Car goes sideways?

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63dartman

63dartman

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When ever I leave a light and break traction my car wants to go sideways. Usually it grabs until the rpm's get under him and then it's tries to walk into the other lane. (just the rear tires) I have to let up to avoid a serious fishtail and loss of control.

Would the suregrip clutches cause this? It almost seems like one side is grabbing more than the other. I'm pretty sure the car is straight and I don't think I have any alignment issues.
 
63dartman said:
When ever I leave a light and break traction my car wants to go sideways. Usually it grabs until the rpm's get under him and then it's tries to walk into the other lane. (just the rear tires) I have to let up to avoid a serious fishtail and loss of control.

Would the suregrip clutches cause this? It almost seems like one side is grabbing more than the other. I'm pretty sure the car is straight and I don't think I have any alignment issues.
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I don't think the suregrip is the problem. My 67 GTX does this when I "break traction" and wants to skate in the other lane. I just dial it back and check the looks on their faces when you drive by!!! Could be any number of factors, but I would say it's all external, as my car doesn't do it every time. I would blame road conditions. In case you get a ticket for "losing traction", don't go with the.... "those spectators egged me on, and they dumped cooler water on the road and I "lost traction"... Didn't work for me and probably won't work for you either!!! Good luck, Geof
 
Probably just the crown of the asphault that causes this.
A drag strip is flat ( hint hint )
 
My car has a suregrip and its does the same thing. I like it! Most cars I've seen with posi or a suregrip do the same thing. Most of the time when I power brake it'll stay straight but when I let off, HANG ON BABY!
 
Road crown can cause it but also if the alignment isn't right it will do the same thing. Find a shop that will do a 4 wheel alignment. I'd be willing to say that they will have to shim the spring perch back on one side to get it right. I went thru the same thing with a 65 Barracuda years ago and it drove me nuts until I had an old time alignment guy look at it. Needed a 3/16 shim on the drivers side perch to get the rear end straight with the frame.
 
So, this is something that can be fixed and not something that just happens naturally. My 76' Trans Am 455 fish tailed like a mother. My Duster fish tails a bit but not as bad as the TA. I thought it was normal.
 
Fishtail is something that happens as a result of no traction and typically goes in either direction depending on how level the road surface is and other factors. If your car consistantly goes to one side when traction is lost and you are on a level surface then its likely due to the rear end being offset a little (one side further forward than the other). All things being equal, with both tires spinning, both tires are going to go straight ahead in relation to the rear axle since his cannot be changed. So, if one side of the housing is further forward than the other then the axle going straight is not necessarily moving the car straight ahead thus the car goes sideways. Don't know if I explained it well enough but thats the idea.

In most cases it can be fixed, or at least minimized (depending on how far out the rearend is). The problem is going to be finding an alignment shop that has a person with brains enough to know what to do. Most of them around here only set toe-in now since all other factors are permenantly set on new cars....

Larry
 
Every car with suregrip I've driven kicks the rear end to the right. It doesn't come around, just kicks out slightly and stays there until traction is regained. If you drive a suregrip car or truck in the snow, you'll see what I mean.
 
it probably pulls to just the passenger side so maby try adding another leaf to just one side. i think to the drivers side. i have always thought it was from the twist of engine and all but i heard of an old guy doing this and it helped. i personaly like it lol
 
Remember that the driveshaft spins counterclockwise ( viewed from the back) and tries to lift the right tire. The sure grip clutches lock in and since the left tire is not spinning yet, it has more traction. This upsets the balance of the car and since the right tire (which is spinning) it is easier to drag it sideways. This all takes place in a split second and the if you are able to get both tires spinning, the back end always seems to want to go to the low side.
 
Now that you guys mention it, I don't have any walking at the track. I guess I need to just improve my driving skills:) I've been watching alot of dukes of hazards reruns for tips:read2::read2::cheers:
 
dont forget this y'all. my car launches straight as an arrow and it's simple to do. in the old days of roundy round the guys wouls add weight to the R or L rear by adding a round of torsion bar to the front end.if you go up on the R it puts more weight on the L rear and vice versa.you can over do it and it will mess up the alignment but it usually dont take that much of a change. if you know any stock car guys, alot of them have a set of scales that you can use to get the weight distribution right. or you can do it like i do and play with it till it leaves straight. this process always made the brand x and Y guys mad cause they didnt have any way to do this without a pile of cash. adding a nascar type rear wedge and panhard to move weight is a beeatch.
 
yellowdartdave said:
Remember that the driveshaft spins counterclockwise ( viewed from the back) and tries to lift the right tire. The sure grip clutches lock in and since the left tire is not spinning yet, it has more traction. This upsets the balance of the car and since the right tire (which is spinning) it is easier to drag it sideways. This all takes place in a split second and the if you are able to get both tires spinning, the back end always seems to want to go to the low side.
Click to expand...

You're 100% right Dave...and this is the main reason for relocating the battery to the right rear corner of the trunk - to use the added weight to help counteract the lifting of the right rear tire.
Years ago, the combination of battery relocation, adjustable pinion snubber, and SS springs kept my NHRA Super Street (10.90 index) '69 Dart launching straight and hard.
15 years later and I still wish I hadn't sold that car.
 
I found a good mechanic when I was looking to get bushings pressed in, most of the machine shops didn't want to touch the A arms. After the front end was done, I took it to the same guy for an alignment. He tried to do a 4 wheel align, but my rear wheels were to deep for the light/laser thingies to attach. He said could be an issue with the rear end not being aligned correctly, not that he thought there was on with my car specifically, just something he learned over the years. I haven't had any sideway issues when my other personality takes over....saving that one in case I ever get a ticket.
My truck, on the other hand, goes sideways all the time in the snow/ice here in the winter and it's got an open rear.
 
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