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Fri Aug 29, 2008 9:50 am

ANY SUGESTIONS OF HOW CAN I IMPROVE THE TRACTION ON MY BUGY?
Now the tires slip too much. They are 225/60 15 rear. Maybe the problem is in the shock or traction bars?

Fri Aug 29, 2008 10:57 am

What rear suspension? On the street or off road? Also be aware that the better traction you get the more parts you break.

Fri Aug 29, 2008 11:16 am

In a straight line or turning????? If straight line then it sounds like just enough power :lol: :lol:

Fri Aug 29, 2008 12:28 pm

The type of tires makes a big difference too. Hard compound high mileage tires tend to grip less than soft compound high performance tires. Ever hear the Porsche owners complain about spending big bucks on a set of tires only to have to do it again in a few thousand miles? The rubber on those tires is spongey soft, resulting in a velcro-like hold onto the road.

The same thing pretty much holds true off-road. Softer tires mold themselves around things better, and resist lateral slipping. Tread pattern plays a large part in this as well. Tell us what ya got and where you drive it, and we can help!

Lee

Fri Aug 29, 2008 12:30 pm

"Also be aware that the better traction you get the more parts you break."

Good point. That's why I let my clutch be the 'weak link' as far as traction goes. Stock engine, stock clutch, P235/75 tires. If I catch a tire in a rut, the clutch will slip, hopefully saving some driveline components.

Lee

Fri Aug 29, 2008 12:51 pm

I use mickey thompson baja claws for offroad and on road. I dont get any spin. unless offroad. :lol:

Fri Aug 29, 2008 2:55 pm

Tire pressure can make a big diffrence to grip, try them on 18lb

Fri Aug 29, 2008 6:24 pm

lostinbaja wrote: What rear suspension? On the street or off road? Also be aware that the better traction you get the more parts you break.

I'm runnig rear gas shocks. I know that more grip probably cause problems, but in this case the rear tires are slipping too much.

My intention is to improve the time on 1/4 mile but with stocks tires.

What do you think about changing the relationship to compress and expand of the shocks?. Do you no how good are Competition Engineering 3-Way Adjustable Drag Racing Shocks?

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=339142

Fri Aug 29, 2008 8:03 pm

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=297577&highlight=traction+bars

Fri Aug 29, 2008 8:03 pm

morgan760 wrote: lostinbaja wrote: What rear suspension? On the street or off road? Also be aware that the better traction you get the more parts you break.

I'm runnig rear gas shocks. I know that more grip probably cause problems, but in this case the rear tires are slipping too much.

My intention is to improve the time on 1/4 mile but with stocks tires.

What do you think about changing the relationship to compress and expand of the shocks?. Do you no how good are Competition Engineering 3-Way Adjustable Drag Racing Shocks?

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=339142

Softening up the rear suspension will help with weight transfer during a hard launch , thereby adding traction to the rear. Be aware that softer shocks won't do much for you if your torsion bars are loaded too heavy already. Pull the shocks and launch it a few times, you'll know right away if it makes a difference. :wink:

Fri Aug 29, 2008 9:20 pm

Mongo63 wrote: morgan760 wrote: lostinbaja wrote: What rear suspension? On the street or off road? Also be aware that the better traction you get the more parts you break.

I'm runnig rear gas shocks. I know that more grip probably cause problems, but in this case the rear tires are slipping too much.

My intention is to improve the time on 1/4 mile but with stocks tires.

What do you think about changing the relationship to compress and expand of the shocks?. Do you no how good are Competition Engineering 3-Way Adjustable Drag Racing Shocks?

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=339142

Softening up the rear suspension will help with weight transfer during a hard launch , thereby adding traction to the rear. Be aware that softer shocks won't do much for you if your torsion bars are loaded too heavy already. Pull the shocks and launch it a few times, you'll know right away if it makes a difference. :wink:

It is no problem to launch with out shocks. Maybe I improve the traction on 1/4 mile because of the best weight tranfer?

