How can i get traction on the strip?
 

Ok im spining real bad at the track in 4wd. I would really like to keep my 35 AT's but only if i can fix the traction issue. Would putting a locker in the front help enough to hook? Or am i looking at getting 4 slicks/4 street strip tires?

What psi are you running in the tires?

I had to air my tires down to 32 psi in order to get a 1.66 60 foot with a 20 pound launch. The usual 65 pounds of air I run leaves me spinning all 4 out past the tree on a 20 pound launches. A 13 to 14 pound launch is pushing it with 65 pounds of air for me.

A locker in the front differential is not a good idea. Its really dangerous because if one side catches before the other, or one slips, it will jerk the truck into the wall. The traction of the track may not be symmetrical. You need to transfer the weight to the rear of the truck. You can do this a couple of different ways.

-A 4 link conversion would be the best, but if you don't want to chop up your truck, you can add traction arms.

-You can use a softer rear spring, or the cheap way, just pull a leaf out of the stock pack, but you need traction arms if you go that route.

-and there is the always cheap and easy way to pull out the rear shocks before a run. This will let the rear drop at launch causing the weight to transfer also.

SPEEDSHIFT

how about traction bars?

Allan you need ladder bars!

... then I'd remove the bottom leaf plate (Don Thuren-style), air down the rear tires below 40 psi, disconnect the front sway-bar end links (won't help much - but you'll feel good about it! [laugh] ), and preload as needed left & right with the rear airbags you also need.

You should be able to pick up some stock takeoff rims on the cheap and mount your bald(ing) radials on there - then it won't cost ya to burn up the rubber, and a "slick" will get ya more traction.

p.s. did I mention you need ladder bars? :)

Ok I was launching with about 43lbs in each tire. Looks like ill be getting some traction bars as well. What do you mean by disconnecting the front sway bar links, what will that do? I do have airbags so what do you mean by preloading with them? Also looks like im in the market for some factory rims. Thanks for all the replies.

puts clamps on the springs, what i do on my gasser drag truck. just make sure to take em off before you drive home or it will be rough!!!

Think "VHT". You must be making some SERIOUS horsepower!!!

i dont think that a bald radial is gonna work as a slick. slicks work so well because they are so soft and when heated up bite real hard...a bald radial is jsut gonna spin( possibly worse than if it had tread)

lol just request they lay a fresh coat before each pass[laugh] [laugh]

Put VHT in your washer bottle, and run the spritzers down to the wheel wells!

ACook, You won't believe how much more traction you have at 30psi than 45....maybe 1/3 more......Like I said before....mark the rims and tires to make sure the bead is not slipping on the rim and then air them down....make sure you pump them back up after racing or you will Dwobble on the highway...Be careful and you will find the perfect match of tire pressure to throttle application to save maybe 1/2 a second...ks

ill try airing them down to 30 next weekend if its running by then, highly doubt ill get 1/2 second, id be happy with 2/10ths or not spining through the tree

Disconnecting the front sway-bar end links allows more freedom of movement for the suspension when you're trying to lift the front wheels in the air... not req'd if you launch in 4WD.

Vehicles typically have drive-axle traction imbalanced side to side, so you can add pressure to the soft side to increase the weight available for traction... add (or remove) 5 psi at a time until the stripes look the same.

Besides being free (some of us are on a racer's budget), a near-bald radial will have more of a contact patch than when it's new... less squirm as well.