Ron Sutton Workshop - Kentucky Edition

[GEARBOXGARAGE]

OK, so it's been one week since I attended Ron's workshop in Kentucky and I'm still absorbing info! Ron did an amazing job of getting his points across with tons of visual aids, making it much easier to understand. For those that have not gone yet and are considering his workshops, I highly recommend you go! Ron has some threads posted in the suspension section here, and covers much of what he listed, but in greater depth. Plus it's a great opportunity to network with a lot of other car folks, many of whom are members of pro-touring.com. Don't hesitate, DO THIS! You won't regret it.

[SSLance]

I'll be at the one in Texas in less than two weeks, can't wait...

[TheJDMan]

Hey Lance,
Were your ears burning last week? You and Barney came up in several discussions at Ron's KY workshop. In a good way. I have to say that I have been around racing and race tracks in one form or another for 50 years and Ron's workshop explained a number of suspension concepts I have never quite understood relative to tuning. I urge anyone who is even remotely interested in how a racecar handles and what is involved in improving handling to attend one of Ron's workshops. I guarantee you will not be disappointed!

[CampbellshotrodsAZ]

Sounds cool, looking forward to the one in Vegas. I'll get my spot reserved once I clear a little dough to buy a 9" floater from Speedway....

[pro68chevelle]

I attended the work shop in Columbus Ohio and learned a ton! I now understand all the terms used when talking about suspension and suspension concepts and the visual aids helped a lot with that. This workshop is great from beginner to expert.

[TheJDMan]

Sounds cool, looking forward to the one in Vegas. I'll get my spot reserved once I clear a little dough to buy a 9" floater from Speedway....

Josh,
You might want to hold off buying that 9" floater and talk to Ron in Vegas. I'll bet he can fix you up.

[CampbellshotrodsAZ]

Josh,
You might want to hold off buying that 9" floater and talk to Ron in Vegas. I'll bet he can fix you up.

Well the issue is that the promotion is to buy the floater, then get the class with Ron. Kind of the chicken and the egg type scenario I guess. I need a good rear for my Firebird, and I've got a rough idea of the width I want (going to get custom offset wheels later).

[TheJDMan]

Well the issue is that the promotion is to buy the floater, then get the class with Ron. Kind of the chicken and the egg type scenario I guess. I need a good rear for my Firebird, and I've got a rough idea of the width I want (going to get custom offset wheels later).

You should call Ron.

[Rod]

I would highly recommend Ron's class..even before you buy the floater...he could answer and assist with your objective (why you need one, yes or no) and I think he can get you a discount on them also...I think..also a key design idea is when you order those custom offset rims..what you should or how you can add some traction adjust-ability to the wheels your going to order.... before you order..all things you learn in the class

I have made HUGE inroads in the industry in the six years I have been involved in this race community and I have been lucky enough to have meet/worked with and learned form some greats fully immersed in the scene all across the country!, the things you can learn in Ron's class have taken me years and thousands upon thousands of dollars to research and learn, and in 8 hours you can get a good portion of that and use it right away....

just my two cents

[CampbellshotrodsAZ]

I would highly recommend Ron's class..even before you buy the floater...

He contacted me and said I can do a 50% deposit on the floater, and work out the details in 2 months with him in Vegas, and finish my order, so that's what I'm gonna do! Hey, a free $300 class is still $300! I'll take it where I can!

[GEARBOXGARAGE]

I have made HUGE inroads in the industry in the six years I have been involved in this race community and I have been lucky enough to have meet/worked with and learned form some greats fully immersed in the scene all across the country!, the things you can learn in Ron's class have taken me years and thousands of dollars to research and learn, and in 8 hours you can get a good portion of that and use it right away....

^^^^ This is a key statement! I've also been building up and networking with tons of people, studying everything I can find and collecting data from any source available. But getting the knowledge first hand, right from Ron, is irreplaceable!

[TheJDMan]

I would highly recommend Ron's class..even before you buy the floater...he could answer and assist with your objective (why you need one, yes or no) and I think he can get you a discount on them also...I think..also a key design idea is when you order those custom offset rims..what you should or how you can add some traction adjust-ability to the wheels your going to order.... before you order..all things you learn in the class


What Rod is referring to here is that you can adjust for a loose or tight handling condition by adjusting the rear track width, PROVIDED, you have built that ability into the rear end/wheel combination of the car. I frequently used this adjustment tool years ago when I was racing Karts. It is just one more handling tool Ron gives you to add to your handling toolbox. All this, and more, is covered in Ron's suspension tuning workshop. This is also one reason why you need to talk to Ron before ordering your rear end and wheels.

