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How to: Install Precision Motorsports Online Traction Bars

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  • How to: Install Precision Motorsports Online Traction Bars

    I recently posted up my preliminary installation pics along with some notes and impressions. The following is a complete "how-to" install guide. Overall, the installation was straightforward, some of the tow hook bolts were reluctant to break free, but eventually with the help of a breaker bar, they came loose. The installation probably doesn’t need this in depth of a write-up since it’s really pretty simple, but I like doing write-ups

    The premise of the traction bars is to stabilize the lower control arm so it does not pivot on the frame attachment point and allow transient forward movement of the arm upon acceleration and rearward movement upon heavy braking. It basically keeps the contact patch steady to maximize traction while accelerating or braking. In addition, traction bars minimize or eliminate wheel hop upon severe acceleration.

    Recent discussion about traction bars

    Parts needed:
    -Precision Motorsports Online (PMO) Traction Bars from www.precisionmotorsportsonline.com
    -anti-seize
    -PB Blaster rust penetrant
    -scrap cardboard

    Tools needed:
    -Drill
    - 1/2" drill bit (for metal/wood) with 3/8" shank reduction
    -ratchets 1/2" and 3/8" drive
    -combination box-end/open end wrenches: 10mm, 14mm, 19mm(3/4"), 24mm (optional)
    -large adjustable wrench or 24mm(15/16") "crows-foot"
    -sockets: 10mm, 14mm, 19mm, 24mm
    -1/2" and 3/8" drive torque wrenches
    -18" breaker bar 1/2" drive
    -steel pipe breaker bar/wrench extension (12")
    -wire brush
    -plastic or rubber mallet
    -tin snips
    -floor jack
    -jack stands
    -ramps
    -wheel chocks
    -eye protection

    Torque specs: (to be determined by PMO)
    -24mm bolt: 70 ft-lb
    -19mm nut/bolt: 50 ft-lb

    Procedure:
    -jack the car up onto jack stands, apply emergency brake and chock the rear wheels

    Crossbar installation:
    -locate both tow hooks. You will see that the splash guard obscures the top most bolt that fastens the hook to the frame
    -remove the plastic "screw studs" and bolts as noted in the pictures, then bend back the splash guard.
    pic: driver’s side
    pic: passenger’s side
    -The 14mm bolts will be somewhat difficult to remove but if you use the 18" 1/2" drive breaker bar they come out easily. The passenger side top bolt is space restricted by the windshield washer reservoir. I used a box end 14mm wrench and an extension slipped over the wrench to add leverage. The driver’s side top bolt is obscured by one of the horns. Remove the 10mm bolt that fastens the bracket to the frame.
    pic: driver’s side
    pic: passenger’s side
    -clean the frame surfaces with the wire brush since they will likely be corroded and show some rust. Cleaning the surfaces will aid in installing the cross bar
    pic: frame corrosion
    -slip the cross bar into place. If you have some difficulty, loosely install all 4 bolts on one side, then drive the other side into position with your plastic or rubber mallet. Fasten all 8 bolts securely once the bar is in place. Before you reinstall the bolts clean them with a wire brush and coat them with anti-seize.
    -reinstall the horn bracket
    -reinstall all of the splash guard bolts/plastic screws

    Lower control arm modification:
    -locate the 1/2" hole on the underside of either lower control arm. Just above this hole is a 3/8" hole on the topside of the lower control arm.
    pic: passenger’s side lower control arm ½” hole
    pic: driver’s side lower control arm ½” hole
    -optionally, tape some cardboard scraps on the CV boot to protect it when you are drilling
    -insert your 1/2" drill bit into the hole at the bottom. Center the tip of the drill bit in the 3/8" hole.
    pic: positioning drill bit
    -Drill slowly and apply light pressure only as the drill bit will grab at the sides and may push up too quickly which may damage the CV boot above if you are not careful
    pic: drilling complete
    -Repeat for the lower control arm on the other side. Modification of the lower control arms is now complete
    Last edited by Omaha95PGT; February 25, 2004, 09:11 AM.
    Marc M.
    Black '95 PGT with mods 177.4 whp/159.6 wtq (probably way less now as the car has been partially de-modded)
    2000 BMW M-Roadster

