Assassin or Caltracs traction bars? Everything else but DA Viking shocks will be Calvert.

[JackpotJim]

completely different style of traction bars
or the way they attach or apply the leverage, or act & preload even

just for comparison sake,
side by side (top & bottom)
what's the difference (????) that's the $64,000 question

Calvert Caltrac's on mono leaf
View attachment 904250

vs

Smithracecraft Assassin on the mono leaf
View attachment 904251
For as low as my 66 Coronet sits I'd be afraid to use the Assassin bars on the street.




they do appear to stick down a bit more/lower than the Caltracs

disclosure: following, it's not meant to offend anyone
I've personally don't know anyone who actually ran/runs
the Smithracecraft Assassin bars
so I have nothing to compare it too, nothing tangent, real world
other than **** I've seen on the -www-
(I don't trust everything I read either on the -www-,
not that it's/they're bad, I just never seen any Assassin Bars in actual use, in person
I don't & won't build or tune by committee either, I don't tune by phone calls or by the -www-
I trust what I know & have used &/or actually seen work)
I know many racers & including myself, that ran with great success
(relatively speaking anyway, there's better traction suspensions devices out there,
with mods to the car, fabrication & welding etc.)
both street & track, proven sucess for decades now, with the Calvert Caltracs

not that the newest traction bars aren't any good
they do look like they have a lot of adjustability
seems like for some that tune by committee
that's just a way to get lost or confused "yet again"

focus man focus

sorry;
I doubt any will work very well, or how some would like
with the short stiff sidewall tires & a manual trans anyway

carry on
nothing to see here

Considering how low my Coronet sits to the ground I'd be afraid to run the Assassin Bars on the street.

 

[biomedtechguy]

I haven't bought either yet, the Caltracs or Assassin bars.
The Assassin bars apply force to the spring at the eye, the Caltracs to the spring.
It doesn't matter how "good" the Assassins are if I drag them on stuff, curbs, etc...that's a no go. Same for the Caltracks, but I already know that isn't going to be a problem, because I've seen cars with them on the street.
So I have to find out, if the Assassin bars hang lower and if so, how much, and then BAM! If the clearance is acceptable, Assassins get the nod, if not, I'll get the Caltracs and be happy with them.
My next tires, only the 2nd set I will have EVER had on the 17" wheels, are going to be taller sidewalls than the ones I have.

 

[Budnicks]

Considering how low my Coronet sits to the ground I'd be afraid to run the Assassin Bars on the street.

with a 28" to 30" tall tire I don't think there'd be much issues
but with something like a 25"-26" tall tire
that lack of that extra 1" - 1-1/2" of ground clearance
may be an issue, it is pretty close to the rear wheel centerline
may be a mute point, not sure without seeing them mounted
& in what holes

but;
I do remember scraping my ol' school slapper bars on my 68 Charger R/T
circa 1977-79ish (bolt on traction bars, way back when )
on speed bumps & really steep driveway approaches
with N50-15 tall bias ply tires
(28+"s tall, maybe 29", lots of sidewall, even on 15" x 10" wide Cragers)
seems to me, they didn't stick down as much, as the Assassin's appear to

 

[biomedtechguy]

This is what I'm looking at for the track, Cruisin the Coast, but probably not on the car the rest of the time (certainly not in the rain!)
TIRE SIZE /EQUIV. SIZE — P305/45R17 28X12.50R17
MEAS RIM
APPROVED RIMS — ( 10.0 ) 9.5-11.5
O.D. IN. — 28.1
SECT. WIDTH IN. — 11.7
TREAD WIDTH IN. — 10.5
CIRC. — 88.3
COMPOUND — R2
APX. WT. LBS. — 31
MATL #. — 90000024660
PART # — 3572
Mickey Thompson ET Street R Bias Ply

 

[65Fury440]

Just an update on my experience-
Took my car out yesterday, Assassins with DA Vikings , same 26x10.5 tires as with Mopar XHD and a snubber.
Using the lowest holes on both brackets, I did a few test hits on an unprepped asphalt road , the results were really impressive.
The car has only pulled the front tires on a well prepped track, traction always an issue.
With a water burnout the car put the front tires up a few inches and you can feel the back tires digging in. 4 hits were all pretty consistent.
The bars are sloping up, and it looks like the body is separating maybe 3-4 inches. The hit needs to be toned down a bit, going to raise the rear of the bars a couple holes and tighten up the rebound a couple clicks and see where it is.
Having double adjustables is sure a game changer, between the bars and shocks I can see where this could work well.
Compared to the old setup, there is no comparison.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

