Drag Racing Tech - Suspension help for a car that already hooks?

Need a little help here b/c I'm not sure what direction to take the car into.

Two ways I'm looking at this:

The car already dead hooks (no tire spin)... so it's not going to get much faster with suspension... I'm out of torque/power?

or..

Suspension might get me into the lower 1.5's, possibly 1.4's.. at least that's what some keep telling me.

So I'm looking for input from the faster guys that have been this route already.

I have zero suspension mods except:

BMR lower control arms
Hotchkis panhard rod
!front sway bar

Everything else is stock.. no relocation brackets, stock TA, 90k mile shocks/springs....

The car dead hooks to a high 1.5 for the most part.. 1.57, 1.58...

Here's a couple of vids of it leaving:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6qN5zvqCM8 (1.57) 11.29 pass

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Sb-xZoCfHI (1.58) 11.27 pass

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSpUS1FkbR8 (1.57) older 11.37 pass

Where should I go from here and what results should I expect? I don't plan on pulling much (if any) weight out of this car. It tips the scale at 3400 w/o driver. It weights about 3575 with me in it.

75 shot off the line FTW :)

Suspension will help. The mph you run and et along with your 60ft shows you still have improvement. When I ran 119 mph I was running high 10.90's 11.0x's with high 1.4 60fts.

Right now you're high 11.20's with high 1.5's 60fts so you can see there is room left in your current combo.

Watching your car leave you're losing some power through the chassis, if you look you can see it twist, so I would look into getting a good anti roll bar you can preload, also being able to adjust the torque arm or lower control arms can help since you have about 0.10 more potential in the 60ft to go if you want to maximize what you have now.

Just buy the suspension package and tune the car, madman, wolfe, bmr, umi all make complete kits with everything you need.

go to a bigger converter...stinks that i got a 3600yank thinking it was truely a 3600 compared to my old 3200 converter but they feel the same...actually the yank feels tighter and 60's like it is...i wish i had of done a 4000(hear thats more like a 3600)

you should do a 4400...you dont plan on spraying it do you? and you might be able to get some better e.t. and mph by playing with tire pressure you might be hooking to welll

1) QA1 R shocks up front and back, stock springs. Front shocks for sure.
2) BMR rear drag bar, keeps the car from twisting, my Camaro does 1.48 on motor and 1.38 on the can and always launches completely straight.
3) Loosen up converter 400 rpms.

#1 and #2 might get you in the low 1.5's and get you close to the 10's maybe into the 10's.

adjustable shocks would help, alot of energy is wasted in the back half of your car when it squats. my .02

Good start for information so far guys, keep it comin'...

Daniel... I do plan to spray in the future, but this converter will be no good for it. I'd like to hit my goals for the car with the PT4000 and then switch to a PY so I can spray on a 3.73 gear and 28" tire possibly next year. On spray I'm going to shoot for a 9 second pass. Had the tires at 18psi cold.. the track I run at it can be hit or miss for hooking so I started lower than usual.

John... loosening the stall 400 RPM sounds like going to the PT4400 like Daniel was suggesting correct? I think I'm gonna have to make due with this stall so I can move forward in the future to spray with a different one. What are your thoughts for a torque arm.. stay w/ the stocker for now?

Sounds like there's room for improvement, which is good.

If money is tight I would get the front shocks and an anti roll bar if you're not going to swap the converter. You have to keep in mind it just isn't the track, when you have a lot of body roll one tire it getting more traction than the other.

When you launch a car it tries to push down the left tire and lift up the right, that's why you see the cars lean towards the right rear. When you get an anti roll bar you can adjust it so the same amount of force is applied to the tires and it counter acts the body roll.

shocks for sure. weight reduction off the front? battey relocation?

If money is tight I would get the front shocks and an anti roll bar if you're not going to swap the converter. You have to keep in mind it just isn't the track, when you have a lot of body roll one tire it getting more traction than the other.

When you launch a car it tries to push down the left tire and lift up the right, that's why you see the cars lean towards the right rear. When you get an anti roll bar you can adjust it so the same amount of force is applied to the tires and it counter acts the body roll.

It's not really that money is tight.. it's just that I want to spend a few months trying to get the fastest N/A pass I can, then move on to nitrous. I don't really want to swap converters twice in a one year period :D

I definitely understand it's not just the track, and I'm glad to know that suspension might help me knock another tenth off, even when it's already hookin'.

