Spring smasher #s

[billetbirdcage]

Yep, it's just info what you do with it is what matters.


Note: So you might know the max travels your getting but do you have any idea when and where on the track it's at that point........how long it stays there.....how far is the RF coming up.....when and where is it doing that.

Most don't have a real idea and are guess's and usually it's wrong

All I'm saying is: unless you know this, it's hard to make an educated guess on what number to change if you don't know what the actual load or travel is at the point on the track you have an issue.

[Matt49]

Not to make this more confusing but I think it is also important to make a distinction between know what the load is at a certain amount of travel and knowing what the travel will be at a certain amount of load. Those are different things. Just like with shocks, we get the dyno that tells us force at a certain speed but we really care about speed at a certain force.
And I agree that travel indicators are giving us limited information. It only shows us the max travel for the entire time we were on the track. So if you hit one hole in the track the wrong way, the indicator could be off by a significant amount from where were normally max traveled to in the corners. Short of real data acquisition systems, GoPro cameras may be the best way to go on this stuff.

[15D]

a simple piece of white tape wrapped around the top of the steering wheel with the tires strait will help solve your debate on the tight loose thing........

reason and facts with a driver in an argument? Hell, being a ex-7th Fleet Sailor I'm always up for an adventure!!!!

I can see he is turning to the right while exiting, classic loose to me

[15D]

So, I just took the RR shock and spring and put it into the smasher after racing Friday night. I was surprised to see that it only gained 160#s in dynamic. The driver was complaining about a lack of side-bite which makes me think I need to soften up the spring and lower the J-Bar on the pinion.

[Jking24]

J bar could help but has most effect at center of corner. softening the rr spring will remove side bite. You say only gained 160 in dynamic ? What do you mean by that ? it was 160 at your c+c measurement ?

[fastford]

reason and facts with a driver in an argument? Hell, being a ex-7th Fleet Sailor I'm always up for an adventure!!!!

I can see he is turning to the right while exiting, classic loose to me

but can you see that split second that he may be turning left then when rear breaks loose , he whips it right to catch it? harder to see with plain un marked wheel than you think.......and being a sailor , you should be accustom to detail.......

[15D]

J bar could help but has most effect at center of corner. softening the rr spring will remove side bite. You say only gained 160 in dynamic ? What do you mean by that ? it was 160 at your c+c measurement ?

Smashed number at ride-height was roughly 620. At what I thought was max travel by looking at the tattletale the smashed number was 780. I thought it should of picked up more, but am inexperienced with this

[15D]

but can you see that split second that he may be turning left then when rear breaks loose , he whips it right to catch it? harder to see with plain un marked wheel than you think.......and being a sailor , you should be accustom to detail.......

Yep, just as you describe on exit. Kinda of hard to tell from the stands on entry though.

Attention to Detail; pounded into me from Day One at Boot Camp, nearly 37 years ago. This philosophy has served me well!!

[15D]

J bar could help but has most effect at center of corner. softening the rr spring will remove side bite. You say only gained 160 in dynamic ? What do you mean by that ? it was 160 at your c+c measurement ?

Your post made me re-think what is happening with the car. I want to restate what I think isn't happening, I don't believe we are shifting much of the weight. from the left side to the ride side from mid-corner off. Putting it in terms of "side-bite" may not be as accurate.

[billetbirdcage]

Your post made me re-think what is happening with the car. I want to restate what I think isn't happening, I don't believe we are shifting much of the weight. from the left side to the ride side from mid-corner off. Putting it in terms of "side-bite" may not be as accurate.

Softening the RR spring will make it travel farther but cause less weight to be put on RR so......

[15D]

Softening the RR spring will make it travel farther but cause less weight to be put on RR so......

If we are truly "loose" on entry and exit, softer RR might be what we need?

[Matt49]

If we are truly "loose" on entry and exit, softer RR might be what we need?

Forget about exit. If you are too loose on entry and you soften the RR you WILL get looser on entry. Fix entry first. 9 times out of 10, exit fixes itself if you can have a car that gets to and through the center good.

[7uptruckracer]

Just make a note he is talking about Softening RR spring will cause less wheel load. It can be confusing in a spring smasher thread where we have been talking about spring load. Springs absorb load that would otherwise be transferred into the tire. I was showing a fellow forum member this morning about how to manipulate loads and why it is important that once you know ideal travel to always shoot for that ideal travel to lessen compromises. You can end up with less spring load on a stiffer spring if you under travel then a softer spring traveling the right amount.

Softening the RR spring will make it travel farther but cause less weight to be put on RR so......

[15D]

Ran a softer RR Spring, 200 vs. 250#, and dropped the J-Bar down to the bottom slot on the pinion this last week and picked up a little speed and the driver thought the car had a little more side-bite. I see that we had another 3/4" of movement for the shock tattletale and thought the car did a better job of transferring weight onto the RR. The driver thought the car was still loose on entry, and I thought he was a tad loose on exit.

Looking at putting a softer spring on this upcoming week, probably a 175#

[Jking24]

Ran a softer RR Spring, 200 vs. 250#, and dropped the J-Bar down to the bottom slot on the pinion this last week and picked up a little speed and the driver thought the car had a little more side-bite. I see that we had another 3/4" of movement for the shock tattletale and thought the car did a better job of transferring weight onto the RR. The driver thought the car was still loose on entry, and I thought he was a tad loose on exit.Looking at putting a softer spring on this upcoming week, probably a 175#

Make sure his belts are tight!