Best traction mods????

1993SSP

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Sep 5, 2001
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What are the best traction mods for a notch??? I have upper and lower control arms that I got off ebay, they were a no name brand, anyways my car will not hook on the street, I know I need some drag radials, but could the no name control arms be a major culprit??? What would work best on a street car?
 
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well any lower and uppers are better then stock but that dosent mean they are built for maximum traction, some drag racing control arms with harder bushings will be better for traction but harder on the street, another mayjor thing is shocks and strut, i would suggest some strange adjustbles, set for the track and another setting for the street, and will help alot pushing the weight to the rear. Another thing is weight reduction and weight transfer, getting the weight to the back will help
 
most anythign will help except for moving the battery to the trunk. THats a VERY bad thing to do.. it puts a huge strain on the electrical system.. not that its not possible just its a huge strain on the car
 
TheChevyEater said:
most anythign will help except for moving the battery to the trunk. THats a VERY bad thing to do.. it puts a huge strain on the electrical system.. not that its not possible just its a huge strain on the car


When done properly using the correct gauge wires it will not put any more noticable strain than stock.

It's a great way to re-distribute some dead weight over the rear tires where it's needed.
 
millhouse said:
When done properly using the correct gauge wires it will not put any more noticable strain than stock.

It's a great way to re-distribute some dead weight over the rear tires where it's needed.
:stupid: As long as you have good grounds and good connections, you won’t have any problems.

I am in the same boat as 1993SSP. With the sea of suspension components and manufactures out there, it is hard choosing the right one for your needs.
 
Control arms are no good without drag radials or slicks. Get some Drag Radials and see what you get afterward they make a huge difference. Put it this way, before I did my mods to my car I put drag radials on my stock mustang and could barley get the tires to spin at all. With street tires on it roatsed the tires. Get the radials then figure out if you need to do anything more.
 
$uperstang said:
Control arms are no good without drag radials or slicks. Get some Drag Radials and see what you get afterward they make a huge difference.

I think that works both ways. I have DRs on my car now with stock suspension except for SFC, AutoZone shocks and I can't get traction. I know it is something with the suspension, because the car squats hard on take off, but unloads the suspension right after.
 
First, check to see that you are loosing traction on both wheels equally. Even if both are leaving black marks, if one is longer or darker than the other, then the traction-loc is bad. Easy, cheap rebuild. I couldn't hook, so I went all out, replaced the whole suspension except K-member and A-arms, and with Nitto DR 275/40R17 I still was spinning all over the place, I was pretty mad. Then I noticed that the right would spin first, then the left would catch up, then the left would hook, but the right was always longer and darker. Did a rebuild on the traction-loc with an extra clutch pack on each side and it made a huge difference. Not so much on the track as the street. It was funny making the WRX/STi/EVO and other AWD guys suddenly wonder where thier advantage went.

Trying to launch at the track with a 17" wheel is a oxymoron like no other. Even on drag radials. The sidewall flex placing the rubber down, that is the only way. I was hooking a 1.8 60ft on those DR's, launching from 1800rpm, never had the chance to use the rest of the setup. 15x8 welds now, we'll see.
 
I think I will look into the drag radials first, ditching the sway bars is a no go, im keeping them. How well do the 90/10 shocks and struts perform in curves and such?? Im not looking for something to give me a mushy feel in the curves
 
Well, I ran an '87 notch with stock control arms (with polyurethane bushings*)and a well designed, balanced street suspension that was pulling 1.8 60-foots on regular (275/40ZR17) street tires.

My question for you is when you say traction are you dumping the clutch at 3500 RPM or is it just overpowering the rear tires when you try do give it a good, hard launch while applying the clutch in a steadily increasing engagement (feathering the clutch)? If you dump the clutch on street tires, they will fry, if you ride the clutch and throttle just right, a good set of street tires can stick like glue.

*What's more, if all the bushings for the upper control arms are polyurethane, the suspension will bind and cause rebound and kill traction.

1993SSP said:
What are the best traction mods for a notch??? I have upper and lower control arms that I got off ebay, they were a no name brand, anyways my car will not hook on the street, I know I need some drag radials, but could the no name control arms be a major culprit??? What would work best on a street car?
 
2002BLGT said:
unhook the sway bar , and get 90/10s on the front ......

Sorry forgot to mention, the front sway bar is already gone and my differential was rebuilt less than a year ago. I haven’t changed the struts yet, I will give it a shot.

That is the thing, some people say the HPM control arms are badass, but if you read the baselinesuspension.com website they advise against them if you have a stick car. That website obviously works with the 60 ft times people are putting down with his advice, but I think it’s a bit much for me. How important is pinion angle and instant center?