Moparts
Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it?
Posted By: OA5599
Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/26/11 06:01 PM
Cuda will be going for low compression 340 to a 550+ hp 418. I already have M/T Drag Radials, but have been recommended Caltracs. I'm a novice, so who here runs them? Are they worth the $$$ and hassle? Is there a better alternative? Not crazy about the traction bar look, but if it's necessary, I'll do what I need to for traction.
Thanks,
Posted By: Cab_Burge
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/26/11 06:07 PM
Posted By: PUNK
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/26/11 06:11 PM
definitely worth it. Once we installed them, the car was not as violent as the Mopar super stock springs and the car left very square. Go for some good shocks as well, such as AFCO Double adjustable shocks. Keep in mind that our 69 Cuda is a little more track oriented as well. Stock leaf spring location, but caltracs and split mono leafs, AFCO Double adjustables in the rear, single adjustable shocks in the front, lite torsion bars (Mopar Drag bars) 28X9 Hoosier slicks. We also use a fairly budget 904 trans with a low gear set and a good 8" Turbo Action Converter and the car drives good and hooks dead up at the track with a 1.37 60 foot time best. Average is 1.40. I would say yes to the Caltracs and split monoleafs. They alone wont be the answer to any traction woes however. Its the total combination of carefully chosen parts.
Posted By: Guitar Jones
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/26/11 06:17 PM
Quote:
All the Cal Trac users that figured out how to make them work will tell you they are great, all the SS spring users that made them work will tell you they are way better than something like Cal Tracs that they haven't treid yet 
The guys that had SS springs, then Cal Tracs and now ladder bars(installed properly with a good set of rear shocks) will tell you ladder bars are the best they treid 
Let the fun began 
but would ad that they are the best you can do while still keeping leaf springs. They are not the best suspension system ever though, but they do work well.
Posted By: dennismopar73
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/26/11 07:11 PM
well for the money and time to put them in ,
say no do not do it
if youre running more than 10 just spend money on set of ladders
coils or laddrs and sliders,
if i had to spend 1300 dollars just go with the ladders be done
if not stay with super stock springs!!
been there done it
Posted By: fishy340
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/26/11 08:26 PM
the best u can get,by far for the money...o yea try and drive on the street w a 4 link or a ladder bar car!
7 sec cars w cal's on em
Posted By: fury62
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 12:01 AM
they work for me!
Posted By: dennismopar73
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 12:06 AM
I'm sorry awbdart,,
but nope they aint,
if you are running enough hp to upgrade over ss springs
money being money,, caltracks is $1.100-1.300.00 $
you can sneak set of ladders undr a car for far less
250$ for the bars and slider and keep stock springs!!!
and be better than cals
that is a fact!!
but if he is ruuning a basic street car ss springs will be
all he needs ,
ss spring will run in the 8 -9 sec zone without any hassel!!
i have run stock springs at 11,0 s
there is alot of stupid things i have done thru out the years
waste money is one of them
there is alot to be said about the front end of the car
and making the car leave than tons of money spent on the rear
for no good reason
Posted By: sturmenater
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 12:12 AM
I hope they are after hearing good reports im installing them on my ride for this spring along with leaf spring sliders
Posted By: Eric
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 12:14 AM
Quote:
I'm sorry awbdart,,
but nope they aint,
if you are running enough hp to upgrade over ss springs
money being money,, caltracks is $1.100-1.300.00 $
you can sneak set of ladders undr a car for far less
250$ for the bars and slider and keep stock springs!!!
and be better than cals
that is a fact!!
but if he is ruuning a basic street car ss springs will be
all he needs ,
ss spring will run in the 8 -9 sec zone without any hassel!!
i have run stock springs at 11,0 s
there is alot of stupid things i have done thru out the years
waste money is one of them
there is alot to be said about the front end of the car
and making the car leave than tons of money spent on the rear
for no good reason
How are you spending $1100-1300 on Caltracs?....I used stock springs...Ranchos at $65 each and Caltracs on my Duster that ran 10.60's with a 1.40 short...Probably had a shade over $500 in the whole deal with no welding and a bolt in job...And yes they worked great.
