good vs. bad of narrowing rear axle
11-12-2002, 08:35 AM
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good vs. bad of narrowing rear axle I was looking at some photos of my car at the track from this past weekend and I didnt notice how much it looks like the wheels stick out. They are even with the flares over the wheel openings but it sure would be nice to pull them in an inch or so.
I know id have to get shorter axles but would be a good excuse for me to upgrade from the 31 spline axles in my Ford 9". And Moser is just an hour up the road from me too.
Questions are, how does this affect the car? Does it make it any harder to control? Do any of the suspension parts conflict with the tires? The LCA's for example?
Id like to suck them in and pull the car a little lower over the tires. Would look good and I will have coil overs this winter too so I can adjust ride height no problems.
Anyone have any suggestions or advise?
edit: front coil overs I mean. stock setup in rear
<small>[ November 12, 2002, 09:14 AM: Message edited by: Guido ]</small>
I know id have to get shorter axles but would be a good excuse for me to upgrade from the 31 spline axles in my Ford 9". And Moser is just an hour up the road from me too.
Questions are, how does this affect the car? Does it make it any harder to control? Do any of the suspension parts conflict with the tires? The LCA's for example?
Id like to suck them in and pull the car a little lower over the tires. Would look good and I will have coil overs this winter too so I can adjust ride height no problems.
Anyone have any suggestions or advise?
edit: front coil overs I mean. stock setup in rear
<small>[ November 12, 2002, 09:14 AM: Message edited by: Guido ]</small>
11-12-2002, 09:30 AM
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Re: good vs. bad of narrowing rear axle I would assume the mounting points for the suspension will remain unchanged if the rear isn't narrowed too much, and the axles only get lighter and stronger the more it is narrowed.
11-12-2002, 11:32 AM
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Re: good vs. bad of narrowing rear axle When Thunder built the Hot Rod we had the rear end narrowed an inch on each side. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Razz]" src="gr_tounge.gif" />
No problems at all. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Cool]" src="gr_images/icons/cool.gif" />
I even ran 30x9x15 M/T slicks. <img border="0" alt="[devil]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_devil.gif" />
No problems at all. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Cool]" src="gr_images/icons/cool.gif" />
I even ran 30x9x15 M/T slicks. <img border="0" alt="[devil]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_devil.gif" />
11-12-2002, 04:05 PM
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Re: good vs. bad of narrowing rear axle one thing you guys have to remember is that guido has a thirdgen and our rear ends are already shorter than yours...
Curt talk to Don B about what he had to go through to narrow his. I think he did id 15/16" of an inch
Curt talk to Don B about what he had to go through to narrow his. I think he did id 15/16" of an inch
11-12-2002, 05:34 PM
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Re: good vs. bad of narrowing rear axle Curt,
we are currently working on a 3rd gen car in which we narrowed the rear 2" per side. This is about the most you can go, and requires an aftermarket brake setup to clear the panhard mount. It obviously requires a different wheel offset also. In addition to added strength, the narrower rear reduces not only the axle mass, but also the housing mass. On a 9" ford with 3" axle tubes, you will be suprised how much weight you will remove. If you have any questions, feel free to call us anytime.
Jay
we are currently working on a 3rd gen car in which we narrowed the rear 2" per side. This is about the most you can go, and requires an aftermarket brake setup to clear the panhard mount. It obviously requires a different wheel offset also. In addition to added strength, the narrower rear reduces not only the axle mass, but also the housing mass. On a 9" ford with 3" axle tubes, you will be suprised how much weight you will remove. If you have any questions, feel free to call us anytime.
Jay
11-13-2002, 12:08 AM
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Re: good vs. bad of narrowing rear axle My strange was done 1 1/2 inch no prob. It was all that much better because I put on a set of Wilwood Pro rear brakes and with C-clip elems they really make your tires move out about a half inch on each side. So it worked out great for me.
Rear end shortend.
Rear end shortend.
