After burning-up my Superbrute carrier after 1000 miles, I'm thinking of switching to a spool. My 68 Chevelle doesn't get out of the garage much, just a little around town driving and an occasion trip to the strip.

How survivable is a spool with occasional street driving?

Thanks,

With true street tires like I believe your sig states it could be rough. Those tires will definitely try to bite on turns. With a M/T sportsman or street slick equivalent, it wouldn't be too bad because you could put a lot of air in the tires and cause them to lose the contact patch for easier turning. I think maybe a detroit locker or equivalent is more what you're looking for.

With true street tires like I believe your sig states it could be rough. Those tires will definitely try to bite on turns. With a M/T sportsman or street slick equivalent, it wouldn't be too bad because you could put a lot of air in the tires and cause them to lose the contact patch for easier turning. I think maybe a detroit locker or equivalent is more what you're looking for.

Actually the true street tires in his sig would be better on the street than the sticky MT tires. The Dunlops are hard and will give on the street. The MT`s will bite and be harder on parts. I know guys who run them on the street with no problems. They will "hop" going around turns but if you can get use to it, it won`t be bad. A friend of mine has one in his blown 10 sec. 67 chevelle and has driven it to Oregon and back to Cali with no problems. I would be more concerned how you blew the brute stength in 1000 miles. Did you use the right fluid? Is it under warrenty? Send it back and see if they can replace it. It might have been a defective unit.

I run a spool on mine with Hoosier QTP's @ 10 PSI. It crow hops a bit on TIGHT corners, goose it a touch to get it around. On normal corners (street to street) it just pushes a bit.

i ran a mini spool in my el camino, which is my tow truck,and also in my chevelle for 3 years and never had a problem you just have to be easy going around turns . harder tires will make more noise but is easier on parts

go with a detroit locker style.....i have them in both of my cars w/slicks and we have never hurt one yet....they are great

The street slicks or M/T sporstmans if run at low pressure and doing burnouts will bite. But a tire that has a lot of air in it does nothing. It actually rides on the center of the tire for a reduced contact area and turns easier than a street tire.

They work. Detroit locker would be a better choise, but enough people run spools without issue that you'll likely be ok. Just don't ever think about pushing the car around a corner...:D

David

The street slicks or M/T sporstmans if run at low pressure and doing burnouts will bite. But a tire that has a lot of air in it does nothing. It actually rides on the center of the tire for a reduced contact area and turns easier than a street tire.

I hear what your saying. with higher psi you`re actually riding on the center part of the tread but it`s still a sticky tire that will bite alot better than a regular radial tire.

Don't run a spool on the street don't even think about it. What exactly did you do to the last setup? I have run 1400-32s with a stock Mopar posi and had absolutely no problems.

We ran a spool on the street for several years in our 55 Chevy. Actually put more than 5,000 miles on the car with the spool. It puhed a little, and would have been a nusiance if it were strictly a street car (It was a street legal race car). We were aware of the pitfalls of a street driven spool, and were willing to accept them.
If I were to do it all over again, I would select a detroit locker.

The Moroso Superbrute carrier has 800+lbs of preload on the clutchpacks. I had unbelieveable traction when the unit was new. I've run sub 1.8 second 60' times with the Dunlop GT Qualifiers. However, even though I don't drive the car much, a little street driving really takes a toll on the heavily loaded clutchpacks (even with the Moroso recommended gear-lube).

I also have a spool in my car. I have ran it on the street for years. If you have some ET streets or eqivilant it wont even be that noticable really. The sidewalls are soft enough to absorb the backspin thru a corner. But the moment you need to hand push the car, (and make a turn) thats when its VERY noticable......

my chevelle has spool-and guys who run "street cars"u know 12 down to 7 sec 1/4 mi down here in milwaukee wi. are running them-dont worry

The Moroso Superbrute carrier has 800+lbs of preload on the clutchpacks. I had unbelieveable traction when the unit was new. I've run sub 1.8 second 60' times with the Dunlop GT Qualifiers. However, even though I don't drive the car much, a little street driving really takes a toll on the heavily loaded clutchpacks (even with the Moroso recommended gear-lube).

It sounds like a defective unit because my buddy has been running the same one for almost 10yrs now without any problems.

