Well I figured I post about my new traction Bars made by LazarSmith (Owned an operated by fellow member XLR8R). XLR8R, AggieJustin and I installed my new sled puller style bars the Friday evening before the HPP Racing Dyno event. Thanks guys!!

My sled puller style bars have an adjustment range of 81"-92" and weigh 78# per pair complete with all brackets & hardware.
LazarSmith also offers a shorter lighter pair for the drag racing folks. They have an adjustment range of 62"-68" and weigh 48# per pair complete with all brackets & hardware.


My new Sled Puller Bars!!


Bar to heim connection, beautiful Welds!!


Front Bracket, all stainless hardware..


Rear to Front view/ Rear U-bolt bracket


Front to Rear



I love these bars!! Completely changes the driving experience in the truck
Pros:

Upon acceleration I no longer feel that squishy, squatting feeling resulting from the horrible axle wrap these trucks experience when put under load. Now when I roll on the coal I can literally feel the power going to the ground and not be wound up in the leafs!! The front end of the truck literally lifts upon hard acceleration!! The coolest dang feeling in the world!! If you have ever watched a truck without bars on a dyno you can watch the axle move forward and back under acceleration from the spring wrapping and unloading. My truck doesn't do it all all now, power goes straight to the rollers not the suspension!

What I like to call the cruise control clunk is eliminated... Such as when cruise control is in use and the engine is under load, normally if you were to hit the cancel button (say if approaching traffic) there would be a horrible driveline clunk resulting from the suspension unloading... Seeing that the suspension always has a bit of preload this issue is eliminated. I know in a standard when I used to get on the throttle hard and then have to release (for the next red light ) I would get the same driveline clunk that always made me cringe... No More!!

Probably one of the most surprising changes to me was the much better handling characteristics that the truck now has... Body roll have been reduced considerably!! I can send this 8k truck into corners like a little sports car the whole way!!! I love it, I love it!!

Bolt on installation means no welding on my frame, heim joints are huge no chance of breaking, stainless steel hardware means that these bars will look good for a long time!!

While towing the gooseneck this past weekend I noticed a huge reduction in body roll while going around corners loaded especially if I have to brake. Almost feels like I have training wheels back there!!

A huge pro for me was the decrease of spring wrap and clutch chatter associated with my extremely sticky clutch... Pre-traction bars my 2nd gear starts were very shaky bucking the truck around as the springs loaded and unloaded. The bars while not completely eliminating the issue dramatically improved it. The most noticeable improvement was noticed while getting my 14k gooseneck moving from a stop. Much Smoother!!


Middle Ground: Well I think that ride may be slightly stiffer than normal, but could just be my imagination as the truck rides like crap anyway!! However the truck is noticeably smoother on repetitive bumps in the road... Such as washboard roads or roads that have repeating joints that usually cause the truck to bounce all over the place because of the harmonics in the suspension that build on each other bucking the truck around, this is a much welcome improvement

Cons: I let you know when I find one


I am overall extremely pleased with these bars a huge thanks goes out to XLR8R for making these for me. Definitely one of the best mods done to the truck thus far, 2nd to twins of course!!

 

Nice looking bars, bnold.

 

I am definetly interested in a set or drag bars...how much? Also how do they compare to Caltrcas that is the brand I was most likely going to go with. They look awesome, very clean! Also do they come with instructions? Again, very sweet looking set of bars!

 

dang, those look sweet. are they making kits for them now? if so, where?

 

yep LazarSmith is making them now for 2nd and 3rd gen trucks... 1st gen coming soon from what I hear.. pm XLR8R for more info.... I believe he is on the road for being an advertisor so I have to be limited on what info I give...

 

XLR8R PM me with pricing info on both setups, Thanks. Jim

 

Me too please.

 

I'd like to know also! Thanks alot,
-Alex

 

Thanks for the pics. I have been thinking about doing this for awhile. I was just laying under the truck this evening.

 

You wont regret it!! Just had some fun with mine today!! Man corners are fun.. And watching that hood rise on hard accel, Whoa so cool!!

 

Can I get a PM also on both sets? I have been eyeing bars for a while now as I have some nasty wheel hop.

 

Glad you're happy with them, Brian!

... but I'm green with envy over how much better they look than my prototype sled bars.
I'm going to find a good home for them so I can install a drag set from this production run on my '05 - and I'll install a set of the sled bars like yours on the '98...

PMs sent, guys!

 

Yup. They are nice. So nice in fact I'm gonna be getting rid of my current ladder bar setup and go with a set of his drag bars. I love the way his bars look and they definately do work.

 

I was lucky enough to get the LazarSmith's prototype 'Drag' Bars. Shorter & lighter than the 'Sled' bars. Front mount is just forward of the truck bed on my long bed. Results, on the road, identical to Bnold's comments. Very impressive! Will post track results ASAP.
As stated, they eliminate all frame compression and axle wrapping on the dyno! Priced competitively with the Caltracs, but, IMO, much more stout ...... with a longer arm for greater physical advantage in transfering weight to rear end. Love em.
RJ






RJ

 

i love the bars. let me know when they I can buy a pair.