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Street and race ride height

Posted By: 4mopower

Street and race ride height - 04/06/16 03:51 PM

I was setting up ride height on a car as low as possible. i'm working with a rear half car with coil overs. How low were you able to get an Abody? Tire Size? Measurement at kmember and front and rear rocker?
Posted By: turbo toad

Re: Street and race ride height - 04/06/16 04:26 PM

Id like to know this as well as Im in the process of a setup change in the valiant leaf spring and caltracs car. And ive always thought the car had to much rack and id like to even the stance up some and now would be the time to do it.
Cant look at the pic in my signature as a reference theres no motor or trans installed in the car for that pic
Thanks Aaron
Posted By: CMcAllister

Re: Street and race ride height - 04/06/16 06:10 PM

Ride height is established when the car is built, or should be. Suspension geometry is set, shock installed lengths are set, room for the tire is set. What you can do afterwards depends on what suspension was used and how much adjustment is provided. Lowering the car also lowers the ladder bar/4 link chassis brackets and shock mounts and the geometry can become a problem.

On a typical back half/stock front suspension car, the front suspension pretty much determines what you can do. You can do some modifications and even move some things, but you can only get a car with a stock front clip so low. How low? On the travel limiters if you want or until the tire hits the inner fender, but that's not recommended. Look at some of the Hemi Super Stock cars to get an idea of how low is possible.

The short answer is, when starting from scratch get the front end where you want it or where you can get it and then drop the back of the car down over the axle/suspension to get the correct attitude. I don't think you ever want it to have a rake to the rear. Make the rocker level or raked slightly down in front for it to look right.
Posted By: MR_P_BODY

Re: Street and race ride height - 04/06/16 06:47 PM

Being a street ride.. I wouldnt make it all that
low.. when I built my Rampage I built it LOW..
but the roads here in Mich are BAD... I ended up
cutting the front struts off and raised it up 1.5"
to clear my headers on the pot holes.. it started out
at 3.2" but being a race strut it only has a 3" travel
with most of it inside the shock for the lift... on a
lot of A-bodies the sill is right around 5"+
wave
Posted By: JERICOGTX

Re: Street and race ride height - 04/06/16 06:48 PM

Make it as low as the driveshaft tunnel will allow. LOL.
Posted By: Jeremiah

Re: Street and race ride height - 04/07/16 04:36 PM

I usually start out with a ride height that gives me about 5" of upward front suspension travel and then adjust from there to make the car giddy up when I crack the whip.
Posted By: gregsdart

Re: Street and race ride height - 04/08/16 07:37 AM

Don't forget that the lower you go and the more weight you have up front the higher the power level you will need to maintain weight transfer. What kind of power level and weight percentage front to rear are we talking about?
Posted By: 4mopower

Re: Street and race ride height - 04/09/16 03:21 AM

Thanks for the input guys. The power is a 528 hemi.
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