I was wondering if any of you guys know how i can reduce axle hop when i take off hard..When i had 235/75/16 tires on my truck i could spin them forever and than when i need them to hook i would get off the gas and truck would hook up with out any hop..But now since i have 285/75/16 tires it will spin them for a bit and than it just starts hopping all over and than i get off of it and than i get back on it and it starts to hop again..I know it has to be hard on the truck.What do you guys think i can do??? I want to be able to hook and go..

 

The standard "fix" is a slapper traction bar. Not a good fix on a truck if you are going to do any off road work.

Staggered shocks help a bit, but pita to install unless you already have them.

Google seach "traction bars" and this comes up first:

Rocky Mountain Suspension Products, traction bars

And then there several more after that.

 

Trucks tend to wheel hop as the springs are long and stiff. Larger taller tires make it stand out more, harder to turn and adds to the unsprung weight that needs to be controlled.

I'd start out with a good quality set of shocks, and or roll on the power at a slightly slower but steady rate instead of mashing it right to the floor. Don't break the tires loose to start with, keep em grabbing road.

 

will sway bars stop axle hop ? becuase i have factory sway arms on the truck and i never got any axle hop

 

Do you get your tires spinning?

Sway bar attachement and links may dampen some, but my guess would be if it really winds up, the sway bar links might bend or be damaged if it went on for any time.

 

A sway bar does not have any control of the axle in the wheel hop direction. Wheel hop is caused by axle wrap (axle trying to rotate along the axis of the tubes), which tries to turn the leaf springs into an 'S' instead of their normal 'U' shape. The sway bar provides resistance to roll (along the fore-aft axis of the vehicle) while cornering. If the leaf springs are weaker than they used to be, that can also explain why your truck wheel hops now but never did before.

 

Stiffer springs, better shocks as stated above. Also, Caltracs are really good. They probably don't make them to fit pickups, but the concept is simple enough that you could make your own if you want.

Part of the reason you're getting hop is that the 285 tires are taller. That creates a longer lever arm to help wind up the leaf springs. Taller and/or stickier tires are more likely to create hopping.

 

is this truck lifted at all? if so how is the rear end lifted, block or AAL. either of these will help to increase wheel hop. I suggest you get a complete spring pack for your desired lift, this will work best to reduce or cure the wheel hop and give a better ride as well.

 

Axle wrap occurs when the leaf springs twist longitudinally (sp?), like a clock spring.

Snubber bars can be installed which will help reduce axle wrap, however they also limit suspension travel which is fine on an unloaded truck but if you actually use your truck as a truck, this might not be a good option. Loaded down, you'll be riding on the snubbers.

The best option is to replace the leaf springs with solid arms, which do not flex. Above the axle install coil or air springs suitable for your vehicle and your intended maximum load, and you'll have practically no axle wrap if the join between the axle and the arms are solid.

Axle hop not related to axle wrap, can be controlled by changing the dampening action of the shocks - whereas they "drop" faster than they "go up". Fancy shocks like Rancho, Bilstens, and other brands have adjustable valving either via a control mechanism or you change parts in the tail of the shock. Either way, you can adjust them.

Stock style shocks are sealed and only adjustable by replacing them.

The answer you choose is based on how you use your truck and how much time/effort you want to put into it.

No matter what you do, how much you spend, remind yourself that it is a truck and never will be a Porsche.

 

I'm not sure that I follow, can you explain?

 

Technically, "axle hop" just means a tire or tires hop up and down off the pavement while spinning, giving you an alternating traction-no traction condition - reducing overall traction as you know, and there are many reasons this can occur:

• Axle wrap.
• Twisting leaf springs (common on pickups).
• Twisting of the axle housing itself.
• Suspension mount compliance - rubber bushings, weak and flexing bracketry, loose/bent/warn bolts (common on pickups).
• Improper valving of the shocks or struts for a given purpose (common on pickups that are used in "performance" applications.
• Twisting of the chassis/body or unibody (common on pickups - ladder frame!).
• Tires/wheels not balanced properly (common on pickups - most trucks are just driven until they die).
• Different amount of traction between left and right on a solid axle due to road irregularities - and where do pickups go? Everywhere!
• Inconsistent "bite" of a locking or limited slip differential (common on pickups).
• Noticable weight imbalance on the car left to right (common on pickups that are loaded by people unaware of this).

