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    Results 1 to 16 of 16
    1. #1
      Join Date
      Dec 2006
      Location
      Petersham ,ma
      Posts
      522

      Drag race with ridetech suspension?

      Ok so I know the general idea of pro tour is do it all but has anyone been successful drag racing with there ride tech suspension and big power?
      Here's the deal....my nova has ride tech level 2 coil over suspension front and back, muscle bar, mini tubbed, 364 ls motor with a s475 Turbo, t56 6speed,9" 350 gear. In a few weeks there is a local drag race thing I'd like to try.
      So far changes I'm gonna make are....switch out my 18" 315/30/18 for 325/50/15 mickey Thompson drag radials and thought maybe disconnect sway bar? I do not have a lot of drive time on car yet, and as of now the setting on the shocks are in the middle on all 4 shocks( 12 click of 24)
      Any suggestions?

    2. #2
      Join Date
      Apr 2001
      Location
      The City of Fountains
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      15,971
      Country Flag: United States
      Does the RT level two eliminate the leafs?

      Being a stick will make it harder...being a turbo is also hard...hooking with a stick and drag radials is also hard...See a trend here? LOL

      You can probably make very few changes and pull 1.8x 60 foot times. If you want better than that, then life gets harder.

      Andrew
      1970 GTO Version 3.0
      1967 Cougar build
      GM High-Tech Performance feature
      My YouTube Channel Please Subscribe!
      Instagram @projectgattago
      Dr. EFI
      I deliver what EFI promises.
      Remote Holley EFI tuning.
      Please get in touch if I can be of service.

      "You were the gun, your voice was the trigger, your bravery was the barrel, your eyes were the bullets." ~ Her

    3. #3
      Join Date
      Dec 2006
      Location
      Petersham ,ma
      Posts
      522
      Ya I know where your coming from...,
      Yes no leafs, it has ridetechs triangulated 4 link, which only the top link is adjustable allowing for pinion angle adjust and some side to side. Shocks are fully adjustable.
      Was thinking I could slight ride/ load clutch to load tires a bit....

    4. #4
      Join Date
      Apr 2001
      Location
      The City of Fountains
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      15,971
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      Quote Originally Posted by jasonsnova View Post
      Ya I know where your coming from...,
      Yes no leafs, it has ridetechs triangulated 4 link, which only the top link is adjustable allowing for pinion angle adjust and some side to side. Shocks are fully adjustable.
      Was thinking I could slight ride/ load clutch to load tires a bit....
      I would keep the rear shocks in the middle for starters. If the shocks are double adjustable, then in the front I would loosen rebound all the way and crank up compression all the way.

      Do you have a linelok? How will you load the driveline without rolling through the staging lights? Remember, the clutch's number one enemy is heat. The more you slip it the worse it gets. With drag racing everything is a compromise. Personally, I would make minor changes to the shocks, get your drag radials, and have fun. Chances are that once boost hits, you will blow the tires off anyway....

      Instead of drag radials consider running full slicks...but then make sure you get bias-ply front runners. I have seen cars do very scary things with slicks in the back and radial tires in the front. I almost put my RX7 into the wall mixing and matching...never again.

      Andrew
      1970 GTO Version 3.0
      1967 Cougar build
      GM High-Tech Performance feature
      My YouTube Channel Please Subscribe!
      Instagram @projectgattago
      Dr. EFI
      I deliver what EFI promises.
      Remote Holley EFI tuning.
      Please get in touch if I can be of service.

      "You were the gun, your voice was the trigger, your bravery was the barrel, your eyes were the bullets." ~ Her

    5. #5
      Join Date
      Apr 2001
      Location
      The City of Fountains
      Posts
      15,971
      Country Flag: United States
      Hopefully one of the ridetech guys will chime in and have some tips for you for drag racing.

      Andrew
      1970 GTO Version 3.0
      1967 Cougar build
      GM High-Tech Performance feature
      My YouTube Channel Please Subscribe!
      Instagram @projectgattago
      Dr. EFI
      I deliver what EFI promises.
      Remote Holley EFI tuning.
      Please get in touch if I can be of service.

