Removing leaf spring clamps - why?

[440beep]

So I've read a few different articles about people removing one or two leaf spring clamps on their Mopars. Tried researching this on the internet, and I'm finding nothing decent that explains the reasoning for removing leaf spring clamps.

What's the benefit of removing leaf spring clamps?

 

[tallhair]

Not a good enough reason whatever it is but probably something to do with axle windup to hook the tires at the stip or something .. which I'm pulling out of my ***

 

[Jonnyuma]

Like tallhair said, it has to do with wrapping up the leaf springs on a hard launch. Real racy stuff. I would strongly advise against it in a street driven car...those leaves will splay-out and not only tweak the u-bolts, but if they separate just right, the short leaf will eat the *** out of your tire's inner sidewall resulting in much unhappiness.

 

[440beep]

Ok thanks for the info. I removed the very last clamp just to see if there was a difference. I will get some new clamps and put back on, unless its safe to reuse the ones I took off.

 

[tallhair]

Like tallhair said, it has to do with wrapping up the leaf springs on a hard launch. Real racy stuff. I would strongly advise against it in a street driven car...those leaves will splay-out and not only tweak the u-bolts, but if they separate just right, the short leaf will eat the *** out of your tire's inner sidewall resulting in much unhappiness.

Nicely put Jonny

 

[nomax]

This is what happens removing the back clamps

[video=youtube;UORxRhfjf7E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UORxRhfjf7E[/video]

 

[Jonnyuma]

Ok thanks for the info. I removed the very last clamp just to see if there was a difference. I will get some new clamps and put back on, unless its safe to reuse the ones I took off.

The old ones should be perfectly fine to reuse. I don't even know where you'd find new ones. I ended up buying some aftermarket units cuz I was in a bind and needed em right away.

That's a cool video, nomax.

 

[5.7 hemi]

That video was bitchin!

 

[Cranky]

You don't remove the front clamps....just the rears. If anything, you want to clamp the front segments tight.

 

[440beep]

Right! I was just experimenting with removing the rear clamps. Anything I can do to improve my chances of winning from a stop light. LOL!!

You don't remove the front clamps....just the rears. If anything, you want to clamp the front segments tight.

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

What Cranky said!

I have aftermarket Hotchkis leafs on mine. They have 4 leafs total with 2 long segments that go all the way to the back and are clamped in the rear and 2 short that are stacked with the 2 long ones and all 4 are clamped in the front. They said they designed them like that to handle on the street, but also give somewhat better hook up since 2 leafs are free on the back end. I like them but have not tried them at the track yet.

Love that video Nomax! More of us should rig up video cameras to film live mechanical action like that.

 

[440beep]

So it looks like with the rear clamps removed, its allowing the rear end to squat more and transfer the weight to the rear end.

This is what happens removing the back clamps

 

[Cranky]

So it looks like with the rear clamps removed, its allowing the rear end to squat more and transfer the weight to the rear end.

This is what happens removing the back clamps

I guess it depends on how much HP you have. The first time I played with this was on a lower horsepower car. At first, the rear would squat, the front end would raise up and then it moved forward. In slow motion, it looked pretty bad and it was. My lights were in the .800 range with the stock setup (.5 tree) and that's not what I usually do. After installing home made clamps on all the front segments and taking off all of the rear, my first pass produced a .550 light! The whole car would rise up evenly and move forward all in one full movement. It was kinda like having traction/slapper bars on it. I also have used the old style traction bars on my cars but mine go all the way to the spring eye and not hit the spring before the eye. That also works well but most times you have to make them yourself in order to get them to do that as stock slappers hit the spring and not the eye. I used the stock spring plates to build them to keep them up close to the spring as close as possible with only 1" of free play at the snubber at the front and no, I don't use the Mopar pinion snubber setup. I don't like the way they work one bit.