Controlling boost for better traction, and other means of improving grip Options

[CilverSeliST205]

For a while i was considering buying myself a new toy, Turbosmart E-Boost 2, an EBC with a variety of features, one of them being the capability to map boost against time, rpm or GEAR. Now, I have noticed that breaking the traction on street tires is likely to occur not only on a hard launch from a dead stop, but also at WOT in 1st and 2nd gear short time after going over 10psi. Since this unit can control boost depending on gear i guess we could use it to stay within limits of traction in those gears! yes? no? suggestions? comments?

Since im still on internal WG and my actuator is on 13-14 psi, the EBC itself wouldn't help... Is there a way to lower WG actuaction pressure?? That is without welding the flapper shut and going external.

This post has been edited by CilverSeliST205: May 23, 2006 - 12:13 AM

[lagos]

You can't just drive around in slicks all the time kindasad.gif

are you saying that your traction problems are SO bad that you need something for everday use? i find that a little hard to belive. all you need is a good set of street tires and a little driver skill and you should have pretty good traction for anything you need to do on the street. most of the hard driving i do on the street starts out from a 2nd gear roll and i try to control the car with my right foot.


how exactly do traction bars work and where do they bolt on to? i always thought of them as something that sticks out from the back of the car to help reduce weight transfer.

[jgreening]

You can't just drive around in slicks all the time kindasad.gif

are you saying that your traction problems are SO bad that you need something for everday use? i find that a little hard to belive. all you need is a good set of street tires and a little driver skill and you should have pretty good traction for anything you need to do on the street. most of the hard driving i do on the street starts out from a 2nd gear roll and i try to control the car with my right foot.


how exactly do traction bars work and where do they bolt on to? i always thought of them as something that sticks out from the back of the car to help reduce weight transfer.

Art, its not that he has no choice but to spin the tires. He is saying that he cannot harness all of the power for quicker accelleration on the street. Frankly, I have this problem every time I get in my car. Its frustrating to dump all this money in a car and then not be able to use the power.

This is an excellent thread. Keep the info coming guys....no more pipe dreams though.

[CilverSeliST205]

You can't just drive around in slicks all the time kindasad.gif

are you saying that your traction problems are SO bad that you need something for everday use? i find that a little hard to belive. all you need is a good set of street tires and a little driver skill and you should have pretty good traction for anything you need to do on the street. most of the hard driving i do on the street starts out from a 2nd gear roll and i try to control the car with my right foot.

Art, its not that he has no choice but to spin the tires. He is saying that he cannot harness all of the power for quicker accelleration on the street. Frankly, I have this problem every time I get in my car. Its frustrating to dump all this money in a car and then not be able to use the power.

Exactly !

how exactly do traction bars work and where do they bolt on to? i always thought of them as something that sticks out from the back of the car to help reduce weight transfer.

I started researching traction bars right after posting this topic and i found this info [Credits to John Pajak, Mike Bloomer for this information.]

Traction / No Hop Bars
The coil spring traction bars are actually upper control arm positioners. You don't see 'em unless you crawl under the car and actually look way up there.

They do make slapper-style bars for the GM coil spring A-bodies. I've heard they work great but would prefer the stealth of the upper control arm relocation type of traction device.

Traction bars are only for leaf spring cars because a leaf spring car the springs control the "bounce" and locate the axle. In a high hp car, the spring will twist between the axle and the front spring eye. What the traction bar does is make a solid link between the axle and frame when the axle tries to twist.

As far as coil spring cars, traction bars wouldn't do anything since you already have solid suspension links. Equivalents would run the gammut from ladder bars to lift bars and hop stop bars. Ladder bars are just that though I haven't seen them around for years. Basically they worked just like on a drag car but they didn't work all that great.

Lift bars and/or hop stop bars or upper bar relocators all work by revising the stock 4 link geometry. All the upper echelon drag cars with tube frames run 4 links and the GM 4 link can be made to work just as well. The lift bars usually replace the bottom bars and are popular for 5.0's (different susp design) but I think I have seen them for 64-78 A bodies.

The hop stop kits and upper bar relocators move the axle mount for the upper bar higher moving the instant center of the 4 link closer to the center of gravity of the car. With proper tuning, the factory 4 link can get enough traction to launch very hard (pull front wheels off the ground w/10" slicks) but to do so, it usually requires strip only modifications to soften up the suspension for wieght transfer. As far as looking good, most cars I've seen with traction bars look riduculous because it is actually rare to see one that's adjusted right.