allmotor

This is why (to me at least) an engineer's job is not complete unless once the issue is worked out on paper, computer, simulations, etc etc it is tested IRL. That is when you will experience and observe the real world complications of the issue. Sure, in simulations and working it out before real life testing you will come across and conjure up problems/concerns on the issue but not until it is tested in real life by trial and error does it stand a chance of being fully understood and having the kinks worked out of it.



EDIT: /hijack

slick1851

This is exactly how my drag car was, full boltons gutted to hell

I drove mine in the winter time!

With a winter jacket,gloves and a hat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Having no defrost or heat is the worse thing ever

tbird31

iTrader: (22)

UMI for most suspenison pieces. Sways/springs/shocks...Mr. Strano.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Who carries the complete UMI line, and a few other parts that UMI doesn't make.

Big Bird WS6

iTrader: (9)

sam. earlier they you said you don't like the tunnel mount arms. what if i have the UMI 3 point subframe?

also if long torque arm is for turning. and short is for launching. what you had one in the center? like half way between the tunnel mount and the trany mount? would that be the best of both worlds?

also reason i want to know is i want my car to be drivin hard on the intersate and back curvy roads. but alos to hold a 600 horse luanch at the track or street.

thanks sam

z28bryan

iTrader: (7)

I'll worry about that after I can fix the driver, which means I probably won't ever get to the engineering portion

I don't know if there's any engineering involved in driving better, because that seems to make the biggest impact on the track. Sam could kick my *** in a really poorly setup car probably if I drove his own ESP Camaro, by several seconds.

So while you have a point, I think most of us are distracted by other things like me for instance and learning how to drive better. Since a lot of parts out there have been decently engineered "good enough", then I'll take those for the mean time. But its not the parts of my car that's making me slow, its the driver

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Tunnel mount doens't necessarily mean they bolt to the tunnel brace location. If you are looking at a TA that does, and you have UMI 3-pts, that passable because the torque is being dispersed a large area.

But remember the is a difference between "tunnel brace mount" and "tunnel mount" TA's.

Big Bird WS6

iTrader: (9)

oh sam you just opended me up to a whole bunch of questions.
pelase explain. please. and which ones you like better?

also you never answered this question "also if long torque arm is for turning. and short is for launching. what you had one in the center? like half way between the tunnel mount and the trany mount? would that be the best of both worlds?"

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

I have explained, many times. I run a full length arm, and could run anything I choose. What do you think I prefer?

Where are you going to mount "one in the center?"

tpunk

iTrader: (8)

I would think that would give you a little less brake hop than a tunnle but it would still be there, and would launch a bit better than a full length. I don't think it would be worth it though because it would have to be custom, would still mount to a weak part of the floor, and wouldn't really give you much gain. The umi 3pt SFC's are pretty nice but if I were to go for a tunnle mounted arm I'd get the SLP 3pts because they are a bit more substantial. As for which arm... I'm not sure. I've never really looked at tunnle mounted arms much because they don't suite my application. For a car that sees mostly street use I'd go with a full lenght arm preferably mounted off the trans.

z28bryan

iTrader: (7)

You should check out frrax. Lots of stuff is covered there if you ever wanted to educate yourself about topics like this where people go into detail about it.

madmo

iTrader: (2)

I have BMR in my car with the Edelbrock coilovers, very nice, stiff , forgiving a little no wheel hop at all and my stance is right on, what more could you as for?

Big Bird WS6

iTrader: (9)

idk. make a H like plate and mount it there?

also how will does your car stick to the ground?

z28bryan

iTrader: (7)

That's a pretty vague question. If you're interested in details, you might want to ask what makes the car stick to the ground. Good soft tire compound, alignment, how much tire patch you have under certain conditions, how the suspension and everything effects weight transfer, how the limited slip differential works, etc, stuff like the instant center which I don't really understand that well at this point but trying to figure out.

00transamnh

iTrader: (1)

AAAAAAAAANYYYWAY... Should I stay away from packages like this?! http://www.umiperformance.com/fbt006

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Unless it's a drag car--yes. MHO.

JD_AMG

I get the idea of doing everything at once, makes it easier to throw everything on while the car is on a lift etc. But I would still suggest to do things slowly for the sake of later headaches. What am I talking about?
Well lets say you throw on a bunch of parts, you get the car out on the road and you are getting a really loud squeek, how would you even begin to know where to look? What if after the install of all the parts you don't like a certain aspect of how the car drives, like how it handles or rides? Where do you go from there then? There are so many different things you could do/change/adjust that it would be easy to get lost in knowing what the "right" thing to change/adjust etc.
Doing one thing, or a couple things at a time will help in the long run IMO. You add a single part and don't like it, take it off/change it. You can then tune to your own needs. Another example, doing something like swaybars. One at a time you can tell the effect each have on your car. You get the front on, drive with it, then later the rear. You can then evaluate and see if you want more/less bar to change the handling.
Where to start? As everyone has said, one thing that you do need is better shocks. Get some good shocks first, and you will be pleasantly surprised at how well your car handles.
I did shocks first, then front bar, rear bar, then springs. The only reason I continued to mod after the shocks was because I got hooked after seeing what the shocks had done for the car. I was perfectly satisfied with the handling, but got a little greedy and wanted more...

00transamnh

iTrader: (1)

Im not saying you are wrong by any means but to me it seems like there should be setups out there that are tried and true for an f-body... Havent these packages have been tested and built the way they are for a reason?

squee

iTrader: (16)

I'd say yes, and no. I think the reason Sam said no to that package is cause its more of a drag race oriented kit. Thats why he said unless hes going to the strip, don't get it. QA1 shocks are the biggest no-no in that kit.

The best setup is really not that uncommon of things.

The Watts link setup Sam sells
tubular K-member
adjustable control arms
Konis
adjustable lower control arms
full length torque arm
lower control arm relocation brackets
Strano springs
Strano sway bars

Those are pretty much the best of the best when it comes to each individual part, so together they should make a killer combo.

JD_AMG

Yes, most have. But what if something is installed wrong?
If you do want a package I would highly recommend Sam's handling package over anyone else's (although its seems like its not on his site now).
The above setup looks good, minus the relocation brackets. And if you do choose to get a tubular k-member make sure its the one for road racing and not drag: http://www.umiperformance.com/2321?category_id=122
Honestly a lot of this stuff is overkill if you are not racing. Just know the main items that make the biggest difference are shocks, springs and swaybars.