Modern 4-Bar Suspension History Question

[Matt49]

And it's just a matter of time before everybody figures out the Rumley LR birdcage. I have a picture of it (as many of us probably do) and that is NOT a simple device. Due to the angle it was taken from, I can't make out all of it but I'm starting to put the pieces together.

[25drtrkr]

And it's just a matter of time before everybody figures out the Rumley LR birdcage. I have a picture of it (as many of us probably do) and that is NOT a simple device. Due to the angle it was taken from, I can't make out all of it but I'm starting to put the pieces together.

"starting to put the pieces together"......literally or figuratively? LOL

[Matt49]

"starting to put the pieces together"......literally or figuratively? LOL

I don't mean I'm physically constructing anything. I'm just trying to figure out how it works. The purpose of the additional shock and bump rubber is pretty obvious (to me anyway) but how it is controlled is a little less clear from the picture I have. It appears to be a cantilever system attached to a somewhat modified travel limiter chain.

[Krooser]

Why is the shock behind so much better? What does it do to improve forward bite?

[TheJet-09]

^^^ My reasoning is because with the original design (spring in front) the upper and lower shock mounts moved in opposite directions (away from each other) during rebound which greatly reduced the load on the LR. With the spring behind the mounts at least move in the same direction helping to reduce that loss.

[SuperEight]

Conventionally setup cars were still winning the "Big Shows" thru till the end of 1998. LR hike up cars were around in 97' & 98' but were far from dominant, more like wild and crazy. It took the better part of 12-15 years for them to calm down with the help of $5K shock packages and bump stops. The LR shock/spring behind was a violent, vulgar and difficult to predict setup for many years, but they became popular so here we are. This setup in many ways is a series of crutches, kinda like a medication with awful and ugly side effects.

[Krooser]

So, Super Eight, you're saying I'm going to have a fun time with my ancient mid-90's Mastersbilt as I re-start my career in my never ending attempt to attain DLM "legend status" in 2016?

Wave that green flag!

[SuperEight]

So, Super Eight, you're saying I'm going to have a fun time with my ancient mid-90's Mastersbilt as I re-start my career in my never ending attempt to attain DLM "legend status" in 2016?

Wave that green flag!

No, the car you bought, in my opinion is easier to drive and cheaper to setup, if you run it the way it was built to run. Now, if you try to hybridize it and run with the LR behind the axle you'll may get frustrated trying to manage it. The modern cars are designed with the "Hike up" in mind. Todays cars have different geometry, frame rails and cross members raised, flexible chassis and on and on. All in an effort to corral the modern beast. The "Hike up" setup helps a sloppy driver to be competitive, I think thats why they caught on, you can catch the car better with the throttle. The older cars like you have are still fast, but require more finesse and smoothness to be quick. A friend of mine took a 96' Walter Newman car to the national 100 back in the early 2000's that had been on mothballs for several years before being pressed into service. By this time nobody was running in front of the axle anymore, but we did all year and won 15 races at like 5 different tracks with a home built engine. We went to EAMS for the National and we were the only car not hiking up and running very quick. We made a mistake on tires and didn't transfer from our heat, but manage to outrun several tour guys and Steve Francis came and looked under the car because he couldn't believe how we were pulling him off the corner and we weren't all jacked up. I have no doubt you can be fast in your car, but it was designed to run on different technology than todays. Joe Garrisons first dirt late model book would probably be a big help to you. If you decide to run, "On The Hook" well good luck with it. I have 2 other friends who still run leaf cars and win, one in Kentucky and one in Australia. The guy in Australia is the 2 time defending v8 super sedan series champion, which is a dlm with a tail piece. Let me know how you do.