Posted By: Spaceman Spiff
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 12:15 AM
Quote:
I'm sorry awbdart,,
but nope they aint,
if you are running enough hp to upgrade over ss springs
money being money,, caltracks is $1.100-1.300.00 $
you can sneak set of ladders undr a car for far less
250$ for the bars and slider and keep stock springs!!!
and be better than cals
that is a fact!!
but if he is ruuning a basic street car ss springs will be
all he needs ,
ss spring will run in the 8 -9 sec zone without any hassel!!
i have run stock springs at 11,0 s
there is alot of stupid things i have done thru out the years
waste money is one of them
there is alot to be said about the front end of the car
and making the car leave than tons of money spent on the rear
for no good reason
where do you get caltracs are $1,100?? This was for a search for a '69 cuda.
http://calvertracing.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=45
Posted By: sturmenater
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 12:21 AM
I think he is talking about caltracs and mon springs
Posted By: dennismopar73
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 12:24 AM
you are correct
and yes it was 1,100 dollars
we gad stock hd springs on the car ,
went to ss spring then to cals
we actually lost 60 from ss to cals
and went to bigger motor!!
2 diffrent converts
Posted By: fishy340
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 12:27 AM
i'd love to see an 8 or 9 sec ss leaf spring car!! w a 8,9 or even a 10" tire..please show me?
Posted By: Eric
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 12:33 AM
Quote:
you are correct
and yes it was 1,100 dollars
we gad stock hd springs on the car ,
went to ss spring then to cals
we actually lost 60 from ss to cals
and went to bigger motor!!
2 diffrent converts
The Caltracs work best with a set of worn-out stock springs...or the monos. Mine hooked great with the stock springs...left side just touching...right a half turn of pre-load. Ranchos were set at 4 on a 5way shock.
Dennis...what spring did you use with the Caltracs?...how fast was the car?
Posted By: B1KILLER
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 12:35 AM
Love Em
Posted By: B1KILLER
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 12:38 AM
My Boy ,One Bad Fish
Pic says it all
Posted By: dennismopar73
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 12:49 AM
thanks eric for asking
this car is a 67 coronet
440 tweek to 474 now 8 ta conv 4200
on alk, dominator.
car started life as a 12.20 car 30 over 440, full stock inter say 3800 # w 430 gears 29 tire
we put some work in it put new hd springs on it
it then ran 12.0s sixty 1.67 -1.70
since those days it now has the 474 in it
410 gear same tire 29,
running alk and as only ran the best of 11.0 s
at 123 plus mph and 60 has been in the 1.67-1.68 range
we have 60 better with the ss springs at a 1.59
there is alot going on with this combo as you can tell by
the frustration in writting
this car should be running i think alot faster
as the mph suggest
as for cal tracks the money we spent vs the money we spent on ss
we do not see any pickup any where for that
we can rebolt the ss back on this car and have
and duplicated the 1.59 60 , so idono?
Posted By: DemonDust
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 12:49 AM
B1Killer,
One extreme to the other huh???
Posted By: SV_MOPARS
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 12:55 AM
if i'm not mistaken mancini is running a special or was on the cal tracs and mono spring setup for around 5 hun.
Posted By: dennismopar73
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 01:00 AM
we purchased thru mancini 2 years ago ,
mono/ shocks and cals
same for ss springs too hahah
for the money we have in the rear of this car
we could build full 4 bar rear with all the dressings
and have gas money
Posted By: fishy340
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 01:11 AM
well not to sound cocky,but on a heavy 12 sec car,what kind of improv are goona really be seen,if the car isn't spinning the tires,and converter is good,maybe thats all she has
Posted By: fishy340
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 01:14 AM
Quote:
My Boy ,One Bad Fish
Pic says it all
and dont forget pablo foot brakes that car!
