Your spring, ARB choice along with your damper settings will also determine your available grip. Bottom line a softer sprung car will have more mechanical grip. A damper that can generate more low speed support in a shorter stroke should allow you to decrease spring rate while still offering good transient response.

 

Please explain "Low speed support"

by transient do you mean "a good short response with a short stroke"?

I do find it a little odd that people practically have to un-stick the front end of these cars when they go with the non-staggered tires. By unstick I am eluding to 1,000# + front ARB rates on top of 700+ spring rates.

 

Please explain "Low speed support"

by transient do you mean "a good short response with a short stroke"?

I do find it a little odd that people practically have to un-stick the front end of these cars when they go with the non-staggered tires. By unstick I am eluding to 1,000# + front ARB rates on top of 700+ spring rates.
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The thing is more that the huge front tires allow you to run really stiff front without overwhelming the tires, this in turn gives the rear more grip. Further, this stiffness really helps in transitions.

 

Well I bet berry! (rocket71) I for some crazy reason thought he told me his name was Charles! Sorry berry! Lol his ap2 looks good I'm looking forward to running tomarrow. I hope the down hill turn doesn't bottom out my rear shocks or I might end up in the grass haha

 

Please explain "Low speed support"

by transient do you mean "a good short response with a short stroke"?

I do find it a little odd that people practically have to un-stick the front end of these cars when they go with the non-staggered tires. By unstick I am eluding to 1,000# + front ARB rates on top of 700+ spring rates.
[/quote]

By low speed support, I mean that the damper can generate a good amount of force at low shaft speeds. Yes....by transient, I am referring to quicker force build-up in a short amount of stroke (shock travel)...i.e. a 46mm piston will create more force than say a 27mm in the same amount of stroke. And we all are scratching our heads a bit with the mega roll stiffness at the front.

 

Beau, After we spoke today I look forward to sending you my shocks over the winter for re-valve. I believe the primary reason for the big bar up front is to keep the rear down as without the front bar the car will pull the rear tire up. (I may be wrong.)

I think Geoff Walker is running stock CR bars but I have no clue what spring rate, I would assume rather high. This seems more inline with what Beau is talking about. If that is correct it helps explain Geoff's freakish speed (driving skill aside).

 

The larger sway bar is for faster transient response, and to help balance out the added front tire, assuming STR prep.

 

Versus, dirtying up the STR thread I figure I would resurrect this old thread.

I need to quit f'ng around with my car and drive. The off season brought a whole slew of changes and now I am slower. I am slower than those that I beat consistently last year. This is what I got and what I am experiencing so far....

In the off season.

- replaced front solid gendron with hollow bar
- replaced mx5 rear bar with gendron adjustable in the rear
- added ball bearing mounts, front/rear
- sent the shocks off, had them re-valved for more low speed response. (note: see a couple of responses back regarding what I am refering too. "beau@performanceshock")
- dyno tuned

Currently, I am running 800lb front, 560lb rear. Front bar at 5 of 6 (6 being stiffest), Rear bar at 3 of 6.

I ran at ZMax Dragway in Concorde, NC - 3 weeks ago. The car ran well, it felt like it had a slight push but I was able to finish well. No co-driver to get heat in the tires. Then I ran Chattanooga, TN the next weekend. The car was pushing even more. I tried going softer on the front shocks settings but it didn't really help. Today, I ran in Knoxville. Before the event I moved to 1 stiffer in the rear on the swaybar. It was freaking cold, the tires never got any heat in them. (Hankooks). The car would just push, push, push any time I got on the power in a turn. I pretty much had to point and shoot.

I know my driving is lacking. At Chattanooga my normal co-driver was .8 seconds faster but his feedback was it was pushy.

Any suggestions or questions? I feel like I have taken 10 steps back from last year. I have EVO advantage next Friday before the TNT for Dixie so I have some more seat time to get it figured out.

 

Soften that front bar.

 

Don't run Kooks in the cold.