Pinto Baseline

[rtcaldwell]

3/8 mile dirt, med-high banked, street tires. How much stagger and wedge should I be running? Others are running ZERO stagger, mine pushes like crazy when I try that. I have 3/4" stagger, 1/2" wedge, 400LF 500RF 150LR 125RR but there's no balance. I drive it in hard and I spin, I ease it in and I push. I have no access to scales, I check wedge with the front shocks off and a socket on the jack centered on the rearend. Like the old guys taught me.

[mustang99]

3/8 mile dirt, med-high banked, street tires. How much stagger and wedge should I be running? Others are running ZERO stagger, mine pushes like crazy when I try that. I have 3/4" stagger, 1/2" wedge, 400LF 500RF 150LR 125RR but there's no balance. I drive it in hard and I spin, I ease it in and I push. I have no access to scales, I check wedge with the front shocks off and a socket on the jack centered on the rearend. Like the old guys taught me.

try adjusting the air pressure,,,,it will change alot

[Old Rob]

What are your ride heights. Pinto's are hard to get any rear weight on them. You might try lowering the rear a little or raising the front with 1/4" spring spacers on each spring. Recheck alignment.

[rtcaldwell]

4.75 LF 4.75 RF 6 LR 6.25 RR That's measuring to the frame rail on the front right where it become "2 ply" and to the bottom of the inner plate where the front of the spring bolts up. I don't see how 0 stagger is the way to go. If I can that right I can tune from there. I've heard 2 3 even 4 on mod mini cars. Should I go that far with it then crank wedge into it? I've thought about lowering the rearend some, so more weight will transfer back and less will transfer to the RR. I don't know that the rearend's too light. I've got about 250# of lead in the rear floorboard plus the battery behind the seat, with the fuel cell as far back as I can safely put it. Cell is centered in the car now, should it be offset to the left side?

[crcltrakr]

So what are your corner weights and total weight with you in the car?

What is your minimum weight by rules? Toe? camber?

Thers's gotta be someone with a set of scales around that would weigh it for a case of adult beverage, or the price of a couple of springs.

a little work on a truck scale at a gravel pit/asphalt plant could get you front, rear, right/ left, then proportion it from there....

Get 20 buddies and throw in $50 and buy a set of scales.

[rtcaldwell]

All the comments are appeciated, on the hunt for some scales. Lowering the rearend. Any ideas on the stagger though?

[little302]

If you lower the rear do it with blocks... Dont drop the spring at the shackle, that takes bite away...You never did say what type of tire or pressure you were running..

[rtcaldwell]

Right, with blocks. 11#LF 12#LR 14#both right sides... RF is gaining about 2# hot and RR picking up 3# last time out. 0 gain on the left sides. I sure do miss good tire temps from the asphalt days.

[rtcaldwell]

Scales will be here tomorrow. The general concensus is that I may have TOO MUCH rear weight. What kind of %s will I be looking for? Left, rear, & cross. Ranges I mean, I know no one can be exact.

[rtcaldwell]

Got the scales. Best $800 we've EVER spent. Had too much crossweight and not enough rear. Settled on 1.5" of stagger. Got the Pinto flying then tore it all to pieces. Tangled with a lapped car on the last lap.