1st track trip. Hopping, slipping, help!

[PaulFORD8]

Just went to the nearest track (1/8 ) and was very disappointed.... See below for my best run. Off the start I have wheel hop every time, and if I hit 2nd hard it breaks loose again....

Will going to aftermarket control arms stop this? What about the little Jegs "traction bars" for 8.8 stangs? Any other advice? I thought I would be in the high 8's but not even close.

Reaction .39
60ft 2.32
1/8 9.47
Trap 76.92

Best reaction was .11 but I had to get out of it b/c of the wheel hop.

[Mike Croke]

Almost anything other than stock arms with rubber bushings is an improvement. Ford tried the little slapper bars and eventually installed the horizontal quad shocks to control the axle hop.

You have a lot of options, all with their pros and cons. Before spending money, inspect all the bushings in your current control arms.

Running slapper bars will work but reduces ground clearance.

Replacing all the rubber bushings with polyurethane will stiffen things up but also increase binding. This will result in a stiffer/rougher ride at the least. At worst, potentially damage the torque boxes where the control arms attach to the body.

Get after market arms with various versions of bushings from runner to polyurethane to delrin to fully articulating spherical bushings.

What sort of plans do you have for the car? Lots of trips to the track? Daily driver? Some autocrosses?

[PaulFORD8]

Almost anything other than stock arms with rubber bushings is an improvement. Ford tried the little slapper bars and eventually installed the horizontal quad shocks to control the axle hop.

You have a lot of options, all with their pros and cons. Before spending money, inspect all the bushings in your current control arms.

Running slapper bars will work but reduces ground clearance.

Replacing all the rubber bushings with polyurethane will stiffen things up but also increase binding. This will result in a stiffer/rougher ride at the least. At worst, potentially damage the torque boxes where the control arms attach to the body.

Get after market arms with various versions of bushings from runner to polyurethane to delrin to fully articulating spherical bushings.

What sort of plans do you have for the car? Lots of trips to the track? Daily driver? Some autocrosses?

Not driven often. This cars life will be a few cruise-ins a year and hopefully several trips to the track each summer.

I ordered aftermarket control arms just now along with a couple other things. I am going to install the parts and hit a T&T at a 1/4 early June.

My other issue is I am using a stock T5 with a 3.35 first gear. My first gear is well, ahh bad. I am launching hard and hitting 2nd before I know what hit me. I think this is why I actually jumped out a couple times when paired with much faster cars, but overall it is bad. Although I prob cant afford I am eying replacements for the stock T5 also.

[RichV]

Your traction is horrible. What tires you running?

I run the SVO T5 in my race car too, I had to go to 3:27 gears. 1st and 2nd were almost unusable, and I was being outrun on the straights since my top speed was about 125 at the top of 5th. With the 3:27s, I can hit 130+ at the top of 4th and the lower gears are much more useable.

[PaulFORD8]

Your traction is horrible. What tires you running?

I run the SVO T5 in my race car too, I had to go to 3:27 gears. 1st and 2nd were almost unusable, and I was being outrun on the straights since my top speed was about 125 at the top of 5th. With the 3:27s, I can hit 130+ at the top of 4th and the lower gears are much more useable.

They are Falken 245/50/16 300 tread compound. I spent to much today already but have looked at M/T and other street quick time radials. Really though I doubt they would do much good with my wheel hop.

[RichV]

Get something stickier. I run a 255 tire and I can spin the tires on a standing start no problem, but once they bite there's no more spinning even in shifts.

Or you can just get something for the track. I ran Drag Radials back when I Drag Raced on the back all the time. They bit real well when you aired them down, then just pump them back up for the drive home. Guys would complain however when they were driving behind me, about pebbles being thrown at them.

[jeffcrummel]

I ran adjustables with negative 2 degrees pinion angle and it hooked hard. Downside was a degraded ride quality and sometimes a deadhook.

[PaulFORD8]

I ran adjustables with negative 2 degrees pinion angle and it hooked hard. Downside was a degraded ride quality and sometimes a deadhook.

If I can get rid of the hop I will take a downgrade in ride quality.

I didnt play with air pressure at all since I didnt have anything with me to pump the tires back up. IF I can get rid of the hopping maybe I can try that to get rid of the spinning.

[theviking]

LCA's will help with the wheel hop. I use the Maximum Motorsports lowers and even without the quads I dididn't experience any wheel hop on my two trips to the track (or on the street).

[PaulFORD8]

LCA's will help with the wheel hop. I use the Maximum Motorsports lowers and even without the quads I dididn't experience any wheel hop on my two trips to the track (or on the street).

I would love to get the same results as you! I ordered yesterday and they shipped today so hopefully I can get them on this weekend.

Are you running street radials?