Fri Aug 29, 2008 11:52 pm

Getting out of the hole quicker brings down your ET. :wink:

Sat Aug 30, 2008 5:16 am

If you decide to do a holeshot without shocks, just do the holeshot (especially if you are running a swingaxle). Weird things happen when you leave off the throttle at speed on a swingaxle car and they probably get more weird with no shocks.

Sat Aug 30, 2008 5:37 am

Don't spen money on high dollar shocks with street tires. All you need are the cheapest $14.95 shocks from the local auto parts store. Steel belted radial tires must stay round to work properly. Try 25-27 PSI for drag race starts.

If your tires are more then 6-8 years old they are wore out and need replaced no matter how much tread is left on them.

Do not do a smoky burnout in the water with street radial tires. Drive around the water, then dry spin the tires 1-2 turns only to clean them up.

You never said what size engine you have but if your running quicker then 15's in the 1/4 street radial tires will spin.

You might look into getting some Mickey Thompsom ET street radial tires.

Sat Aug 30, 2008 7:05 am

vwracerdave wrote: Don't spen money on high dollar shocks with street tires. All you need are the cheapest $14.95 shocks from the local auto parts store. Steel belted radial tires must stay round to work properly. Try 25-27 PSI for drag race starts.

If your tires are more then 6-8 years old they are wore out and need replaced no matter how much tread is left on them.

Do not do a smoky burnout in the water with street radial tires. Drive around the water, then dry spin the tires 1-2 turns only to clean them up.

You never said what size engine you have but if your running quicker then 15's in the 1/4 street radial tires will spin.

You might look into getting some Mickey Thompsom ET street radial tires.

Thanks for the answer, what do you mean cheapest shocks? Hidraulic are better than gas shocks?

The buggy (1500 lbs) is running in the 14's mild but with serious traction problems. The engine is a 90.5x78, 40x37 valves, dual 48 ida, fk-8 cam, msd 6a, 1 5/8" merged exhaust and the tires are new.

What time can I expect for this combo on 1/4 mile?

Sun Aug 31, 2008 1:10 pm

I went with mickey thompson sportsman pro's 26 tall 10.5 wide 15" rims. I had a problem with spin also. 1st & 2nd were useless & I drove sideways most of the way threw 3rd. The mickeys fixed that problem. The ET streets are supposed to hook as good as the pro's. The Mickey I blocks hook real good, but ball up real bad & you have to swap the tires all the time. I run 16 LBS in the sportsmans. Look into limiting straps for the front. Helps keep the front down once you fix the traction problem. My manx went 13.20's all day long on the mickeys at the track. With a 40 shot of NOS it dropped to 11.40's with 1.4 60 foots. The motor was a 1914cc with IDA's

Sun Aug 31, 2008 7:24 pm

manxracer1 wrote: I went with mickey thompson sportsman pro's 26 tall 10.5 wide 15" rims. I had a problem with spin also. 1st & 2nd were useless & I drove sideways most of the way threw 3rd. The mickeys fixed that problem. The ET streets are supposed to hook as good as the pro's. The Mickey I blocks hook real good, but ball up real bad & you have to swap the tires all the time. I run 16 LBS in the sportsmans. Look into limiting straps for the front. Helps keep the front down once you fix the traction problem. My manx went 13.20's all day long on the mickeys at the track. With a 40 shot of NOS it dropped to 11.40's with 1.4 60 foots. The motor was a 1914cc with IDA's

Many thanks for your advice. Should I'll take out the sway bars for better weight transfer?

Sun Aug 31, 2008 9:53 pm

yes take them out. A bar to go across the top of the shock towers (there's already bolt holes there) will help with wheel hop once you get traction. If you decide to race where you need to turn put them back in. My manx is the one in the thread 2442cc turbo street manx.

Mon Sep 01, 2008 7:48 pm

It's incredible how is the traction now. I changed the rear shocks to ones softer and go down with the tire pressure to 18 lbs. I bring some pics of my buggy.
Thanks to all.

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