car just stopped hooking?? i changed nothing, dont' know where to start
10-12-2008, 04:31 PM
#1
10 Second Club
Thread Starter
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: hatboro, pa
Posts: 1,284
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
car just stopped hooking?? i changed nothing, dont' know where to start i'll start with the suspension/tire setup.
mt 255-50-16" drag radial
thick rear swaybar
non-adjustable bmr tq arm
poly bushings on swaybar, tq arm, transmission.
junk shocks, stock springs.
car did consistent 1.45 60's a couple months back- then it seemed the tires/car just stopped hooking. last couple times to the track or on the street it literally blows the tires off, no matter how much i heat them. i dialed the n20 back on the launch and it hooked on a 1.6X 60' but it used to hook with no problems.
i might start with the stock lower control arms in the rear, maybe one of them is bent or one of the bushings is shot.
or im going to try out the HOOSIER drag radial tires- as it seemed i have a problem with mickey thompson drag radials after they are on the car for a couple months. almost like the compound doesn't like to be street driven, and they stop gripping like they should.
ANY SUGGESTIONS OR OPINIONS APPRECIATED
main question why would it just STOP being able to get good traction when nothing (that i know of) changed???
and i KNOW if i buy 1000$$ worth of shocks and springs and adjustable everything it might hook again but it used to hook just fine the way it sits. im not going to throw $ at it if it doesn't need it.
mt 255-50-16" drag radial
thick rear swaybar
non-adjustable bmr tq arm
poly bushings on swaybar, tq arm, transmission.
junk shocks, stock springs.
car did consistent 1.45 60's a couple months back- then it seemed the tires/car just stopped hooking. last couple times to the track or on the street it literally blows the tires off, no matter how much i heat them. i dialed the n20 back on the launch and it hooked on a 1.6X 60' but it used to hook with no problems.
i might start with the stock lower control arms in the rear, maybe one of them is bent or one of the bushings is shot.
or im going to try out the HOOSIER drag radial tires- as it seemed i have a problem with mickey thompson drag radials after they are on the car for a couple months. almost like the compound doesn't like to be street driven, and they stop gripping like they should.
ANY SUGGESTIONS OR OPINIONS APPRECIATED
main question why would it just STOP being able to get good traction when nothing (that i know of) changed???and i KNOW if i buy 1000$$ worth of shocks and springs and adjustable everything it might hook again but it used to hook just fine the way it sits. im not going to throw $ at it if it doesn't need it.
10-12-2008, 06:43 PM
#5
10 Second Club
Thread Starter
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: hatboro, pa
Posts: 1,284
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
radial like to NOT be in the groove?
it was DEAD hooking in march, i was just looking at a couple old slips. went it's fastest in late march. track temps would've been a lot cooler then.
one thing i noticed while thinking about everything is im having trouble doing my burnout anymore-i get the tires nice and wet-but it's like the car doesn't want to spin the tires fast, and when i get em going fast in 2nd gear the car kicks out to the driver's side in the rear and im facing the wall when im done. i don't remember the car EVER doing this before.
this could back up the lca theory, since if the driver's side bushing/arm is trashed, it is giving under load and therfore making the rear turn a little bit. i can see this during the burnout with the rear kicking out and if it gives when i flash the converter out of the hole it could cause the whole rear to shift a little bit and break traction..
forgot the car has an adjustable PHB that i havn't touched in years.
it was DEAD hooking in march, i was just looking at a couple old slips. went it's fastest in late march. track temps would've been a lot cooler then.
one thing i noticed while thinking about everything is im having trouble doing my burnout anymore-i get the tires nice and wet-but it's like the car doesn't want to spin the tires fast, and when i get em going fast in 2nd gear the car kicks out to the driver's side in the rear and im facing the wall when im done. i don't remember the car EVER doing this before.
this could back up the lca theory, since if the driver's side bushing/arm is trashed, it is giving under load and therfore making the rear turn a little bit. i can see this during the burnout with the rear kicking out and if it gives when i flash the converter out of the hole it could cause the whole rear to shift a little bit and break traction..
forgot the car has an adjustable PHB that i havn't touched in years.
10-12-2008, 09:30 PM
#6
radial like to NOT be in the groove?
it was DEAD hooking in march, i was just looking at a couple old slips. went it's fastest in late march. track temps would've been a lot cooler then.
one thing i noticed while thinking about everything is im having trouble doing my burnout anymore-i get the tires nice and wet-but it's like the car doesn't want to spin the tires fast, and when i get em going fast in 2nd gear the car kicks out to the driver's side in the rear and im facing the wall when im done. i don't remember the car EVER doing this before.
this could back up the lca theory, since if the driver's side bushing/arm is trashed, it is giving under load and therfore making the rear turn a little bit. i can see this during the burnout with the rear kicking out and if it gives when i flash the converter out of the hole it could cause the whole rear to shift a little bit and break traction..
forgot the car has an adjustable PHB that i havn't touched in years.
it was DEAD hooking in march, i was just looking at a couple old slips. went it's fastest in late march. track temps would've been a lot cooler then.
one thing i noticed while thinking about everything is im having trouble doing my burnout anymore-i get the tires nice and wet-but it's like the car doesn't want to spin the tires fast, and when i get em going fast in 2nd gear the car kicks out to the driver's side in the rear and im facing the wall when im done. i don't remember the car EVER doing this before.
this could back up the lca theory, since if the driver's side bushing/arm is trashed, it is giving under load and therfore making the rear turn a little bit. i can see this during the burnout with the rear kicking out and if it gives when i flash the converter out of the hole it could cause the whole rear to shift a little bit and break traction..
forgot the car has an adjustable PHB that i havn't touched in years.
