So i was all for getting a mini spool, then my dads friend trash talked them really really bad. now i have a lot of time and money into it as well as blood and i really do not want to wreck it, however i do know how to drive it with respect. The question is, If driven correctly is it really that bad and hard to deal with and drive safely? i want the mini spool but i dont want to put my car at a huge risk of sliding into a tree. if it wrecks i want it to be my fault entirely. It is not a daily driver by any stretch mostly on weekends or nice days. thanks for the input
I had a mini spool in my 64 Pick up with a 460 it is street driven and i took it easy around corners only hammered it when it was straight and still broke 2 axles in 2 summers.The first time it broke i went to the track with Hoosier street tires and the axle snapped on launch it was all i could do to keep it from climbing the christmas tree!!If it had broke at half track i would have put it into the wall.This truck only runs 12.72 it's not a killer by any means.The second time it broke i was going about 20 mph and stabbed it BANG!! and it made a hard left once again.this time it broke the case,the center pin was "s" shaped and it was a knuckle busting job to get apart.I put a rebuilt trac lock and Strange axles in it and have been trouble free for three years now,plus it is alot more street friendly .Just my experience with one and i'll never use one again,they are meant to stay on the dirt track what they are intened for.Derek.
3 yrs no problem. take it easy in the rain, especially around corners and on curves. dont nail it when not going straight, or when going into a curve because it will want to go straight. would i use one behind a 460: no. way too much torque for oem axles.
Haha,i forgot about how spools like to push the front wheels in the rain,even when it's dry i could go around a long sweeping corner,hit a bump and hear the front tires squeel when the weight transfered to the back.Your right Dave i was pushing the limits of stock parts.
I have 245 rear tires, and I have never felt the "push" that everyone talks about. Also, mine only breaks loose on turns if I really hammer it. The only time I even know I have a spool is when I do full-chock sharp turns at slow speeds, like when I try to swerve around my parked truck in the driveway to get the mav into the garage, or backing out of a tight spot in a parking lot. Oh, yeah, I also notice it when I take off at the drag strip :evilsmile I will be putting 255s on in a couple of weeks, and have no fear of breakage. The maverick is so light that the tires just chirp around corners. Do a search on here for "spool" and see what everyone else has to say. All the negative comments are just the breaking loose in the rain. I think one guy broke his axles, but he was launching at 5000rpm with 500HP. I have no reason to worry about THAT kind of problem
I've commented on this a bunch of times. Here's my new standard answer: Light car + small block + not daily driver = okay for spool. The end.
I wouldn't fear using it as a daily driver, either. It just eats tires pretty fast. But I definitely agree with the rest of the equation.
Don't get me wrong i'm all for a full spool but the question was about a "MINI" spool which replaces the spider gears in a stock open carrier basically one step up from welding the spiders.By the way anyone know what a 72 Mav weighs with a 302? I'm guessing around 3000#.Derek.
my 1971 maverick weighs 2880 with me in it when i drive it onto the scales at the track... with about 1/2 tank in it and i weigh about 220 or so
positraction or trac-lock has some forgiveness( little slack).. Spools of any sort do not.. mini spool wont break, ring gear wont break so whats left.. the axles.. usually strips the splines..If your motor has 350 lbs torque and about 400 horse or less, stock should last.. anything else buy a set of axles from a supplier, or go with a posi,trac-lock
