I've had my Spohn Torque arm for a couple years now. It is the older style with the slider and the boot that holds grease to lubricate the slider. Regular unit designed to clear the POS Mufflex Y-pipe.

Well, car club member had the same style torque arm, and just busted his at the track. Though his car has ran high 10's before on this torque arm (on an auto), it is a lot differnet now (6-speed and a nitrous car, vs. TH400 and turbo), but he snapped it on a simple low 12 N/A pass, with his 98 1LE WS6 (Reckless on the board).

Spohn is being great about it replacing it with the new, updated unit. My fear: I'm going to the Hot Rod Super Nats. this weekend, and racing at the flashlight drags. I'll be running my ET Streets and the bottle, and probably running faster/launching harder than I ever have before (though I won't get any times for it ). I've never raced this far from home before, and if I break the car, I'm really screwed (my truck can't handle towing my car, and I have no trailer anyway). Driveline wise, the car is pretty solid, but I now have a worry about breaking that torque arm in the back of my mind.

Should I be worried, or just figure his was a freak accident and race my little heart out?

 

I always plan for the worst. I don't go out to the track unless I have enough money set aside to fix my car if disaster strikes.

I personally would not run it. Either that or find a stock TA replacement to bring along. Better safe than sorry.

Ryan

 

I've put a number of low 60', high mph, low 1/4 passes on my t/a and i have the same one as you.. I haven't broken mine yet .. knock on wood.. Of course, I think I may someday considering everyone else has

 

I can't run a stock torque arm. I've yanked all the stock torque arm mounts and ditched them. I'll never go back to a tranny-mounted torque arm, and all the mount does is add weight and take up space under there.

I've broken at the track before. Blew a clutch up (stay away from Clutchnet discs), and snapped an LS1 DS. Since then, I've replaced the clutch w/ a Star Stage III Ceramic and a Spohn 3" Steel DS. My biggest fears are either breaking that torque arm or breaking an output shaft, but neither are something I can really prepare for I guess.

Guess I shouldn't worry, it's not like I've seen any signs of problems.

 

FWIW friend has the older style spohn arm on his 700+rwhp 87 firebird.
Been on the car for YEARS,and car has ran multiple mid/low 10 sec ET's,and a handful of low 9 sec ET's......so far no problems,60's are ususally mid-high 1.4 range.

 

I was kinda unsure about what you were saying your post - getting home. If breaking is a worst-case scenario and it means you don't have a way to get the car back, then I'd rethink about drag racing. If you're more worried about it because it would just be a bigger pain to get the car back, then go beat the crap out of it

Good luck. Breaking a part sucks. I've had 2 destructions.
Opti once, and rear end + driveshaft another time

Ryan

 

I have gotten a car home a couple of times using AAA. They don't care if it broke at a race track, as long as it's a titled car. Just push it into the pits and wait for the tow truck. They will tow up to 100 miles, I think. My Camaro has finally graduated to a trailer, but that's as much because I can't fit all the stuff I want to take to the track into it. Before that, it was a nice security blanket having the ability to get it towed 60 miles to the shop at no additional expense.

Rich Krause

 

Normally, I just race locally = call AAA, have them tow me home (don't believe those rumors they won't tow you racing from the track; I've had the AAA driver pull my car on the roll-back w/ the ET Streets and my numbers still on the car. ).

If I break here, dunno, guess I'll have to figure something out. My roomates folks don't live far away from there, I suppose I could have it towed there and come back the next weekend to fix it/borrow truck/trailer to tow it back here.

 

I had the older style Spohn TA and it broke on my last season. If you are pulling 60' times below 1.7 then you probably are on borrowed time. It 's kind of like the 10 bolt issue. Many have run hard on them and others have broke them easily. Remember the M6 will be much harder on the TA then an A4.

 

Hmmmmm. 2000 passes laterI'm still running the stock torque arm.

Broke clutch in Jersey one year. Blew tranny in Ohio last fall. Home track is a 95 mile tow Ohio and Jersey are considerably longer...

 

All my single stage nitrous passes were made with the "original design" Spohn TA....... basically 11.1-11.2/125-128mph 1.6X 60'. No sign of damage when I finally replaced it with the "new" design. And I used it with both the M6/Street Twin/5k dumps, and with the TH400. And always with DOT's. The arms that broke were generally the "early" ones with the hollow slider tube. After the first couple broke, Spohn added a chrome moly insert to the slider tube on all production versions, and rebuilds. Mine was an early "hollow tube" model, but had the the chrome moly insert added later.

 

Fred, that gives me hope at least. I'm pretty sure mine is one of the later slider-style TA's.

And Ted, my stock torque arm didn't like me. Cracked it in a couple spots, and bent it slightly. I really like my TA, with just a -1 pinion angle, it has really helped me on the street. Even w/ my cheapo 275 width Kuhmos, she seems to grab pretty decently. I've been pleased with my torque arm for sure.

 

I got about 50+ passes on my older sphon TQ-arm, before it broke,I now have his new one and love it

 

I bent my original design Spohn in about 15 passes. I was running MT ET Streets, Street Twin, and 336HP CC306 stock heads at the time. My 60's were only 1.8X range. Mine bent up at the slider. I replaced the slider tube with a larger dia. tube and went to 4340 (120ksi yield) solid spud. Also had to add a stiffener or two. It works fine now. Weighs about 1 million pounds but works fine. If your launching a heavy M6 car that hooks, you might have problems. Hey, just pull it off and straighten that sucker out for the drive home!

Steve

 

honestly I think you could take your car to a local shop in the area and they coudl rig/bend/weld it so it holds till you get home for under $100...

If you have the stock mounting hardware, may jsut want to pick up a used stock one.

I broke my toqiue arm recently, yes I broke a torque amr with a 3.4L v6 on 2.0 60's. I cna link hte pics if you really want them.

I picked up a used one off a 88 camaro for $10. Fit jsut perfect.

The bracket is only like 3 bolts, just bring the right size wrenches, the bracket, the torque arm and you oculd probably do all the work in an hour or so. Mine was a little bit of a bitch with the a poly bushing but my old rubber bushing it was a joke, to remove and reinstall it.

don't forget a falshlight Seems I bring stuff I need at the track but forget the flashlight.