An Adjustible tq arm is another thing id toss on there.
Trending Topics
10-13-2008, 03:53 PM
#8
10 Second Club
Thread Starter
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: hatboro, pa
Posts: 1,284
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
the tires have 1/2 of the tread left on them... i had a theory that mickey thompson changed the compound of the tires slightly so they would wear better and not hook as well- the first 2 sets i had hooked better than the last 2 i've had and im pretty sure the first 2 sets wore faster. just a theory though.
the hoosier drag radials im speaking of are 255-50-16, 26" tire same as the mickey thompsons i run. if i change tire size i should either loosen up the converter (which is what i want to do anyway) or gear it up. it may get at 28" tire on it again but it's pretty much perfect the way it sits with gear/tire/converter right now on n20.
adjustable tq arm why?? the one i have is preset at -2 and worked fine for a while, i guess i could see how adjustability could help if it NEVER hooked but remember- the car DID work just fine for a while.
im gonna throw lca's w/ relocation brackets on it soon- then see what happens. if it isn't that i guess next thing is struts. sucks having to spend $$ but if it don't hook it don't hook
the hoosier drag radials im speaking of are 255-50-16, 26" tire same as the mickey thompsons i run. if i change tire size i should either loosen up the converter (which is what i want to do anyway) or gear it up. it may get at 28" tire on it again but it's pretty much perfect the way it sits with gear/tire/converter right now on n20.
adjustable tq arm why?? the one i have is preset at -2 and worked fine for a while, i guess i could see how adjustability could help if it NEVER hooked but remember- the car DID work just fine for a while.
im gonna throw lca's w/ relocation brackets on it soon- then see what happens. if it isn't that i guess next thing is struts. sucks having to spend $$ but if it don't hook it don't hook
10-17-2008, 08:10 PM
#10
If the rear isn'st square that can cause the rotation too. Posi unit going is another cause.
Not enough water in the burnout box, I've had my car kick out because one side had more water then the other, that's with a spool in the car too.
m/t did change the compound and the new ones are harder then the old ones, but peole are still going fast on the new ones so I dunno about that. If you heat cycled the tires too many times that could cause them to harden up some and not work as well too.
One thing I can tell you about radials, if they don't work/hook, they don't recover for **** like a bias ply tire, and unless you have to run them for a class I wouldn't bother.
I know you supposedly can go faster on them, but until I do, it's just a theory IMO.
Not enough water in the burnout box, I've had my car kick out because one side had more water then the other, that's with a spool in the car too.
m/t did change the compound and the new ones are harder then the old ones, but peole are still going fast on the new ones so I dunno about that. If you heat cycled the tires too many times that could cause them to harden up some and not work as well too.
One thing I can tell you about radials, if they don't work/hook, they don't recover for **** like a bias ply tire, and unless you have to run them for a class I wouldn't bother.
I know you supposedly can go faster on them, but until I do, it's just a theory IMO.
10-19-2008, 02:30 PM
#11
10 Second Club
Thread Starter
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: hatboro, pa
Posts: 1,284
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
i was doing some burnouts yesterday messing around in front of a friend's shop and no sign of the posi doing anything wierd. 2 solid black marks starting and stopping at the same point. that's one of the first things i thought and i guess it could be slipping a little under severe load but i dont' think i'll ever know until it completly goes.
10-19-2008, 02:39 PM
#12
10 Second Club
Thread Starter
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: hatboro, pa
Posts: 1,284
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If the rear isn'st square that can cause the rotation too. Posi unit going is another cause.
Not enough water in the burnout box, I've had my car kick out because one side had more water then the other, that's with a spool in the car too.
m/t did change the compound and the new ones are harder then the old ones, but peole are still going fast on the new ones so I dunno about that. If you heat cycled the tires too many times that could cause them to harden up some and not work as well too.
One thing I can tell you about radials, if they don't work/hook, they don't recover for **** like a bias ply tire, and unless you have to run them for a class I wouldn't bother.
I know you supposedly can go faster on them, but until I do, it's just a theory IMO.
Not enough water in the burnout box, I've had my car kick out because one side had more water then the other, that's with a spool in the car too.
m/t did change the compound and the new ones are harder then the old ones, but peole are still going fast on the new ones so I dunno about that. If you heat cycled the tires too many times that could cause them to harden up some and not work as well too.
One thing I can tell you about radials, if they don't work/hook, they don't recover for **** like a bias ply tire, and unless you have to run them for a class I wouldn't bother.
I know you supposedly can go faster on them, but until I do, it's just a theory IMO.
i like radials because i drive the car around all of the time. it is an honest to god street-car, so im trying to avoid a bias-ply swaying scary highway ride. i hear ya on the recovery factor and maybe i'll step up to a HOOSIER QTP next season but im trying to avoid a bias ply.
just frustrating because those mt drag radials were the ****- and were probably compensating for my stock shitty suspension. now i gotta go back to the drawing board and see how much i wanna change the setup.
maybe put more converter in it, and go to a 28" tire (hoosier qtp or mt makes their drag radial in that size for my wheel) and maybe a little more gear. think i hurt the sprag (again) so the trans is gonna come out over the winter anyway.
thanks for all the suggestions everybody. keep em' coming