traction problem - help
 

I have a serious traction problem with my 1990 LX Mustang. I have approximately 500 super charged horsepower. The problem I am experiencing is that in first and second gear I have no traction if I accelerate hard. I am running Good Year drag radials(275/50/15), KYB gas adjust shocks, BBK caster/camber kit Sub frame connectors, Eibach drag launch springs, Air Lift bag on the right rear side & Lakewood traction bars. I did not set the suspension up on this car, I have noticed that the trailing arms or control arms (??) have been removed. I have tried 10" slicks this summer, I was able to launch but when I reached middle to high RPM in first & second gear the tires began to spin (keep in mind this is on the street and not on a sticky track).....

Any advice would be appriciated on what I could do to achieve traction.

Jay

hehe, thats alot of power, you need to get on the track, a prepped one, i just borrowed a pair of m/t e.t streets, they hook almost too good on the track, but i can light em up on the ashphalt, roads are bouncy and uneven though, i did a 4k launch on the street they spunn a bit then hooked like crazy, then i smelled burned clutch?? is that normal? oh and i dont know what to tell ya, lose some power?? lmao yea right.:D

I would begin looking into removing as much weight from the front end as possible. Every lb you can remove from the front is going to be transfered to the back and aid with traction.

I would also look into something other than a drag radial. I know their softer than a regular radial, but it's still a radial. Look into the MT ET streets or a set of McCreary G60's or L60's.

Do people actually run around with ET Streets on the street? How long do they last with normal driving? I mean, they look like an all out slick, they feel like one... all excpet for the tiny line tread that is in it.

Heh welcome to the problems with traction club! I only spin in 1st after putting on LCA's and drag radials. On occasion I'll lite 'em up through second, but thats pretty rare. ;)

With pressure in them they ride fine, but low pressure, as in any tire, they get squirrely, and try to ride the road swaying side to side, m/t e.t.s are bad mofos, even though my car doesnt have monster torque, i can still light em up good on the street, but they beat radials bye far, on the track they hook awesome, just have to drop some pressure, i can actually feel them wrinkle when i accelerate, i dont know how long they last, but the softer the compound the faster they wear.

I have been drivin 100 mi round trips to work everyday with them on, around 70-80 mph on the freeway, no problems, except you can hear a little more road noise, im putting some in layaway when i give these back, screw dragradials, these are where its at, i never knew my car could pull that hard lol....Oh but on rainy days, I would try and stay off the roads, but i do that anyways.

I've only ran the McCreary's myself, but some of my friends run the ET's. The McCreary have more of a tread pattern and do just fine in the rain, at least I've never had any problems with them. I've put around 22,000 miles on several sets. If I ran more at the track, the mileage would probably go down, but for around $90 a piece, you can't go wrong. If I ran the ET's like Coupe said, I would stay off the roads if it were wet.

90$ a piece?? dang! im gonna look into those then, my buddy paid 150$ a piece for these m/t's.

Reply
 

Thanks for the info on the tires. I will try them this summer. I know that I will have to do more though...... Any ideas on traction devices that work ?
What about the missing trailing arms (?) Should I replace them with aftermarket ? A friend said they don't work.

Jay

Reply
 

What are LCA's ?

Jay

Another Question
 

I was wondering what the maximum size of Mickey Thompson ET street tire will fit my application? I believe I have 15x8 rims, my research indicates that tire size 28x11.5-15 would be right?

LCA=Lower Control Arms
 

Southside Machine Co.
HPM Megabite & Megabite Jr's
Maximum Motorsports
Steeda

and many many more...

28x11.5's will work I think, i know my 26x10.5's are pretty close to the PB cable, but it fits, and looks good, the taller tire will drop your gear ratio if you need a lil more topend, and the 11.50's are wider.

What about Nitto's? I was thinking on getting a set for street tires. I have a pair of slicks for when I go to the track but I need a good pair of street tires.

E.t streets are street tires:D ....ok i know what you mean, you want a real radial, stiff wall radial, i dont think they make a radial that can hook up my car, unless i launch at idle, but that aint no fun....good luck, btw, I like the firestone firehawks, they hook good....good enough:p

Control Arms
 

I'm undecided on what to do for upper and lower control arms. I spoke with an old friend who put MAJOR bucks into his 88 GT and got some pointers. Early in the game he installed Hotchkis upper and lowers......did nothing "his words". He now has a Gregg Performance set up.

I have stock upper and lowers. I was thinking of trying the Southside Machine upper and lower lift bars and dumping the Lakewood traction bars. Any one with any experience with these ? I installed Southside sub frame connectors on a 66 427 Fairlane I had, nice product.

I figured out what is missing, its those shocks that go on the rear suspension.....whatever they are called. This is my first Mustang so I am still learning the car. I spent all last summer on the motor so thats covered off....... I got lots of excellent advice here......

Jay

Tires
 

One more question ?

I'm undecided on tire size.

MT E/T 26 x 10.5-15 or 28 x 11.5-15.

Would the 28 give me more traction, being a taller tire? Width is only .3 wider according to the Summit Catalog. 1.5 taller....... Would I hit with a taller tire ? My current tire is about the same height as the 26.

Jay

Re: Tires
 

In some cases you can slow with a taller tire, but you will get better traction, i know these 26x10.5's are not as sticky as i thought, but good when you leave like 8 psi in them:D @#%snap goes the axles:eek: j/k

Re: Reply
 

Lower Control Arms...

I run the lakewood traction action (not the slapper bars) and uppers. I run Jegs mounts on the rear end upper mounts. I lowered the upper mount holes on the car by 1 inch. I run the lakewood lowers in the bottom hole. I run adjustable shocks set to soft, for good seperation. The car barely rotates at all. I run KYB AGX struts set to soft in the front.

My class demands True Radial tires. I run BFG 265/50 15's on stock turbine wheels. I pull 1.79-1.80s 60foots. I run 8.30's average. 1/8th mile. Dynoed 227 to the wheels before adding heads and Cobra intake to a stock engine. Stock cam still there. So no major power in this car. It is driven daily 1 hour to work 1 way. Ride is a little stiff at times, but very tight and predictable. The car never ever trys to get sideways in a turn under pressure. Wet pavement is a challenge until I mount the UNI-T compound Bridgestones. Or Firehawks.

Also use a EEC tuner board to detune the engine below 3000. Well below my shift point landing. That way I can dump it hard and not have to concentrate on pedal feather. But have yet to track test it. Vericom and Gtech results look good so far. Vericom will test 60foots, but you loose the rollout and get deep staged results. I trust the Gtech et, but MPH is optimistic by a couple points, and is only good for 1/4. Vericom to any distance.