[Teufelhunden]

I have a 79 Malibu. Ford 9" rear. UMI uppers and lowers, neither is adjustable. Stock location, poly bushings except for housing which came with rubber.
My problem is that I get awful wheel hop when using my street radials. I had been driving around on ET Streets for several months and they offer great traction with ZERO wheel hop, but I dont want to use them on the street all the time.
The radials are Firestone Firehawks. Dont know if brandmakes a diffrence. Why would my ET Streets be so smooth and my radials ride like a$$? I cant stab the throttle at all without the rear end acting up.
I dont get any wheel hop at the track with my ET Streets or the radials. Just street driving. This wasnt always like this. Only just started to happen. Could it be because my tires are getting thin on tread??

 

[VinceS427bb]

i would check the rubber bushings on the rear-end housing. you stated it wasn't always like this = the bushings may be defective(worn-out) allowing the rear-housing to move around under hard acceleration, it won't get better.........

 

[Keith Tedford]

Do you have the rearend raised from the stock height? That induced wheel hop in the older "A" bodies.

 

[Teufelhunden]

The rear end is only one year old and has 2000 miles on it. The bushings are still good. I have new poly bushings for it, but have not installed them because I dread removing the old ones. Total pain in the butt.
The rear is stock height.
Would over-inflated tires perhaps cause this?

 

[Herb]

I have new poly bushings for it, but have not installed them because I dread removing the old ones.

Uh oh (groan), the old "poly bushings in an A body C4L rear" thing. You may want to do a search. A member named Dennis did a whole study on that. I don't know anybody who knows this subject better. Didn't hurt that he's a professional suspension guru.

Here it is: Rich, remember this one back in Jan. 05 ?? )
http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30655&highlight=Dennis68

Here's another one of his strings about poly bushings and URCA's. http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85792&highlight=Dennis

His user names are Dennis68 and sinned (dennis backwards) Do a search on either one of them and you will learn about poly bushings in upper rear arms, and the importance of pinion angles.



I have severe wheel hop also in my 67 with all new rubber bushings and tires. However, my springs are also new making the car sit higher until they settle. This is probably causing my pinion angle to be off a bit. That will cause wheel hop. In fact, I believe No-Hop bars actually just prevent the pinion angle from changing under severe torque of the rear (i.e. launch), thereby preventing wheel hop.

Proper pinion angle is essential to preventing wheel hop. There is a lot of info on here re: pinion angle - measuring, setting and changing. Here's one:
http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85432&highlight=Dennis

 

[Dick Miller Racing]

To get rid of wheel hop you need to change the angle of the upper or lower control arms. I wrote a suspension tech manual "Need More Bite?) that explains this and why. You can order it at 662-233-2301.

 

[BillsCamino]

To get rid of wheel hop you need to change the angle of the upper or lower control arms. I wrote a suspension tech manual "Need More Bite?) that explains this and why. You can order it at 662-233-2301.

OK...I'll say it...

Since it seems every Tech question you respond to is basically an ad for your products, have you considered becoming a Sponsor on this site?
Or, at least a Subscribing Member to help support here???

 

[ewscott]

I had bad wheel hop with my 71 clone. The wheel hop stopped when I installed the proper height rear springs. Like one of the guys said the angle of the pinon is very important. Check to see if you have the correct springs and that the car is not jacked up in the rear.