[CampbellshotrodsAZ]

I'm glad Ron is able to take a deposit on that and still get me a seat in his class. I saw his response on another forum about a larger than typical brake offset from the mounting hub, so I figure it would be best to work out all the specs with him in person, rather than make an assumption on something I don't know.

And I do really want to start getting out there and networking! This will be my first pro-touring build, and I'm not cheapening out on this car, so I'm going to try and learn as much as I can beforehand! I'm already working my way through Herb Adam's book, so come Las Vegas, I should have a good understanding of the basics, and actually be able to apply this knowledge better on site, rather than trying to play catchup and learn everything as I go!

[Rod]

What Rod is referring to here is that you can adjust for a loose or tight handling condition by adjusting the rear track width, PROVIDED, you have built that ability into the rear end/wheel combination of the car. I frequently used this adjustment tool years ago when I was racing Karts. It is just one more handling tool Ron gives you to add to your handling toolbox. All this, and more, is covered in Ron's suspension tuning workshop. This is also one reason why you need to talk to Ron before ordering your rear end and wheels.

yep I use spacers front and rear on my car to adjust turn-in and traction....a trick learned early on driving a leaf spring car...when you have limited adjustments on the suspension you find ways to get ahead of the competition...

[Trackside-Suzy]

I'm going to throw my two cents in as well.
Because: I am a woman (and I know it's still hard for a woman to be taken seriously in this industry/hobby) and I autocross.
I happen to live with Rod and as a result of that, I get to hear about suspension and Camaro tuning ad nauseum. To be fair he listens when I jabber about stuff he could not care less about. Only some of the time do I actually understand what Rod is jibbering about "geometry, ackerman, circle of traction..."

I went to Ron's class with two objectives: learn how to put the words that I know into practical action and learn where my knowledge base fits within my peers. I succeeded at both. While Ron freely gives out a lot of information on the forum, seeing him explain things with visual aids really made it sink in. I am MUCH more competent at reading about the information in the detailed binder he gave us, now that I can picture what he's saying. I also learned that I have peers (I wasn't the only woman in the class, there were THREE of us!) who put me mid-pack in my understanding of tuning a car -- this is good.

You can build a fast car. You can build a car with a kick-ass suspension. You can spend all the money in the world and You will still be slow if you don't know how to tune that car to perform at its best. I make one major suggestion to drivers I meet: FIX THE NUT BEHIND THE WHEEL.

Nut-fixing involves: Ron Sutton's workshop and driving school --That is all.

If you don't take the class, I guarantee that everyone who has will beat you on any track - possibly with a "sub-par" vehicle.

[GEARBOXGARAGE]

Trackside-Suzy, glad you came to the class! I was sitting on the end next to Rodney, and remember meeting you. Actually I'm glad that there were women in the class, as I always tease my wife that our daughter is going to be one hell of a race car driver some day! Anyhow, glad to have met you, and hope to see you and Rod at future events.

[groho]

I've stumbled into Mr. Sutton at the USCA events a couple of times now, and hope to see him in Fontana. I've read a very small handful of his available blogs and posts on tuning and its incredibly enlightening, logical and understandable. Yes I know I've only knicked his iceberg of knowledge, but I'd love to read more. One question for those of you who race on a regular basis and actually put these principles into play, how do you take this information and apply it to a street/track car without busting your wallet/purse? Is that fundamental information available?

[SSLance]

When Ron started helping me with my car, Stage 1 used about $1,000 worth of parts and some elbow grease on my part and completely fixed the handling problems I had with my car at the time. You can read all about it in this thread.

https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/98063-Need-a-little-help-figuring-something-out/page3

It made such a difference in my car, I couldn't wait to do more...we are currently fine tuning Stage 4 now (mainly the driver learning how to drive it again). Point is you don't have to bolt on all of the latest greatest go fast parts to make things work better. With a little bit of knowledge, you can work with your budget to meet your own goals.

[GEARBOXGARAGE]

Lance,

Thanks for sharing the link above, there is some great info in there! How satisfied have you been so far with the Monte? I've looked at these cars, among others, as a base for a "budget" autocross car to build.

[groho]

Thanks Lance, saved the link. I've read through roughly half of the post, and had to stop cuz I thought my head was gonna explode. Great information! Ron, you're a GOD.117616

[SSLance]

Lance,

Thanks for sharing the link above, there is some great info in there! How satisfied have you been so far with the Monte? I've looked at these cars, among others, as a base for a "budget" autocross car to build.


Barney is a blast to drive now. It does all things well and some things really well. While still not the fastest car on the track, it is not held back by it's suspension. The suspension is still way ahead of the horsepower, brakes, and the driver mod of course.