Posted By: dennismopar73
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 01:23 AM
well it had hd spring on it then
now with 474 alk
and diff 8 conv i would have thought
the car would run 10 60 10 70
with 123 plus mph the car now weighs in a 3560
with driver
the car started as a 12 sec car
it should be faster and it should 60 better than that
of a 12 sec car wouldnt ya??
being MR OBEVIOUS here
it not like we put junk together here
this has a complete moser 60 (a $2.500 rear)
nice small stroke to it on alk
went from 10 in tci conv
to 2 diff 8 ta conv
diff not a 12 sec car
but still run better on ss spring than on cals !
Posted By: B1KILLER
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 01:28 AM
Quote:
B1Killer,
One extreme to the other huh???
Yesir
Posted By: calmech67
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 01:37 AM
67 Barracuda with caltracs, split mono, and rancho shocks, hooks great and strait 1.53 60ft. never has spun on take off yet. Yes cost was about $1100.00
Posted By: Eric
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 02:07 AM
Quote:
thanks eric for asking
this car is a 67 coronet
440 tweek to 474 now 8 ta conv 4200
on alk, dominator.
car started life as a 12.20 car 30 over 440, full stock inter say 3800 # w 430 gears 29 tire
we put some work in it put new hd springs on it
it then ran 12.0s sixty 1.67 -1.70
since those days it now has the 474 in it
410 gear same tire 29,
running alk and as only ran the best of 11.0 s
at 123 plus mph and 60 has been in the 1.67-1.68 range
we have 60 better with the ss springs at a 1.59
there is alot going on with this combo as you can tell by
the frustration in writting
this car should be running i think alot faster
as the mph suggest
as for cal tracks the money we spent vs the money we spent on ss
we do not see any pickup any where for that
we can rebolt the ss back on this car and have
and duplicated the 1.59 60 , so idono?
Dennis..am I correct in saying you used the HD springs with the Caltracs?...if so..that may have been the mickey in the works. The Caltracs work best with the mono or worn springs. Not very well at all with a SS or a HD spring. I'm not saying you guys don't know your stuff..but there are many out there, including myself, who have had great success with the Caltracs. Is a ladder bar a better race application..sure...even better with a 4-link in most cases...but the Caltracs do work for most... 
Posted By: moparniac
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 02:08 AM
guys have run 7's with them soooooo........
Posted By: dennismopar73
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 03:05 AM
no the car started out using hd spring
them we moved to ss
then we moved to cals mono shocks
we kept looking for why car would leave,
everyone said well cant run stock hd springs ,, so we went to a ss
then everyone said cals is the what ya need ,
which ever the wind blew we did to
spent money on gearing started with 430 went to 456
now we was told that the 474 would like 456 so it got 410
told alot ,
that whats bad ,
it just a sad tale to tell and there is more
but its just all sad
Posted By: Cab_Burge
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 03:07 AM
Quote:
guys have run 7's with them soooooo........
Mustang 10.5 tire guys have run sixes with stock rear suspension 
As far as leaf springs running in the 8s or 9s Bob Brandt did that back in the early 1980s with a 1963 or 64 shoebox Nova with mono leafs on a set of 28x10x15 slicks corked up on the street and at LACR using a SB Chevy on squeeze I drive my duster on the street with ladder bars and coil overs, no big deal
Posted By: actionange
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 03:29 PM
They work for me too.
Similar setup to dennismopar73- big boxy 3650 lbs w/me in 10.27@ 132 with 1.44 60 ft
What's not to like
And cost was no where near $1100.00
Posted By: TMP66
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 07:01 PM
Quote:
if he is ruuning a basic street car ss springs will be
all he needs ,
ss spring will run in the 8 -9 sec zone without any hassel!!
i have run stock springs at 11,0 s
there is alot of stupid things i have done thru out the years
waste money is one of them
there is alot to be said about the front end of the car
and making the car leave than tons of money spent on the rear
for no good reason
100%
When complaints rise about how bad S/S springs are I find in most cases it's incorrect pinion and shackle angle, not the springs.
Posted By: Dodgem
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 07:51 PM
Maybe my math is bad
$340 for the cal tracks
$340 for the mono spring
http://chucker54.stores.yahoo.net/catrbarsy1.html$100 X 2 for the Rancho shocks
http://chucker54.stores.yahoo.net/rancho.htmlcomes out to less than $880??
