Cal Trac Bar Installation In Arizona
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Pinion angle is the key. Once you have the traction bars installed you'll want you pinion angle to be negative 2.5 to negative 3-5 degrees.
Ideally, both driveshaft-operating angles will be 1 to 3 degrees. Anything over 3 degrees at the rear axle will shorten your universal joint's life and could create vibration. If your angle is larger than 3 degrees, you must make sure not to exceed the max driveshaft RPM as shown on this Spicer table.
Most driveline companies recommend operating angles of 3° or less for maximum u-joint life. There should be a minimum of ½° to allow the needles to rotate. The higher the operating angle, the more likely your vehicle will develop a vibration at high driveshaft speeds.
We suggest a pinion angle to be between -2 to -4 degrees when used with CalTracs.
Either way, you are ultimately looking for pinion angles of 1-2 degrees above the drive shaft angle in the front and 1-2 below drive shaft angle in the back. Theoretically zero is perfect, but the offset allows for axle wrap (twist) under power.
The pivot at the front leaf eyelet then forces the pin riding on top of the springs downward into the spring pack itself. This downward force of the pin on the leaf springs causes down force on the entire axle assembly and pushes your tires down onto the pavement/dirt.
These traction bars are also very easy to and don't solidly attach to the front of the spring or the chassis, so they won't cause bind or abnormal suspension reaction during normal street driving.
Sway bars typically come on your truck stock. They keep the truck from swaying when you corner and other things. Traction bars keep the rear axle, driveline, and even the tranny happy. Just watch the videos above.
The bars mount to the rear axle and then connect to somewhere down the frame of the truck either by bolts or by welding it in. While they definitely look good on off-road builds, traction bars actually serve a functional purpose as well.
Bolt-On Traction: Installing Traction Bars Thread nuts onto the J-bolts and trial fit them to the axlehousing. Attach the traction bar to the differential housing. the rubber snubber and lift the differential housing until the weight of the car is on the leaf springs.
