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wheelie bars 48" or 60"

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Old 12-14-2008, 11:06 PM
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Default wheelie bars 48" or 60"

What is the big difference between the 48" versions and the 60" versions??? and yeah I know 12 inches.... LOL

I want to know IF I decide to go ahead and buy wheelie bars which ones my car would benefit more from. I'm trying to figure out the pros and cons of both. will the 48" let the car comes up higher? do I need to box the bumper to make the 60's fit???? What ones are better for a car leaving hard on spray? I want whatever will help 60' times and keep the front end down but not unload the slicks at the same time.....

Anybody got any ideas????
Old 12-14-2008, 11:08 PM
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A shorter bar will let the nose come up higher but wont give as much. The longer bar will flex more to help keep the car from bouncing and unloading.
Old 12-15-2008, 03:50 PM
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I wouldn't see why you'd need bars on your setup (and you can't use them anyway for most stock suspension classes).
Old 12-15-2008, 03:56 PM
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Originally Posted by FastBlackTA
I wouldn't see why you'd need bars on your setup (and you can't use them anyway for most stock suspension classes).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcXy870m2hc
Old 12-15-2008, 04:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Camaro396
LOL...yup he needs them
Old 12-15-2008, 04:10 PM
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I'm running 64" bars. The long bars you may need to cut away some of the bumoer while some of the shorter ones you can get away without any modifications to the bumper. I believe longer wheelie bars are better. Madman suggested the same thing to me.
Old 12-15-2008, 04:35 PM
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No, he doesn't.

I've done the same wheelstand stuff, but eventually got down to a 1.29 60' on radials lifting the front maybe 6-8"

Just takes practice.
Old 12-15-2008, 05:11 PM
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yea..... practice and $$$$$$$$$$ after destroying ur car.... he needs wheelie bars if he wants to play it safe.... which i would if i were him... lots of $$ invested in that car whynot protect it and ur life?
Old 12-15-2008, 05:12 PM
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Wheelie bars are used mainly as a tuning tool, Get the car dialed in and take them off, thats what I always do
Old 12-15-2008, 05:21 PM
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I'd rather have them and not destroy my car while figuring things out.
Old 12-15-2008, 05:21 PM
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good point 1999 and camaro
Old 12-15-2008, 07:09 PM
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wen dont have any stock suspension racing out here really, so we are just trying to go fast without hurting stuff, plus our tracks suck prep wise, yea we can get it to leave great without them but why not use them if we can and want?

personal choice i guess
Old 12-15-2008, 08:58 PM
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go with the longer bars. your going to ahve to notch into the bumper a bit but its going to benefit you in the long run.
Old 12-16-2008, 08:04 AM
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Have you tried MADMANS travel limiter's yet? I am cutting 1.29 60's on drag radials and only lifting the car about 12". I added them after smashing the oil pan and a set of save your *** bars. They are a lot cheaper than a $600+ set of bars. And want add much weight to your car. I usually run mine in the second whole up from the bottom.
Old 12-16-2008, 08:40 AM
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I run the shorter bars. I like the shorter one's because they allow the car to come up in the front more and get that weight transfer just right. I usually race at etown (which is not known for their track prep) and getting the front end up and all the weight on the rear is key to hooking there. I also have travel limiters and adjust them along with the shocks to help keep from coming up on the bars too hard an unloading the tires but if I'm not up on the bars-I'm not 60ing well-that's just how my car works.
Your car's front end gets up there good from looking at your vid-I would definately get bars on that before you take her out again.
Old 12-16-2008, 09:47 AM
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Totaly agree with tektrans; Spring/shock, limiter adjustment followed by wheely bar adjustment.
Ive had several 4 link cars including the one in my Avatar with the short bars, and by the time I was done tuning the car was "just" touching the bars on launch, so there was no need to try anything longer. Unless you absolutely need them the short bars are far less cumbersome to deal with.
Old 12-16-2008, 11:52 AM
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thanks guys for all the inputs... I know that I don't necessarily NEED the bars to stop wheelstands.... Right now we are pulling timing out of the car to get it to stop wheelstands IN ADDITION to travel limiters. Yes, you heard that right, limiters were ont he car in that video and were set not super tight but tight enough. I'd say they were limiting the front end to about 2.5 to 3" of travel. Also we were leaving on the brake at like 11-12 degrees of timing!!!!! Either the front end is extremely light or the car just flat out hooks and goes to the sky.... the tires do not rotate even ONE revolution....

As cam said we don't have **** for stock suspension racing out here nor do we have a drag radial class (other than the PSCA 275 radial class) which I don't see myself competing in anytime soon cause of my work schedule and the economy.

My intention is to put wheelie bars on the car and be able to turn the timing back up to where we run it for the spray at like 24 degrees instead of 11..... even though the car has cut 1.38 60' times it would probably go 1.28 with full timing. I am shooting for the nitrous LT1 world record and feel that we can easily pick up another tenth or so NOT limiting power off the line since we are not class racing....

on another note what you can't see in that video is how crossed up the car got when it came down. I damn near wadded it into the wall. It bent the steering rack, destroyed the SYA bars, nicked the trans pan and header collectors and i'm not sure or not yet whether it bent the rims as I still have to have them spun. Yes I can get the car to stop wheelstanding without them, but at what cost????? Multiple trips to the track at 500 bucks per trip? Possibility of putting the car into the wall??? flipping the car over? I am not racing in a specific class so the wheelie bars being on there for the record means nothing. I can always remove them if I want to class race... I do intend to do some testing PRIOR to putting them on there because my tuner and I think we might have a fix that doesn't involve the bars.... But I'm trying to do my research now....
Old 12-17-2008, 03:57 PM
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Jason I have mine so I don't tear up the car. They install in 5 minutes and un-install in 5 minutes. No big deal! Kinda like having insurance.
Old 12-17-2008, 04:26 PM
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Yeah I saw yours on your car Tony and I like the setup..... I want to see what your car does on them when you hit the big giganta-shot and it goes up on em... Cuz some have told me that torque arm f-bodies don't take too well to slamming down on wheelie bars and that it unloads the suspension pretty easily...

I'm also contemplating a tubular front end with a weight box like alot of the "no wheelie bar" outlaw drag radial guys are running....

I could always go powerglide and eliminate my problems altogether but I don't want to start changing stuff when i'm so close to my goal of 8's....
Old 12-17-2008, 04:28 PM
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Mine are spring loaded which takes off some of the force of hitting them hard.


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