swinky
New member
How come caltracs aren't popular over here. I need traction bars and I like the price but they aren't near as popular as a standard traction bar. What's the pros and cons?
Caltracs
- Thread starter swinky
- Start date
swinky
New member
Balls, I'll look into those.
Kind
Active member
- Joined
- May 18, 2011
- Messages
- 1,498
- Reaction score
- 1
I've had no issues with my Caltracs.
JDub
Active member
Owned two sets of Cal Tracs, one set on a 2wd 7.3L, now a set on my 4wd Duramax. Been extremely happy with them, install kind of sucks, but they work well.
I haven't really looked into them myself, but a buddy of mine did and I know he was worried about ground clearance offroad with the cal-tracs. It seems as long as you stay on pavement and plan on drag racing at all, cal-tracs are the tits.
swinky
New member
Well caltracs it is. Any of yall have experience with strapping a leaf spring truck? I need to get my 60 down. Cutting 1.94 right now with 325/60r18 toyo at2s at around 55psi.
swinky
New member
Yeah just hopping like a mofo. Front shocks are slap worn out so I'm sure that's hurting me.
fordman2121
New member
I've got the caltracs on my 2wd 6.4 and love them! Once it grabs 2nd gear it will just chirp the tires and then grab and go. I pulled out of my dads drive and hammered it and dad called me almost right away and couldn't believe the amount the front lifts and the truck just bites(no it didn't lift the tires). But on the excursion I made a set of traditional bars as it doesn't have traction issues. I agree if sticking more on the street caltracs but sled pulling or off-roading traditional bars.
HOLDERDOWN
New member
Thinking about getting some for my Excursion....can't decide tho
Bosshawg600
New member
Ive always been wondering why people hate CalTrac's over here too..... I need some bars something bad, but I don't ever plan to sled pull and hardly ever go off road other than some really crappy gravel roads. So I don't 100% see the need for some super heavy duty, super expensive bars, just something to kill daily driving axle wrap.........
Simple opperation of caltracs doesnt totally get rid of the wrap, it uses axle wrap to drive the axle into the ground, that's why there is that lever on the spring eye. IMHO unless you are trying to get better 60 foot times you shouldn't really run them. I'm sure there are plenty that will argue with me but that's how I see it. Plus I've heard they can be noisy
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
91turbogsx
Active member
I agree. I have a set on the 6.4. I don't think I'll run a set again in the future. They do not like ANY articulation at all it seems like. And they are very noisy unless you put some rubber hose over the pin that hits the top of the leaf spring and then it quiets them down a bit.
fordman2121
New member
The one downfall on the caltracs is that they also stiffin the suspension if you run them tight. Mine aren't loud since I keep preload on them.
swinky
New member
Cheap and light would be another plus
Powerstroked162
On Da Juice
I've seen Caltracs launch the rear end of a 4x4 truck a foot off the ground at the strip. Carnage was knarly.
.
From the reading I have done, confirmed by dockboy is that most people actually run them too tight.
Caltracs are really made for transbrake cars, when you launch there is no load on the suspension so the pre load is set for that.
Now on a 4wd your boosted and the suspension is pre-loaded if you don't set it for launch state it will never work right.
There are 9 sec door cars cutting 1.3, 60 foot times no problem. Split Mono leaf, adjustable rear shocks ect, they work great but as a slap on drive down the road... not so much... sure they work but it's not the same intention we are taking about.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
Caltracs are really made for transbrake cars, when you launch there is no load on the suspension so the pre load is set for that.
Now on a 4wd your boosted and the suspension is pre-loaded if you don't set it for launch state it will never work right.
There are 9 sec door cars cutting 1.3, 60 foot times no problem. Split Mono leaf, adjustable rear shocks ect, they work great but as a slap on drive down the road... not so much... sure they work but it's not the same intention we are taking about.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
JDub
Active member
I agree Dustin. Think there is more to it than meets the eye. However, in design, I think they are a true 'traction' bar, as the axle tries to wrap the caltrac can actually put additional downward force on the axle aiding in traction. Regular bars just prevent axle wrap, nothing more. But like Steve said, in some applications they don't seem to work that great. Whether it was too much pre-load, or just the suspensions unloading and loading under such hard acceleration, no one really knows, but it was violent.
The Cal-Tracs made my lowly 450hp 2wd truck at least a little bit useful on the street. Without them it would just spin until you lifted, with them it would just chirp tires on the shifts, but then they'd plant and go. Money well spent.
The Cal-Tracs made my lowly 450hp 2wd truck at least a little bit useful on the street. Without them it would just spin until you lifted, with them it would just chirp tires on the shifts, but then they'd plant and go. Money well spent.
