Traction help

MOTT · 06-28-2006, 10:04 AM

I need traction! I bet everyone here says that same thing at a dead stop. Can anyone recomend a good set of traction bars? I've seen the ones from Lakewood, would they do it for me? They cost only about $180.00, and to me that would be money well spent if they work.

r3dn3ck · 06-28-2006, 01:21 PM

Call up Maximum motorsports and tell them how you want to use the car, how much you want to spend and how attached you are to a comfy stretable ride. They'll tailor a solution that will really honestly work and won't add a single part that won't help you reach your goals.

MOTT · 06-28-2006, 01:31 PM

I used the Lakewood traction bars back in the mid 70's, I was just wondering if anyone has used anything but the one you mentioned. I know I can go and get all kinds of stuff from that company, and probably will. I just tossed out the question for some feedback. thanx for the reply.

cobra1923 · 06-28-2006, 02:15 PM

Traction bars will work well if you have a rigid frame structure (like back in the day). With a unibody car, they're not as effective due to the flex. The tried and true, everyday bolt on solution is a set of subframe connectors and a tubular upper and lower control arm. That gets you a little better traction and a more solid feel, however, there is a myriad of solutions and parts that would help. Tires are the main thing but if you do like redneck says, you would get a perfect setup if you called MM that would possibly involve panhard bars and super subs and adj control arms etc...

r3dn3ck · 06-28-2006, 03:06 PM

roger that.

older cars tended to use leaf springs where traction bars reduced axle wrap. The newer cars with multi-link setups have similar concerns but different solutions are required.

MOTT · 06-28-2006, 05:50 PM

Your help is indeed very informative. I know I'll be calling MM for the right set up, and your right, "back in the day" I wish I could go back there (in time) and get the
426 HEMI back that I let go for $800.00, because it had front end damage, who knew.......

I see Cobra discovered color...

*03gtmustang* · 06-28-2006, 10:25 PM

Get ET Streets or Slicks along with a built rear and that will give you good traction along with 6k drops! What tires are you running now? Also, if you actually do get that rear built and start running slicks and drop the clutch from 6k then I HIGHLY suggest you get subframes and your torque box welded. If not then you're just asking for trouble.

BTW this is pre procharger. Once you get that youll need some suspension upgrades such as lca's, uca's, shocks, struts, etc. And a new clutch.

MM has great parts, but also look into www.wolferacecraft.com and www.paracing.com

MOTT · 06-29-2006, 08:50 AM

I like your reply "03GTmusstang" 6k drops, the thing red lines at 5.8k. lol All I'm doing to the rearend right now is gears and the girdle, I'll go with more splines in the axels in the off season when the S/C gets here, and than I will be doing way more frame work. Right now I will blame the tires, they came with the car, and I'll just spin them off, looks cool too, almost like a John Force burnout lol. I have to get rims and tires that will fit, I don't want to tub the thing. How wide can I go with say a stock rim? How wide can I go with a aftermarket rim? Wiil a 10" wide rim fit the body? I would think so, but I want, or need tires in the 300" area, just don't know how wide I can go. What's on your car if I dare to ask?

steve-o · 06-29-2006, 10:01 AM

you can use a 10.5 wide wheel with a 315 tire in the back w/o a problem.

MOTT · 06-29-2006, 10:51 AM

Thanx Steve-O. Just what I needed to know, but how wide can I go with a stock rim?

*03gtmustang* · 06-29-2006, 11:29 AM

Ive been through all of this so let me give you my opinion. With your car as it is now, Im sure a set of DR's will give you the traction you're looking for. HOWEVER, you're still leaving a lot on the table. We all know without traction you dont have ****. I try to stress this a lot, once you get slicks and a built rear and start dropping the clutch at higher rpm's your ET's will drop SIGNIFICANTLY. That being said, I HIGHLY recommend going with 2 sets of rims/ tires. First set is for daily driving. Second set is for the strip, either Draglites or Prostars and slicks or ET streets. With these along with a built rear youll be amazed as to how much your ET's will drop. PLEASE, get this setup before the blower or youll be disappointed.

Now, back to your question. 275's are the widest tire you can fit on the stock rim. Im running 17x9 Black Bullitts with 315's in the back and 275's up front. Now you could do this, BUT fitting 315's on a 17x9 rim is NOT good for racing. Because the tire is really too wide for that rim, you wont get a good contact patch with it. For the track Im running Draglites all around, 15x8 in back and 15x3.5 in front. 26x10.5x15 ET Streets in the back and small 165R tires in the front. After seeing the difference (even in my auto car with a 3500 stall) Id never buy a set of DR's again.

And yes, you can do 6k drops. Not with DR's though!

MOTT · 06-29-2006, 12:00 PM

Thanx for the good info. 03gtmustang. So my stock rim is 17" X ?

Twin Turbo 330 · 07-02-2006, 10:34 AM

The stock rims are 17 X 8s. I would definitely do what he recommended. Those are the plans i have for my car next. Built rear end and some draglites with slicks.

