Question: has anyone tried a kind-of 4 link rear traction setup?

juddski88

juddski88

Freedom Diesel
Jul 1, 2008
4,655
120
63
Chesterfield, Mass.
as the title suggests, I am looking to add to my Burkhard traction bar setup with some higher angle bars with hiems. I am blocked solid right now as well, 4-6" lift, e-locker, no hanging weights, damn near 8000 lbs anyways. would i increase my risk of a bent frame? I am looking to do this because I am being beat by two trucks with caltracs, one stock height, one lifted 9".
 
SmokeShow

SmokeShow

Well-known member
Nov 30, 2006
6,818
34
48
43
Lawrenceburg, KY
what makes you think that'll be the leading edge you need to beat those other trucks? I ask because I doubt you'll get any better traction, at least any worth noticing, with the addition of two more links. Tony's setup and many MANY others like it have been proven time and time again for being plenty sufficient at putting the power to the ground in the back.

What is your power compared to these two trucks you are gunning for? Do you know, at a least a general idea, of what they have for power upgrades? I mean, if you are a stock chargered truck and they have a big charge and fuel, so long as they get most of their power to the ground, you likely won't touch them.


Just trying to get a better feel for where things are here. :D


In short though, yeah, some have run 4-link rear suspensions as well as 3-link suspension. All with good results but I don't know about them being THE mod that puts them ahead or not.


C-ya
 
juddski88

juddski88

Freedom Diesel
Jul 1, 2008
4,655
120
63
Chesterfield, Mass.
the lifted truck that has been beating us by 20ft+ depending on the track/sled is a stock charger lly with PPE and had no front locker, 35" x-terrains that were half worn, until our last pull on the 1st, he was throwing a low rail pressure code and then after that pull he talked with Dan at ppe and he was sending him a "pop-off valve" he called it ??? and some new custom tunes. i also heard the only fuel mods he has done is a lift pump and shimmed valve, no pickup, no regulator mod. he has not upgraded his mouthpiece or his boost tubes. however he was claiming that he was running 4200 rpms in 3rd before hitting 4th on two of the tracks before he swapped traction bars. when he switched bars he broke a lot but lost 500 rpms and won by 12 ft, the largest margin all year.

the stock height truck is an lbz with Mcrat's race tune and 285 cooper stt's 70% worn. i haven't asked him everything he's done but i can assume he has done everything he possibly can to run with the stock charger since he is no dummy and has many more years in this community than myself or the said lly. he is running 3200-3400 rpms like we are and is quite afraid of cracking a piston.

he has won once by a couple feet in a pull-off that he pulled out of the bag but other than that the lly has been winning by a lot and has changed just his traction setup in the 4-5 pulls this year.

now i am not running a ton of hp...yet...but i am confident i am close to 500rwhp with Ironshine:lildevil: I haven't installed the lbz pump and other goodies yet.
 
juddski88

juddski88

Freedom Diesel
Jul 1, 2008
4,655
120
63
Chesterfield, Mass.
33" toyo mt's, tracks differ everytime. some are gravel, some are wet muddy clay, some are hard packed sand that loosen up after a couple runs...one is a trap dust track...one is a hard clay track that we can't touch if it sprinkles out...I am planning on running my silent armors on the trap dust track in two weeks
 
Leadfoot

Leadfoot

Needs Bigger Tires!
Dec 27, 2006
904
31
28
48
Western MA
www.matpa.org
Just to give you guys an idea of what he is running against. I'm the almost stock height truck he is referring to. I'm running the following:

Superlift add-a-leaf in the rear (maybe 1/4"-1/2" over stock height)
Rear solid blocks (which probably takes the add-a-leafs out of the equation anyways)
Cal-Tracs
Congito braces
Super Diesel sleeves
McRat tune
Stock intake and paper filter :confused:
Blocker plate and finger stick
Merchant stage IV tranny and PI triple disc
Suncoast brace
Merchant t-case pump rub fix
Kennedy dual pumps and lines
MBRP duals (no kitty or muffler)
Big bore driver's side exhaust manifold
E-Locker
H2's with very worn 265 Cooper STT's
Stock LBZ turbo (no mods)
Stock Injectors
Stock trailer hitch in the stock location

I believe that is it. If I think of anything else, I will let you know.
 
