These days, there are specific classes in drag racing for leaf spring cars. So, if youre planning on building or racing a fullbodied drag car, pick up a copy of this bookitll show you how to maximize chassis performance on your ride. Nine times out of ten its just due to sloppy suspension. Drag race 4link suspensions chris alstons chassisworks. Bump damping controls the unsprung weight of the vehicle wheels, axles, etc.
On most general motors vehicles equipped with factory four link rear suspension, antihop bars relocate the upper control arm mounting points to change the angle of your rear suspension. This is the first of a three part series from chris alstons chassisworks on tuning and calibrating for better drag race performance we all want to get the best performance out of our drag vehicle, and a properly tuned drag race suspension enables the vehicle to launch straight while transferring weight to the. Coilover shocks well suited to street usage no brand names are not drag racing shocks. By having adjustable upper control arms, you are able to adjust pinion. A common problem with high horsepower cars running too little as is that the suspension will cause the rear of the car to squat. Frame clips, rear frames, complete weldin, custom rear end housings roll bars, roll cages steering subframe connectors and braces suspension components, front suspension components, rear suspension systems, rear 4link suspension drag race sportsman 4link crossmember sportsman 4link for chassis. Best car chassis, suspension, aerodynamics design books.
Remember, if a car is standing on its back bumper, it may be getting maximum traction off. We get the lowdown on drag shocks from the experts at afco the basics you need to know right here. Any time a car lifts in the front since it is rotating on the rear tires it is actually moving the front of. Get the top car design, plans, building and customizing books available. You need at least 45% of the cars weight on the rear wheels to make a 4 link suspension work properly. How to build a winning drag race chassis and suspension. Dec 17, 2014 brian lohnes 20 tech story, bangshift 20 comments off on shock talk.
The closer the front mount of the rear end leaf spring is to the rear axle, the harder the suspension hits the rear tires of course, you can overpower a tire. Ride quality, handling performance, and drag racing. Mar 12, 2015 suspension basics and drag racing dynamics march 12, 2015 by muscle car diy this chapter explains the basic physics occurring on the starting line when you launch your car, along with why it does or doesnt do what it should. Once the guys made it to the track for the first day of racing, they began tuning the suspension and getting the vehicle setup just right for the track. Scratchbuilt drag machines are the top of amateur drag racing. Here you will find only the highest quality drag racing suspension components available. In addition to the sticky rubber out back, you have to set the shocks, adjust the. With over 50 years of drag racing experience the joneses cover everything from. Jerry bickel race cars gives racers the technology to win. However, moving the front mount of the rearend leaf spring too close to the rear end causes the car to hit the tire too hard. Larrys first runs netted high11s, a far cry from his ninesecond goal, but under the heat of the pressure cooker called drag. While this downforce generation is desired if you going from 200 mph straight into a sweeping corner or hairpin. Jan 23, 2015 brian lohnes 20 drivetrain tech, 20 tech story, bangshift 20 comments off on tech tips.
Lift bars, slapper bars, super stock springs, leaf links, ladder bars, threelinks, fourlinks, and torque arms there may be others too, but its a start. The 4link calculator lets you input, view, save, analyze and compare your 4link rear suspension geometry. Shocks for drag racing i feel that good quality double adjustable shock absorbers are one of the most valuable suspension tuning aids there is and is money well spent. With over 50 years of drag racing experience the joneses cover everything from the proper way to haul your drag race car to the importance of utilizing data acquisition in this second edition of the rick jones chassis tuning guide.
I had used an old set of lakewood ladder bars to try and control it, but i got tired of problems they caused as well as the way they looked. Koni shock tuning guide suggested adjustment procedures for road racing use from the koni na factory tuning guide adjusting the compression bump damping control very important to do this first. From infinitely adjustable 4link brackets to heavy duty 4link bars, antiroll bars, sway bars, wishbone and housing locator kits all the way to penske shocks, nitrogen fill kits, strange engineering components and more, you can find what it takes to put together a stateoftheart rear suspension. Suspension basics and drag racing dynamics muscle car diy. I liked the chris alstons drag race chassis tuning manual which is where i learned what i normally use and it was more useful in ladder bar setups then the dave morgan one but you said you had one read page 121 again. Rear suspension series covers rear end alignment, pinion angle, preload, antiroll bar, ride height, basic 4link settings. For fullframe cars, it attaches to the frame via either a shackle or a simple nut and bolt attachment.
Dec 29, 2014 drag racing suspension setup and tuning with digital video. This book contains hundreds of photographs and drawings to help explain and guide you through chassis operation and tuning. The book contains detailed information on the setup of pretty much all different types of front and rear suspension systems for drag race launch. I will start at the front of the car and work toward the rear, explaining how. You cant lift 100 pounds without putting 100 pounds of extra pressure on your feet. Our frame rails are of universal design, making them adaptable to any car from pro street to drag race. Whether the car is a stock suspension car running s down to 7s or a full tube chassis car running s down to 7s this info can be used successfully. The below information is a good starting point for installing and setting up rear coilover shocks on a drag car but your car should be tested and. Apr 10, 2012 the book contains detailed information on the setup of pretty much all different types of front and rear suspension systems for drag race launch. This website has grown far beyond my original intentions of helping the shadetree mechanic in understanding a drag racing suspension in simple terms and diagrams.
