Traction Bars

There’s more to going fast than just putting a lot of horsepower under the hood, because all that power is wasted if you can’t get it to the ground. Many a drag race has been won by a less powerful car that was able to hook up because the chassis and suspension were set up right, while the more powerful car in the other lane sat there hopping and spinning the tires. If you want to get your ride dialed in, we have the products to get your tires planted, including traction bars, ladder bars, anti-hop bars, and pinion snubbers.

The suspension on the average street car is designed to be a compromise between performance and a comfortable ride, and it’s not up to the job of launching the car when the pedal is mashed. Even performance cars are challenged to do this when the engine has been extremely modded and sticky tires are installed. When you nail the throttle what you usually get is a lot of wheel hop and tire spin, and not much acceleration. You may even break some suspension and driveline parts.

When you stomp on the gas and attempt to a launch a car from a dead stop, the differential tries to rotate backward and is able to do so because of the flex in the stock springs and suspension. On leaf spring cars this is commonly called “axle wrap up” or “spring wind up”. When all the slop is taken up, the differential snaps back, only to be forced backward again by the continuous flow of power. This back and forth motion is what causes wheel hop and tire spin, and the misalignment between the differential pinion gear, U-joint and driveshaft can result in parts breakage. To eliminate hop, the differential and axle have to be stabilized, and we offer several ways to accomplish this.

If your car has leaf springs, traction bars are an effective method of eliminating wheel hop so you can get traction. The most traditional style are the “slap bars” that clamp to the axle housing and extend forward under the leaf spring, with a rubber or polyurethane snubber that contacts the spring. When power is applied, traction bars prevent the differential from rotating, and in the process provide leverage that forces the tires against the ground for traction. There are also tubular traction bars that mount between the axle and the frame.

A pinion snubber is another device that keeps the differential from rotating backward. It mounts to the underbody or the differential, and when the car is launched it contacts the differential or underbody, preventing axle wrap up. Some cars came from the factory with pinion snubbers, but while better than none at all these can leave excessive clearance between the snubber and underbody or differential and still allow some axle wrap up. We offer adjustable pinion snubbers that allow you to set the clearance, for maximum traction.

Ladder bars are sturdy truss-like traction devices that mount to the axle and the frame. They hold the axle firmly in position when power is applied, so when the axle attempts to rotate the torque is transferred to the chassis, which lightens the front end and transfers weight to the rear and onto the tires for traction. We offer bolt-on, powder coated ladder bars that are perfect for street cars as well as ladder bars for full-race applications, which usually require some degree of fabrication for installation. The latter are equipped with adjustable spherical (heim) joints that enable proper set up of the pinion angle and pre-load of the rear suspension.

Our anti-hop bars are designed for the factory 4-link setups that were common on cars like the 1960s and 70s GM A-bodies, where the upper control arms attach to mounting points on the differential housing. These bars relocate the upper arm mounting points to change the instant center of the rear suspension for improved chassis reaction and increased traction. Finally, the best way to improve traction and eliminate wheel hop regardless of suspension design, is by taking the slop out of the chassis and suspension. Our subframe connectors & braces can stiffen up your chassis, and our performance control arms and links, and polyurethane and Delrin bushings or spherical bearings, have the strength and rigidity to take the deflection out of your suspension without inhibiting articulation.