Traction Bars | Tuff Country | Ford

When you raised your vehicle’s suspension did you start noticing problems with traction on starts and stops? Has your drive line been causing vibration while you accelerate? These are two common problems that can be caused by adding ride height to your vehicle. Fortunately, these problems are often fixed by adding ladder bars or traction bars to your vehicle’s raised suspension.

Axle Wrap

Loss of traction during quick starts or hard stops could be due to axle wrap. Axle wrap can be identified by the way your tires react to hard braking or fast acceleration. The main symptom is noticeable when your wheels move up and down rapidly during a start or stop, as if they are hopping. This is known as wheel hop.

Wheel Hop

Wheel hop is caused by the torque that is normally transferred into energy through the tires is instead transferred back into the axle. This rotational force causes the axle housing to twist and this twisting motion bends the leaf springs into an S-shape. As the leaf springs bend out of their intended shape force builds in the spring in the opposite direction of the rotation. Once enough force has built up the leaf springs snap back into shape causing the axle to twist back with it. Consequently, the tires lose their grip on the road and you as the driver temporarily lose control of the vehicle.

Axle wrap can seriously damage your vehicle’s parts, especially the internal components of an axle assembly. These parts can be damaged by the shock of being hopped up and down and the strain of being twisted. Further, your drive line components can lose their correct alignment causing vibration on acceleration and eventual failure due to wear and tear.

The problems caused by axle wrap can be corrected easily by avoiding it completely. Adding traction bars or ladder bars to your vehicle’s lifted suspension is an excellent way to ensure that your tires stay on the ground during acceleration and hard stops. Ladder bars are the heaver duty alternative to traction bars. If you have any questions as to which are the correct parts for your application, call the suspension experts at 1-800-358-4751.