More of a visual learner? BD Diesel put together a clever video demo to show you exactly how important traction bars are in a high performance RWD setup. (Image/BD Diesel)

Slapper bars, traction bars, anti-hop bars…whatever you call them, they’re one of the classic “Day Two” mods for musclecar owners and hot rodders. Traction bars are also vital on mega-torque trucks, particularly those that do a lot of towing and hauling.

Traction bars control rear-wheel axle rotation (aka axle wrap) to ensure your pinion yoke stays where you want it. That’s important, because too much axle rotation can dramatically change your driveshaft angle, chew up U-joints, and cause a lot of unnecessary wheel hop.

To understand how traction bars work, we could dedicate a few pargraphs to the math and physics of things like driveline angles and rotational torque.

Or you could just watch this awesome video from the diesel dynamos over at BD Diesel.

In less than a minute, you’ll see exactly what traction bars do, and why they’re so important in high-power, high-torque suspension setups.