I backed my Caltracs off in a mis-guided attempt to make them livable on the street. The car quickly bent the front spring segment of the mono-leaf due to spring wrap. I ended up pulling and selling the set-up. They are great for a smooth race track, but brutal on the back on the open road.
My buddy had Cal Tracs on his street car and they were pretty noisy and rattled some. No big deal but I always like how the SS springs rode for me in my cars over the years so I went with the SS springs on my 63 and the car rides and drives very nice on them. I agree there are better options out there and if my car was a race only car I would have looked at it different. But the SS springs were much cheaper then the full Cal Trac setup and they do work fine for a mild street car like mine that see's the track once or twice a year at the most. I am not out to set a record and I can still race in some NSS races that use a full tree and even cut some decent lites on a full tree. Can I run on a Pro Tree ? Sure but I will get my butt kicked as I know my car wont do well on a Pro Tree with SS springs and no trans brake but I dont race on a Pro tree. I guess my point is that yes SS springs are old 60's technology but they do still work ok for me and what I do and I am sure they fit the bill for some others. If I was a serious racer I would be running Cal Tracs for sure but I like the ride the SS springs give me and I can still go to the track and have fun and do ok. I completely agree they are not the best in todays world but for a guy on a tight budget with a mild driver street/strip car like me they work ok. Ron
