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traction

2K views 20 replies 10 participants last post by  EscortSportage 
#1 ·
so I open track my cobra on occasion. I make 635hp. Needless to say traction can be a challenge. Especially when coming out of a corner. Will a mm torque arm help much? How much? Thanks...
 
#3 ·
I'm glad to hear that. Can you please be a bit more specific? I did take the time to scrub previous posts, but nothing really hit the nail on the head.

so in terms of percentages, can I expect to see a 30% increase in traction? Does most of the improvement come from the pinion angle change and hence loading of the LCA's? Just looking to understand.

And yes I understand that the PHB will be a part of the equation, but that's just icing on the cake from the handling perspective.

thanks in advance!
 
#4 ·
It's not the pinion change exactly but most of the improvement probably comes from the change in Instant Center (tires' forces work with the suspension to plant themselves even harder) and the fact that the torque arm doesn't have to apply itself one bit to keeping the rear end located laterally, so it's free to do its job a lot better than the stock configuration. The downside is a tendency to wheel-hop under hard braking, especially if you shock the driveline with a flubbed downshift. But the upsides are so good, I had to re-learn how to drive my car, so I could quit driving around bad behavior that didn't exist anymore and take proper advantage of the different suspension.

But, it can't change the laws of physics. You'll be able to put power on a lot earlier, but only to the extent that the car's position and steering angle don't overwhelm the front tires.
 
#5 ·
What MFE said. The TA also holds the pinion angle constant, thereby preventing axle wrap (axle wind-up) under hard acceleration. Axle wrap destabilizes rear grip by causing bushing deflection, bind, wheel hop, etc.

When installing the TA you also remove the UCA's (along with adding a panhard bar or watts link). This lowers the roll center which further stabilizes the rear end.

Compared with the stock 4-link, the addition of a TA/PHB enhances rear grip somewhere between 25-50% according to my personal butt dyno. YMMV.

If you really want to improve rear grip, the TA/PHB is just a part of the equation. Tires, springs, ride height / LCA angle, swaybar (or lack thereof) also play big roles.
 
#9 ·
You will have to have the tailpipes modified. The x/h pipe will need to be modified to clear the torque arm cross member. I took my car to an offroad truck shop and let them cut and weld away on the exhaust. Diff cover should be fine. If it clears the rear sway bar, it'll clear the phb bracket.

I love my torque arm on the street. It's absolutely wonderful in the rain. FYI...my car makes half the power yours does. :rofl:
 
#15 ·
Coming out of slow 2nd gear corners I used to have to slowly roll into the throttle or go up in smoke and maybe lose the rear end. Now I just plant the throttle and hold on.

The other difference it that before if the car started to push a little I would just feed it more throttle to loosen up the rear and then the front would bite and the car would rotate. Now when it starts to push I have to ease up a little because there is no way to loosen up the rear with the throttle. I'm going to a bigger sway bar to try to move it back toward neutral. I have already gone up in rear spring rate.

TA/PHB does a great job of fixing my 1978 Fairmont.
 
#16 ·
78' fairmont. Ain't that the truth. lol

So I think I'll replace the springs all the way around as well since I have cut eibach progressives in front and sportlines in back.

Any suggestions? I don't want the 4x4 look back, but performance is predominant here. So i'll sacrific looks if I have to. Remember this is a part-time OT'er at best...

HP sports?
 
#20 ·
I can't even put into words how much of a difference my TA made for me, the car was so loose it was ridiculous, now it's got so much more traction it's crazy.

That being said, with 635 HP, you're probably still going to have traction issues.

Yep. Agreed. That's why Fat/Sticky tires won't be departing the 'equation' anytime soon...
 
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