Traction issues

375inStroke said

The back definitely should not drop. Weight transfer--yes. Front lift--yes. If the back drops, it's because the differential is lifting, thus lifting the tires off the ground. That's the last thing you want for traction. Look closely at real race cars with stock type rear suspensions. The rear of the car lifts too. SS springs of the correct weight for your car and a properly adjusted pinion snubber are the easy way to do it. Cal-tracs are another way to prevent the front from wrapping up and the right from lifting.

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375inStroke is right. The quality is defined "Anti-squat" or "rise" depending on who you ask. I prefer "Anti-squat" because its easier to understand what its doing. The axle torque is converted to lever force that pushes the rear end into the ground, artificially loading the rear tires(making them think they have more weight on them and therefor creating more traction) and at the same time "lifting" the rear of the car. This is what the caltracs do, and why they help traction. SS springs also are designed to produce "Anti-squat". Mopar suggests 2-3" of "rise" for a street/strip drag car, meaning at launch the rear should raise 2-3" from static height. The only problem with high "Anti-squat" values is that its almost impossible to get roll-understeer, so it can feel like the rear is "sliding" out from under you during hard cornering. Hence the reason I asked what you were wanting to do with your car.

If anyone doesn't understand this I'd be glad to try to explain it in more detail.

Hope this helps,

Benjamin Kadron