Mine worked great but a sponsor is tubbing and ladder baring my car
so my buddy is taking them.
Posted By: Dean_Kuzluzski
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 08:13 PM
Here's how I see it..........
To understand the basic fundementals of how the Caltrac's work........
they are a "Poorman's 4-link". And that's not a put-down. They turn the leafspring into the "upperbar" and work like a 4-link with some built-in slack (or not).
Where I'm situated...............
CalTrac's w/stock 4 or 5 leaf springs and drag shocks would be most cost effective.
Then, sell CalTrac's, to upgrade to a Ladderbar set-up if I'm going to mini-tub. Lose the weight of the leafsprings, gain tire clearance w/o the cutting to install the boxes to more the leafsprings.
Posted By: Dago Red
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 08:36 PM
Quote:
i'd love to see an 8 or 9 sec ss leaf spring car!! w a 8,9 or even a 10" tire..please show me?
Here you go...
Posted By: Thumperdart
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 09:00 PM
Quote:
Quote:
i'd love to see an 8 or 9 sec ss leaf spring car!! w a 8,9 or even a 10" tire..please show me?
Here you go...
Is that Gene Buells car? If so, it never hit the 9`s............knew him well and did some work on his motor when I worked at Pettis. If not, my bad.
Posted By: ProStDodge
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/27/11 10:37 PM
Quote:
Cuda will be going for low compression 340 to a 550+ hp 418. I already have M/T Drag Radials, but have been recommended Caltracs. I'm a novice, so who here runs them? Are they worth the $$$ and hassle? Is there a better alternative? Not crazy about the traction bar look, but if it's necessary, I'll do what I need to for traction.
Thanks,
Bolting the cal-tracs to your existing springs will give you an improvement in traction without changing the ride stance of your car, all for about $340. The 9-way shocks are nice for additional adjust-ability, but not 100% necessary. The mono-springs will add a little more movement for extra traction if needed.
One of the nice advantages of the cal-tracs is being able to add pre-load to the passenger side to insure even traction on both sides for a straighter launch. Something that can not be done with SS springs.
SS springs will raise the back of the car about 2" which some feel is a "proper" stance for a Mopar. But now days, the "low" look seems to be more desired, and is my preference.
I have run SS-springs, Cal-tracs, and ladder bars on the street and the track since 1982. I remember adding 1/4" steel plates to the pinion snubber area for the SS springs as the original floor pan distorted. The ladder bars worked great, but rode stiff and noisy.
I feel that for a street driven car, the Cal-tracs are my top choice for a traction aid.
Scott
Posted By: B1KILLER
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/28/11 12:11 AM
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
i'd love to see an 8 or 9 sec ss leaf spring car!! w a 8,9 or even a 10" tire..please show me?
Here you go...
Is that Gene Buells car? If so, it never hit the 9`s............knew him well and did some work on his motor when I worked at Pettis. If not, my bad.
mine on a true 10"/28"
Posted By: KOS
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/28/11 12:55 AM
not worth it in yur application.........SS and good shocks will be fine.i went from SS to the complete caltrac setup running mid to high 9s and only picked up a 100th in the 60ft on a small tire car.
Posted By: b1dartsport
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/28/11 01:35 AM
Quote:
Quote:
Cuda will be going for low compression 340 to a 550+ hp 418. I already have M/T Drag Radials, but have been recommended Caltracs. I'm a novice, so who here runs them? Are they worth the $$$ and hassle? Is there a better alternative? Not crazy about the traction bar look, but if it's necessary, I'll do what I need to for traction.
Thanks,
Bolting the cal-tracs to your existing springs will give you an improvement in traction without changing the ride stance of your car, all for about $340. The 9-way shocks are nice for additional adjust-ability, but not 100% necessary. The mono-springs will add a little more movement for extra traction if needed.
One of the nice advantages of the cal-tracs is being able to add pre-load to the passenger side to insure even traction on both sides for a straighter launch. Something that can not be done with SS springs.
SS springs will raise the back of the car about 2" which some feel is a "proper" stance for a Mopar. But now days, the "low" look seems to be more desired, and is my preference.