Use the technical guides and manuals here in our tech info section to give you the insight, explanation and guidance to achieve the ultimate performance from. At the rear of this authors nova, you can see the rear attachment point is on the frame rail, using a shackle. Lift bars, slapper bars, super stock springs, leaf links, ladder bars, thre. Ratios are crucial to know and follow in todays competitive drag. The rick jones chassis tuning guide, second edition quartermax. Afcos drag race shock tuning guide provides the basic road map to making your car hook and book. Use a shoe marker and paint a mark on the side of the rear tire so you can watch to see if the tire is spinning. The front and rear suspension setup can greatly affect reaction times. Academy provides the ultimate educational experience for hardcore drag racers. The rest of this article will explain how suspension tuning works and how you can apply it to your own vehicle. Baseline setting for steel body rear shocks drag radial cars. It includes theory on handling, chassis fabrication, frontrear suspension, shocks. Building a solid suspension for the street and drag strip. All three tuning categories have the common goal of controlled weight transfer, but have greatly differing vehicledynamic requirements.
Next, we would suggest books that focus on the primary areas of the drag racerchassis, suspension and. Tuning your fourlink suspension system drag racing. In a practical and downtoearth way, it covers the fundamentals of how race cars handle and the requirements for designing and constructing a car. The most complete racing car chassis setup tutorial guide available presented by shown above is a gaming expo fair in europe that held a contest for the best gamer team in a newly released 1st shooter game competition. You will need performance parts to keep your vehicle in shape.
Tuning 4 link rear suspensions can make a car launch quicker and use less horsepower to do it. This book covers everything you need to know about designing and building your new chassis and suspension system, exploring both factory and aftermarket frames, modified factory solidaxle suspensions, and independent suspension setups. The opposite is true with most rearwheeldrive cars with leaf springs if the car is making a lot of horsepower, as they already have a pivot point too far rearward. Which makes you faster, so you win, get famous, and live happy ever after. This suspension is very popular in drag racing but sees little use anywhere else. The perfect way to narrow the rear of your chassis to accept extrawide racing tires. Mar 06, 2007 how to build a winning drag race chassis and suspension. Ratios are crucial to know and follow in todays competitive drag racing environment. Did you have someone watch the rear when you left the line.
No one can predict the perfect set up, even for a spec formula where much of the suspension is fixed by the rules. Traction tips suspension tech street strip setup hot. The rick jones chassis tuning guide, second edition quarter. Rear coilover shocks have always been a good way to add a lot of adjustability and tuning to the rear of a drag car but few people understand the process to installing them and setting them up. A car that lifts in the rear pushes down harder on the rear tires. A heavier rate front spring will take more force to lift the front end a fixed vertical distance, than a lighter spring. When you drag race, you want your car to perform at optimal speed. First, required settings for drag racing applications vary greatly depending upon vehicle weight, weight distribution, suspension geometry and travel, horsepower, and available traction. Travel limiters, struts and coil springs, the basics of front suspension drag racing duration. Varispring baseline spring rate and dragrace tuning guide. If you want to optimize your cars capability at the drag strip, this is the book you want. Featuring hours of hd video tutorials and indepth articles created by some of drag racings most respected professionals, dra provides invaluable lessons which cover areas such as chassis setup, tuning, maintenance and anything that involves a serious. We stock a huge assortment of shocks, struts, and coil and leaf springs, so whether you want a smooth street ride, responsive race handling, or rugged offroad control, you can get it here. Computer program to simulate and analyze rear suspension 4link setups for instant center, pinion angle and driveshaft angle change, antisquat %, and more for drag racing.
For radial cars we prefer the shock to be mounted so that there is 4 of extension from ride height and with a short and high instant center. However, when cornering it binds up and causes the car to be very skittish, much like going around a corner too fast with a shopping cart. Consider this miss busas version of cliffsnotes of andrew trevitts book sportbike suspension tuning how to improve your motorcycles handling and performance. The everinnovative logghes threw the engineering book at the car, building a 150inch chassis with a sophisticated rear suspension most slingshot dragsters of the era had solidmounted rear. Wheel hop is something all chevelle owners encounter at some time or another and its one of the biggest problems we face. Turn to qa1s handling suspension kits for the best ride that fits your needs. A lot of people talk about antisquat, but once you install your parts, and set your ride height, theres typically nothing you can do to change it. Here is a partial list of necessities for drag racing vehicles.
