Wheel hop has been a problem in older rear-wheel drive muscle cars since, well, muscle cars were invented.

The easiest (and cheapest) method is to get a ladder bar, sometimes called a slapper, and attach it to the bottom of the rear springs under the axle. The axle tends to rock back and forth (as viewed from the rear) when heavy torque is applied. In some old drag strip photos, you can actually see the whole frame of the vehicle twist when launching off of the start line. As the tire on one end gains traction it pushes the car forward, then the other side can gain traction by the axle rotating in the other direction. Slappers got rid of this by stopping the axle from torquing over too much. As the axle rotated, the slapper hit the springs with a rubber bumper, stopping the rotation and keeping the tire on the pavement. This was not completely efficient, but it did stop the average peel out from the stoplight wheel hop.

Folks who wanted a real solution installed a different suspension system called a four-link. The ride was much stiffer, but when the driver wanted to launch their car in a real race, the four-link kept both tires firmly planted on the roadway by using the momentum of the twist against itself, like a judo expert using the momentum of an attacker to redirect their energy in another direction. The cars almost twisting in half on pro drag racing strips use four-links, as seen in pictures available on the web and racing magazines. The four-link forces the two rear wheels down, even though the car wants to twist one tire and axle point off the pavement. The torque developed by the drivetrain twists the frame, creating the very cool pictures. You'll also note that both tires in drag racers always stay firmly planted.

When the cars are moving, wheel hop is less of a factor. This is where the rear wings help push the rear axle downwards, keeping the tires planted on the asphalt.

You can tell if a car has wheel-hop issues by looking at the rubber left on the roadway. If the lines are solid, there's little or no wheel hop problems. If the tire marks start out with some gaps, then look solid, they need a four-link or a slapper.