FWD cars can have hop - my 1993 Continental did - due to suspension compliance, strut valving, and strut tower flex. The latter two were solved and I replaced all of the rubber bits with homemade aluminum bushings (with zerk fittings!) and it still flexed enough to be "really annoying". It seems the lower A-arms were flexing themselves. The solution to this? Homemade tubular lower A-arms made of a stiffer material - 4130.

I also had "wheel hop" in the back of the car, though that didn't occur often and certainly was not due to any power being applied (FWD). If the **** of the car slide sideways (such as during a "parking lot rally course"), the rear wheel leading the slide would catch & not catch due to pavement irregularities and force the trailing wheel in the slide "up" when it catched - since the rear suspension of this Continental (and most FWD cars of the day) was essentially a non-powered trailer axle - solid bar with some wheels on it. Because the valving in the rear, like the original front, was designed for comfort rather than performance, hop was fairly prounced during a slide.

Of course the car wasn't designed by Ford to play "slolam" and hence why I had this problem in the first place.

The reason for the "slides" is that in a bloated FWD car the vast majority of the weight is on the front wheels and the rear end is incredibly light - nothing's back there but a spare tire, a powered radio antenna, and a license plate

I'm splitting hairs here because if the vehicle in question has enough power, the leaf springs are likely to not be the only issue allowing hop, but certainly the primary reason.

 

I think he meant "Axle hop (that is) not related to...

 

My truck is technically not lifted it only has add a leaf springs all the way around...I just put brand new shocks in my truck about 6 months ago..Thanks for your guys help...I thinki might be going with the traction bar set up if i can find one for my truck for a reasonable price..

 

Thanks frederic, that's more or less how I was thinking of it -- axle wrap causing the wheel hop, but not being the same thing. I hadn't thought of all the other possibilities you listed, though, so I appreciate the list.

 

Brad -

There are two kinds of traction bars, both are easily fabricated.

1. "Snubber bar" - square tubing u-bolted to the leaf spring/axle area that sticks forward with a rubber bumper on the end, that hits either the eye of the spring out front or just behind it on the spring. If you have 3" wide leaf springs, 3" wide square tubing makes this easier to fabricate. THe rubber bumper/snubber can be off any car/truck you find in the junkyard.

2. True bars - Long rods with two rod ends each - one end ties to the frame on a homemade bracket, the other end ties to the axle UNDERNEATH with a bracket that clamps or is welded to the axle. By tying underneath the axle instead of in front of it, you reduce axle roll that much more. Technically, you can also tie on top of the axle but often times the frame gets in the way. Also, the long bar typically is installed going forward of the axle, but if you have enough length on the frame behind the axle you can send it backwards as well. YOu want the bar to be somewhat long so it doesn't force axle wrap on it's own. Say, 36" should be the minimum.

BTW, #2 is the start of a 4-link system. Again, not very difficult to fabricate. Brackets on the frame, brackets on the axle, four bars with rod ends, and a panhard rod to keep the axle from going left and right. You can buy a system for $1500-1800 or you can make the whole thing yourself for about $300-350 depending where you source your steel and rod-ends from.

Mild steel appropriate for both types, assuming a 1/8" wall. You can purchase both easily enough as well.

Of course in similar fashion to #2 you could build a true 4-link suspension and add a panhard rod.

Eric -

You're welcome, I wasn't trying to be a pain and mince words but many people incorrectly equate wheel-hope with axle wrap exclusively, thus when addressing the hop they are only fixing part of the problem. For most pickups that's usually enough, however in some cases more needs to be done.

I just hate to see people spend time and money to only be partially satisifed with the results due to incorrect expectations as to what each "thing" does.

Trucks being top heavy (and heavy in general) aggrevation a lot of suspension flaws as compared to cars. Also, truck suspensions are utilitarian by design with the goal being strength moreso than handling. After all, not too many pickups of any brand would fall into the "corner carver" category. While my stock F350 crewcab is enjoyable to drive, taking exit ramps is like pitching a cranky elephant suddenly to the right.

I know a couple of guys who do not use their F150/D1500/K1500 level pickups as trucks, and instead have lowered them and replaced front and rear suspensions with a true independent suspension - unequal length a-arms - and while the trucks did handle significantly better across the board, they still weren't very sports car like.