DARN! Tie-Rods!!

[1Fine69]

the backspacing on my wheel is 5 inches. im just going to get a 1/8th inch wheel spacer and then through a couple washers in there. if that doesnt work ill do the last thing, but the easiest thing....get a rim with like 4 inches backspacing. oh and bonzo....thats my dad on hotrodders, marc. im alex, i post on ls1tech and pro-touring haha.

[David Pozzi]

"You can lead a horse to water"...

[BonzoHansen]

"You can lead a horse to water"...

[Mean 69]

i wanan try using washers first. 5 washers making up a half inch cant change the bumpsteer that much can it??? if thats no good then i hope i can find different length arms. ill find out the backspacing and let you know

Oh yes it can, more than you realize. Dude, PLEASE heed the advise of the other folks here and ditch the drop spindles, you are going to create more problems than you know by trying to "make them work" by doing this, and that. Cut your losses, in the end, you will be FAR better off.

M

[1Fine69]

when does bump steer really come into play? how much does it factor into the overall handling of the car. can anyone define it. i wnat to take the advice but it doesnt seem to be that important unless you are ont he track. maybe im wrong but how can so little change so much? if i need like less 7/16 more room to be safe with the tie rods, will a 4 inch instead of 5 inch backspacing work? i dont want to but i might have to change rims.

[nancejd]

Basically (I'm no expert, so somebody else jump in if I'm wrong), bumpsteer causes the toe setting of your suspension to change as the wheel moves through bump and rebound going down the road. If the bump were equal on both sides of the car, it would only cause tire scrub. But since that just won't happen, it could cause your car to dart unpredictabley from side to side when you hit a bump or a dip.

[1Fine69]

thank you for clearing that up, now i understand. the 2-3 washers will make that much difference though?

[1Fine69]

if i shouldnt do this then it would be great if you guys could suggest some nice pro-touring looking 2 piece rims. dark center (gunmetal/grey) 18/275 in back and 17/245 in front. WITH 4 INCH BACKSPACING!!!!! haha

[David Pozzi]

Try some cheap wheel spacers on one wheel just to see how much it takes to get clearance. Is the rim hitting or is it the tire?

Once you know how much spacer it takes, that's how much less offset you need. I was told anything over 4.5" back space won't work, but figure it out yourself and make sure it's right.

Camaros usually have toe out under bump. My 67 camaro had over 1" of toe out gain at 3" of bump travel. When I hit the brakes hard, the car would dart from side to side. When I would enter a fast turn, the car would steer itself out of the turn a quarter turn, I'd have to crank in more steering lock to keep the car pointed where I wanted it to go. Remember, when the car leans, one wheel toes-IN, the other wheel toes-OUT, steering the car away from where it's pointed. This makes the driver look like he can't drive right.

After bumpsteer correction, the car drives and tracks like a new Vette, no fiddling with the steering wheel to stay on line and it brakes straight now. Steering arm height is the main thing to get right. Moving it inboard tends to make any bumpsteer at the ends of suspension travel go out of whack. It also increases ackerman steering correction, which you have enough of allready.

[1Fine69]

I never thought it was a such an intrical part of the suspension. Good thing i foudn out though. I am hitting the actual rim with the tie rod and i think 7/16 of an inch will do it because i used those size wheel spacers first and the tie rod didnt hit.....but it rubbed the instant i turned the wheel. i could go with 1 inch dropped spindles from ats but my dad doesnt want to do that. i think new rims would be the easiest. make some suggestions!

[TitoJones]

Save your money. Put your stock spindles back on the car.

Our spindles are $625, rims will be more like $700+. Stock spindles are free. You need to decide if you want a band aid,(differnt rims) or a soultion to the wound.(factory spindle)

Tyler

[1Fine69]

im not going back to those heavy ugly ****ty spindles. if it were my choice i would go with your spindles but im not sure my dad will do that. i want the performance of the redesigned spindles, thats why i got rid of the stock ones.

[baz67]

im not going back to those heavy ugly ****ty spindles. if it were my choice i would go with your spindles but im not sure my dad will do that. i want the performance of the redesigned spindles, thats why i got rid of the stock ones.

Dude look at what you are saying. You want performance so you bought the drop spindles and they do nothing but REDUCE perfomance. You are creating more issues by keeping the drop spindles. How much heavier are they? Have you put them on a scale?

[1Fine69]

the 1/8th inch spacers might jsut do it. if thats the case then ill be fine. i want to jsut try it out, if it doesnt work then ill go ats 1 inch spindles or different rims.

[zbugger]

"You can lead a horse to water"...

My thoughts exactly. And some people never learn.

[Steve1968LS2]

There's the right way, the wrong way and the easy way..

I find it odd when people ask for advice then don't want to heed it.. Pozzi has forgotten more about suspensions than most people here know.. I would think listening to him would be a wise move.

[1Fine69]

Im not disregarding any advice. im 17 and just starting out so it would bein my best interest to take your advice. I would liek to TRY something first though. An 1/8th in wheel spacer doesnt hurt anything. If it doesnt work then ill go with different rims or the stock spindles and lower it. I love the way it sits with all the suspension modifications i did to it so im reluctant to change it. It was common sense for me to try a couple things before i change everything that i have done already. After all i did change it for a reason. Its just somethign small may fix the problem. I wouldnt disregard your advice at all.

[1Fine69]

Pozzi himself said try cheap wheelspacers....

[Marcus SC&C]

How is an 1/8" spacer going to give you the 7/16" you need? C`mon,use your head here. You have MISMATCHED PARTS. Your wheels have too much backspacing and the 2" drop spindles are making it worse. BTW how wide are your front wheels and tires that they have 5" of BS and hit the *outter* wheel well with just a 7/16" spacer? Please don`t screw with the already very poor steering geometry and make it worse. You`ve got the makings of a very sweet ride there,it`s not worth messing it up just because you`re in a hurry. I`d be more than happy to talk you or your Dad through some safe options to fix your problem if you want to give me a call at the shop tomorrow. Mark SC&C

[1Fine69]

sounds like a plan. i said 7/16 to be very safe. its going to be a trial. nothing more. and what if it works??? i just saved myself a lot of time and energy. if not then i have a couple of other options.