Is there a rule of thumb when setting ride height front to rear.. I have no means at the moment of corner balancing my car, but should I adjust the height so all 4 corners are equal to the pinch welds or should I have the front slightly lower to accomodate for weight transfer, any 'rule of thumb' s about this ?


[Modified by SlicedBread, 4:18 AM 3/7/2003]

 

If you don't have scales, and close enough is close enough, take a couple of measurements at each corner (jacking point, rocker bottom, fender lip), and get as close to the mean as you can. Run the rear a little higher than the front - maybe 1/4 to 1/2 an inch. Maybe the softer the car the more rear high rake, the stiffer then not quite so much.

Scott, who says don't get to **** about it...and I don't know what you think you're "accomodating", but it sounds like you need to keep thinking about the basics - you are not going to run the front high so that you'll be level under braking, or low so you'll be level on the gas...the rake is pretty much a relatively high speed aero thing...


[Modified by RR98ITR, 10:55 PM 3/6/2003]

 

When I installed the new suspension on my Integra and didn't have scales available, I set the ride heights level from side to side and 1/2 inch higher in the rear. Then I raised the right front 1/4 inch to compensate for all the weight on the left side.

When I put it on the scales it was really, really close. Just needed some tweeking.

 

wouldnt you want the passenger side to be 1/4 in lower? help me understand this..

 

The reason for that is when their is a 250 lb driver in the car it equals out. Why have it set up for when there is no driver,My teg sits lower on the front left(due to me and i think my sprinngs sagged)

 

what is the theory and reasoning behind slightly higher in the rear?
My common sense tells me that raising the front slightly would transfer some of the weight off the front end and help balance the car. Kind of like a front to rear cornerweighting.

Doesnt apply at all, but WRC cars run this way on gravel.

 

I'm working on the same thing. Whats a good general height, say from the ground to the fender lip or the center of the wheel to the fender lip? My car was lowered a little prevously so I don't have a stock comparison.

 

I don't totally understand how, but I have read detailed descriptions about positive rake (higher in the rear) helping FWD cars achieve better cornering balance (less understeer). Has to do with weight transfer, polar moment of inertia, roll center....yeah, all that $hit!

The Type R Integra OEM set up features something like 3/8 - 1/2" more rear ride height.

 

i cant understand what that says.
ok so im thinking.. if you set the ride lower on the passenger side.. then when a driver sits in, the car will sink down on the driver side, and level it out.. enlighten me.

 

What illusion, cant understand stunna talk?? Sorry was typing fast, My girlfriend dident want me on HT while we were spending quality time. His theory is that when there is a driver in the car the corner weights would be off from when you originally set it up.

So in theory by making the drivers side 1/2 inch higher, when you add the driver and are prepped to race your drivers side is going to be close to the same height of the passenger side.. in theory

PS .. HT RULES

 

right which is what i thought would be the case..but scott says he raised the "right front" up.

 

yea your right... ok yea 22 explain that, because im with illutioon thinking you would lower the right side not raise it.

correct?

 

My front right side is 1/2 inch higher than my left, I think the person who kept my baby before me must have been a fattie, since it's stock suspension

 

 

i've had the best luck with my setup with this as a general rule:

basically...i have aimed to keep the LCA's even...or in a neutral position. This way the suspension travel is still substantial and the car is at a height where roll is at a minimum.

here is a pic...and as you can see my car looks a little higher because of the way hatchbacks naturally sit...

 

Sorry to bring this back from the dead
i can see alittle reasoning in raising the rear, but i would think that having the rear of the car lower that the front would take some load off the front (which is usually good for our frontheavy cars)?




Modified by Autoxjoe at 12:25 AM 3/29/2004

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Autoxjoe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Sorry to bring this back from the dead
i can see alittle reasoning in raising the rear, but i would think that having the rear of the car lower that the front would take some load off the front (which is usually good for our frontheavy cars)?
Modified by Autoxjoe at 12:25 AM 3/29/2004</TD></TR></TABLE>

It is the opposite....

higher=heavier

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MightyMouseTech &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">higher=heavier</TD></TR></TABLE>

Higher = more weight transfer

 

so, wouldnt you want it lower in the back so there is less weight transfer to the front?

 

I have a FF tuning video I got somewhere on the internet, from a Japanese car vcd. It talks about and demonstrates the effects of ride height and rake. I can host it on we-todd for a while if anyone is interested in seeing it. If there's enough interest, I'll put it up tonite.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Autoxjoe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so, wouldnt you want it lower in the back so there is less weight transfer to the front?</TD></TR></TABLE>

OK...say it with me kids.....higher=heavier, lower=lighter

Make the back end of the car higher=back end of the car heavier.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 743 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have a FF tuning video I got somewhere on the internet, from a Japanese car vcd. It talks about and demonstrates the effects of ride height and rake. I can host it on we-todd for a while if anyone is interested in seeing it. If there's enough interest, I'll put it up tonite.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm interested.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MightyMouseTech &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

OK...say it with me kids.....higher=heavier, lower=lighter

Make the back end of the car higher=back end of the car heavier.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I am confused by this statement... how is lower/higher working outside of cross-
weights? If I raise the right rear, I add weight to the right rear and left front no?
If I raise the left rear the same amount as the right rear (i.e. raising the rear of
the car) then I add an equal amount of weight to the left rear and right front -
doesn't seem to change anything in terms of one end being heavier or lighter.


Just a bit lost conceptually.

 

I typically stay away from the enjuneerin' stuff being the poster child for "adjust it til it feels good then go drink beer," but heres what I've always *thought."

Changing the ride height on the rear corners does move weight as Adam mentioned above. A change to the right rear height changes the weight on the RR and LF. Thats the whole corner weighting/cross weighting/corner balancing we always talk about (3 terms that mean the same thing).
So, raising or lowering both of the rears equally changes nothing in terms of weight shift. What it does do however is change roll center, which may be what mighty mouse is referring to.

Of course, I could be totally wrong, but thats the way I've been doing it for years, with moderate success.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JSR3STS &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">yea your right... ok yea 22 explain that, because im with illutioon thinking you would lower the right side not raise it.

correct?</TD></TR></TABLE>

You add weight to a corner (you have to think in terms of corners, not front and rear) by raising it.
My integra's heaviest corner was the LF due to the driver and the accessories being on that side. Raising the RF moved some of that weight off the LF, but this also added to the LR, which was the heaviest rear corner (again due to the driver). In the end its a balancing act to get the cross weights 50/50. So the LF will be the heaviest corner but it is countered by the RR being the lightest corner. I was eventually able to get the cross weight to 50.5 and 49.5 with good ride height and about 1/4 inch of rake.

Thats the best way I can explain it. If you still don't get it, sorry, I'm all out of splainin'.