Ladder Bar & Ladder Bar Kits

Commonly found in racing and off-road applications, ladder bars are an excellent way to keep your vehicle’s rear axle firmly centered in place—something particularly important on vehicles with a coil spring suspension. Summit Racing carries application-specific ladder bars for certain car, truck, and SUV models, along with universal kits that are perfect for building a custom chassis setup for a leaf or coil spring-equipped race car, hot rod, or off-road buggy.

Many ladder bars you’ll find at Summit Racing are adjustable as well—a feature that’s especially handy for fine-tuning your race car’s performance after any driveline or suspension modifications.

What Are Ladder Bars?

Ladder Bars fight the effects of axle wrap to reduce wheel hop. Axle wrap occurs when your axle rotates due to the force of the pinion gear as it climbs up the ring gear under hard acceleration—like when a dragster launches at a dragstrip or a high-torque off-roader claws for grip on a boulder. The pinion yoke will actually rotate up and twist the axle housing with it, which can bind or distort your leaf or coil springs.

Then, when the driveshaft speed slows and the ring and pinion catch up, the axle quickly un-wraps itself and rotates back into its normal location—causing a potentially dangerous phenomenon called wheel hop. In addition to robbing traction and hampering your ETs; in extreme cases, wheel hop can cause you to lose control of your vehicle.

How Ladder Bars Work

Sometimes confused with traction bars, ladder bars perform a similar function, though in a completely distinct way. While traction bars (AKA “Slapper Bars”) help mitigate axle wrap on a vehicle with leaf springs, Ladder Bars are a more robust traction modification that secures the axle to the vehicle chassis via a solid truss or “ladder” brace.

Again, ladder bars are designed to suppress axle movement or rotation via a system of rigid bars. The bars are fixed to the vehicle frame or body, and are then connected to the axle via a bracket. The ladder bars keep the axle centered in place, even when subjected to extreme driveline forces. In other words, ladder bars prevent the axle from rotating and keep the vehicle’s tires firmly planted to the ground.

Ladder Bar Installation & Ordering Tips

Ladder bars are installed between the vehicle frame (or body) and the axle, so make sure to take all the key measurements before ordering, especially if you’re opting for a universal kit. And if you’re looking at an application-specific set of ladder bars, make sure to consider any exhaust and suspension modifications too, as they may interfere with the bars once they are installed.

Depending on the ladder bar kit you choose, ladder bars can either be bolted or welded on. Bolt-on ladder bar kits can be easier to install and still make a significant improvement in fighting wheel hop on a high-power street car—Chevelle owners know what we’re talking about here. That said, most diehard race car builders will tell you that a weld-on set of ladder bars is the best choice for the least axle movement under load.

It all depends on your application and skill level though, so weigh your ladder bar options accordingly. The good news is, Summit Racing offers a large range of ladder bar kits from some of the best manufacturers in the racing and off-road industries. All told, there’s an excellent chance you’ll find the best ladder bars for your car or truck right here at Summit Racing.