  • #2
    Traction bar installation [Part I]:
    -Lower the car, drive around the block then set your car up on the ramps
    -identify the internal control arm spacer and the external spacer
    pic: control arm spacers
    -insert the internal control arm spacer as shown in the pics. The second picture shows the spacer mis-aligned with the hole. Line it up for final installation
    pic: internal control arm spacer pic 1
    pic: internal control arm spacer pic 2
    -insert the bolt thru the end link, external spacer, and control arm.
    -Fasten the Nylock nut to the bolt at the top of the control arm
    pic: control arm fasteners installed
    -Torque to 50 ft-lbs (tentative torque value)
    -repeat process for the opposite side
    -let them hang for now while you move on to the splash guard modification

    Splash guard modification:
    -As you can see in the following picture, the traction bar strikes the splashguard. I used some tin snips that acts like scissors to cut thru the plastic splashguard. You can probably use some other tool like a coping saw, rotary tool with side cutting bit, etc to do the job. This was just the easiest. The cuts in the picture were rough, so they will be smoothened out with a cutting bit mounted on a rotary tool. Also, when you make your cuts, give the bars some extra room to move as the suspension compresses. Move the traction bars to their mounting point so that you can gauge how much plastic you should remove. Alternatively, you could remove the splashguard completely.
    pic: bar striking splash guard on driver’s side
    pic: modified driver’s side splash guard

    Traction bar installation [Part II]:
    -Now that you have modified the splash guards, connect the end link to the large 24mm (15/16”). Adjust the length of the traction bar so that you can easily screw the bolt into its bolt hole. There should be a little slack in the bar at this point. You may want to use some anti-seize on the fastener to allow for easy removal of the bolt in the future.
    -Torque the bolt down to the 70 ft-lbs (tentative spec). You may need to use a crow’s foot ratchet attachment on the driver’s side bolt since there are some clearance issues if you use a socket.

    Adjusting the traction bars:
    -Mark a spot on the traction bar with a permanent marker so you can count how many turns you rotate the bar.
    -You should twist the traction bar 2 turns that will shorten the bar and pull the bar tight.
    -tighten down the lock nuts on both ends. Keep the endlinks centered on the pivot. Do not let them become too skewed as you tighten the locknut.
    -final adjustment may require some experimentation with the setting on the bar (tighter or looser) until wheel hop is maximally reduced or eliminated.

    Some notes:
    -It may be wise to get a front wheel alignment before installation of the traction bars to ensure proper toe/camber/caster settings for your particular driving style.
    -you may need to make some adjustments to your cold-air intake filter. I have a PRM CAI, so I didn’t have any clearance issues.

    Some pics of the traction bars installed:
    http://home.comcast.net/~mmunoz70/z/tbar18.jpg
    http://home.comcast.net/~mmunoz70/z/tbar19.jpg
    http://home.comcast.net/~mmunoz70/z/tbar20.jpg
    http://home.comcast.net/~mmunoz70/z/tbar22.jpg
    Last edited by Omaha95PGT; June 21, 2004, 05:21 AM.
    Marc M.
    Black '95 PGT with mods 177.4 whp/159.6 wtq (probably way less now as the car has been partially de-modded)
    2000 BMW M-Roadster

    Comment


    • #3
      Very nice Marc, Very Nice.....now with my write up I am gonna have videos and Hooters waitresses helping me install it. That way I blow your write up out of the water Just messing with you man, good job.

      Josh
      Silver 2011 5.7L Toyota Tundra CrewMax
      Former Owner of The Fastest N/A 2.0 Probe

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by nolanspawn
        now with my write up I am gonna have videos and Hooters waitresses helping me install it.
        That I would like to see
        Marc M.
        Black '95 PGT with mods 177.4 whp/159.6 wtq (probably way less now as the car has been partially de-modded)
        2000 BMW M-Roadster

        Comment


        • #5
          So Marc.... we've seen tons of install pics, a few nice how-to's, and all, but like...