2wd_Sled_Puller

2wd_Sled_Puller

Heavy Equiment mechanic
Feb 19, 2008
1,356
0
0
Florida
juddski88 said:
33" toyo mt's, tracks differ everytime. some are gravel, some are wet muddy clay, some are hard packed sand that loosen up after a couple runs...one is a trap dust track...one is a hard clay track that we can't touch if it sprinkles out...I am planning on running my silent armors on the trap dust track in two weeks
Click to expand...



Do u have a locked ecm??
 
R

ROGUE GTS

Member
Apr 30, 2008
168
0
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By "blocked" do you mean the rear suspension bottoms out and locks itself? If so, all you need are the lower traction bars to eliminate the axle from twisting in the leaf springs.

A link rear suspension only has a traction advantage if it can move.
 
juddski88

juddski88

Freedom Diesel
Jul 1, 2008
4,655
120
63
Chesterfield, Mass.
ROGUE GTS said:
By "blocked" do you mean the rear suspension bottoms out and locks itself? If so, all you need are the lower traction bars to eliminate the axle from twisting in the leaf springs.

A link rear suspension only has a traction advantage if it can move.
Click to expand...

well i figured that even with blocks (solid and described as you did) the lower bars have stress on them (actually more so with blocks)...now a 4-link would take that stress and evenly distribute it at another point on the frame..theoretically. math and force vectors are needed to create the proper geometric design to make it work...
 
R

ROGUE GTS

Member
Apr 30, 2008
168
0
16
juddski88 said:
well i figured that even with blocks (solid and described as you did) the lower bars have stress on them...now a 4-link would take that stress and evenly distribute it at another point on the frame..theoretically. math and force vectors are needed to create the proper geometric design to make it work...
Click to expand...

Do you suspect you're getting a lot of flex out of the lower bars? Ideally, for ultimate strength you always want a tube in tension, which lower bars are not.

Are you going to stay with the leafs?

I think the easier solution would be to put a solid stop behind the blocks so when the suspension is bottomed out, if the axle tries to rotate the blocks contact something big and stops them. Would be just as effective and a lot simpler to engineer. As good as a link setup is, it's also 1000000x easier to screw it up, in which case it will be a tuning nightmare to sort out. :angel:
 
juddski88

juddski88

Freedom Diesel
Jul 1, 2008
4,655
120
63
Chesterfield, Mass.
no noticeable flex....very rugged bars....2" sched 80 pipe and tractor 3rd links.....they no doubt have tension but because they are parallel, they are not able to really flex, which is exactly why i made them that way. a higher angle bar added would theoretically transfer some of that stress farther back on the frame..therefore keeping the front end down a bit more.
 
R

ROGUE GTS

Member
Apr 30, 2008
168
0
16
juddski88 said:
no noticeable flex....very rugged bars....2" sched 80 pipe and tractor 3rd links.....they no doubt have tension but because they are parallel, they are not able to really flex, which is exactly why i made them that way. a higher angle bar added would theoretically transfer some of that stress farther back on the frame..therefore keeping the front end down a bit more.
Click to expand...

Are they under or over the axle?

If they are under the axle as most are, they are actually in compression not tension. ;)

2" schd80 will definitely get it done.
 
Texasmax

Texasmax

New member
Sep 20, 2007
99
0
0
DFW-Texas
Check your tune and make sure you are not defueling when your truck shifts. You should have plenty of traction with your setup.

What gear/4wd setting are you pulling in? Any TCM tuning?
Look at trying different tires (BFG's?). What tire pressures are you running front and back?

Dix
 
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