Pull the trigger?

[carguy502]

Ok, I need to be talked into or out of re-doing my rear suspension.

I have a 69 nova with hotchkis rear leafs and edelbrock shocks. It wheel hops like a mother with only a 300 hp Gen-I L98, 3.42s and 255-45 R17 tires. The car is daily driven in Los Angeles (read: crappy roads).

How do I stop this wheel hop? The G-Bar is cool, as is the TCI 4 link, but the cost is somewhat prohibitive for me, as is the install time required. I am also considering cal-tracs, but want to avoid the "fun" handling characteristics of slapper bars on a car that goes canyon carving or to the occasional auto-X.

Do I go crazy and call up Frank for a G-bar or can a better answer be arrived at?

Humbly,
Don

[Hotchkis]

Hi Don,

There are a few things you can try before you pull the trigger on an all-new rear setup. When do you have wheel hop, only when you're doing a full launch at the drag strip, or every time you get on it?

Our leafs have a ¾ length overload spring that helps control axle wrap, while still offering good ride and handling. This system is typically effective up to 400 HP. We've done extensive testing and haven't found wheel hop to be a problem in most cars with the power numbers you're talking about, but have found that tire pressure, wheel size and even shock valving can make a big difference.

Try dropping your tire pressure about 5lbs and see if that makes a difference, it will tell us a lot and help diagnose the problem.

[David Pozzi]

Remove any rubber or poly pads on the leaf springs, they allow a lot of flex you don't really want. Make sure the leaf center bolt head has a place to go. If your axle was a mono leaf, you need either a spacer plate or different perch that has room for the bolt head.
David

[carguy502]

Kool, Thanks, guys! I'll have plenty of chances to mess around tire pressures when I go to L.A. Invasion in Fontana. The axle is solidly mounted, so that part is eliminated. Do you guys reccomend a shock (non-adjustable) for this app, or should I just go QA1 or varishock?