting the tire to the groud aiding in gaining traction. Now look at a caltrac car and see what it does.

Nothing? I went from massive wheel hop to zero wheel hop after installing the Traction Masters. Squat-shmat, all I know is they work, I don't care if it drops its butt or not.

dennis112 said:
The Caltracs offer adjustability at the track and can drastically change the launching characteristics. It is the poor man's 4 link.

The Caltracs are more for drag use than for autocrossing.

Now that is the truest thing said here so far. The CalTrac bars only work one way, and of course they say that's their advantage. At 3-4 time the price of the TM, they should have an advantage of some kind. Traction Master has the advantage of simplicity, they can't be adjusted, but they don't need to be, so it works both ways. Here's TM's diagram of what their part does:

Engine and Braking torque deflects leaf springs,
causing axle hop and traction loss.

Traction-Masters™ eliminate leaf spring wrap up.
The dual pivots still allow normal leaf spring up and down movement.

Basically, the TM's literally provide four-link suspension stability.

robbz28 · Aug 3, 2011

2+2GT said:
Squat-shmat

Quote of the week, lol.

NMEMJCM · Aug 3, 2011

Ok, I used the traction master bars 2+2 uses on my 64.5 and they did work as intended, reduced (not eliminated) wheel spin and wheel hop. I have nothing against them. Weld up a bracket, install them and done. They work. I have removed them and have the Cal tracs on my 64.5 now. It is also making about 90 horsepower and 100 ft. lbs of torque more at the wheels (due to a new drivetrain). The Caltracks hold my rear tires firm where the traction masters would not, even with the extra horspower that the traction masters never saw. Caltracs are more. Caltracs are easily adjustable and can be backed completely off for a good ride. They just work better. For the price.... they better. The question is, what kind of driver are you, and how big is your wallet. I autocross and drag my ride, and they work great.... even on an autocross track..... I adjust my caltracs depending on the driving I will be doing. As 2+2 mentioned... I dont understand the binding thing either, I just know I have used both, one just works better, is adjustable and is more expensive.

jlangholzj · Aug 3, 2011

2+2GT said:
Nothing? I went from massive wheel hop to zero wheel hop after installing the Traction Masters. Squat-shmat, all I know is they work, I don't care if it drops its butt or not.

having proper anti-squat measures would shave a good few seconds off of an autocross time as well as provide more rear-end stability.

I see what you guys were arguing about here but i wanted to make the point known that squat is bad.

68JCAT · Aug 3, 2011

The binding issue with under ride type bars comes into play as a function of suspension travel and bushings at each end of the traction bars. Stiffer springs on competition cars limit the axle's up/down movement to a range within the bushings' ability to flex. Adding under riders to stock or worn leaf springs (which allow greater up/down travel) twists the bars beyond the bushings' ability to flex, thereby causing them to bind.

Squat is bad in the sense that engine torque is being used to move the body of the car down as opposed to moving it forward. The effect is a slower car than one that doesn't squat.

robbz28 · Aug 3, 2011

Rise is just as bad as Squat (sounds disgusting) a wheelie at the track may look impressive, but motion spent going up is wasted on not going forward....the same as squat, motion going downward is wasted on not going forward. Watch the funny car guys, no wheelies, just straight out like a bullet!

blown65 · Aug 3, 2011

robbz28 said:
Rise is just as bad as Squat (sounds disgusting) a wheelie at the track may look impressive, but motion spent going up is wasted on not going forward....the same as squat, motion going downward is wasted on not going forward. Watch the funny car guys, no wheelies, just straight out like a bullet!

Thats why they have shocks and adjustment to the Caltracs.

Rise is good, excessive rise is bad. Its all about planting the tires in the rear to the ground. I can tighten up my shocks to the point there is hardly any movement in the rear (Strange Double adj shocks) and I will get zero traction. Did it once since me and another guy at the track were talking and he was trying to tell me my settings were all wrong. Well, it was like ice skating and I was all over the place. Funny how he never came around the pits after that run.

Ill take rise over squat any day on a car at the strip.

Its as simple as this, if your looking at something on a budget, dont want to spend much but get some benifits like reduction in wheel hop then go the Traction Master route. Just don't expect a lot out of them.

Comparing how a TF car runs to our cars is silly at best. Those cars have really no suspension except the frame. Why dont you go weld up your car so its like that then.

dennis112 · Aug 3, 2011

blown65 said:
Thats why they have shocks and adjustment to the Caltracs.

Rise is good, excessive rise is bad. Its all about planting the tires in the rear to the ground. I can tighten up my shocks to the point there is hardly any movement in the rear (Strange Double adj shocks) and I will get zero traction. Did it once since me and another guy at the track were talking and he was trying to tell me my settings were all wrong. Well, it was like ice skating and I was all over the place. Funny how he never came around the pits after that run.

As an exercise as to how much cars can vary, with a stick car stiffening the rear shocks can improve traction and helps prevent wheel hop due to the instantaneous hit.

This helps support the fact that no matter what the car combination, there is rarely a common recipe that works from one car to the next. One must experiment to determine what the car really wants.

v8only · Aug 13, 2011

I had massive wheel hop in my 66 after my t5 and crate motor swap.

I swapped on el cheapo summit racing bars for like $40 shipped to my door. Best money ever spent. Full throttle launches causes absolutely no wheel hop and just a straight line burnout.

v8stang289 · Aug 13, 2011

Lakewood slapper style traction bars solved my axle hop issues on my 66.

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