Lowered f-body's at a disadvantage when launching?
10-08-2003, 07:48 AM
#1
Staging Lane
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 62
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Lowered f-body's at a disadvantage when launching? All else being equal (nittos, mods, driver, etc)...
Do cars that have been lowered with a spring kit such as the Eibach springs with relocation brakets + panhard rod, have less traction than un-lowered cars, during launch?
Do cars that have been lowered with a spring kit such as the Eibach springs with relocation brakets + panhard rod, have less traction than un-lowered cars, during launch?
10-08-2003, 09:15 AM
#2
Re: Lowered f-body's at a disadvantage when launching? Not less traction, but less potential for traction. A stock height car transfers its weight over the rear axle much easier than a lowered car during a launch. That transferred weight is what keeps the rear tires planted. Of course, this really only applies to radial tire cars and such. If you ever slap some real slicks on there, they will hook anyways.
Tony
Tony
10-08-2003, 08:54 PM
#3
TECH Veteran
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Houston,TX
Posts: 4,167
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: Lowered f-body's at a disadvantage when launching? just an opinion here, but I always find it interesting that people who post about terrible 60' or bad times usually have a lowering kit listed in their sig and big fat wheels up front. Just an observation. But from what I understand that is what the adjustable lower control arms with relocation brackets are for...someone correct me if I am wrong on that one.
10-08-2003, 11:29 PM
#4
TECH Senior Member
Re: Lowered f-body's at a disadvantage when launching? With relocation brackets you can get the geometry back to stock or even better than stock depending on the brackets and how much the car was lowered. The other problem is that lowering springs are stiffer than stock springs and this works to defeat the all important weight transfer. That's why I cut my factory springs instead of using a lowering kit. That kept the spring rate pretty close to stock. I can pull low 1.6 60fts on drag radials.
10-09-2003, 10:34 AM
#5
Staging Lane
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: N. Central, MA
Posts: 95
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: Lowered f-body's at a disadvantage when launching? Hmpft... Look in my sig at my time... and my 60'... and that was on drag radials and my car is lowered 1" with all the goodies (PH and LCAs)
10-09-2003, 11:04 AM
#7
Re: Lowered f-body's at a disadvantage when launching? Colonel pointed out the other problem with lowering springs, they are stiffer than stock springs and do not allow as much weight transfer. Track prep will also vary, just because you get crappy 60' times at one track, that might not be the case at another track. It also varies nightly at the same track.
Tony
Tony
Trending Topics
10-09-2003, 12:28 PM
#8
TECH Senior Member
Re: Lowered f-body's at a disadvantage when launching? That's right. Sometimes the track starts off great and then an hour or two later it goes away. You can pack it up and head home at that point. There's not much you can do with a slick and/or dirty track.
You guys pulling 2.x 60s on drag radials either don't know how to do a proper drag radial burnout or are on REALLY crappy tracks.
You guys pulling 2.x 60s on drag radials either don't know how to do a proper drag radial burnout or are on REALLY crappy tracks.
10-09-2003, 07:15 PM
#10
TECH Fanatic
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Posts: 1,132
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: Lowered f-body's at a disadvantage when launching? Yea it's a tough choice for me because I can cut 1.94's all day on stock F1's (10,000mi on them) but I love the look of lowered f-body's 
10-09-2003, 07:47 PM
#11
Re: Lowered f-body's at a disadvantage when launching?
just an opinion here, but I always find it interesting that people who post about terrible 60' or bad times usually have a lowering kit listed in their sig and big fat wheels up front. Just an observation. But from what I understand that is what the adjustable lower control arms with relocation brackets are for ...
someone correct me if I am wrong on that one.
Adjustable LCA's do not need to be adjustable. Somebody in marketing decided that they could add another feature to their product (that screwed together...because it had to be assembled somehow) by listing it as adjustable. There are only a few cases where you would ever actually adjust them.
1. You welded on your LCA relocation brackets....and screwed it up and the axle is in the wrong place.
2. The car was hit (in an accident) hard and it is the only way to make it drive straight.
3. You bought an aftermarket 12 bolt/9" and they screwed up the bracket design or installation.
There are not many (if any) good reasons to adjust them. Ever.
Many people have been convinced that they need "adjustable" LCA's and nobody ever told them what they would do for them (or how to adjust them). For the Heim/Heim LCA's, it is simple. Heim joints are threaded (not all, but the ones we commonly use) and it is easier to make LCA's out of straight tubing with threads inside it and screw the ends into the tube (calling it adjustable is almost a joke). The funniest thing yet is the new design from BMR who actually went out of their way to make their poly/poly LCA's adjustable (thus screwing up a prefectly acceptable design....as poly/poly designs go). The biggest challenge with adjustable LCA's is setting them to the stock length and getting them even (and then getting the jam nuts locked down, without "twisting" the rod ends). You will never touch them again (unless the nuts come loose). Which reminds me of an observation by a well respected suspension person here on the board who mentioned that the new BMR design will "always be loose". Since the poly doesn't allow any give and the axle will rotate during it's travel, it will keep twisting the jam nuts loose. A pothole on one side loosens the front nut, a pothole on the other side loosens the rear nut. Sounds like fun to me!
As for the relocation brackets. They help acceleration by correcting the rear suspension geometry (and allowing it to lift the chassis to plant the tires). The bad news is that by doing so, they may (under some conditions) create "brake hop" (like wheel hop, but when slowing down aggressively). However, for drag race use, they do a great job.
As always...my thoughts....
10-09-2003, 08:07 PM
#12
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: NC
Posts: 1,943
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: Lowered f-body's at a disadvantage when launching? While most of the time you will not adjust the LCAs, but some people do go drag racing - in which case you can use them to center your wheels and adjust for rubbing, etc.
10-09-2003, 11:27 PM
#14
Re: Lowered f-body's at a disadvantage when launching?
While most of the time you will not adjust the LCAs, but some people do go drag racing - in which case you can use them to center your wheels and adjust for rubbing, etc.
