Latest wisdom on 5-speed wheel hop?

plev72

Registered User
I've read a couple of links that have me pretty concerned about actually getting the power to the wheels in my 5-speed. It seems almost like I'd be better off spending money on trying to get the back-end settled down and make use of the existing horsepower instead of adding horsepower that is going to get lost in wheel hop?

Thoughts? Links? etc.?

Thanks,
Paul
 
when i had my 92 5 spd.. i just lowerd the air pressure in the rear tires and it solved my wheel hop problem.. its a mixed opinion tho.. some people say that doesnt work.. i know for a fact it worked on mine..

try it.

Jesse
 
Lowered rear tire pressure at rhe track helps a lot. I drop mine to 20-22lbs in the rear and it really cuts down on the wheel hop.
 
Lowered rear tire pressure should help because it reduces the rebound in the tires.

Our wheel hop is caused by a rebound effect in the suspension and subassembly.

I.E. the tire grips, and rather than immidiatly transfering the grip into forward motion, the rubber components of the suspension and subassembly compress. The wheel moves forward, but the car doesn't. Then if the limit of traction is met, the tire breaks loose, and the compressed rubber components snap back, throwing the wheel back.

This goes back and forth and is made worse by a rubber tire that "bounces" off the pavement.

A low pressure tire is less likely to bounce and it's less likely to loose grip suddently.

Why this wheel hop is bad for 5 speeds in general is even if you avoid the hop, some of the energy that could be going to move you forward is getting transfered into the compression of the rubber components of the suspension.

thus the search for a solution that can maintain a quality ride while tighten up the rear of the car such that more energy goes to the ground rather into the suspension.
 
Hello.

I believe a solution was found to stop wheel hop on the 5 speeds. It involved a slight modification of the rear suspension. I do not know if it maintained ride quality, however. The last information I had seen about this was over on the oops; thats a rare mistake! TBSCEC.
 
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accually.. hahah.. i did give that one wrong.. its www.tbscec.com

and tccoa.com is another good place to start.. but they are geared more towards 4.6l tbirds and cats.. and ive always felt they look down at the 3.8 guys.. but thats just my opinion.
 
I've read the blow up bags that go in the coils is a big help...that cuts down on the up and down.

some say the real problem is forward and back...and there is a way to take that out completely...it's a suspension add-on....I've read it here somewhere buried in the treads.
 
It is basic physics. Wheel hop can't be caused by up and down motion because it starts when you try to spin the tires.

When you try to spin the tires they are trying to move forward and since they are attached to the car, the car moves forward.

But excess travel allowed in the suspension and the subassembly in a forward and back direction coupled by rubber bushing components creates a spring effect. The rubber is compressed, the wheel moves slightly forward, traction is lost, the rubber bounces back, throwing the wheel backwards as it slips. The tire then bites and moves forward again.

What happens is an eliptical type motion where an arc is caused between the time you gain traction and then loose traction. This is because the tire is also rubber.

Air bags help to dampen this movement, but to truly solve it you need to tighten up the suspension and the assembly that the suspension bolts to.

Many people have just tightened up the suspension and not found it would eliminate the problem. MannySC, the guy who built a inverted SC and air to water intercooler, messed with his car and changed how the assembly that mounts the suspension is mounted to the body of the car. He removed or reinforced the mounts with steel plates and eliminated the wheel hop.

He hangs around mostly at www.tbscec.com.

An excellent discussion of this issue can be found by clicking below to be brought to the thread at their website:
Wheel Hop TBSCEC Thread
 
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