[WWJDSPEED]

I am curious to know what wheel hop is. Could someone please explain. Thanks

Brandon

 

[JIM]

Just what it sounds like. The rear wheels and suspension bounce up/down while the tires are spinning. It can be violent enough to knock a few fillings out of your teeth. If you have it, you know it. Did you ever see the Steve McQueen movie "Bullitt"? There is a scene in the car chase where he is chasing that black Charger, he dumps the clutch and smokes the tires and you can see the entire suspension flopping all over the place while the rear wheel is bouncing.

Jim R.

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My 70 Chevelle

[This message has been edited by Epistuff (edited 06-02-2001).]

 

[Dolphnguy]

I'll give it my best shot....some will no doubt supplement my explanation. Wheel hop occurs when the rear suspension is weak or unbalanced or the rear is just too light. Under stress (when you JUMP on the accelerator) the suspension gives before the tires break loose of the pavement causing the tire to "hop"...loosing contact with the pavement. You will hear a squeek squeek squeek as the tire jumps. Hope that helped

Scott

 

[DaleM]

Wheel hop is caused when the tires won't grip. Your suspension has a certain amount of *give* to make a smooth ride. The sudden application of more horsepower than the suspension can absorb causes the springs (coil or leaf) to tighten up. Before they can rebound and smooth the ride, they get another shot. It's like dribbling a basketball. Drop it and it bounces back up. Keep dribbling and it keeps bounding.

Tire shake in a drag race car is the same principal, not being able to get the horsepower to the ground. Sometimes it's too much power (usually smokes the tires though) and sometimes not enough power. The tires grip the dragstrip when there should be a calculated amount of slipage. You'll see this on funny cars, pro stocks, sportsman, etc.

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Dale McIntosh
TC Gold #92
ACES #1709
www.dalesplace.com
Restore it or customize it, but drive it and enjoy it!

 

[Big Block Dave]

Ever seen the movie "Friday"?
and I quote:
"BANG BANG BANG BANG.....all day long foot up a dog's a$$...thats my pleasure!"

Take the first part of the quote and imagine that sensation from your rear wheels when you put the throttle to the floor.

 

[Bill T SS70]

If you had it you'd know it ... It's like trying to drive a pogo stick ...

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Bill Taylor
TC Gold Member #73
December 1999 Feature Car
www.chevelles.com/feature/december99.htm
www.chevelles.com/showroom/BillTSS70-2
www.chevelles.com/showroom/leaves2
http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/65vette.jpg

 

[jpete]

Techninally, and all you guys described it well, it's the pinion trying to put itself through the trunk floor. When you mash the gas, the rear bumper heads towards the ground. Sir Issac Newton says for every action there is an equal and opposite reation. The reaction is the rear is trying to jump off the ground. At some point, the springs compress to the point where they ovepower this force and shove the rear back down and the whole process starts over. The rear suspention design and the strength of the springs have control over this. A well designed rear suspension has what they call "anti squat." With alot of anti squat, the rear of the car will actually rise and the opposite reaction is to plant the tires that much harder. Tire smoke and wheels up launches may be fun but they've got nothing to do with moving a car down a track. Watch a Pro Stock car sometime. They sit back on the rear tires and just hang the frontend a few inches of the track.

 

[Guest]

Wheelhop in an A-body is caused by the design of the rear suspension. In its stock form, the upper control arms are generally tilted at an upward angle from the rearend housing. As power is applied the housing tries to rotate in the opposite direction of the ring gear, that is, the housing is pulling on the upper control arms. But the body has much more mass than the rear, so instead of the body being pulled down, the rear actually pulls itself up, unloading the rear tires. The tires then lose traction, the housing stops pulling itself up which gives the tires a chance to grip and the whole process starts all over again. When this happens a dozen times a second, you got wheelhop.