Planning for my 99 in my sig. Wheel hop is a common occurrence on my rig, especially in sand. I'm sure my old springs have something to do with it, and my large tires and heavy left foot don't help. The springs will be replaced soon, but while I'm there I'd like to add traction bars. I have scoured the internet and this forum, and I can't find exactly what I'm looking for. I'll admit I don't know much about these systems, but why are they setup low on the truck? I want a system designed to be no lower than the driveshaft so it doesn't hang off road or high center when cresting a hill. (Maybe set near the driveshaft so they act as a slider?) I've seen some that mount above the spring pack, are they any good? What are y'all running? Thanks!

 

Want to reduce wheel hop dramatically? Get rid of the stock blocks, and any others that are on the rear axle. (between spring and axle) All those do is give the axle a longer moment-arm to twist the spring into a pretzel. Get rid of those, and most of your issues will be greatly reduced.

You can do a shackle flip, and eliminate them entirely. Keep in mind though, that the bump stops are also part of that block... so, need to make provisions to keep the tires from stuffing too far, or the axle contacting something it really shouldn't.

 

On my taco (Toyota Tacoma), I installed a pair of overload springs on the front portion of the leaf springs (instead of the back side on a normal installation) to act as a sort of traction bar. Did it work? Yes. Better than a sharp stick in the eye but not as good as actual traction bars. They were, however, contoured, smooth and tucked up so as not to hamper ground clearance too much. I have not found/seen a set though that will work on the ram.


I have since had a TSB recall on my taco springs and now those overloads will not work on it.

 

Thanks. Yeah, I know that lift blocks act as a lever, worsening hop. I should have said this earlier; my rig leans, so I'm gonna replace all four springs. My plan is to replace the 3" leveling block on my front spring with new 3" lift springs. I am planning on buying 6" lift rear springs, and replacing the block with either a 1" or 2" block. (I love the rake down look, where the rear is higher than the front.) My info says installing these https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sja-dr56s without the lift block will net 2" of lift. I've researched shackle flips, but I've not found one that I'm happy with. Also, my engine is cammed up with a lot of horsepower and torque. So, back to the subject at hand, traction bars....

 

I can't find traction bars for the 2nd gen trucks... They are everywhere for the third gen, and newer though.. of course, they start at around 500 bucks too.

Might wanna see if there is a truck shop nearby, that would fab them up for you.

 

Did you look for ladder bars? I haven't but they may be under that name too. Of course, ladder bars will be bigger and longer (but more effective).

 

4 link!

 

Yes, yes that would more than take care of the issue.

 

Yes, I have ought of that, but it seems more trouble than it's worth. I have a welder; if I invested in some tools, such as a pipe bender and notcher, how hard is it to design my own?

 

Actually, its easy to design your own..... How well it works, is yet another question. Do a LOT of reading, and you could design/build a 4-link/coil setup that would have a LOT of travel, and even ride halfway decent.