Suspension Setup

[lude98SH]

Ive been looking at different FWD suspension setups for awhile now. And the way most ppl go about it seems like parts are mismatched and their setup is not suited well for their application. On a fwd car, it will be more prone to understeer. To reduce understeer you can stiffen rear sway bars as well as springs. The opposite is true for RWD, they will tend to oversteer. And you will generally tighten up the front end to counteract it. Or drop the tire pressure in the rear to give yourself a greater contact patch.

However i see most ppl just getting the stiffest possible rates and stiff rear sway bars. Isnt one working against the other ? Wouldnt you want to go soft up front with your springs? Or is their a point to where u go so stiff in the rear that you have to counteract it with stiffer springs up front ? Somebody with experience on fwd please comment. The application will be for circuit or autox.

[Wiisass]

A FWD car is only more prone to understeer under power, just like a RWD car is only prone to oversteer under power. In any other circumstance, a lot more factors come into play than which wheels get the power.

The spring balance front to rear depends on a lot of things. Geometry, weight, tires, wheel travel, etc. And the actual spring rates that people are running aren't good to use for a comparison because the geometry has a great affect on the force the spring can put out. For example, if someone is running a 400lb/in spring, it could take 300lbf to move the wheel one inch. So the geometry has a huge effect on what the actual amount of force it takes to move the wheel, which is much more important that knowing the actual rate of the spring.

So for what amount of spring you want to run, you would pick the softest spring that will keep the wheel where you want it and the stiffest spring that will still put power down. And then you balance the rear spring rate to the front. And then use anti-roll bars to tune the oversteer/understeer balance of the car.

[Vince@R/TTuning]

^^^ shouldnt u be in bed at 1:41 am

[htheduck]

Originally Posted by Wiisass

A FWD car is only more prone to understeer under power, just like a RWD car is only prone to oversteer under power. In any other circumstance, a lot more factors come into play than which wheels get the power.

The spring balance front to rear depends on a lot of things. Geometry, weight, tires, wheel travel, etc. And the actual spring rates that people are running aren't good to use for a comparison because the geometry has a great affect on the force the spring can put out. For example, if someone is running a 400lb/in spring, it could take 300lbf to move the wheel one inch. So the geometry has a huge effect on what the actual amount of force it takes to move the wheel, which is much more important that knowing the actual rate of the spring.

So for what amount of spring you want to run, you would pick the softest spring that will keep the wheel where you want it and the stiffest spring that will still put power down. And then you balance the rear spring rate to the front. And then use anti-roll bars to tune the oversteer/understeer balance of the car.

well written.
also-folks with little or no experience are susceptible to good/fancy marketing. the marketplace is huge and people have money to spend.