I'm not convinced the other bars are any better than CalTracs

 

[biomedtechguy]

Assassins with DA Vikings

WOW man!! I thought I was alone in a desert! I've had a couple of guys say that they think or have had the DA Vikings in the REAR work, and that I'd do well with them, and Assassins, well I just heard about them in the last month or so.
What a great report!
So, tell me: What is the ground clearance like with the Assassin bars, can you compare to the Caltracs, and do you have any pix? (and if you covered this already, I apologize in advance)

 

[biomedtechguy]

I'm not convinced the other bars are any better than CalTracs

I like the way they are welded up and the extra adjustment available, AND that they exert force on the spring eye.

 

[65Fury440]

I'm not convinced the other bars are any better than CalTracs

They have built in tow hooks so yes, yes they are!

 

[biomedtechguy]

They have built in tow hooks so yes, yes they are!

That too! Plus the owner, Kim, lives close by...

 

[65Fury440]

@Biomed- clearance is not an issue for my junk, but my rear has +2 springs, so when the rear end is up, so is the front spring eye.
Every car is going to be different, depends how tall the tires are, and how high the rear end is up.
It is noteable that I only run 26" tires, about the shortest tire out there, with no issues with clearance, I could measure if you'd like from the spring eye so you could transfer that measurement to your car, maybe compare those to Calvert specs.

 

[biomedtechguy]

I could measure if you'd like from the spring eye so you could transfer that measurement to your car

I'll take all the help I can get!
I want to order the traction bars asap! The split mono leaf springs are on their way, and the Calvert sliders!

 

[65Fury440]

Ok from the center of the spring eye bolt to the bottom of the front bracket is 6 1/2".
On my car, it's 8" from the bottom of the bracket to the ground.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

They have built in tow hooks so yes, yes they are!

Not the ideal place for transport loops/hooks. It is advantageous to attach to the frame to hold the car down so the car does NOT bounce and give the shocks a workout.

 

[biomedtechguy]

Not the ideal place for transport loops/hooks. It is advantageous to attach to the frame to hold the car down so the car does NOT bounce and give the shocks a workout.

Neener-Neener! Lol.
Having some is better than none...

 

[biomedtechguy]

Ok from the center of the spring eye bolt to the bottom of the front bracket is 6 1/2".
On my car, it's 8" from the bottom of the bracket to the ground.

I'll take some measurements, a couple of pix, and call both companies (Calvert and Smith Racecraft) tomorrow.
My current rear tires are about 26" with fairly short sidewalls. Damn things look nice, and the tread pattern has been great, but not ideal for traction compared to a taller, more flexible sidewall.
Still, I have had so many "support system" problems regarding launch traction, that I haven't really been "fair" to the Toyo Proxes TQ drag radials in an even playing field comparison.

 

[65Fury440]

Not the ideal place for transport loops/hooks. It is advantageous to attach to the frame to hold the car down so the car does NOT bounce and give the shocks a workout.

I talked to Smith about this, the guy there said if you are worried about it, turn those pretty little knobs out so there is no valving, but, unless you run the Crusaders tighter than 16 out of 19 not to worry about it.
And not all of us have those fancy frame hooks like ultra-wealthy rollback guys have.

 

[Dodge 330]

I tie mine down by the frame as well.

I'm all about visual proof of what works so here is video of my street car / Cal-Tracs in action. First pair in the video:

1.37 60 ft.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

I talked to Smith about this, the guy there said if you are worried about it, turn those pretty little knobs out so there is no valving, but, unless you run the Crusaders tighter than 16 out of 19 not to worry about it.
And not all of us have those fancy frame hooks like ultra-wealthy rollback guys have.

Your a funny guy!
Wish I had a race budget so I can get to the track! Ultra-wealthy??? Pass that this way
Yes I have the Crusaders that took a while to save for but any decent shock will get a workout unless you tie the car to the trailer or flatbed.Fancy hooks??? How 'bout some angle iron with a hole cut with an oxy/acet torch?
Try talking to one of the shock makers and see what they say........

 

[biomedtechguy]

I have always tied my straps around the rear axle housing and the front LCA.
The GTO has a loop built into the center of a cross frame section in the front...I guess Pontiac figured the GTOs were going to need it.