Traction Bars

Traction bars have been around for a long time. They are great for reducing or preventing wheel hop and spring wrap-up on cars with rear leaf springs, especially in drag racing situations. Not only do they add to the performance aspect of the car, but also these chrome traction bars look great on the car.

How They Work
Here's how they work: Under normal driving they give a little firmer ride, but under hard acceleration the front of the bars come up and the snubbers come in contact with the leaf springs. This action stiffens the springs and puts more power to the tires, which causes less spring or rear end twist, and more traction on the ground.


The distance from the snubber to the spring can be adjusted by moving the bar back and forth and by moving the snubber from one of the three mounting holes provided to one of the other holes. The more gap between the snubber and the spring, the slower but more aggressively the bar reacts. Less gap means the bar reacts more quickly but less aggressively. In drag racing situations, there usually isn't any gap between the spring and the snubber. This way, the traction bar is working as soon as you get on the gas.

Safe Installation
These universal traction bars will fit most, if not all, older cars with rear leaf springs. For installation, safety is a concern anytime you are jacking up a car and crawling under it. Use heavy-duty jack stands and always remember to block the front wheels. Work on level ground. Keep in mind that the parking brake is attached to the rear wheels, so when you raise the rear wheels there is no longer a parking brake, which is why you should block the front wheels.


Once you've safely installed your traction bars, try a few quick acceleration runs to determine the best setting for the rubber snubbers and your driving style. After you get the bars dialed in, you're ready for some traction action!