launching springs

[munkee]

ummm, could you improve drag launches by lessening the amount the car tilts back on take off, considering of course you could still get traction? How much can you limit and still run your car at the track legally?

 

[tomw]

When I drag race, I place 4 or 5 rubber spring spacers in the rear springs- stiffens the rear and lessens rear end squat.

Tom W
Red 93 ATX
Black 92 MTX

<small>[ November 11, 2002, 09:45 PM: Message edited by: tomw ]</small>

 

[RI-SHO]

Do you have to just jack up the rear to get the spacers in?

 

[olympic]

Some racers install small air shocks on the rear suspension. Then when your at the track you can pump them up to eliminate rear squat. When your on the street you just let the air out and the ride is normal.

 

[sdpatt]

Air shocks are primarily used for load carrying and are not designed for handling. You will probably be sacrificing some handling accuracy with the air shocks on the rear. If you wanted a drag car, why not just get a much cheaper to modify and easier to go faster Mustang? Your choice.

 

[drivinhard]

The one advantage a FWD car has over a RWD, is you can set-up a FWD for a good balanced open track package, and 90% of what you do will help it on the drag strip, especially if you bias more spring rate and more damping. A FWD drag car likes to have a lot of rear spring stiffness, and good damping on the front springs to not have wheel hop. A GOOD launching RWD car is going to want a suspension to give it good weight transfer to the rear. If you set up a RWD car for open track, it's not going to help you much launching at the strip.

I got the sorriest "drag" suspension in the world on the 89 now. Progressive rate eibachs don't work well on a light car. Too much initial softness, translates into lots of rear squat. In my 92, like Tom, I've run rubber spacers between the coils, but the 89 is so much lighter than the 92, that the coils aren't compressed as much, the rubbers won't even fit between the coils. I've had a set of IPT's coilovers sitting in the garage for months now. Looking forward to playing around with spring rates/heights with those, looking to get the car real neutral at the track, good spring control under hard braking, and a set-up that'll hook me up to 1.85 60's

 

[munkee]

What about a mechanical device that would keep the rear totally stiff until you were out of the gate, then flip a switch or pull a lever and your suspension would work like normal? Is there any merit to that or is that just more dangerous than anything?

 

[drivinhard]

Sure. Given enough $$ and time, you can do anything.

 

[1fastsho]

in that case get a set of old struts, weld the rod fully extended(not pressurized of course) so you have no movement......hahaha that would be a **** of a ride t othe strip though

 

[Mike Kopstain]

1fastsho:
in that case get a set of old struts, weld the rod fully extended(not pressurized of course) so you have no movement......hahaha that would be a **** of a ride t othe strip though

MMMMmmmmmmmmm oversteer.

 

[olympic]

sdpatt:
Air shocks are primarily used for load carrying and are not designed for handling.

Sorry, I guess I wasn't specific enough. I wasn't recommending replacing the struts with an air ride suspension. I was referring to adding a small air shock(or 2) to the existing suspension. When you go to the drag strip, you could pump them up to prevent rear squat.

I got this idea off of a website for one of those 10 second turbo K-cars. He just welded in a couple mounts for the shock and installed it. Here's a pic of a solid brace installed but he said it can easily be replaced with an air shock. I think he only used one because he has an open diff. The car tries to transfer the weight from the front left to rear right. The air shock cross-loads the car to keep the weight up front.



<small>[ November 15, 2002, 02:57 AM: Message edited by: olympic ]</small>

 

[munkee]

Ok, I will mess around a little and see what I come up with. Thanks.