I have run SS-springs, Cal-tracs, and ladder bars on the street and the track since 1982. I remember adding 1/4" steel plates to the pinion snubber area for the SS springs as the original floor pan distorted. The ladder bars worked great, but rode stiff and noisy.
I feel that for a street driven car, the Cal-tracs are my top choice for a traction aid.
Scott
I could not of said it any better
Posted By: Dago Red
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/28/11 05:41 AM
No Thumper,it's probably me then. I had heard there was a Hemi E-body on the left coast that had tapped the high nines and just figured it was Gene. Few people work as hard at it as he does.
Posted By: Cab_Burge
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/28/11 05:58 AM
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
i'd love to see an 8 or 9 sec ss leaf spring car!! w a 8,9 or even a 10" tire..please show me?
Here you go...
Is that Gene Buells car? If so, it never hit the 9`s............knew him well and did some work on his motor when I worked at Pettis. If not, my bad.
That is not Genes car(one of my old Challengers ), it is Chuck Rayburns(SP?) 440 six pak car, someone else owned and raced it before Chuck bought it. I'm not sure if Chuck still owns it or not,The last thing I heard about Chucks race cars was he had a 410 HP single 4 barrel NASCAR motor Hemi in a 1964 Savoy running in SS/BA Chuck won a NHRA world championship with that blue car.
Posted By: B3422W5
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/28/11 09:13 PM
Quote:
All the Cal Trac users that figured out how to make them work will tell you they are great, all the SS spring users that made them work will tell you they are way better than something like Cal Tracs that they haven't treid yet The guys that had SS springs, then Cal Tracs and now ladder bars(installed properly with a good set of rear shocks) will tell you ladder bars are the best they treid Let the fun began
Those are all great points..
All i can say is that i am not all that smart, and with minimal help and real cheap shocks i got a very small tire( 28 by 10 DOT) 9 second car to hook on ice with leafs anwhere.
That said, all the years i have posted on here i think i have read more posts with people not getting a car to hook with cal tracs than anything else. Must be a reason for that, and a lot of those posters have slower ET/ bigger tire type stuff and still have issues
If couldnt get a car to work with mopar engineered leafs, i think i would go right past spending the money on caltracs and go ladder or 4 link...
Posted By: B3422W5
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/28/11 09:21 PM
Quote:
i'd love to see an 8 or 9 sec ss leaf spring car!! w a 8,9 or even a 10" tire..please show me?
hundreds of people on here saw my 3350 pound Duster run 9's on leafs for years and hook ALWAYS. I had 28 by 10( true 10 inches wide) QTP'S on it, leafs in stock location, and cheap ce 3 ways all around...worked outstanding anywhere, and still does with the new owner, this past year.Plenty of videos on here of it, if they are still around. mighty easy to get an A body with overhang well into the 9's on leafs with real small tires, and be ultra consistant. Its not rocket science...correct pinion angle, rear shock settings,torsion/ride height and some power.
Posted By: KOS
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/28/11 11:22 PM
ive been 9.6s on a 275/60DR aka 28x9tire on the same setup as B3422W5 but in a 70dart.went to caltrac setup and bigger tire and the only difference is it calmed the car down a bit and little more consistant. ET is basically the same.actually boring now if i wasnt going to spray it i woulda left the SS in!
Posted By: theman440
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 02/28/11 11:46 PM
Worth it - yes. There are more than a few sub 10 second 9 inch tire cars runnin Caltracs. Mostly in the Stock Eliminator classes but because of the rules they sandbag 'em to stay within the index.
Posted By: dennismopar73
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/01/11 12:35 AM
i never said they didnt work obivously they will ,
they question is are they worth it , my answer is still NO!!
yes you can get just a set of bars for $500 , and use old worn leafs , or you can do,the full blown mono /shocks , yes they are $1.100 thats what we paid,
the diffrence , in our case, money spent does not support what was told we would gain, even over ss springs the car didnt leave any diffrent ,always went straight and really lost in 60 time,
that was our outcome , why we dont really know ,the original poster asked if it is worth the money spent , it is my opinon as to our effect. can we see a pickup? not in our case , the ss springs we took off were brand new with only 30 runs on them ,
Posted By: PorkyPig
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/01/11 12:40 AM
Quote:
All the Cal Trac users that figured out how to make them work will tell you they are great, all the SS spring users that made them work will tell you they are way better than something like Cal Tracs...Let the fun began
Just finished reading this entire thread and I have to say you called this one right. Turned into another pee-pee contest, just like you said it would.
