[Remrod]

I am new to this forum and am looking for new idea's. I put longer tread life rated YOKOHAMA tires on 7,000 miles ago which was 23K on the ODO. About 26K I first noticed wheel hop in the rain with the T.C. off. Since I only did a few dead stop rev it up and dump it drag race starts (6 spd manual) when I got it to see my zero to 60 times (best 5.19) it is hard to say when this developed.

I assume the rear frame section's 4 bushings are softer than when new and could be the cause. I read about the hop not stage one, two kits and heard about a replacement kit for the frame bushings in white that are firm, but a nightmare to install. Anyone else have advise on this? For me it is just academic as I don't do burn outs with this car. I want to know if there is a less evasive way to fix it ETC. I am an ASE Certified Master Technician / Hot Rodder so I just have to learn more on this.
Thanks, Remrod

 

[williams rt]

Wheel hop has been caused by the same thing since the beginning of time, the suspension loading and unloading. Stiffening the suspension with the hop not only helps hop due to making the suspension hard to move, this is not a fix you want as it does nothing to help traction. It will go from hop to spin, you could take the springs out and put 2x4s in and do what the hop not does.
Rear shocks are part of the problem the SRT shocks are too stiff and the 20" tires are too stiff from not enough sidewall. If you are willing to give up the road race SRT shocks and change tires you could get rid of most hop and get some traction too.

 

[cdahl383]

I get wheelhop if I rev it up high and dump the clutch. Did that a couple times and learned not to do that anymore. If you rev it up and let the clutch out fast but not dumping it you'll get some nice black patches on the road and have some fun without wrecking anything.

Most guys that are serious at the track with these cars and 6 speeds have M&H slicks on 17" rims. That seems to be the ticket on these cars for drag racing from what I've seen/heard.

 

[JBssssRT]

At the very least,,,, quit doing that. you will end up with a repair bill of some kind if you don't.

 

[boyohboy]

Hey Carl! I believe you're talking about feathering the clutch so you get to break traction without actually dumping it. It's not exactly riding the clutch but over time it will warp or burn your plates. I mentioned before in other posts how hard I'd been on clutches and throw out bearings I think doing this was a big part of the cause. Just Sayin'.
As far as wheel hop goes I remember early posts on here mentioning the Hop Not kit and most who used it said they benefitted from it. Doesn't the Hop Not do what traction bars and ladder bars did in days of old? I've only done a few burnouts in my car and haven't experienced wheel hop. It's an auto that maybe part of the reason why.
Could pavement surface have anything to do with it?
Remrod says he has the SRT-8. Don't they come with the stickier tires like the Vipers? They may contribute to hop. Do the SRT's still come with the leveling shocks? Do they help in weight transfer so that the chance of wheel hop is reduced?
As far as changing the bushings, those on here who did did so chose comparable bushings that did what the OEM type do without sacrificing ride quality. They wanted something that had lasting value. Granted using the wrong type can make your car ride stiff as a truck.
Sorry if I ask more questions than giving out advice but I really want to learn about these things too! Enjoy the Journey! Lou.

 

[JBssssRT]

I attribute my wheel hop incident do to the fact I have a one leg wonder.

 

[cdahl383]

I don't really ride the clutch at all when I do a burnout, I just don't dump it. Just let it out fast. Maybe it's doing a little damage, but I don't do enough of them to really do too much damage, at least I think haha! My clutch still works great at almost 60,000 miles. I'm sure if I were doing some serious damage it would have went out by now or be on its way out. No way I can stop doing burnouts in that car, that's part of the fun of owning it!

If you do get wheelhop the best thing to do is let off and let the suspension get back to normal. My cousin has a 1999 Mustang Cobra and he was doing some burnouts in it years ago and ended up snapping his half shafts from the wheelhop. He learned not to dump the clutch on that car after that.

I've experienced wheelhop on the street a few times and at the track a couple times. Just have to let off and then get back into it and usually it's fine. If you stay in it it'll just tear up stuff and break stuff.

 

[Shadow]

Got terrible wheel hop with my RT 6 speed and it's getting worse. I think the bushings must be wearing out back there. That hopping is banging around the suspension quite violently, and it's only a matter of time until... *snap* something breaks.

I get it a lot while shifting hard. Hit 2nd gear and instead of a nice chirp it's chirp - chirp - chirp. If I don't chirp 3rd it'll just make a loud bang noise from the right rear.

Considering the Hop Not too, but really want to hear that it'll work before investing money on something I shouldn't have to fix.

 

[williams rt]

Got terrible wheel hop with my RT 6 speed and it's getting worse. I think the bushings must be wearing out back there. That hopping is banging around the suspension quite violently, and it's only a matter of time until... *snap* something breaks.

I get it a lot while shifting hard. Hit 2nd gear and instead of a nice chirp it's chirp - chirp - chirp. If I don't chirp 3rd it'll just make a loud bang noise from the right rear.

Considering the Hop Not too, but really want to hear that it'll work before investing money on something I shouldn't have to fix.

How many miles are on your 2009? The self leveling nivomat shocks are not known to wheel hop much?

 

[hemigoblin]

A couple years ago I got a deal on full SRT suspension (by full I mean struts springs assembly) it had 10,000 MILES on them and I won auction for $160 shipped. I really bought this set up for the lowering effect. But back to topic, I get wheel hop but usually when it is wet on road surface. I don't do a lot of burnouts.

 

[Shadow]

How many miles are on your 2009? The self leveling nivomat shocks are not known to wheel hop much?

Just hit 50k miles.

Thanks.

