Tru Turn System with Stock Control Arms

[GeoffP]

Jeff - I noticed a HUGE difference in my car at RTOS with the spindles. I think it's one of the best mods I've done to my car since I've had it (other than the LS1). I could not believe how well balanced and tuned my car felt especially once I started getting used to it. I definitely recommend the ridetech setup for any 1st gen Camaro or Nova with the same subframe. Thanks for the great write up on this - I'm really impressed!

[JEFFTATE]

Thanks Geoff, I hope the info helps .

[JEFFTATE]

Part Fourteen : Final Driving Impressions .

Well , I drove the car 325 miles to the Run to the Old South event last weekend at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw , SC. , drove the heck out of the car on the track , drove up to Charlotte , NC. , and drove 315 miles home .

It really drives a lot better than before ( on the small roads and highways ).
The new alignment specs make it steer much better , less "darty" than it used to be .
And the bumpsteer I used to have is gone !!
There are no uneven tire wear characteristics at all .

On the track ( Roadcourse and Autocross ) , I have a good bit more front grip . I don't have the usual pushing and "scrubbing" that used to destroy my front tires with the stock set-up.
And the steering input is much better .

I won the "Long Distance Award" , the "Hard Charger Award " , for trying so hard .

So , I've answered my original question .
The Tru Turn Steering System will work very well with Stock Control Arms and Stock Brakes on a First Gen Camaro ...
It's a great low-buck improvement .

[TheJDMan]

Jeff,
I'm in the same boat as you. No one locally seems to be smart enough to align my car. One place even tried to use stock 68 alignment specs with my DSE subframe. NOT! I purchased set of tow plates which make setting tow a simple process using two tapes.

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Longac...ONGACRE&page=3

I still need to buy that caster/camber tool you have. Can you tell me more about how you greased the steel plates? I was thinking of something similar.

[GeoffP]

Steve - it's odd that you can't find a shop to do the alignment to your specs. Both shops in my small town have had no problem whatsoever aligning my 68 to my specs. One tried to add his own "improvements" to my specs the first time he aligned it - I took it right back and said ok I tried your "improvements" now put it at the specs I asked for. The changes weren't huge but made a HUGE improvement between his specs and mine. Don't ask what the differences were - that was something like 3 years ago. Just sharing my experience!

Jeff - the only thing I'm curious of is if you measured the bump steer on your car with the stock arms? I didn't feel any bump steer at RTOS but that may be due to my inexperience. However I did notice quite a bit of bump steer at the last event I went to (RTTH two years ago).

[JEFFTATE]

Jeff,
I'm in the same boat as you. No one locally seems to be smart enough to align my car. One place even tried to use stock 68 alignment specs with my DSE subframe. NOT! I purchased set of tow plates which make setting tow a simple process using two tapes.

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Longac...ONGACRE&page=3

I still need to buy that caster/camber tool you have. Can you tell me more about how you greased the steel plates? I was thinking of something similar.

There are some local guys that can do my alignment , I just want to do it myself , because my standard of accuracy is higher than theirs ..

I bought the SPC Alignment tool from Mark Savitske at Savitske Classic and Custom .
http://scandc.com/new/

I used a small ( 10"wide by 10"long ) 1/8 " thick steel plate under all 4 wheels ( to keep it level )and greased the front ones with wheel bearing grease . It cleans up later ...
You just grease the entire surface of the plate that is in contact with the floor .. (not the tire side that's in contact with the rubber tire, of course ..)

[JEFFTATE]

Jeff - the only thing I'm curious of is if you measured the bump steer on your car with the stock arms? I didn't feel any bump steer at RTOS but that may be due to my inexperience. However I did notice quite a bit of bump steer at the last event I went to (RTTH two years ago).

Geoff , I do not have an accurate way of measuring bumpsteer , so I'm just going by feel ..
I guess I could have bolted a steel or aluminum bar to the wheel hub (rotor), and moved the suspension all the way up and down , and measured the in and out movement of that bar ...
I just didn't get around to it ..yet .

[kengi1600]

Great write up thanks!Will try this soon.

[MCB Matt]

Great job Jeff. I know it took a lot of time and patience to do the work and document/photograph it all but now lots of guys can see exaclty whats involved and what an improvement it is for under 1k....$$$ well spent!

