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Put a new engine setup in my ladder chassis and I’m having some issues. I dropped the ride height a notch and added a bunch of power, different converter etc. Car previously would take a 20+lb T-brake launch, plant the tires and dead hook. With 1.3x 60’s. 8.9x car at about 160.
Now I get very little tire hit (tiny bit of squat even) and 100 feet out the car wants to kick right. Is this too little preload in the pass side bar? Also noticed under power my pass side rear is squatting pretty hard. Friend suggested I raise the spring perch on the aft coil over and try to get the car level first.
Has double adjustable summit coil overs in the back. 90/10 up front. Had it on 6 clicks for compression, 3 extension. Second hole up from the bottom on the forward ladder mounts.
Suggestions?
Here you can see it kick right 100ft out or so. It usually kicks out so bad I have to lift.
Very true... Wheels are the same 24" diameter. When I added the 8.5 cage this winter the chassis guy squared up the car and setup the ladders neutral. Since I played with the preload a bit I went ahead and set the it up in neutral position again. Leveled out the rear by adjusting the pass side spring perch. Pass side ladder FWD bolt is a slip fit now with me in the car. Hope to get a good track TNT visit where I can get some good videos before and after preload adjustments.
I would say that if you dropped the rear ride height without also adjusting the front ladder mount, then your anti-squat went away. I would move the front ladder mount up the same amount that you dropped the rear, that should get the geometry back where it was atleast.
I would say that if you dropped the rear ride height without also adjusting the front ladder mount, then your anti-squat went away. I would move the front ladder mount up the same amount that you dropped the rear, that should get the geometry back where it was atleast.
Would if I could… The way this ladder kit was installed the lower 2 of 4 holes are all I have access to. The upper 2 holes are blocked by the frame. I can try raising the rear strut mounts back to where they were. Dropped it about an inch. Or I can raise the coil overs. They are 125lb springs. Car weighs 2900lbs or so with me in it.
The only way to fix it is changing the mount position of the ladder bar as already mentioned. Squating isn't a preload issue. I think it's trying to make a turn because it's not staying on top of the tires.
From what I’ve recently read it looks like there are 2 issues.
1.) The initial hit/squat.
2.) Turning after the launch.
Hooking left or right after the launch can defiantly be a preload issue…hoping it is.
I agree the way the car is setup now it needs to hit the tires harder. Moving to higher ladder mounts would be the way to go if I had that option. I don’t, unfortunately. There are other ways of lowering the CG though.
When I first put the car together it worked great. So to say the only fix is using ladder bar positions that have never been used can’t be true.
Looking back at the changes I made over the past 2 years I have a theory...
First I had issues with the front tires sitting too far outboard and contacting the fenders under hard braking. So raised the nose a good 1.5” with some slip-on coil overs.
Then I went to a smaller 28” tire and lowered the shock mounts a good 1.5”. The wheel wells are huge and I liked the look of a more “tucked wheel”.
It’s my understanding that all those changes raise CG, lessening the hit on the tires. Very similar to lowering the ladder bar mounts.
Last night I raised the shock perchs back to the original heights then re-centered and leveled the rearend.
The new front wheel setup sits farther inboard, so I dropped the coil overs as low as they would go. Another 1”+ I’d guess.
Mounted a cheapo cam and hope to get decent video of the actual suspension movement.
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Ladder Bar preload issue? (video) 