 

[boyohboy]

I attribute my wheel hop incident do to the fact I have a one leg wonder.

Sorry but what is that? Ignorant but trying to Enjoy the Journey! Lou.

 

[cdahl383]

Think he means the open rear end on the automatic trans Challengers (only one wheel grabs). They don't have a posi rear end like the 6 speeds do from the factory (where both wheels grab for traction).

 

[williams rt]

Just hit 50k miles.

Thanks.

That is what I was thinking, your wheel hop might be getting worse because your nivomat shocks in the rear are getting worn and need replaced. Basically the wheel hop come from the suspension loading and unloading, when you take off the rear squats the tires bite, but the suspension unloads and it starts to spin from no down pressure on the rear and then it will grab again causing the bounce from grab,spin,grab.
The RTs had self leveling nivomat shocks which helps because they do not unload as fast as the SRT shocks do. That's why at the track we use shocks like 50/50 lake woods because they recover slower from the initial squatting of the rear end. You can see how the rear stays down in the video of my car below after the launch and after each shift the rear squats again. A stiff shock like the SRT uses will not allow the squat and they have more hop than RTs usually.
Anyone having issues should look at their shocks and tire choices if hop is severe.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPg2BVyjiMI

 

[challengerfan56]

That is what I was thinking, your wheel hop might be getting worse because your nivomat shocks in the rear are getting worn and need replaced. Basically the wheel hop come from the suspension loading and unloading, when you take off the rear squats the tires bite, but the suspension unloads and it starts to spin from no down pressure on the rear and then it will grab again causing the bounce from grab,spin,grab.
The RTs had self leveling nivomat shocks which helps because they do not unload as fast as the SRT shocks do. That's why at the track we use shocks like 50/50 lake woods because they recover slower from the initial squatting of the rear end. You can see how the rear stays down in the video of my car below after the launch and after each shift the rear squats again. A stiff shock like the SRT uses will not allow the squat and they have more hop than RTs usually.
Anyone having issues should look at their shocks and tire choices if hop is severe.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPg2BVyjiMI

I certainly enjoy watching that particular video! I just like the way the front wheel comes up off of the ground, LOL!

Now back to the subject of wheel hop. As far as wheel hop I haven't experienced any that I can remember but I am prone to wheel spin. I also have a 2009 R/T, 6 speed, with the factory 18" wheels.

 

[williams rt]

I certainly enjoy watching that particular video! I just like the way the front wheel comes up off of the ground, LOL!

Now back to the subject of wheel hop. As far as wheel hop I haven't experienced any that I can remember but I am prone to wheel spin. I also have a 2009 R/T, 6 speed, with the factory 18" wheels.

Yeah wish I had the skills to edit that out for these topics lol. You have the same set up I used on the street. The RT shocks and the 18" tires are about as good as you can get using factory equipment. I used the nitto 555 as my 18" tire and I had no hop.

 

[boyohboy]

Think he means the open rear end on the automatic trans Challengers (only one wheel grabs). They don't have a posi rear end like the 6 speeds do from the factory (where both wheels grab for traction).

Thanks Carl! I never really knew if I had LSD or not. I know I wanted the Super Trac Pack when I ordered my Challenger but I never understood if it was an option for only the 6spd's. To this day I don't know if I got the LSD or not. I have done only a limited number of burnouts but I never had anyone confirm if both wheels spun or not. Next time I do one I'll have one of my boys check me out. I think I should ask for a build sheet. I have not found mine stashed anywhere in my car. I don't see anything on my window sticker that would say if I have the LSD.
Is there something about the R/T autos that precludes getting the LSD? Enjoy the Journey! Lou.

 

[cdahl383]

As far as I know the autos and 6 speeds came with two different rear ends. Maybe you can get an LSD setup within the auto rear end, not really sure on that.

I don't think my R/T has the Nivomat shock, mine say Bilstein on them. My car came with super track pack which I think came with better brake pads, different shocks, and a couple other things. I think they used different shocks in different applications on the same trim level like the R/T from what I've seen.

I use 50/50 CE drag shocks on the rear in my Nova and 90/10's up front, they work pretty good, but it doesn't ride all that nice on the street with it being that stiff in the back.

I think the 18" wheels typically have less wheelhop because there is more sidewall so the tire will flex a little more vs the 20" wheels with hardly any sidewall. I think guys that race more usually use 17" rims with slicks.

 

[JBssssRT]

Carl is right on, in everything he is saying. Having a 2010 and others at the track with early models,, I can tell you that traction control on early models were enabled only through LSD rear ends, as soon as a wheel breaks loose the HP in down graded until it regains traction,,, or complete blow out left wheel completely shuts down and only one tire will lay rubber,, the right. So all classics were one leg wonders even to those of us thinking it was a part of normal equipment and be a positive traction drive train rear end. Not the case,, an extra. If you push it further,,, limp mode. I made it 50 ft. off the line when that happened to me. Thought I killed it. I was so naive I paid $125 to have it flat bedded to the dealership from the tract. Resetting the damn thing is as easy as shutting it off and getting out of the car. Holy Sht. Saved again. The car actually protects itself against bad drivers and morons,,, early on that was me.

 

[JBssssRT]

Oh yeah,,, it seems that all who had the LSD were all 3.03 transmissions. Autos,,, One thing that helps in these is a torque converter. MY 60ft. times were better by .5 sec. Kinda peddles itself off the line, no burnout required. 20in wheels with low profile DR's I ran Nitto 555's on back. I remember XST's had positive traction. And 3.73 rear end.