Now I dont have a Honda so maybe Im way out off course here, but Hondas have been leading the FWD drag race scene for a long time now so hopefully Im in the right place for help.


Short story :

Im making about 750whp@2700lbs w/driver. The car traps low 150s.

I just have some off the shelf coil overs w/camber plates and solid control arm bushings. My questions are, how do I determine what spring rates I should use? How do the spring rates effect traction? Any thoughts on how to set up camber/caster etc? Right now I have the alignment set to factory specs.

Im pulling massive power out of the car the first 1/8 and I just cant seem to get in the 9s

Any help from the fast guys around here?


Thanks!

Stevie

 

ill be the first to ask
what kinda car
what kinda tires
traction bars to help stablize wheels from trying to move backwards

weight and power and suspension all very important
alignment stock is not going to be the answer to drag racing. necessarly
want most weight in front end./over the tires
heavier springs in rear to make the rear end stay instead of alot of chassis movement which takes away from front tires

im rambling fast at work. all these things have been talkd bout on here. just search

and POWER IS certainly not everything

d

 

A little more insight into your setup will deff be a help and we can start from there.

 

I have found that simulating front end lift and then dialling the front camber in to 0.0 brought the 60' down a bit. And stopping the front end from dropping on a shift helps out. but trial and error on the allignment side won't harm you.
To fully determine what spring rates you need, I would speak to a few suspension guru's as there are lots of variables to consider.
I know the guys at progress know their stuff.

 

Yes, call Joey at Progress and tell him what your car is and I'm sure he'll give you off the Ed. Ed's the guy you want to talk to.

Progressauto.com

 

Traction bars help a lot in addition to coilovers. In a drag car like that I would use at minimum a 10K sprint rate, you can go upwards to 18k for example.

 

Wrong, try again....

 

haha, this could get interesting

 

what about limiting straps..

 

ew ew ew pick me pick me! lol

turbo school 101 nuff said........

 

This is one of the very topics that we covered in turbodano's "turbo/chassis" class this past weekend.

Limiting straps/cable

 

whats the deal with strap or cables... ive never ran them and seen people claim they were great and other put them down

 

If your suspension is done right, would straps still do anythng?

 

There are mixed reviews indeed....

IF done right you may not even need the straps. You are correct. At the same time if done together and done right you could potentially have the best thing since sliced bread.

I'm not expert at all, but what I learned this past weekend I feel pretty educated now.

 

Thanks for all the replies so far guys!!


To answer a few questions I use 24x8 MH slicks. I use 9-10.5 psi in them depending on the track condition. The slick size is not a problem as I see SFWD guys running mid to low 9s on them. They are just killing me in the 330.

The launch is actually not really the problem, its after the launch to the 330 mark. I run much variable boost in 1-2nd gear but 37psi in 3rd and 4th. I cant seem to put any more power in the car down low without blowing the tires off and my 1/8 mile times really suffer.

So the main thing I need to work on is weight transfer from what Im reading. I do not want to use wheelie bars and I have thought of strapping the front end down.

I do have some very light spring rates on the car Im sure. They are just off the shelf coilovers with their standard springs.

Any other thoughts?

 

There's your problem. Try some Mickey Thompson 24.5x9's or MH 25x8.7's at 6-7 psi and go 9's!

 

yeah youre going to want to run lower pressure on the tires. im prob going to try a set of straps on my car. Tepid pm some info if your willing to spill some info my way

 

There is nothing wrong with sharing on a public forum.... that's how we learn, right?

Straps are nylon (generally speaking) which can be good and bad. Good in a sense that they will not hit as hard when you're extending the shock/spring combo. Bad in a way that they stretch over time and can do unexpected things. It was recommended to me to use a cable with crimp on ends. Also, placement of the strap is critical. There are different effects on the suspension if the strap is before or after the spring/shock assembly....

This all comes from just a small part of Dave Z's chassis theory. There is SO MUCH more to it.

 

I always figured when the car lifted and tightened the limit straps then it would pull up on the lower control arms causing it to loose traction more, I must have thought wrong though.

 

I wasnt aware those tires are still being made?? Where can I buy them?


6-7psi? Wow I had no idea it was ok to run them that low!

Can anyone confirm this for me? I see that you ran mid 9s so I believe you. Would I need to run tubes to run the pressure that low??

Thanks a million!

 

Is there something I can read about this Dave Z?


Have any idea where I would want to place the straps [before or after spring/shock]?

I have some cables with crimped ends I will be using.

 

contact turbodano on here. he held the turbo/chassis class at NRG Tech last weekend. great class to be a part of. really find out whats fact/fiction.

 

What kind of car is it?

 

I dont want to Hijack the thread, so to add to suspension theory whats everyones thoughts on shock valving such as dampening rate, compression, rebound speed, viscosity?
My Hot Rod car runs a set of Strange shocks in the rear and Penske shocks in the front. The car does some funny stuff when accelerating hard and I am leaning toward my front rebound being too fast. Its actually at the point where I'm scared to drive it because its almost wrecked on the last 2 outings. Does anyone else mess with this stuff or are most of you buying off the shelf preset rebound and compression shocks?

 

You won't get any useful info if you refuse to disclose what kind of car it is, and type of suspension. Unless its a Honda.

My suspension setup is completely different from any Honda combo, except maybe the Hot Rod cars that have converted to mac strut systems.