Wheel hop...does it hurt anything?

White95Max · 02-10-05, 06:46

As any Maxima drivers know (particularly 5spd), there is a real problem with wheel hop upon quick takeoffs. In case someone doesn't know what I mean by wheel hop, it's when the front wheels slip, and the tires gain/lose traction frequently. The front end of the car jumps up and down quickly.

So does anyone know if wheel hop negatively affects anything?

The Uncle · 02-10-05, 06:58

Wheel hop probably won't hurt the car, but it doesn't do much for 0-60 times. Basically, the power is not getting to the ground very efficiently.

I have a 2004 Acura TSX and wheel hop is a know problem with that vehicle. Not suprisingly, the 0-60 times are low, even though the car feels quite peppy around town.

White95Max · 02-10-05, 07:01

Do you think stickier tires will help, since the tires won't slip as much? I guess my rationale is...if the tires don't slip in the first place, they can't hop.

VictoryRed · 02-10-05, 07:03

It's not your tires its your soft motor mounts.

http://www.nissanperformancemag.com/july04/specv/

1 Clean WS6 · 02-10-05, 07:19

Wheel hop is not inherent to front wheel drive vehicles. It IS inherent to independent suspensions that receive power to their attached drive wheels (in your case it is the front suspension). My WS6 = no wheel hop because it has a solid axle. Ask any Corvette, Mustang Cobra, GTO...etc. owner about wheel hop and they can sympathize with you. Your suspension is loading and unloading as your drive wheels get power applied to them. This will typically only happen on hard launches at WOT or close to WOT. As long as you are not treating every stop light as a drag strip Christmas tree I think you'll be OK...no broken parts. I am not all to familiar with the Maxima but I am sure a company like Stillen sells suspension parts to limit the amount of hop your are experiencing (i.e. better bushings...stronger A-arms...etc.).

White95Max · 02-10-05, 07:25

That's correct it generally happens at WOT. No I don't treat every stoplight as a drag strip. I just like to have fun on wide open country roads once in a while.

The Uncle · 02-10-05, 07:27

Quote:

Originally posted by VictoryRed
It's not your tires its your soft motor mounts.

http://www.nissanperformancemag.com/july04/specv/

This is exactly what I've been told as well.

On the other hand, more aggressive tires, and lighter rims, will almost always have an impact on acceleration.

1 Clean WS6 · 02-10-05, 07:29

Quote:

Originally posted by White95Max
I just like to have fun on wide open country roads once in a while.

I can relate to that!!!

Try slipping your clutch when you launch and rolling into the throttle at the same time. The smoother you can transition to full power the less wheel hop you should experience.

Ben Z. · 02-10-05, 07:29

It's definately not good for stuff, can lead to broken CV joints, etc. Don't know about the maximas, but hard starts are notorious for killing some cars (see sig).

White95Max · 02-10-05, 07:38

Quote:

Originally posted by 1 Clean WS6
I can relate to that!!!

Try slipping your clutch when you launch and rolling into the throttle at the same time. The smoother you can transition to full power the less wheel hop you should experience.

roll into the throttle? But I like the instant full power experience of a manual transmission, and the torque pushing me back. I'm sure you can relate to that one as well!

boosteddsm · 02-18-05, 09:12

Quote:

Originally posted by The Uncle
Wheel hop probably won't hurt the car, but it doesn't do much for 0-60 times. Basically, the power is not getting to the ground very efficiently.

It IS bad for your car, is an excellent way to break an axle or wear the CV boots, among other things. I've seen too many cars hop bad off the line and then snap an axle.

White95Max · 02-18-05, 09:31

I upped my tire pressure from 29-35psi a few days ago, and returned to the same spot where I had the wheelhop problem, to see if there was any improvement as far as wheelhop.
There was! I got very little hop this time, and the conditions were just the same as the time when I got bad wheelhop. The only difference was the increased tire pressure. After a couple seconds of tire squeal, the front hopped slightly, but nothing near what happened a couple times last week.

I tried it twice at the same spot, and I got the same results the second time as well. I'm convinced that the tire pressure really did help.
I'm hoping that my new tires/wheels will make an additional improvement, and nearly eliminate the problem.