Posted By: dc426
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/01/11 12:50 AM
Quote:
they question is are they worth it , my answer is still NO!!
I respectfully disagree with this statement. That being said you cannot bolt a set of Caltracs and mono's on and expect them to word right off the bat. You have to spend time dialing them in. Sometimes that means endless testing to get them right and other times you may hit the "sweet" combo right away. But when you do hit it, you'll know! My 60's before Caltracs were in the 1.50's to high 1.40s. Footbraking with them I had a best of 1.40, and on the Trans brake it goes 1.37 and 1.40 on the rear tires!
The key is to test and dial them in. It could get frustrating at times but the pay off is huge
Posted By: mopar dave
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/01/11 01:37 AM
i'm going to give them a try this year. currently using ss with rancho's and running
10.55@128 with 3360# car on pump gas sb. best 60 with ss is 1.49. the weight loss from the ss to the mono spring will be worth it.
Posted By: SuperStockWagon
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/01/11 06:35 AM
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
i'd love to see an 8 or 9 sec ss leaf spring car!! w a 8,9 or even a 10" tire..please show me?
Here you go...
Is that Gene Buells car? If so, it never hit the 9`s............knew him well and did some work on his motor when I worked at Pettis. If not, my bad.
That is not Genes car(one of my old Challengers ), it is Chuck Rayburns(SP?) 440 six pak car, someone else owned and raced it before Chuck bought it. I'm not sure if Chuck still owns it or not,The last thing I heard about Chucks race cars was he had a 410 HP single 4 barrel NASCAR motor Hemi in a 1964 Savoy running in SS/BA Chuck won a NHRA world championship with that blue car.
Rayburn's blue Challenger is now owned by Glenn Person..440-4bbl former record holder in C/SA. Its now red in color and saw him/it not long ago on Pass Time.
The other sub 10sec Challengers on Cal-Tracs belong to David Barton and Fred Hensen..here's Hensons A/SA Hemi Challenger. 
Posted By: 8secDart
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/01/11 07:14 AM
Yes the Cal-tracs are worth it.What's not worth it is asking about them on here,LOL
Posted By: an8sec70cuda
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/01/11 03:22 PM
Quote:
Yes the Cal-tracs are worth it.What's not worth it is asking about them on here,LOL
Posted By: moparniac
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/01/11 04:02 PM
Posted By: all spooled up
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/01/11 04:04 PM
Quote:
Quote:
Yes the Cal-tracs are worth it.What's not worth it is asking about them on here,LOL
Posted By: KOS
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/01/11 10:57 PM
how is spending around a $1000 worth it when he will pick up nothing at his level of performance?didnt do barely anything for me running mid-high 9s.the only reason im posting this is so other people dont waste there money when not necessary.
Posted By: dennismopar73
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/01/11 11:00 PM
Posted By: HemiDart68
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/01/11 11:09 PM
Quote:
Quote:
they question is are they worth it , my answer is still NO!!
I respectfully disagree with this statement. That being said you cannot bolt a set of Caltracs and mono's on and expect them to word right off the bat. You have to spend time dialing them in. Sometimes that means endless testing to get them right and other times you may hit the "sweet" combo right away. But when you do hit it, you'll know! My 60's before Caltracs were in the 1.50's to high 1.40s. Footbraking with them I had a best of 1.40, and on the Trans brake it goes 1.37 and 1.40 on the rear tires!
