Well I tried the new technique of launching hard, using wheel speed with the 33" BFG's to get going rather than just trying to torque the sled down the track like I did with my 35's. Didn't go great but I also didn't break either. I got the HOPS when I come out of the hole and when I tried to lift a "little" the truck hopped so hard my foot came off the pedal and when i got back on it I was under the charger, but got it lit again easily and still managed a 303' pull for 4th place. As you can see on the launch I came out kinda hard and got them spinning quick, but it got violent shortly after...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8U_l9jKidY


Can anyone help me with the hop, I had 55psi in the rears, and 30psi in the fronts, and my suspension blocks allow for 1" of travel before they hit...got some pulls coming up in the next few weeks and want to figure this out rather than keep hopping and break something.

 

That didn't look bad at all. My personal opinion on hopping, use a little side to side action with the steering wheel, and never, ever, lift on the throttle. But everybody has there own ideas. Good luck!

 

The hops is caused by tire pressure. Usually too much will cause it that early. Not enough will also cause it but usually later in the run. I would ask a few other guys what they are running and try that out. I know that with our pulling tractors we only run between 5 and 15 pounds in the rear tires but tractors and trucks are two completely different animals. I would try 50 in the rear at the next one and if that does not help then go to more at the next one. Just my .02

 

it looks to me like you didnt get the wheel speed up. U just rolled into it. The track has a lot to do with it. It looked very tacky. that really does it. I hopped real bad at the last pull when it was soaked. 50-55 rear 20-30 front. dry track, u should be good. Dump that clutch and roll on. Nice pull!!

 

The "hops" is axle wrap. The traction twists the axle, bending the leaf springs into a "S" shape. Eventually the springs overcome the twist and the axle snaps back, only to repeat itself again and again. Very hard on the drivetrain. I have hopped so bad I bashed the radiator with my fan, not a good thing. Do a search of traction bars, install some and you will be cured of that curse.

 

Check the video--he's already got 'em

 

He does have rear traction bars, are you saying that he needs front one's also?

 

The front is held in place by the controll arms. It can't move, maybe we need to check out the traction bars and make sure nothing is loose. T.J bring the truck over this week so we can have a look at it.

 

That is what I thought, I was just trying to figure out what he was talking about since he already has them.

 

......LOL!

 

Hop is a whole combination of things happening.
Power, traction, tire pressure etc.
All you can do is prepare yourself and the truck to try to prevent it and to keep it under control like WFO pointed out in an earlier post.

Turning the wheels, lifting the clutch, lifting throttle a hair, etc. will usually end a hop...It just depends on how you want to go about things and how much feet you are willing to sacrifice.

In that video you posted it looked like you could have use some hanging weights (if allowed).
Another thing with certain sleds out there is that you'll notice you can lift them up when taking off hard and if you dont let them load properly (ie take off too hard) then it will cause your drivetrain to load and unload very rapidly and cause a hop.

Overall though it looked like you did a good job of keep it under control. No broken parts!

 

Tires were 55 rear and 30 front, and the rear suspension was blocked. No hanging weights allowed, my bumper even causes problems there which is a whole other story.

Compared to all my other pulls that was prolly the hardest launch I have ever done, i got off the clutch pretty quick, saw a full rotation of the tire in my mirror and she was out and you can see the tires take off in the video. The track I pull at next week is notoriously super dry and loose, so hopefully this style of launching fast with wheel speed will help a bit, and the next time I get on a real tight and sticky track I will try to bring it out a tad slower.

 

Well, I deserve any and all remarks. Next time I should look at the video

 

another video...you can really see how bad i lifted in this one, even tho i wasn't trying to completely let off, the bouncing took my foot off the pedal HAHA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGyyIJ-OnUM

 

Everything comes into effect but one big thing i have noticed is SLEDS are very different some weight more and some just pull totally different when getting them movin. I usually bounce a little off the line when the sled is heavier.... Stoping a bounce is hard if not inpossible without a hand throttle in terms of bcaknig out of it.The cr guys can lift and relight a charger much easier that a VP or P-pump can. I agree 100% with WFO dont lift unless you are bouncing hard. Most of the time it wont last a second or two. As far as tire pressure you are at perfect air pressure...