06-28-2006, 10:04 AM	#1 (permalink)
MOTT OUTCAST Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Hartford WI Posts: 95	Traction help I need traction! I bet everyone here says that same thing at a dead stop. Can anyone recomend a good set of traction bars? I've seen the ones from Lakewood, would they do it for me? They cost only about $180.00, and to me that would be money well spent if they work. __________________ 2002 GT, Accufab T/B and Plenum (75mm), (4.10 gears, (Ford)), Aluminum Drive shaft, MAC 8.8 Differential Cover, Steeda CAI. TRI-AX shifter, Diablosport Predator tuner. MAC H pipe (catless) Steeda cat back exhaust. BFG DR P275-40-17 Steeda "Weight Jacker" lower control arms. (Adj.) Steeda HD upper control arm's.(Adj.)Steeda Comp. Street,Strip springs. Steeda full length frame rails, and cross brace. Steeda 4 bolt camber plates. ANYTHING WORTH DOING, IS WORTH OVERDOING!!!

06-28-2006, 01:31 PM	#3 (permalink)
MOTT OUTCAST Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Hartford WI Posts: 95	I used the Lakewood traction bars back in the mid 70's, I was just wondering if anyone has used anything but the one you mentioned. I know I can go and get all kinds of stuff from that company, and probably will. I just tossed out the question for some feedback. thanx for the reply. __________________ 2002 GT, Accufab T/B and Plenum (75mm), (4.10 gears, (Ford)), Aluminum Drive shaft, MAC 8.8 Differential Cover, Steeda CAI. TRI-AX shifter, Diablosport Predator tuner. MAC H pipe (catless) Steeda cat back exhaust. BFG DR P275-40-17 Steeda "Weight Jacker" lower control arms. (Adj.) Steeda HD upper control arm's.(Adj.)Steeda Comp. Street,Strip springs. Steeda full length frame rails, and cross brace. Steeda 4 bolt camber plates. ANYTHING WORTH DOING, IS WORTH OVERDOING!!!

06-28-2006, 02:15 PM	#4 (permalink)
cobra1923 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Baltimore Posts: 584	Traction bars will work well if you have a rigid frame structure (like back in the day). With a unibody car, they're not as effective due to the flex. The tried and true, everyday bolt on solution is a set of subframe connectors and a tubular upper and lower control arm. That gets you a little better traction and a more solid feel, however, there is a myriad of solutions and parts that would help. Tires are the main thing but if you do like redneck says, you would get a perfect setup if you called MM that would possibly involve panhard bars and super subs and adj control arms etc... __________________ 2003 10th Anniversary Cobra Convertible All Stock and staying that way... well maybe some pipes since it's so quiet..ahhhh! it's a sickness 1995 mustang GT vert - all black (almost back together)

06-28-2006, 05:50 PM	#6 (permalink)
MOTT OUTCAST Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Hartford WI Posts: 95	Your help is indeed very informative. I know I'll be calling MM for the right set up, and your right, "back in the day" I wish I could go back there (in time) and get the 426 HEMI back that I let go for $800.00, because it had front end damage, who knew....... I see Cobra discovered color... __________________ 2002 GT, Accufab T/B and Plenum (75mm), (4.10 gears, (Ford)), Aluminum Drive shaft, MAC 8.8 Differential Cover, Steeda CAI. TRI-AX shifter, Diablosport Predator tuner. MAC H pipe (catless) Steeda cat back exhaust. BFG DR P275-40-17 Steeda "Weight Jacker" lower control arms. (Adj.) Steeda HD upper control arm's.(Adj.)Steeda Comp. Street,Strip springs. Steeda full length frame rails, and cross brace. Steeda 4 bolt camber plates. ANYTHING WORTH DOING, IS WORTH OVERDOING!!!

06-28-2006, 10:25 PM	#7 (permalink)
03gtmustang Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Northern Va Posts: 3,245	Get ET Streets or Slicks along with a built rear and that will give you good traction along with 6k drops! What tires are you running now? Also, if you actually do get that rear built and start running slicks and drop the clutch from 6k then I HIGHLY suggest you get subframes and your torque box welded. If not then you're just asking for trouble. BTW this is pre procharger. Once you get that youll need some suspension upgrades such as lca's, uca's, shocks, struts, etc. And a new clutch. MM has great parts, but also look into www.wolferacecraft.com and www.paracing.com __________________ D&D Auto Detailing -Dan

06-28-2006, 01:21 PM	#2 (permalink)
r3dn3ck Wowbagger hates me too! Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Magrathea/California Posts: 7,014	Call up Maximum motorsports and tell them how you want to use the car, how much you want to spend and how attached you are to a comfy stretable ride. They'll tailor a solution that will really honestly work and won't add a single part that won't help you reach your goals.

06-28-2006, 03:06 PM	#5 (permalink)
r3dn3ck Wowbagger hates me too! Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Magrathea/California Posts: 7,014	roger that. older cars tended to use leaf springs where traction bars reduced axle wrap. The newer cars with multi-link setups have similar concerns but different solutions are required.

