keeping ride heights

[steelkiwi75]

when i scale the car, i just can't keep the ride heights right. how much can they be off before really affecting the car?

[drgrant88]

how r u ajusting the car u know what u do to one side u have to do the opp to the other for example if u putting bite in 2 rounds in rightfront 2 out of left front 2 in the left rear 2 out of right rear. Thats the way i know how

[steelkiwi75]

that is the way i do it also.

[Egoracing]

Depending on the springs you are running that may or may not keep them close. When people were running 50lb splits max it was easy, now not so easy with some of the spring setups.
If you need to add bite and are adding two-three turns in the LR and then taking them out of the LF you are loosing everything you put in + some as 2 turns on a 250 lb spring may be 35-50 lbs but 2 turns on a 500 lb spring will be closer to 100-125lbs.

[sj valley dave]

We have always used the method...If you want add bite in LR...For example our car gets about 10 lbs per turn...Want to put 40 lbs in...4 turns in on LR, 2 turns in on RF...4 turns out RR and 2 turns out LF...that's a rough idea...It will take a little tweaking but we can add/subtract 100 lbs and keep ride heights within 1/8"

[Egoracing]

We have always used the method...If you want add bite in LR...For example our car gets about 10 lbs per turn...Want to put 40 lbs in...4 turns in on LR, 2 turns in on RF...4 turns out RR and 2 turns out LF...that's a rough idea...It will take a little tweaking but we can add/subtract 100 lbs and keep ride heights within 1/8"

Dave, you can add 200lbs of bite and never touch a spring also but air pressure. You never see some of the top guys get under a car and change much but it is what you do not see them changing is what they can really make the difference on.
-1lb LF, -1lb LR, +2lb LR and +1-2lb RF while it is on the scales and see what you end up with.

[4bangerhotrod]

i have traveled with a few of the top guys in the country and have never changed any air pressure to adjust the car. only time we ever changed pressure was in the LR up 1lb when it was rough and sometimes down 1lb in RR when it gets really slick. most of the changing at the track is done with shocks now days, but we still adjust coilovers.

[rubbinsracin]

We use the 2 in the back 1 on the opposite front. Our car moves about 23-25 lbs when we do this.

[stevo]

Do you really need to worry about ride heights? You don't race with them?

[ckyracer00]

Do you really need to worry about ride heights? You don't race with them?

Good question!!

[sj valley dave]

When you mess with ride heights you satrt messing with your a arm angles, roll centers, etc...@ Ego, we play with air also...But when you have 5-6 lbs in LR and 10-12 in RF to add much bite on LR you have to get crazy...1 lb changes on each corner makes changes but not 100 lbs, or even close on our scales! LOL One thing we do that is fast, is if you want to add bite in the LR, go up 2 lbs on RF and dump the air out of LF...That creates more cross/bite quickly...

[Matt49]

Do you really need to worry about ride heights? You don't race with them?

Do you really need to worry if your oil temperature is 320 degrees on the warm up laps? You don't race on the warm up laps.

[Egoracing]

When you mess with ride heights you satrt messing with your a arm angles, roll centers, etc...@ Ego, we play with air also...But when you have 5-6 lbs in LR and 10-12 in RF to add much bite on LR you have to get crazy...1 lb changes on each corner makes changes but not 100 lbs, or even close on our scales! LOL One thing we do that is fast, is if you want to add bite in the LR, go up 2 lbs on RF and dump the air out of LF...That creates more cross/bite quickly...

I miss worded part of that but you can change the LR bite about 200lbs on the car just with air, I have done it and proven it to several people. Put the car on the scales with your standard pressures and see what it is. Then take 1 lb out of the RF and put one in each LF and RR. Then record the numbers, put the pressures back and then add 1-2 in the LR 1-2 in the RF and take one out of the RR and LF and see if you do not get close to a 200lb swing.

[jedclampit]

when i scale the car, i just can't keep the ride heights right. how much can they be off before really affecting the car?

The most important to keep correct is all of them, along with the lateral location of the rear end!

Some general thoughts for you any time you turn into a spring on the rear, both sides will rise, so if you add to lr....take out of rr.
There is a more accurate way/place to measure ride heights is all I'm saying, and the # varies from car to car.
You can usually set the fronts, and rr, and rough in the lr.
Set the lateral location of rear end.
Then set your bite with the rears, and you may need a turn or two max either way on each front after setting the back.
Settling the car, removing variables, like where the oil is in the dry sump system, where exactly you placed weights if used to represent driver,will make for repeatability on scales.

I will add that a complete scaling (all available springs and ballast placements available ) can take days to compile, but once you have everything logged. You can put any spring and ballast combo on car, and know exactly what you will have, without scales....at the track!
And put it back to your baseline when you get to the next track, without scaling car. Scaling is a once a season thing for us unless we are repairing a wrecked car.

"Do you really need to worry if your oil temperature is 320 degrees on the warm up laps? You don't race on the warm up laps. "
--I like your logic Matt !!

We never use tire air pressures to adjust bite #'s, nor should you!