FWD traction bars/wheelie bars?

[girlieracr4g63]

Ok guys I have a few questions.

1. What are the pro and cons of these on a fwd? (I know they are for keeping transfer down)but anymore info would be great.

2. At what point did you feel you needed them?

3. Is there a pre made kit made to spec, or are they all homemade?

Any additional info would be greatly appreciated. ;)


Thanks in advance,
Wendy

[4g63rwd]

Ok guys I have a few questions.

1. What are the pro and cons of these on a fwd? (I know they are for keeping transfer down)but anymore info would be great.

2. At what point did you feel you needed them?

3. Is there a pre made kit made to spec, or are they all homemade?

Any additional info would be greatly appreciated. ;)


Thanks in advance,
Wendy

Pros:
1. Your 60' times will improve.
2. Helps keep wheel hop in check, which we all know will KILL transmissions and axles.
3. Keeps the suspension loaded so you'll be putting more of your power down instead of spinning too much.
4. Keeps the car balanced on the launch and as you're getting past the 60'.

Cons:
1. Make sure they're adjusted right. Without the right adjustment, they're useless.
2. Unless you have a net attached to them, sometimes your parachute will get caught in them.
3. Your spring rates become HUGELY important at this point. The advice I've been given: Hard in the front and soft in the rear.

There is no "kit" per se when it comes to stuff like this. Well, S&W sells one but it's super expensive. Ours came from a Honda and we adapted them to fit our application. You can buy a kit from Quartermax or Vanishing Point or S&W and have it set up for your car. Hope this helps!!

[girlieracr4g63]

Thank you so much for the info.. Currently I run full stiff in the front and rear without them. So If I used them I would adjust to full soft in the rear correct? Also, I am running spool. So this would just be extra help in the hop department? Aren't there specs for these? I'm really interested in fabbing some up. Thank you again for the info.:) It was very helpful.

Wendy

[4g63rwd]

Thank you so much for the info.. Currently I run full stiff in the front and rear without them. So If I used them I would adjust to full soft in the rear correct? Also, I am running spool. So this would just be extra help in the hop department? Aren't there specs for these? I'm really interested in fabbing some up. Thank you again for the info.:) It was very helpful.

Wendy

Stiff in the front is right, but you better get some adjustability in the rear. You may have to adjust the height of your rear. I don't know. I've been advised (by kiggly) that using a spool is bad. He didn't explain why. However, if it works for you, use it in my opinion. I wouldn't say that there are specs out there so to speak. I know that they're usually pretty long, becaust that's how they work well. Try for something in the 84" ballpark or longer. I would ask Frank/Serge (mononctsi) and kiggly what they run and what works. Honestly, I get a lot of help from Honda guys. They never had a choice between fwd and awd, so therefore they're WAY ahead of us when it comes to stuff like this.

[Kiggly]

If you're looking for 10's, wheelie bars are going to be a headache and a waste of time. Running high 10's, or even low 10's in a FWD car isn't a big deal with a well set up car and 24.5" slicks. As Shawn said, follow the Honda guys. They have gone low-9's on the 24.5" slicks and 8.8's on the 26" slicks without wheelie bars.

On the wheelie bar side of things, the OEM 1g rear suspension has too much toe change with travel and is NOT compatible with wheelie bars. You would have to run full size rear tires to keep the car stable, I had to. We're talking about spring rates with soft and stiff, not just shock settings. Again, follow the Honda guys and what they're doing for SFWD setups.

Please get that spool out of there before it kills you. If you break an axle with a spool it will rip the wheel out of your hands and try to put you in the wall. I broke an axle on the 1-2 shift when my car was a 5-spd. With a spool I would have almost guaranteed crashed. I drove a car on the street with a welded front diff and only one axle. It was a 13-sec car at the time and absolutely impossible to keep on a 3-lane wide road under power. Get a torsen-type diff in there. They freewheel if an axle breaks and you'll just coast to a stop.

For what its worth, none of the Honda cars have cut 1.2xx 60' times and I do have a 1.282 under my belt. The GM automatic cars are king of the unibody FWD stuff for now though. They are definitely in the 1.25-1.26 range and have probably been a little quicker sometimes. This is on old NHRA/NOPI Hot Rod/Pro4-cyl tires just like me, 28x10.5's.

Kevin

[girlieracr4g63]

Thank you guys so much for your info. I will keep you updated on my progress. ;)

PS..I look forward to seeing you both make a pass in a few weeks.


Wendy

[timt]

Who makes a spool for these cars? I have never seen one offered.

[LadyVR4]

Hey Wendy it was great meeting you this weekend at the showdown. What is the progress with your car? I'd like to know more. Are you planning on coming up to MD for the World Cup Finals - Import vs. Domestic -at MIR in Nov? It is an event you won't want to miss. Last year there were 800 cars there. This year it will be a 2 day event. And MIR is a world class track.

[Steve93Talon]

Unfortunately, the day after they drove home to NC we got some sad news about Wendy:

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/hangout/346164-girlieracr4g63-wendy-please-read.html

"Hi Guys and Gals,

My name is Brad Pate and I am the husband of Wendy Pate. I wanted to tell you guys about my wife at this point in her life. Yesterday she was diagnosised with liver cancer and if you know anything about that disease, it is terminal. The question was asked how long she would live and it was stated that they have seen people live another 2 years. Wendy went through cervical cancer back in Febuary and Chemo/ Radiation the whole gammet. The cancer spread through her lymph nodes to her liver. We have 3 boys. 18, 10, 2.

Wendy I beleive is a pioneer in the DSM world. She held the record for quickest big16 fwd no nos record. 12.1 @116 / 4 years ago. She got preggers and of course had to quit over 3 years ago. Then the cancer, started to get the car back together. Her goal has been to run a 10 second in her fwd.

Reason for this post:

I beleive we as a DSM community can make this happen for her before she leaves us. I have contacted Wier Automotive of Leland NC W.A.R. Wier Automotive Racing. They have agreed to do all the shop work required to get the car together. Big thanks to them! I know there are shops or vendors out that that would love to be part of this progect. I have the majority of the items. I am asking for time, maybe a trailor when the progect is done to get her to Englishtown, NJ to run the car, parts to make the car faster. Wendy did get to go to the Showdown at Englishtown this past weekend. That is one thing she wanted. She got a pic with Kiggly and his 1st place showdown outlaw FWD!

I challenge any shop, vendor, parts house to get this car into the 10s for my wife. I will sticker the car with your decal and you can be a part of history. There is going to be a big write up on this!

I can be contacted at (910)368-1104 cell # or via email at bradrpate@aol.com


Thank you for everything guys and gals,


Best wishes,
Brad Pate"

[John Wigger]

There is a thread on here about this already

http://www.evo-tech.net/forums/showthread.php?t=687

[The Wookie]

I drove a car on the street with a welded front diff and only one axle. It was a 13-sec car at the time and absolutely impossible to keep on a 3-lane wide road under power.
Kevin

Sounds like a certain old school Mirage from Kalamazoo circa 1997 ;)

[Kiggly]

Sounds like a certain old school Mirage from Kalamazoo circa 1997 ;)

God that thing was evil with one axle and just 185 or 195 width snow tires.