No suspension should help you knock 0.10 off your 60foot, assuming you have the right converter.

You run High 11.2x's, with 119 mph you should be capable of running 10.9x's.

I'd think you'd need more converter to do it but even with what you have you should be able to run faster than 1.58 60 ft's. I would think with the converter you have now the car should be able to run 1.50 60ft's which will drop you to 11.1's.

That's assuming you tune your chassis and set it up right on.

I'd do the front and rear shocks and rear anti-roll/drag swaybar then.

Sounds good guys... that's gonna be on my list of parts to start picking up.

I appreciate the help as I've got a good idea on how to make power, but really haven't worked much with suspension and keeping that power on the ground.

yea do the front shocks and springs...rear swaybar and leave the3 converter alone...since your goana spray later...

i wish i had of asked this stuff before i spent money on lca's relo brackets phb and tq arm....when front shocks woulda been a great investment...and rears...

What tire are you running?

I'm thinking if you average 1.58's, you might get down to 1.50-1.53 with the somes and a thicker rear swaybar. After that you need more converter. :)

I run a 8" 4800 stall converter, seems to work okay. :)

I'm going to a 8" 5500 stall to focus on motor for a while, hoping for 10.5's.

John.. what are the "somes"... ? lol

I'm running a 26" M/T DR... 275/50/15.

I agree John...I added QA1 R series front shocks with 275 lb springs and QA1 12 way adjustable rears with the stock springs...Just those mods made the car extremely consistent and hook 1.52s all day long...I also use 275 60 15 M/T radials and they helped alot too..I have since upped the stall from 3600 to 4000 and added a Spohn rear drag sway bar for the adjustablity to set the preload...There's also the little details of squaring the rear (mine was out 1/2") and scaling the car...A TA may be a good idea also to set the pinion angle...I also run the relocation brackets in their lowest hole...

I think now it will come together with the additional 400 rpm of converter and the new sway bar...I'm in the same boat as you...Looking for 10s N/A..Good luck with everything...

--Alan

Question; I'm running a '01 formula, 3,600 vig.w/built trans, 3.73s, stock motor (no headers) w/lid/pulley, magnaflow muffler, adj. torque arm w/3 degree pinion angle, Qa1s on back set on 3, lower control arms and M/T drag radials w/20lbs, stock front susp.
Car 60's @ 1.57 but E.T. is 12.02 @111.75. I launch at 2,000 rpm. Why aren't I in the 11s?

more seat time, less pinion angle. try 17'lbs pressure. you need a little more power also. i think you've done well to hit 12.0 with converter and gear.

Greg...what do you suggest for "a little more power"? Thanks

you just need some "slapper bars."

Question; I'm running a '01 formula, 3,600 vig.w/built trans, 3.73s, stock motor (no headers) w/lid/pulley, magnaflow muffler, adj. torque arm w/3 degree pinion angle, Qa1s on back set on 3, lower control arms and M/T drag radials w/20lbs, stock front susp.
Car 60's @ 1.57 but E.T. is 12.02 @111.75. I launch at 2,000 rpm. Why aren't I in the 11s?

Your times are pretty good for what you have done if your at full weight.... From my experience the Vig 3600 prefers to be lauched at 1400-1600 but your 1.57 shows me your car must like launching @ 2000.

Try removing the front swaybar if you havent already it may give you that .03 you need for an 11.99

If that doesn't work a nice set of headers will bump you solidly into the 11.9 range

QA1s made a huge difference for me. I think you will see significant gains even though you are already hooking.

My car is at full weight that is one of my challenges as i wanted to hit 11.99 with full weight and stock motor. I will try 1,500 instead of 2,000 maybe it will give me more flash. Thanks for the tips.

My car is at full weight that is one of my challenges as i wanted to hit 11.99 with full weight and stock motor. I will try 1,500 instead of 2,000 maybe it will give me more flash. Thanks for the tips.

You're .03 away from the 11's air temp or track prep alone could add that.

What rims are you running? If you have stock tires up front, running a set of 15's up front with skinnies will put you in the 11's easy.

I was saying I would do front and rear shocks, stock springs, and a beefy rear swaybar like the BMR drag bar. You might get into the high 11.1's and then you need a little more converter or a little more power or weight reduction etc.

I think a 1.50 for example is possible, I went 1.50 with 26's, shocks, 450rwhp, 4.10's, 3600 raceweight back in 2001.