My vote is for a Powertrax Lock Rite

I've been running spools since the 80's with no problems.
I would be curious to know if any of you anti-spool guys have had bad personal experiences using one?

I run a PowerTrax Lock Right and I think that would be a better solution then a spool.

running a spool in my 68 chevelle for 5 yrs now . no probs, just pre mature tire wear on the left rear e/t street. mild driving to shows and cruise nites no probs. dragstrip spool is the clear winner. if you have a really nice car not driven hard on the street and you are a careful smart driver ,the spool won't be a big deal. if you drive like a cowboy , drive it in the rain and can't resist whipping around turns , then the spool is not for you.if you want to lose a bit of weight the spools are quite a bit lighter than a posi carrier, an added bonus.

I will throw my .02 in here. A spool is great for the track and not for the street. Yes you can use them on the street but you will sacrifice safty by doing so since it will take away your ability to turn to maybe avoid a problem on the street. A spool as others have said make the car harder to turn since it wants to make the car go straight and if you push it to turn it will tend to push the front end under heavy load.

The best advice is to find someone that has a spool in there car and see if you can drive it. Then decide if you want to go with a spool or not.

Anything can be driven on the street depending on what you will want to put up with. For me it is a simple question as I would not run one on the street for the reason of safty as mentioned before. There is enough stuff that goes on with street driveing to worry about then to add more to it.

big dog, i see you are in northbrook il, come on over to roselle il this coming spring and i'll take you on a nice safe ride around in my chevelle with a spool.
i would'nt want you to be unsafe so we can make sure to buckle up!way too many paranoid about using a spool on a show car 400 mile per yr nice weather only car. nice advise rattleroll , someone would be pretty bad to not be able to drive a car because it was equipped with a spool. rattleroll, it's unsafe to go past the speed limit too. maybe he should get a nice safe mini van instead so if he hits a pot hole he won't fly off the road! safety first!

Ever tried to push a car with a spool going any way but straight ahead? It's a real chore just think about what it is doing to your axles and everything else connected to them. If you get one tire wet and even get on it a little you are going to make a real hard turn to that direction. It's not worth the trouble there are plenty of good posi units that will work on the street.

Hmm, if it's mean enough to need a spool, it's too mean to drive in the wet. That's the way I see it. That being said, I had Sportman Pros on mine and drove it in the rain with no issues. I can't do that now since I put the QTP's on though. Oh well, wasn't much fun to drive in the rain anyways.

im laughing my ass off-what mr68 said!!!! i believe real men build it to beat it not to worry if its gonna break!!!can i get an amen?i once seen a sticker on a friends car it said"show cars are for pussies"i would not run anything except spool for a big power car.nice touch with the mini van-awesome!

DETROIT TRUETRAC! good for high horsepower 9.90 ets http://www.tractech.com/Products.htm

I drive a spool on the street and its no problem. Real tight turns require you to use the gas pedal and tires will squeal a little. Other than tight turns it is not a big deal driving a spool on the street. I don't drive my car in the rain or snow.

It's about compromises -- if you can deal with the tight turns than a spool is no problem. You want to use good axles though, there is more stress on them with a spool.

Yeah, 33 splines work well with a spool.

mr68 amen :)

Wasn't all of this covered in that old Foghat song... " I need a spool for city..." (insert guitar riffs) :D

thanks for backing me up dudes! funny , my father in law(66 yrs old) and my buddy (63 yrs old) liked my spool so much we put spools in their rides too!66 elky and 55 chevy. all 3 of us cruise the streets in 10 second cars, then go to the track and have 100 % full traction on each tire all the time. those two old timers never have any problems making turns , of flying off the road.father in law even smokes his pipe while driving! we even take a hand off the wheel once in a while to flip each other off!take care , ray

I've ran spools on the street for several years and don't even notice it's there. "SUCK IT UP PRINCESS(ES)."

Kjett....I think that was fool....not spool...... Ha! Great song!

If you are going to seriously race the car, run a spool. No question.

If you are a puss...run a posi and rebuild it at regular intervals. They wear out, and won't handle burnouts. Been there, done that.....got the Tee.

I drive with respect of what I'm in on the street, to and from the track. I don't drive in the rain! If it's threatening....I don't go to the races.
Spool in my car for 7 years now...no broken axles....lot's of looks at the gas station when I pull out.

