How to get rid of wheel hop?

x182dan

Registered User
Okay I was told by an experienced SC guy that no matter what I do I will have wheel hop when I convert my 1994SC auto to 5spd. Its gonna have a 331stroker motor with every bolt on in the book so it will be pushing some decent power. Does that kit they sell on MN12Peformance for $400 work or is that just wasted money? I don't really wanna break anything but I wanna have some fun and do the occasional burnout and whatnot so is there anything that I could do that would almost guarentee no wheel hop?
 
Stuff that Doesn't Work (totally)

I'll let the "I Know Everything About Everything" guy tell you what he hasn't done to his SC.

Stuff I've tried:
(1) Huge Sway Bars. They're GREAT, but do nothing for wheel hop on IRS cars.
(2) Air Bags for the rear coils. Works for solid axle cars, but not IRS.
(3) Poly Diff. Bushings. Great if your rubber bushings are worn. A changing pinion angle doesn't cause wheel hop in an IRS car.
(4) IRS Pinion Brace. Good Mod, & helped some.
(5) 3.27 gears. Helped the most, but not totally. Probably cuz you're into higher RPM's faster.
(6) Late Model tranny. Helped some. Must be the 3.42 first gear, which Should work against #5.
(7) Auburn Cone diff. Didn't help at all, but at least it isn't a MD Trac-Loc!
(8) Rear ARC Firm, Front ARC Soft. What everybody says to do.
(9) Rear ARC Soft, Front ARC Firm. Allows front to rise & stay up.
(10) More weight in the trunk. No Change, except slower time.
(11) Less weight in the trunk. No Change, not much to remove!
(12) Softer tire compound. Helped some.
(13) More air in rear tires. Had to at least TRY it!
(14) Less air in rear tires. 20 psi helped some.
(15) Poly Rear Diff. Mount. Helped alot, but not 100%.

I haven't tried full drag slicks yet, but I think they'll help a lot.

I'll let the "Know It All" guy tell you what is probably the cure. I don't want to steal his thunder, because he'll start callin' me bad names again.

68COUGAR
 
Last edited:
Rubber Bushings

Tickler said:
I think rubber bushings are wear its at.
Do you mean the large rubber rear subframe bushings, the rubber diff. bushings, or the rubber rear diff. mount?

I can see it now! The "Know It All" guy is gonna call you bad names too!!!!

68COUGAR
 
Last edited:
If you mean those hockey pucks holding the suspension to the car, and those three parts holding the diff to the suspension then yes. I had wheel hop once, but I had a bad diff bushing, so I replaced it with an oem part, fixed it.

I'll take the Pepsi challenge with those poly bushings any day of the week. I can even send a video showing the rubber bushings, then a burnout in progress.
 
Ever stood around while your alignment guy checked the specs on the rear end? A little bird told me that the eccentric bushing in the rear upper control arm eventually can't be adjusted back to spec. Also, most places don't believe that we've got a fully adjustable rear alignment.

The most common cause for wheel hop in Thunderbirds in general is the fact that the bushings in the rear end are, at the youngest, 8 years old. What does this mean? Dry rot. Basically, the things that keep the suspension from shifting when under heavy acceleration or cornering load, are rotting out from under you.

The most commonly destroyed bushings in our rear suspension are the front and rear differential mounts. Poly bushings are a god-send here. Replacing those two bushings can make a world of difference in your wheel-hop. Another place poly make a world of difference are in the rear knuckles and LCAs.

My LX had god-aweful wheel hop, and from what I was told by some SC guys, wheelhop isn't supposed to exist in AT cars. (Though I know a lot of people that would argue that.) At any rate, the theory was that worn or totally destroyed bushings were allowing some part of the rear suspension to shift when it was being put under sudden load (drag-launching and my 1-2 shift). If the suspension is moving, it's releasing all of the stored energy that it was using to hold the wheels to the ground and they start bouncing. If your wheels are hopping, your bushings are toast or your alignment is out. Or quite possibly both.
 
well

I was the one that told him that hell likely have to battle wheel hop regardless of the suspension work he does-ive tried most everything, with varying levels of success, but none eliminating wheel hop altogether. PLUS the fact that hes converting to a 5 speed, early model trans WITH 3:73 gears-AND a 331 STROKER small block?!!? I really dont see too many people that are going to argue that wheel hop, in his case, is going to be easily cured, if its even possible. Im not sure if 68 cougar thinks ive insulted him in the past or ? maybe thinks the "know everyone guy" is someone else, but ive never made that claim-lol-In my opinion, the best chance you have is:

poly differential bushings-both the 4 that mount the diff to the cradle, and the one at the rear that mounts to the rear cover

all new bushings in the rear control arms-especially if your cars got over 100k

milder gearing-373s with 5 speeds going to be rough

and regardless of what 68cougar recomends, Ive had decent success with airbags installed in both rear coil springs

with the power youre going to be making-wheel hop will surely cause something to break-ive shattered an output shaft, tailshaft, and broken a few axles with wheel hop. point being-be prepared for a battle if you stick with your planned configuration.
 
Tickler said:
If you mean those hockey pucks holding the suspension to the car, and those three parts holding the diff to the suspension then yes. I had wheel hop once, but I had a bad diff bushing, so I replaced it with an oem part, fixed it.

I'll take the Pepsi challenge with those poly bushings any day of the week. I can even send a video showing the rubber bushings, then a burnout in progress.

I don't believe that replacing the bushings with OEM parts will solve the wheel hop (axle wrap) issue. I have owned my 89 5-speed SC since day one when everything was brand spanking new and it has had that problem since day one, especially in low traction situations, like wet roads.
 
I think that a significant contributor to wheel hop is the geometry of our upper control arm. The lowers are large and flat and resist fore/aft movement and twist pretty well, but the uppers do not. If you have had your spindles off, you know that you can grab ahold of the upper control arm and move it about an inch back and forth with the power of your arm. This movement allows the spindle to twist around the lower control arm and causes a flex forward which when it comes to it's end, will snap back and act as wheel hop. Stiffening the differential mounts help significantly but wheel hop will still occur unless you can take the flex out of the control arms. I have heard of guys getting good results from welding a "quad shock" from a fox body Mustang onto the upper control arm and then back to the frame. I would like to try a solid link from the upper diagonally back to the frame as close to the axis of the upper control arm as possible yet back behind the rear springs. This would keep the uppers solid. With the control arms held solid and the differential held solid, wheel hop should be eliminated.
 
Wheel HOP

Well I have a 5-speed that with street tires does wheel hop at the track. But with the drag slicks on...... not a bit of hop.. and I have left at around 2500 and have ran 1.90 60 ft times.... This was with my car running real fat though... hoping for better times when I get it fine tuned there by Dalke. :D
 
Driving skill is the best way to avoid wheel hop. :p I've done many a good burnout with my 5spd. Stock suspension and all.
 
Sorry, I didint mean to bag on anyone with that pepsi challenge comment, I was just implying that rubber bushings dont cause wheel hop. I understand the poly bushings thing, and if I was doing a rebuild, I would seriously consider them. I like mn12performance, and all the others, they sell great stuff, but if your driving your SC for occasional fun, and daily drive to work, technique and tires are your best friend.
 
Back
Top