Hey guys,
I need your advice. After installing the 4.10 gears and the FTVB it is time to add traction bars. But which one??? They have to fit my L, with all its mods, because sending back to the USA and so one is too much money.
I have installed 22'' rims, a Flowmaster Cat back and a Ground Force 2/4 drop.

In November/ December I will let port my blower. Remember the L is a daily driver for me, what shell be the next mod??? Exhaust, Cooling or what???
My mods are:
K&N FIPK, C&L Upper plenum, Accufab Single throttle body, 4# lower pulley, Phenolic spacer, Brisk spark plugs, RWTD tunes, Flowmaster Cat back, FTVB, 4.10 gears, Dynojet Wide Band Commander, Fuel pressure and Boost gauge,
hope I don't forget something.

Need your tips!!!

 

metco's

 

Don't Metco's have to be pre-loaded? or is that Cal-traks?

I perfer any of the 58" long Lift bars. The lightning FEELS tighter with them installed.

I had slapper bars, but really didn't like them. They worked on the track, but for street driving I didn't care for them.

The lift bars I have are JLP, and they really tightened the rear of the lightning, or at least it feels that way.

 

yea you can adjust the preload on them. i have mine set with no preload for right now... i need to get to the track with slicks or drag radials to get everything set.

 

I really believe the 54" JLP's are the best

 

58" Bars get my Vote, I have JDM's
(also tried slapper bars, but did not like them)

 

lfp 58" bars. seem to be the thickest brackets

 

I was wondering what about street driving with slappers was no good?

If it rides on the snubbers, could they be cut down?

The other question is, if carring a load (say close the 1/2 ton rating) in the bed and the struck squats, will it be sitting on the snubebrs even they have been cut?

 

Well Every once in a while I like to take the truck sides through the turn, and when the rear ends starts to slide the slappers would hit the leaf springs and the rear end would hop a little. resulting in one screwed up slide of the rear end. I HATED it.
For straight line they work great. for turns they drove me crazy.

 

So if I don't do slides, drifting or anything of the such, I'm good to go with towing and hauling a load?

 

No prob not
You keep the snubbers usually 3/4 to 1-1/4 inches away from contact point. Under normal driving NO PROB
But hit a speed bump for instance and the snubbers hit and throw your *** through your throat. SO if you were towing my guess is the snubbers would be preloaded and every bump you hit would be a very uncomfortable experience.

The further away you set the snubbers, the less chance of this happening,
you may be able to find a happy medium ? but if you ever get your truck to run 11's (or even low 12's) YOU WILL need the 58" bars anyway, so why not just get them now and save the double buying and installing (like I did)

 

Carrying heavy loads in bed will have the bars preloaded and stiffen the ride, that could be good or bad. Ride will be worse, but it may haendl the load better. Not sure since I hve not done it.

I do run mid-11's with Lakewoods. Yes there is problem with slapper bars or Cal-tracs when using stock shocks once you have enough hp to get to 12.0, but that is easily fixed with (Strange or QA-1) adjustable shocks.

I have a set of long bars as well, but they cost me too much (0.1 sec) on my 60's (compared to Lakewoods) when I first installed them with stock shocks ) was running 12.0 at the time), will eventually give the long bars another try since they do have better street ride and corner capabilities. My 60 ft numbers are why I am presently running the Lakewoods, better traction.

 

The same thing used to happen to me when I had the slappers on there. I swapped them out for the 54" JLP bars. They mount a little higher up on the frame then the 58", so you have a little more ground clearance on the front brackets if you are lowered.

 

I have JLP bars. I don't know whether they are 54 or 58 inches. I just know I like them

 

So would the 58" or 54" bars be okay if you plan on towing, say a fishing boat every once in awhile?? Or maybe carrying somthing kinda heavy?? The slapper bars do not sound very comfortable in that kinda situation and I would be too lazy to take the traction bars off whenever I want to tow somthing.

Basically, I'm trying to figure out which type of traction bar would be best if I still plan on using the Lightning as a "truck" every once in awhile.