      "You were the gun, your voice was the trigger, your bravery was the barrel, your eyes were the bullets." ~ Her

    6. #6
      Join Date
      Dec 2006
      Location
      Petersham ,ma
      Posts
      522
      Ya I was hoping a to ridetech guy would add there .02
      Ya I have a line lock, also have a monster twin disc clutch setup.
      I never gave 2 thoughts of slicks vs drag radials......and my drag radials are brand new.
      I got a feeling I'll be turning it down and not up like I would of liked lol

    7. #7
      Join Date
      Apr 2006
      Location
      Des Moines, IA
      Posts
      586
      Country Flag: United States
      Sorry, busy weekend you know.
      There's not much you can adjust in the rear suspension geometry to help maximize forward bite for strictly drag racing (we prefer to keep a balance for all around performance), so the shocks are really the only tuning tool you have.
      I'd unhook one side of the swaybar (also one link in the rear if you have a rear bar).
      The shocks you have adjust rebound only. We don't run much compression (that's mostly the springs job). So I'd turn the knobs all the way in clockwise. . .this is zero or your starting point.
      Take the fronts out 18 clicks. . .this puts rebound at nearly the softest the shock has so the front of the car will more easily raise when the rear tires bite off the line.
      Take the rears out 6-12 clicks. . .increasing rear rebound keeps the rear end "squatted" after weight transfer. You may need to play with this as it's just a timing device. The springs will eventually push the rear end back up. . .it's just a question of how long. If you find you need it held down longer. . .perhaps to keep the rear planted as boost kicks in. . .add more rebound to the rear by rotating the knob clockwise.

      Hope this helps.

    8. #8
      Join Date
      Dec 2006
      Location
      Petersham ,ma
      Posts
      522
      Thanks britt.....that was just the type of info I was looking for!

    9. #9
      Join Date
      Dec 2006
      Location
      Petersham ,ma
      Posts
      522
      So far I'm very impressed with the suspension. At 650 ish rwhp the car hooks decent on the 315 30 18's , the car still gets wheel spin but it's very controlable the front lifts, rear squats, and yet it still corners awesome(better than I dare push it).
      Tomorrow night I bolt on the drag radials and turn up the boost we will see what she does then...

    10. #10
      Join Date
      Jul 2011
      Posts
      239
      Interesting!!i was wondering same thing.i want to be able to autocross and occasional drag race .let us know how it goes

    11. #11
      Join Date
      Dec 2006
      Location
      Petersham ,ma
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      522
      Quote Originally Posted by Bmf5150 View Post
      Interesting!!i was wondering same thing.i want to be able to autocross and occasional drag race .let us know how it goes
      I'd give that a yes....altho I didn't take nova to the drag race thing I wanted to because the tune still needs luv. I did bolt on the drag radials(325/50/15)and turn it up to 12psi(700ish rwhp)... and wowsa... rev her up to 4500 and let fly(with 35 psi in tire too) and it almost dead hooks. And this was down on a lonely rd by my house not a prepped track.
      I get her on a prepped track use my 2 step and this baby is gonna be wheels up.
      Best of both worlds.....bolt on my 18's and take some corners, bolts on the drag wheels and head to the strip.
      Kinda what a Protour is supposed to do tho.....

    12. #12
      Join Date
      Feb 2013
      Posts
      1,414
      Country Flag: United States
      Heck yeah!


      Ridetech Suspsension
      Tech Specialist
      Phone: 812.481.4734

      Project Fox
      1979 Trans Am

    13. #13
      Join Date
      Jul 2011
      Posts
      239
      Very cool ..

    14. #14
      Join Date
      Feb 2010
      Posts
      150
      I know its not a RT setup....

      I have a speedtech tq arm with (turbo ls, t56 magnum) on 30 psi of boost with meth I hook pretty well on 315/35/18 toyo drag radials (18x11.5' wheels). Obviously it is more in the management of the clutch pedal. I have yet to take it to the track to see what 60' is but with how well it hooks on the street I would expect it to do better than my driving ability.

      Now with 335/30/18 toyo r888's its a bit sketchy below 35-40mph once I exceed 20psi of boost. The rear end skates around slightly but the car moves forward relatively strait. I have yet to move to a real slick setup with smaller wheels in the back and a tall tire.

    15. #15
      Join Date
      Dec 2006
      Location
      Petersham ,ma
      Posts
      522
      Sounds like a nice setup.....that magnum is living behind 30psi? Mine is a d&d built and I feel it's my weak link. Mine is dum dum fast on 12 as it will tear up 315/30/18 pilots in 4th gear /70mph.
      Drag radials fed are more stable feeling.

    16. #16
      Join Date
      Feb 2010
      Posts
      150
      Quote Originally Posted by jasonsnova View Post
      Sounds like a nice setup.....that magnum is living behind 30psi? Mine is a d&d built and I feel it's my weak link. Mine is dum dum fast on 12 as it will tear up 315/30/18 pilots in 4th gear /70mph.
      Drag radials fed are more stable feeling.
      The magnum is fine so far. The McLeod rst clutch on the other hand is struggling.







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