Why does a 1996 Pontiac Firebird wheelhop?

Question

Well I would like to know why ,and if possible how to stop it.

Rear wheel Drive v6 3.8 liter Shocks in the rear struts in the front

Answer 1

Are you talking about rear wheel hop on hard acceleration? Assuming your answer is yes, it is probably a process we used to call spring windup.  Something is allowing the axel to roll forward under the car.  When they reach the extreme they break traction and snap back only to repeat the process.  If you have leaf springs a traction bar is a good answer.  If you have coils in the rear you need to check the bushings at the top and bottom of the link that attach the rear-end to the car.

In odd cases, I have seen new shocks help but I have never seen shocks alone fix the problem.  That is assuming the shocks you currently have are doing anything at all.

BTW, this activity is very hard on the drive train.  It can break gears, U-joints, drive shafts, twist of an axel and just generally destroy things.  Every time the wheel hits while it is spinning it applies a shock load all the way to vibration dampener.  If you want to continue driving this way I strongly suggest you get this fixed.  It can only get worse until it destroys something.

Email my profile if I can do more.  I was a bit of a hot-rodder as a kid, about 45 years ago.

Answer 2

spring job

$85 per set

check rubber brushing first

tools $50 at sears - 2 jacks and stands

150,000 miles I say

Answer 3

when GAS struts/shocks go bad the just go limp, and lose all control ability

when regular hydraulic shocks go bad, they do it slowly, over time so its not noticeable.

A guy gave me a free car thinking it had a couple of missing teeth in the differential as it slipped (wheel hop) when the road got bumpy. $30 later with 2 new cheap hydraulic shocks, I was good and no more wheel hop!

Answer 4

When power is applied to the rear end it rotates up. The rear springs counter this action, causing traction issues. This is what creates wheel hop. There are traction bars that cure this problem. They bolt on really easy, and they are inexpensive too.