Quote:

When you suggest more pinion angle, are you adjusting the angle itself by adjusting the ladderbar only (no movement of the front mount or vehicle height change) and leaving the instant center in the exact same location?



Yes, dial in more pinion angle and leave the front heim joint in the same position..When adjusting pinion angle, take care to adjust both sides equally. It is easy to make an adjustment to pinion angle and change how the car leaves right to left too. If the left tire has too much influence, the car goes right. Same for the right tire...So, if the car is making a move off the line, make an adjustment to the opposite side. Your goal is to make that corner heavier. More static weight=more inherent traction. .Also,a change in ride height will change the IC height.Your are correct in your assumption to leave vehicle height the same too.

As we begin to realize what changes affect the car, we can then apply them when a different problem presents....(travel to another track) That is why I encourage tuning the suspenion as much as we tend to tune the engine..I remember starting out and feeling comfortable with changing jets, timing, lash.
However, changing pinion angle, shock settings, preload was strictly not discussed...like the car was going to make a big ole turn into the wall. Unless something fails, the car should not make a dramatic enough move to cause something real bad. Test N Tune work on the front side should pay dividends (consistency, understanding cause and effect) on the backside.