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Traction Bars

After fitting my RV8 axle with Quaife LSD, it became apparent that the extra grip was causing torque effects on the axle, causing the nose of the axle to rise & the propshaft to interfere with the transmission tunnel. MG fitted lower torque control arms on the RV8 to counter this effect so I’d need to do something similar.

I had two approaches that I could take:-

Torque control arms above the springs

These would prevent axle rotation by preventing the top of the axle twisting towards the rear of the car. Ford used this method on the Escort. My MG is a later model so I already have sturdy body attachments where the anti-roll bar was fitted but I don’t have attachments on the axle. Strictly speaking, this method would not prevent spring wind-up and hence isn’t a true anti-tramp device, but would prevent most axle rotation problems.

The arms themselves are made from sections of the rear anti-roll bar extended with 20mm tube. I used the original ARB mount at one end and a custom made rubber mount at the other. They make a positive improvement to the driving experience. The car feels nicer to pull of in first gear and gear changes seem more positive. I attribute this to less axle rotation when torque is introduced and hence more rotation making it to the wheels. So far, it’s also cured my problem of excessive propshaft movement however, all is not perfect. The bars transmit too much road noise through to the interior. I’ve tried various different bush options without success

Anti-tramp bars below the springs

This prevents the lower part of the axle from twisting forwards hence stops the axle from rotating. However to fit this, I’d need a sturdy way to mount the forward anti-tramp pivot below the forward spring pivot. MG achieved this using an additional box section welded to the floor of the car. This is a great solution but would be a big job to do at this stage of my cars evolution. Instead, I created a pair of brackets that fit over the rear spring mount and press on the strong section in front of the spring mount. The rear mount was made from some strong tube that I welded to the lower axle mount.

So far, this has cured my axle tramp and has also entirely cured my road noise issues