The ultimate racing car chassis setup guide and tutorial. For a car that raises in the rear upon acceleration. Available in three different levels of performance, these handling kits offer easy, boltin installation and seamlessly work with whatever oe component each piece attaches to. Steel body double adjustable rear shock adjustment. According to zimmerman, antisquat effects how violently the suspension hits the rear tires on launch.
Drag race and pro street body, door, and window brake kits chassis kits driver area accessories drivetrain mounts exhaust systems, components frame clips, front bolton frame clips, front weldin frame clips, rear frames, complete weldin, custom rear end housings roll bars, roll cages steering subframe connectors and braces. Our re suspension high performance racing shocks, springs and bump stops give dirt and asphalt racing cars the control, boost and edge to maximize the skills of the driver and pit crew. On most general motors vehicles equipped with factory four link rear suspension, antihop bars relocate the upper control arm mounting points to. For a car that squats in the rear upon acceleration you may need to loosen the shock to get maximum weight transfer pitch rotation. Dont get too soft or you may lose the control your shock has on your suspension, thus allowing it to do unexpected things. Drag racing books drag racing software jerry bickel race cars. Use a shoe marker and paint a mark on the side of the rear tire so you can watch to see if the tire is. Drag racing books drag racing software jerry bickel. Drag racing suspension setup and tuning using video.
The rick jones chassis tuning guide, second edition. Racing log book notes notes notes time of day sunnycloudydark time runelimination launch rpm delay reaction time. The various types of suspension used on all makes of frontengine, rearwheeldrive domestic vehicles, are all explored. Because the rear suspension allows for essentially no body roll at all, drag cars tend to launch nice and flat. Coilspring rearsuspension cars commonly use four trailing arms to locate the rearend and coil springs to support the car. Suspension tuning is a critical part of getting the ultimate performance package, it is even possible to have a more competitive car then a rival with superior upgrades by having a well balanced set up, which maximises the available grip levels. The best chassis shop for drag racing books and drag racing software to help with your race car setup and suspension tunning. A guide to tuning your fourlink suspension system posted by wayne scraba on april 23, 2015 at 2. Adjustable shocks are a drag racer s best friend but they are also a device that can get gets spun out pretty hard without a plan or some basic ideas on how to properly use them.
Tuning your fourlink suspension system drag racing 351c. This article explains the workings of the 4link suspension and the tuning methods used to maximize its performance under various track conditions. Any or all of these can be easily adjusted and used to tune the cars. Over the years, drag racers with door cars have gone through all sorts of suspension arrangements. Front middle rear front middle rear trans rear end trans rear end trans rear end front rear. Tuning 4 link rear suspensions for the drag strip custom. Is the car moving forward upon launch, or wasting time with a huge wheel stand.
Jerry bickels 4link wizard professional version jerry bickel race cars, in cooperation with etc, inc. Drag racing suspension setup and tuning with digital video. What was the body doing as in separation, neutral or squatting. Academy how to set up and utilize the rear suspension system on a tube chassis, 4link drag racing vehicle. As a general guideline, lighter springs allow the car to easily transfer weight, and settle faster down track. Which makes you faster, so you win, get famous, and live happy ever after so, lets get into it and find out how to do it note. Drag racing suspension tim mcamis performance parts. This information applies only to 4link rear suspensions having links floated on the rear axle with all links running forward. This information applies only to 4link rear suspensions having links floated.
Of all of the systems, the most common youll see today is the equal length fourlink, probably followed by the ladder bar. Hes authored five howto books and written over 4,500 tech articles that have appeared in sixty. Some of these parts include engines, chassis, and wheels. It can produce more downforce than the weight of the racecar and this force is the square of the object velocity double the speed and you get quadruple downforce and drag levels. Especially beneficial to someone getting started in the sport and with little knowledge of how a suspension system works during a drag race. The following adjustments are based with all sweeps or clicks starting from a full tight adjustment clockwise position. Includes information on both front and rearwheel drive transmissions and. Tuning categories varisprings broad range of spring rates and lengths are suitable to the three categories of suspension tuning. The specially engineered profile allows adequate clearance for.
The book includes chapters on chassis design, suspension design, frame construction, aerodynamics and tuning. The closer the front mount of the rearend leaf spring is to the rear axle, the harder the suspension hits the rear tires of course, you can overpower a tire. Chassis engineering is a great introduction to race car design. Horsepower helps, but there is more to quick quarters than just gobs of torque. You might also want to paint a thin mark all the way around the outside edge of the tire to help view the contact patch and tire distortion. If you have 500lbin front springs and the acceleration force transfers pounds of front end weight to the rear. Jun 06, 2009 in this car craft rear suspension tech guide jeff smith explains the differences between setups and how to set up your musclecar for maximum traction on the street and while drag racing car. Mar 12, 2015 the opposite is true with most rear wheeldrive cars with leaf springs if the car is making a lot of horsepower, as they already have a pivot point too far rearward.