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<---- Suspension noob

Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 7:03 pm
by Jorsh
Okay, so my big plan is to put coilovers on my GTS, and drop the car ~2". Will this affect my suspension geometry at all, and what do I need to counter such effects? I am mostly concerned with the rear.. seeing how the front will have camber plates from the coil overs.

Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 7:24 pm
by uniquetrueno
You will need RCA if you gonna get coilover.

Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 8:38 pm
by CBR_TOY
the rear will be fine... if you're really worried about it get an adjustable panhard

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 10:21 am
by ga_goosh
rca in the front and adjustable panhard in the rear. yes you can go with out the panhard bar but your rear end will shift to one side and might give you tire clearance issues. also you might want to look into 4 link bars since your rear pinion angle can be thrown off and could lead to a rear end rebuild

Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:18 am
by DjSpecter
WAIT WHAT!?!?!?!? I never heard that you need all that stuff. Bro my corolla is slammed on Megan Coilovers and about 4 inch off ground and I dont have panhard bar and 4 link or rca it rides just fine.

Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 8:31 am
by ga_goosh
yea it will ride just fine with out all that stuff but put all that stuff on and your geometry will be correct and will ride and handle a lot better

Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 11:10 am
by daveskatesallday
yea with rca's you will notice a big diff. it's always good not to cut corners when doin suspension but i guess you don't have to run em if you don't want they help though

Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 12:59 pm
by Jorsh
http://www.technotoytuning.com/productdetail.php?p=622

Any benefit from RCA's like that? Or should I go with plain RCA's? I'm sure the T3 4 links and panhard will also suffice..

Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 6:49 pm
by dr.occa
lowering the front will noticeably affect your steering geometry. you'll experience bump steer if you don't correct the angle of your outer tie rods. that's important.

lowering the rear will change the angle of your 4-links which at stock height apply the needed weight on the rear end for grip and minimize wheel hop. also as sean had already indicated, the axle WILL favor/shift to one side due to the factory panhard bar length. you want to keep the rear centered appropriately not just for ideal ride and handling but for the proper line-up of your drive-shaft.

to re-introduce SOME weight back on to the rear end, secure a pair of traction brackets for the longer pair of 4-links. to correct the upper pair, you'll need to cut into the chassis and bring the links into the cabin and fab up new mounting points. if you go that route you might as well make them the same lengths as the longer links and make the inner cabin mounting points adjustable (meaning multiple holes for varying angle degrees for mounting).

hope that helps.

Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 3:53 pm
by ga_goosh
if you want to research the 4 link fundamintals look up squat and anti squat for a 4 link suspension. you will learn alot about weight transfers of the rear end and geometry

Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:01 am
by Jorsh
Ok, thanks for all the response guys.. I think this pretty much answers my question appreciate the help.

Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 1:05 pm
by Jorsh
Okay.. so today at lunch I am reading about squat vs anti-sqaut... and I'm not going to lie its confusing me quite a bit. I am wanting to drive on circuit courses, which would lead me to believe I want some squat in there, and am not oversteering my way into hay bails... and when they start talking about the tangent lines to tire patches or some nonsense and cg height / wheelbase I just get a ? On my face..

I may be wrong but it seems 100% anti squat would be nice for drifting, but that isn't the goal I have in mind. Seems like you can make or break the suspension setup of your car with just 4 links... maybe I am reading into it too much?

Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 1:42 pm
by ga_goosh
it is a complicated subject and it takes time to fully grasp the idea. think about it, it is border line enginering. keep reading and it ewill come to you. also a good way to learn is to try out different set ups and find out what works best for you. good suspension isnt all on paper it is also r&d.

Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 2:44 pm
by dr.occa
Jorsh wrote:Okay.. so today at lunch I am reading about squat vs anti-sqaut... and I'm not going to lie its confusing me quite a bit. I am wanting to drive on circuit courses, which would lead me to believe I want some squat in there, and am not oversteering my way into hay bails... and when they start talking about the tangent lines to tire patches or some nonsense and cg height / wheelbase I just get a ? On my face..

I may be wrong but it seems 100% anti squat would be nice for drifting, but that isn't the goal I have in mind. Seems like you can make or break the suspension setup of your car with just 4 links... maybe I am reading into it too much?
i bet you learn better with hands on don't you. it's called kinesthetic.

don't worry about the glossary words. get with Aaron and/or Alex and experiment on a static apex (use cones) and a set speed for repeatable testing to reveal the differences in each adjustment. then it will ALL make sense.

there are so many variables from one car and driver to the next (tires, driver weight, driver response and feel, wheel width, surface, etc...etc...) the subject is in general fundamentals for basic understanding so you'll know what to expect and usually just to put into words what most of us have already experienced.

just go get dirty.