The key is to test and dial them in. It could get frustrating at times but the pay off is huge
I am going to respectfully disagree with you 
What you are saying makes sense for the most part but im guessing you have a track in your back yard. I had cal-tracs in my black 64 when I first put it together. Took it to the track, car hooked but results were marginal at best. The price of cal tracs, mono's and afco shocks is almost the same as ladder bar setup and coils. The only price difference is really labor to put it in the ladder bar. We put in a ladder bar, scaled the car and it worked flawlessly on the first hit.
In the end I looked at it as a cost savings. I don't live super close to the track. So a tank of diesel fuel, taking time off work, packing a cooler, paying entry fee etc. every time you go out, test and tunes become expensive. I look at it as two lackluster trips to test just paid for my suspension setup that works.
Anything can be made to work, but is cost effective to try and make it work? The way i see it unless you are in a class that makes you use a constraint (stock suspension classes) why bother with them.
Posted By: JAKE68
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/01/11 11:11 PM
I would say that caltracs have their purpose and that they are not for that guys combo. I would say put ss springs on and a good shock and be done. They would work good for him. There was alot of info given here on springs shocks mono ect. ect. that was way out there and i am biting my tongue from saying anything. i will save that for a different time not now.Jake
Posted By: dc426
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/01/11 11:17 PM
Quote:
We put in a ladder bar, scaled the car and it worked flawlessly on the first hit.
That's fine and dandy if you never ever want to run a stock suspension class again What's good for one may not be good for the other. I just like the fact that I not restricted to racing a class that requires a certain suspension.
DC
Posted By: moparniac
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/02/11 02:22 AM
Can you go wrong with caltracs? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! will caltracs be enough for you in the future when you step up more power? HECK YEA.....
Posted By: Eric
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/02/11 04:08 AM
Incase in means anything to some of you they do make the car more consistant also...I really don't care if I pick-up ET when I bracket race...I kinda like the pay window better...
Posted By: 8secDart
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/02/11 07:24 AM
For what it's worth.I went in the 8s on 02&03 springs back in the day.We had to run leaf springs.You had no control of the car.One pass on the bumper,next spin the tires.I put ladder bars on the Dart when KOS rules allowed them and never looked back.The Cal-Trac bars were not even out then.
Now when all the stock suspension classes poped up I built and drove half a dozen cars.All in the mid 8sec range.What a difference you can really tune the car to what you need.If you like leaving on the bumper than you can.You like to keep the front end down then you can.
No more broke bent up junk a$$ springs.So can the SS springs work yes.Can the Cal-trac help the car yes!!!!!It may be over kill on this guys car but it will be the last time he buys springs.And for the record I will never put a ladder bar on a car again!!!!!!!
Thanks Lenny
Posted By: Monte_Smith
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/02/11 07:34 AM
I still find it hard to believe that so many, think a Mopar "MUST" have SS springs for it to work. That is so old school, it is crazy. When tires were junk, tracks were junk and everything else was junk, you needed all that spring rate, to make the car seperate and plant the tire. Now days, all SS springs give you is that trademark "stingbug" stance, too much seperation and a lot of wasted movement that eats power, that could be moving you down the track. For moderate HP, your stock springs will be more than adequate. You only need some type traction device, if you have enough power to wrap the springs. Stock springs can be beefed to help this, by adding a leaf or two to the front segment and also clamping the front segment. Beyond this, a Cal Trak or similar system works very well. Keep in mind though, that no matter how much you spend on the back, if the front is junk and won't work, the back NEVER will. I have seen thousands wasted on rear suspensions, trying to fix a car, when the only problem was that it needed some decent shocks on the front.
Monte
Posted By: 65_gt_rag_402
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/05/11 07:20 PM
Posted By: Dustin71
Re: Anyone run Caltracs? Worth it? - 03/06/11 05:32 AM
I will say
they work Great for me!!!!
I just recently retired from Street racing in N.Y. In 05'to 07' I won 11 Street races against some faster cars and that's because i was HOOKING HARD in the Street due to the Caltrac's with Stock multi leafs and cheap Summit adjustable shock's... I just upgreated to there split mono leafs and 9way adjustable shocks....
by the way, I had a 1.40 60' at the time in the track....
I know it will be a better 60' foot time this Summer with the Split leafs and shock's
....
