Anyone on this forum retro fit some sort of front wheel speed sensors on your classic Mopar?

The ECU I am planning on to control my Hemi has a traction control function that I would like to put to use. I have not yet spent a much amount of time investigating the options available for the front, but for the rear, I should be able to pull off the output speed sensor on the transmission to reference the rear wheels.

Anyone running ETC out there?

Cheater

Just a nerd that was to put a little tech into a old hunk of steel!

I think I have a flat-shift circuit figured out, it's not anything like a sequential, but it's as good as I can get. I do have some ideas for rev-matched downshifting as well, with an electronic throttle body, but that is a later project after it's on the road.

no, but keep us posted about this as I am interested in the topic and how well it works!

If you are running a 2 piece rotor/hat setup for brakes...maybe have a hub machined with a mount on the back side that will be able to fit some off the shelf exciter ring ? (since everything now a days uses them basically) maybe look to something with a seperate hub setup that might be similar to use... Corvette, Camaro or something? Then make a mount for the sensor. Have to be pretty precise of course where it is would be all, but shouldn't be the end of the world to work something out I'd think.

Either that or design some other front suspension design that could use a complete spindle/upright from something late model with ABS..

As for using a transmission output speed for the rear wheel speeds...I guess the computer would compute the different speeds everything is running at then? (since the transmission output speed is different then wheel speed)

A number of Fords use a magnet in the wheel bearing as the trigger for the speed sensor. Might be easier to fit that into the rotor assembly than a tone wheel.

Now you got my attention

A tone ring on the hub is how its done. But I also think a Davis box does it simpler.
http://www.moretraction.com/Products_Drag.htm

So far I just have run-of-the-mill 11-3/4" front brakes. I do plan on doing something different however, what that turns out to be is TBD. I do have access to a laser cutter and can make my own tone ring from sheet steel if I need to.

As far as the details of the ECU, I have yet to work that out specifically, however whatever I can get to work, I can pretty much apply to the rear..just easier. Tailshaft speed, pinion/driveshaft speed, wheel speed, etc.



Yea that one will be a little more complicated, but I have what I'd do in my head along with an Arduino board to act as my interface. Seems achievable. I may keep the cable throttle body and make a system that blips the throttle mechanically vs with an electronic TB, that might actually be easier to do.

The megasquirt systems I have looked at have this function built-in, via either maximum speed within a duration or maximum rpm. Same idea, but more integrated.

I would like it to be a little smarter than that and compare to the averaged front wheel speeds.

I think a GPS/ Driveshaft sensor interface would be the bomb, without having to go to tone wheels on the hubs. BUT with tone rings on the hubs, ABS wouldnt be to far away either.

I had an SS Camaro (and used another for the drivetrain..) 1999 and 2000 year models, and they use a mechanical cable throttle body and have this box that the cable goes into, along with the cable from the throttle pedal and a cruise cable and the box is what helps cut the throttle when the traction control kicks in IIRC.

I know when I built the '69/'99 Camaro and used all that stuff in it, and added the supercharger, if you left the traction control on and nailed the pedal, you could feel it not wanting to push down really as the system struggled to not let it wheel spin like crazy. (Luckily it just turned off with a switch)

Maybe use something like that setup for yours' once you work things out ?

I would like to design protect for ABS, but I doubt I'll ever get there.

GPS would be quite nice but the accuracy of generic consumer-level GPS is not that great at low speeds. In fact, it's pretty bad and will hunt when moving slow. (Based on my fairly extensive experience data-logging Class8 truck operations). GPS signal also varies with time of day as the number of satellites varies and the angle of the vehicle to the satellite.

One can pay for pretty high-end GPS capabilities with finer precision, but I don't believe it will be very cost effective.

What I am ultimately after is a modern-day launch control with basic on-road traction control-ability. Interfacing an Arduino board with the ECU, I can enable a switch (via steering wheel) to engage the line lock (keeping from rolling), the 2-step and hold the throttle. Releasing the button will release the line lock, the 2-step, I'd dump the clutch and allow the traction control to do it's thing. It would all operate quite simply actually using a micro controller in-between the driver and ECU. I need to look up the ability to CAN interface the Arduino with the MS3, that might actually make life a little easier as well.

So lifting the front wheels is not in the cards?

I'll deal with that if it ever happens!

I have the XFI 2.0 EFI ECU with the "ITC" option. Intelligent Traction Control. It uses the VSS output from my T56. I have yet to set it up and run it, but the concept is pretty simple. It just looks at the acceleration rate of the driveshaft and has a timing retard curve based on the acceleration rate. You first drive the car and do some data collection to determine what the expected maximum acceleration rate you can achieve with traction. Then you set the computer to retard the timing at a linear rate when the car exceeds that rate. It also has a rate you can set for bringing timing back in when it recovers.

-Michael

Mount the tone rings to the inboard end of the hub, they have to be made from magnetic steel, regular mild steel is fine just get it plated after you machine it. The teeth and gaps need to be the same wdth. Mount the sensor so you can adjust the gap, get brass feeler gauges for setting the gap. Get your rear speed sensor as close to the wheels as possible, this cuts the amount of noise you have to deal with on your speed signal. Ring gear tone rings are fairly common.