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folks w/lowered cars, please comment...
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--Boundary_(ID_GIsvKZCRVlocl1qUL3H7DA)
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HOLD UP! There's NO need for heim joints at all. Our tierods are as rigid as
they need to be and mounting them from underneath is totally easy and cheap
to accomplish. Let's nix this part of the thread; it isn't going to take us
anywhere practical. As for the need to eliminate bump steer, it is certainly
a noble and fruitful quest to fulfill. It is also simply and cheaply
rectified via the tie-rod relocation.
Simply maintaining proper camber while cornering, however, is more important
than anything else. That's where the spacers between the a-arm and spindles
work. When the a-arms point upwards, we get nasty changes to the camber that
reduce cornering grip. One method to deal with this is to run negative
camber up front. Another is to increase the front roll resistance with
stiffer springs and/or bigger anti-roll bars. We all know how great the
improvement that is imparted to our car's handling when we do these mods.
The outside wheel sits more square with the ground which allows the contact
patch to better do its job. The exact *opposite* occurs with the inside
wheel, however. It goes into a hyper-extended negative position which levers
the contact patch off the ground and causes spin. A big front bar makes this
even worse. (Insert Shine Racing no front bar rhetoric here.) Cars equipped
with a limited slip differential can get away with this and end up with one
wheel drive. But if you're running an open diff, then you end up with less
than that!
Anyway, keeping the a-arms parallel to the ground lessens this effect
drastically. There is no doubt about this fact. It ain't theory. The safey
aspect has been proven in the design that I'm looking at. So, the big
question here, really, is whether or not the spacers can be produced for an
affordable price. Given the benefits that they should provide, I'd consider
them an absolute bargain at $150 and a decent deal at $200. Beyond that, I'd
be pissed off. I might pay as much as $250 given the gains in handling
performance, but I wouldn't be happy about it.
--
Scott F. Williams
NJ Scirocco nut
'99 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS
Mazda 323 GTX turbo "assaulted" vehicle
Golf GTI 16v "rollycar"
ClubVAC: "Roads found. Drivers wanted."
--Boundary_(ID_GIsvKZCRVlocl1qUL3H7DA)
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<DIV><SPAN class=050450015-19042003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>HOLD
UP! There's NO need for heim joints at all. Our tierods are as rigid as they
need to be and mounting them from underneath is totally easy and cheap to
accomplish. Let's nix this part of the thread; it isn't going to take us
anywhere practical. As for the need to eliminate bump steer, it is certainly a
noble and fruitful quest to fulfill. It is also simply and cheaply rectified via
the tie-rod relocation.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=050450015-19042003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=050450015-19042003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Simply
maintaining proper camber while cornering, however, is more important than
anything else. That's where the spacers between the a-arm and spindles work.
When the a-arms point upwards, we get nasty changes to the camber that reduce
cornering grip. One method to deal with this is to run negative camber up front.
Another is to increase the front roll resistance with stiffer springs and/or
bigger anti-roll bars. We all know how great the improvement that is imparted to
our car's handling when we do these mods.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=050450015-19042003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=050450015-19042003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>The
outside wheel sits more square with the ground which allows the contact patch to
better do its job. The exact *opposite* occurs with the inside wheel, however.
It goes into a hyper-extended negative position which levers the contact patch
off the ground and causes spin. A big front bar makes this even worse. (Insert
Shine Racing no front bar rhetoric here.) Cars equipped with a limited slip
differential can get away with this and end up with one wheel drive. But if
you're running an open diff, then you end up with less than
that!</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=050450015-19042003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=050450015-19042003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Anyway, keeping the a-arms parallel to the ground lessens this effect
drastically. There is no doubt about this fact. It ain't theory. The safey
aspect has been proven in the design that I'm looking at. So, the big question
here, really, is whether or not the spacers can be produced for an affordable
price. Given the benefits that they should provide, I'd consider them an
absolute bargain at $150 and a decent deal at $200. Beyond that, I'd be pissed
off. I might pay as much as $250 given the gains in handling performance, but I
wouldn't be happy about it.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>--<BR>Scott F. Williams<BR>NJ Scirocco nut<BR>'99 Subaru
Impreza 2.5 RS<BR>Mazda 323 GTX turbo "assaulted" vehicle<BR>Golf GTI 16v
"rollycar"<BR>ClubVAC: "Roads found. Drivers wanted."</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
--Boundary_(ID_GIsvKZCRVlocl1qUL3H7DA)--