Traction bar/Pahnard bar

[Ramcharger90]

So I'm trying too figure out what setup I should use on my truck. I have a 8.8 from an exploder in it already and I put it in on top of the springs just like in the exploders so I'm not sure if there are any store bought options or what is gonna be the best setup for a street/strip application. I'm just not sure what is the best solution.

 

[sheep herder]

Four link it.

 

[Ramcharger90]

Yeah I thought about that but im not sure how big of a pain it would be

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

So I'm not sure why you would want a panhard bar on a leafspring suspension.
I'm on my phone so maybe I'm not seeing some info on the sidebar....like you have a coil spring suspension.
Leafspring I would use slapper bars as a cheap set up. Caltracs would be my next cheapest option. You can 4 link a leafspring suspension but you have to disengage the axle from the springs, and that's when you would need a panhard bar or Watts link. Seems like an awful lot of work unless its in the rulebook.

 

[cbxer55]

Panhard bars prevent side-to-side movement in leaf spring suspensions. There have been several companies that make custom setups for Lightnings over the years I've owned them. My Lightning currently has a BroncoBeater panhard bar on it. I could tell the difference after I mounted it. First pic is when I first installed it with stock shocks and diff. cover. Second is with QA-1 shocks and a TA cover on the differential. Third is with the recent Mag-Hytec cover.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Thanks for the info. Never seen it before.

 

[Dirtman]

Panhard bars still aren't really necessary in a leaf spring suspension because the leaf springs themselves are fairly solid unlike coils. But either way the problem with a panhard is, they force the rear to move latterly as the suspension goes up and down. Just basic geometry. It's not a huge deal but... if you go through the trouble of adding a panhard, it's just as easy to do a watts link which doesn't have the side to side movement problem. A watts link keeps the rear dead center and doesn't force it it kick out.

 

[Ramcharger90]

I just wasn't sure what kind of setup I wanted. Or who made them I think I might do this and eliminate the leafs. And go with coil overs.

But I dont really need a 9 inch or that big of a tire.

I like the idea of over building some things.

https://imgur.com/a/kmnrfk3

https://imgur.com/a/dDrcHZz

 

[cbxer55]

While a panhard bar may not be necessary, after putting it on my L I could tell the difference the first time I took it around my favorite curvy road. And the amount of lateral movement isn't much, likely a half inch or less. Another nice thing is that on Lightnings, every one I've seen, the driver's side rear tire is tucked further under the fender than the passenger side. With a pan hard bar, I was able to adjust that so they are both equal. On Lightnings, the drive shaft is off center to the passenger side, as is the differential center. It's no big deal, I just never liked how far under the driver's side tire is compared to the other side. A little preload on the bar, and it's fixed. Now, if you think that's bad, on NASCAR vehicles, they adjust the bar while driving.

Oh, my 2007 Mustang has one from the factory. So hence, FORD must not care about the lateral movement.

 

[Dirtman]

Oh I know it's not much at all and barely noticeable, especially on a car with limited suspension travel. Just pointing out a different type of setup. I'm eventually going to do a watts link on my mustang when I finish building the sub frame for it.

 

[cbxer55]

If you look at the traction bars on my Lightning in the pics above, the way they mount basically turns the rear suspension into a four link of sorts. The front and rear spring mounts are two, the front and rear of the long bars the other two.

Here's an article on traction bars from a guy who converted a Lightning to a road race vehicle. https://web.archive.org/web/2016040...htning/race_prep/suspension/traction_bars.htm

Here's another on panhard bars. https://web.archive.org/web/2016030...om/lightning/race_prep/suspension/panhard.htm

 

[stmitch]

There's always the Chassisworks bolt on 4 link...

Chris Alston's Chassisworks, Inc.; Chassisworks - Ford 85-05 Ranger Truck - Bolt-On 4-Link Suspension

Ford 85-05 Ranger Truck - Bolt-On 4-Link Suspension

www.cachassisworks.com

It's really marketed towards the bagged crowd, so I'm not sure how it stacks up if you're chasing performance handling but it's an option that exists that most people don't know about.