The arguement that you will break axles, falls apart when you consider that every drag car with a spool has to leave the track and navigate the pits at some point.....with STICKY slicks.

If you think a posi is best, run the dang posi, and don't come here asking why only one wheel spins in the water from time to time.

Ron

Wasn' that Foghat album the one with the guy on a lawn chair, fishing pole in hand, sititng in the middle of the street next to an open manhole, fishing down the sewer hole?

DETROIT TRUETRAC! good for high horsepower 9.90 ets http://www.tractech.com/Products.htm
I currently use a True Trac that Currie Enterprises suggested when I bought complete new rear end... Only bummer is that I called them back since the new motor has 600 hp... which they said was fine.... until I said I am now using a trans brake with a 4500 lock up converter on my 700R4. At which time they said I would likely grenade it. They suggested a Detroit locker, but I have learned they have a certain amount of roll when used with a trans brake. So now I am trying to decide between the locker and the spool...

I wish I would have known when I bought the unit..... otherwise I would have bought it with the detroit locker.
Steve

Wasn' that Foghat album the one with the guy on a lawn chair, fishing pole in hand, sititng in the middle of the street next to an open manhole, fishing down the sewer hole?
Never say the album. First time I heard that song is was sitting in the back of a 70 Impala listening to the 8-track of Foghat Live :eek: Man, how time flies....

I currently use a True Trac that Currie Enterprises suggested when I bought complete new rear end... Only bummer is that I called them back since the new motor has 600 hp... which they said was fine.... until I said I am now using a trans brake with a 4500 lock up converter on my 700R4. At which time they said I would likely grenade it. They suggested a Detroit locker, but I have learned they have a certain amount of roll when used with a trans brake. So now I am trying to decide between the locker and the spool...

I wish I would have known when I bought the unit..... otherwise I would have bought it with the detroit locker.
Steve
Steve,

Are you at all worried about that 700R4 holding up to the power of your engine? I would think if your car ever dead hooks that 700R4 will take a dump long before the rear end. IMHO

My 700R is not a stock unit by any means. The same unit is in a local guy's 66 Chevy truck that runs 10's on the bottle and 11's on the motor. The guy that builds it seals the case and warrantys ANYTHING for 18 months... ESPECIALLY for race use. I ran his street/strip version all last year and watched him dissasemble it.... it was PERFECT... no sign of wear at all. The new unit is a sealed unit that he rates up to 900 HP with a brake. I know people say it cannot be done.. but so far he has not had one of them fail.

Steve

Right now I have Moser 30-spline axles with about 1000 miles on them. If necessary I can get 33-spline and 33-spline spool. What do you guys think of using the semi-new 30-spline axles with a 30-spline spool? I'd like to save the $$ and run the same axles, but.....? I don't plan to run slicks.

I think you should be fine with a 30 spline setup if you don't want to buy axles. But more importantly do you have c-clip eliminators on your axles. If not I would invest in them first.

I have the C-clip eliminators on these axles currently in the car.

i'm using moser 30 spline and c clip elims. 5 yrs now no probs w axles

Who's got the best deal on a 3-spline spool?

Well now an important thing to consider is spline pitch. Axle companies don't cut their splines exactly the same. If you have moser axles go with a moser spool. When I did my car I had strange spool and axles. When I narrowed the rear I got Moser axles and had to have them cut splines for a strange spool. I don't know about all companies, but thought you might want to look into it.

I have run my Moroso Brute strength on street and strip, with Sticky Mickeys and radial T/As for probably 15 years. Its always worked well. About 2 years ago it started chattereing around corners after I came off of the freeway and it was plenty warm. I added a tube of equa torque and no more chatter. I do run the Moroso lube. If it dies I may switch to a spool but probably not. Most of my freinds run spools but I am not so sure that would be fun If you get caught in the rain.

My son ran a mini spool in his Ferd 9" last winter, I figured he'd be in the ditch for sure, didnt happen, so it can't be that bad.

Who's got the best deal on a 30-spline Moser spool?

Have you tried calling Moser direct? I got my axles from them, they narrowed the housing and put the ends on and supplied the 5/8 studs.

What's the difference between Moser 5S1230 and 5S1230T spool (what's the "T" stand for) ?

The "t" is for a truck rear.