Thanks again for the writeup

[shmoov69]

Jeff, ok you can see I'm really deliberating this! LOL! What would the advantages be with the ridetech a arms, other than weight and pretty and all? Is there any REAL noticeable performance gain?
Thanks!

[DarkoNova]

It's good to know that the system works with stock arms. I was going to buy the Strongarms until I noticed they're setup for coilovers or airbags ONLY, with no standard spring provision. So that means I'd have to buy coilovers or bags along with the arms.

Definitely not in the budget right now.

[JEFFTATE]

Jeff, ok you can see I'm really deliberating this! LOL! What would the advantages be with the ridetech a arms, other than weight and pretty and all? Is there any REAL noticeable performance gain?
Thanks!

Jimmy ,
The Ride Tech StrongArms would give you better static Caster and Camber settings for your alignment .
And better negative camber gain during suspension compression .
Plus , they are lighter , and you can attach the Ride Tech modular Musclebar , front sway bar, to them .
The Musclebar gives you more tire clearance up front because of it's flat and angled arms that go around the tire .
And they use high quality ball joints that are installed and designed to work without ball joint bind at the extreme angles of the lowered car .

[MCB Matt]

The whole package....arms and coilover is very affordable compared to others arms alone.

Let me know if you need a member $$ on the setup....just need to know which coilover you want.

Matt

[shmoov69]

BTT. Jeff, how you like the setup after several months??

[GeoffP]

Hey Jimmy,

I don't know if Jeff will chime in on this or not because his new job seems to be keeping him very busy (don't know this for sure other than he hasn't been online as much since he started the new job). I also know he did something (broke) to the engine in the 69 and he said he was planning something different engine-wise so I'm guessing he hasn't driven the car much in the last few months. Don't quote me on this stuff - just trying to help so you wouldn't get your hopes up thinking you'd get a quick answer in case Jeff doesn't happen to see this in the coming hours/days/weeks.

[shmoov69]

Thanks Geoff, Appreciate the info for sure!
Anyone else that has made the change with the TT and had a chance to drive and beat on it for quite a while? Just trying to make a quick decision.

[GeoffP]

It's the least I can do... I just know that if I'm looking for info on something that I want it ASAP. I'm definitely not trying to speak for Jeff as I have no real info about the Tru Turn other than what I've seen of the 48 Hour Camaro in action, Jeff's write up and what info I've learned from talking with Jeff and Brett at events. I'm probably going to order a Tru Turn upgrade kit for my car today before the free shipping deal runs out.

[marolf101x]

I'm sure you are looking for "real world" experience and not advertising. . .so here goes (sort of). The 48 Hour Camaro has been running this set up since it's inception (it was first developed and tested on this car). Nearly every weekend the car was thrashed and thrashed hard. As I cannot attend every event, and Bret has the 33, the 48 Hour car had quite a few different drivers over the summer. . .sometimes multiple drivers on the same weekend.
Nothing has fallen off, nothing has broke, and we even won a few events along the way. (Run Through the Hills autocross, optima Qualifier at Road America autocross, 3rd on the roadcourse at Road America, etc).

I can honestly tell you this is flat out the best handling Camaro we have ever built. Bret keeps telling me to drive the 33, but I keep pushing him off so I can drive the 48 Hour car!

Your question seems to focus more on "time on the vehicle" than anything else. Is there something specific you are looking for?

[shmoov69]

Thanks Britt, really what I was asking was what you stated. Real world experience and not advertising, mainly because I'm a normal guy and not an experienced driver, so that "extra tenth" isn't that important to me, just the real world experience instead of "the latest and greatest" so to speak.

I'll prolly be giving y'all a call here in a little bit to make an order. But I can't to everything at once, can I get the upper Strongarms and leave the stock lowers and springs? I know some of the guys that answer the phone just want to sell the complete kit only.

Thanks!

[regal454]

Jeff,

Great write up on your Tru-Turn install. I am seriously considering pulling the trigger on one in the near future. Also, congrats on your new job at DSE, they are really great people over there. And, welcome to Mooresville, NC. I'll look for you at the local cruises next year.

Marc