I can tell you they looked great on John's truck. I liked that they weren't too long and didn't stick out that much. If you want to keep your "sleeper" looks to your truck, which I do, I thought they were perfect. I'm personally examining this set and the possibility of what John's son Banshee runs for traction bars.....unfortunately, no 2nd gen bars are made yet in the others. The Caltrac's are sweet though. Y'all saw the launch, solid as a rock!

 

Question! Where/How do they bolt on at the rear?
Are there pics on that web site...I had trouble finding any???

RJ

 

Rowland, they bolt up at the bottom bracket on the axle where the u-bolts attach.

 

RowJ:

On the rear they have a rear mount almost identical to the stock one, with the exception that they have a bolt going through an eye with spacers and a hime joint. The "Force Transfer Links" (Bars going from the back to front) screw into the threaded hime joint and the same thing is done on the front of the leaf spring with a "Front Pivot Assembly" and a hime joint there also. As I said above, I am going to an event at Rockingham, NC this weekend and I am going to find somebody to photograph and post pictures for you guys.

Hope this helps some though.

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John_P

 

The traction bars I made for the '05 (and the new ones for the '98) are a similiar design:



The sled-pulling type are shown; next week I'll have pics of the smaller dragstrip type posted.

 

Thanks John & Tiger!

XLR8R - Thanks Mike! That was my real question...."are yours different from the Caltrac's?"
Can't wait to get your bars installed after reading John's report above on performance & handling difference.

RJ

 

Here's a pic on a car, maybe it'll be insightful until John gets someone to post pics

http://66.17.171.114/PhotoAlbum/Cars/Pics/duster_24.jpg



So it connects to the front spring mount and not directly to the frame

 

Ph4tty:

Hey buddy THANKS ALOT for posting that picture for the members! Your photo is just about exactly how they look, minus the axle etc. To add a little to the "arrows" in the photo;

Arrow #1- Points to the "Front Pivot Assembly" that just barely contacts the topside of the front part of the leaf spring.

Arrow #2- Points to the adjustable "Force Transfer Link" which run from the bottom axle brackets up to the front of the leaf spring.

Arrow #3- Points to the hime joint within the the rear mount assembly. This is below the rear mount bracket.

Thanks again.

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John_P

 

Thanks Ph4tty! Great Pic.
Have to think some about effects of a longer arm (other than more easily seen).... but main purpose is preventing axle movement/wrap.... and both should do that well.

RJ

 

Rowland, my bars transfer the drive axle's torque reaction directly to the frame, which isn't feasible on a unibody/monocoque vehicle - that's why the Caltracs mount to the front spring eye, which is a known strong point.

My bars are also significantly longer and stouter, so they have more of a lifting moment on the front end, which transfers weight better to the rear tires.

 

XLR8R:

Do your bars have the "Front Pivot Assembly" like the Caltracs?? IMO, they really help the whole system work well.

Thanks.

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John_P

 

John, a front shackle mount is optional (takes minute to bolt on), but not required due to the length of my traction bars; on short bars like Caltracs, not having a "front pivot assembly" would restrict the rear suspension's range of motion, due to the different swing arcs the axle would try to follow. While that's fairly irrelevant for quarter-mile racing, "street manners" are enhanced with a front floating mount.

A while ago I posted the math/geometry for my pulling-type bars, and they allow for quite a bit of suspension travel on paper, as well as in actual use (about 7 months now). I keep them preloaded in compression, so the drive axle's reaction torque is immediate on the truck's frame - made quite a noticeable difference on the 2K rpm launches, and made smooth burnouts the norm.

Even though I have airbags to balance the load, turning the traction bars 1/4 turn at a time is a simple, effective weight-jacking technique.

I view shackle mounts in the same vein as single vs. multi-disc TC, bolt-on vs. weld-on to the frame, big single vs. twins, etc. People swear by (or at!) one or the other, but all will work well if used in the correct application by someone who understands the principles involved and has the skills to execute them.

 

Excellent post!!

Chris

 

Thanks Chris - I'm going to post some photos of Rowland's drag bars and Brian's sled bars (both on & off the trucks) after our dyno day on the 21st.

Originally, I designed a set for my truck that would've tucked up next to the frame - for the sleeper look - but decided it would be cost-prohibitive for most of us.

 

XLR8R, Do you have any data to post with respect to performance gains with your bars?

I can tell everyone here I was amazed at the way John's truck launched at the 1/8 track event. I am going to get a set of the Caltrac's at some point in the near future. The fit and finish of the bars are IMO great.