          When do we get a *review?!?!?!*







          I wanna know how these things do!!
          Greg Martin
          2009 BMW 328i
          2017 BMW X3
          1990 Probe LX

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Bufalo
            I wanna know how these things do!!
            I will have one very soon...its dry ground here in Texas so ill be able to terst it out. Marc....IIRC is dealing with a nice blankey of snow.

            Josh
            Silver 2011 5.7L Toyota Tundra CrewMax
            Former Owner of The Fastest N/A 2.0 Probe

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Bufalo
              When do we get a *review?!?!?!*
              I wanna know how these things do!!
              LOL

              Yeah, I knew someone would say something like that. I'm not going to give a full until I can actually evaluate the bars completely (Drag strip, AX, road course, etc). On preliminary testing on street launches, they get a

              Yeah the weather here isn't the greatest. Frigid weather, salt covered roads and stone cold rubber don't make for the best evaluation platform. I'll leave the quality testing to my warm weather bretheren (go for it Josh )

              Plus I'm waiting for my grease "boots" for the endlinks. yay, more for the "how to"
              Marc M.
              Black '95 PGT with mods 177.4 whp/159.6 wtq (probably way less now as the car has been partially de-modded)
              2000 BMW M-Roadster

              Comment


              • #8
                This post should get archived. Very good write up.

                Comment


                • #9
                  oops, I just realized that the 1st half of the install was lost in the cut and paste. It's been corrected. My bad.
                  Marc M.
                  Black '95 PGT with mods 177.4 whp/159.6 wtq (probably way less now as the car has been partially de-modded)
                  2000 BMW M-Roadster

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    "Grease Boots?" Are these recommended? my car is a pretty much a Spring / Summer / Fall Vehicle (spring and fall is some rain, no salt). should i also invest in these?

                    Also, will you be adding the Grease boot to the installation?
                    '05 Toyota Echo - Stock....at the moment
                    '94 Ford Probe GT - HS CAI & Headers, Fidanza 9Lb, Borla Cat-Back,STS,
                    '90 Ford Mustang - Broken head mod

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by .:: INFURIA ::.
                      "Grease Boots?" Are these recommended? my car is a pretty much a Spring / Summer / Fall Vehicle (spring and fall is some rain, no salt). should i also invest in these?

                      Also, will you be adding the Grease boot to the installation?
                      Neonman (PMO's owner) said in another thread that he spoke with some dirt trackers who apparently use these rubber things that surround the end-link to protect them against water/corrosion/grit damage. If I understand correctly, they are filled with grease and cover the endlink. Supposedly, he would provide them to current owners and future owners of the traction bars so there is no need to buy them (they would come with the kit). Personally, I would still use the "boots" regardless of the season. It's like driving your car without CV boots. Eventually, the grit that gets in the joints will grind the joint down until it fails.

                      If these boots aren't available, you will probably have to clean and lube them frequently.
                      Marc M.
                      Black '95 PGT with mods 177.4 whp/159.6 wtq (probably way less now as the car has been partially de-modded)
                      2000 BMW M-Roadster

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Marc, I wish you lived near me

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: How to: Install Precision Motorsports Online Traction Bars

                          Originally posted by Omaha95PGT
                          ....I like doing write-ups
                          ...
                          My car - another fully functioning OBD-II ZE.

                          What the hell is Lomo?

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Re: How to: Install Precision Motorsports Online Traction Bars

                            Originally posted by onlyp
                            I just got my T-Bar today....cant wait to install it. Plus I am sure Marc cant wait too see Hooters girls helping me install it in the write up pics

                            Josh
                            Silver 2011 5.7L Toyota Tundra CrewMax
                            Former Owner of The Fastest N/A 2.0 Probe

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Nice write up! I am looking foward to adding these to my car.

                              Comment

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