06-29-2006, 08:50 AM	#8 (permalink)
MOTT OUTCAST Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Hartford WI Posts: 95	I like your reply "03GTmusstang" 6k drops, the thing red lines at 5.8k. lol All I'm doing to the rearend right now is gears and the girdle, I'll go with more splines in the axels in the off season when the S/C gets here, and than I will be doing way more frame work. Right now I will blame the tires, they came with the car, and I'll just spin them off, looks cool too, almost like a John Force burnout lol. I have to get rims and tires that will fit, I don't want to tub the thing. How wide can I go with say a stock rim? How wide can I go with a aftermarket rim? Wiil a 10" wide rim fit the body? I would think so, but I want, or need tires in the 300" area, just don't know how wide I can go. What's on your car if I dare to ask? __________________ 2002 GT, Accufab T/B and Plenum (75mm), (4.10 gears, (Ford)), Aluminum Drive shaft, MAC 8.8 Differential Cover, Steeda CAI. TRI-AX shifter, Diablosport Predator tuner. MAC H pipe (catless) Steeda cat back exhaust. BFG DR P275-40-17 Steeda "Weight Jacker" lower control arms. (Adj.) Steeda HD upper control arm's.(Adj.)Steeda Comp. Street,Strip springs. Steeda full length frame rails, and cross brace. Steeda 4 bolt camber plates. ANYTHING WORTH DOING, IS WORTH OVERDOING!!!

06-29-2006, 10:01 AM	#9 (permalink)
steve-o Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Thornton, Colorado Posts: 224	you can use a 10.5 wide wheel with a 315 tire in the back w/o a problem. __________________ 2004 Mustang GT DSG...basic bolt-ons.

06-29-2006, 10:51 AM	#10 (permalink)
MOTT OUTCAST Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Hartford WI Posts: 95	Thanx Steve-O. Just what I needed to know, but how wide can I go with a stock rim? __________________ 2002 GT, Accufab T/B and Plenum (75mm), (4.10 gears, (Ford)), Aluminum Drive shaft, MAC 8.8 Differential Cover, Steeda CAI. TRI-AX shifter, Diablosport Predator tuner. MAC H pipe (catless) Steeda cat back exhaust. BFG DR P275-40-17 Steeda "Weight Jacker" lower control arms. (Adj.) Steeda HD upper control arm's.(Adj.)Steeda Comp. Street,Strip springs. Steeda full length frame rails, and cross brace. Steeda 4 bolt camber plates. ANYTHING WORTH DOING, IS WORTH OVERDOING!!!

06-29-2006, 11:29 AM	#11 (permalink)
03gtmustang Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Northern Va Posts: 3,245	Ive been through all of this so let me give you my opinion. With your car as it is now, Im sure a set of DR's will give you the traction you're looking for. HOWEVER, you're still leaving a lot on the table. We all know without traction you dont have ****. I try to stress this a lot, once you get slicks and a built rear and start dropping the clutch at higher rpm's your ET's will drop SIGNIFICANTLY. That being said, I HIGHLY recommend going with 2 sets of rims/ tires. First set is for daily driving. Second set is for the strip, either Draglites or Prostars and slicks or ET streets. With these along with a built rear youll be amazed as to how much your ET's will drop. PLEASE, get this setup before the blower or youll be disappointed. Now, back to your question. 275's are the widest tire you can fit on the stock rim. Im running 17x9 Black Bullitts with 315's in the back and 275's up front. Now you could do this, BUT fitting 315's on a 17x9 rim is NOT good for racing. Because the tire is really too wide for that rim, you wont get a good contact patch with it. For the track Im running Draglites all around, 15x8 in back and 15x3.5 in front. 26x10.5x15 ET Streets in the back and small 165R tires in the front. After seeing the difference (even in my auto car with a 3500 stall) Id never buy a set of DR's again. And yes, you can do 6k drops. Not with DR's though! __________________ D&D Auto Detailing -Dan

06-29-2006, 12:00 PM	#12 (permalink)
MOTT OUTCAST Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Hartford WI Posts: 95	Thanx for the good info. 03gtmustang. So my stock rim is 17" X ? __________________ 2002 GT, Accufab T/B and Plenum (75mm), (4.10 gears, (Ford)), Aluminum Drive shaft, MAC 8.8 Differential Cover, Steeda CAI. TRI-AX shifter, Diablosport Predator tuner. MAC H pipe (catless) Steeda cat back exhaust. BFG DR P275-40-17 Steeda "Weight Jacker" lower control arms. (Adj.) Steeda HD upper control arm's.(Adj.)Steeda Comp. Street,Strip springs. Steeda full length frame rails, and cross brace. Steeda 4 bolt camber plates. ANYTHING WORTH DOING, IS WORTH OVERDOING!!!

07-02-2006, 10:34 AM	#13 (permalink)
Twin Turbo 330 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Sumter, SC Posts: 393	The stock rims are 17 X 8s. I would definitely do what he recommended. Those are the plans i have for my car next. Built rear end and some draglites with slicks. __________________ 03 Sonic Blue GT (SOLD) Working on an 87' Notch now!

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