Suspension Tuning

[jtwoods4]

Hey everyone,

Tonight I finally finished fine tuning my suspension and wheel/tire clearance. I was just wondering what the best "stance" is in order to get the best handling. Should the car have an aggresive nose down stance or shoudl the car be level from font to rear?

My car is a 69 GTO. SPC Adjustable Upper Control arms, SPC Lowering springs front and rear. I ended up using a 3/4 inch spring spacer to get some header clearance and tire rub clearance. Running tall 255/50R17 tires front and rear.

After installing the spring spacer my car is now pretty much level, maybe a slight 1 inch rake from rear to front. Looks almost level to the naked eye.

Anyway, considering putting in a 1/2 inch spacer instead of 3/4 to get the nose down a little more. Unless of course there is better handling with a level front and rear suspension.

Before Front Spring spacer install


After Front Spring Spacer install




-John
Atlanta

[David Pozzi]

Assuming stock suspension, lower ride height positions the upper a arm at a better angle for increased negative camber gain. It also lowers the center of gravity which reduces weight transfer. This is great as long as you don't scrape the ground or hit the bump stops. Too low is worse than too high. I like to set a new car at a higher "safe" height, monitor the suspension travel, & then lower more if safe to do so. The rear can be level to 1" higher than the front. Some cars like 67-68 Camaros look higher in front when they aren't. & need an inch of rake to look right.

[exwestracer]

David is absolutely right. I would also look at which setup gets the lower control arm closest to level. That will cut down on tire side scrub as the suspension cycles. I don't think I'd go too far past level (lower) at static ride height. Looking at the pictures, I don't think this would be an issue in your case.

[jtwoods4]

Cool thanks guys. I am going to experiment with a 1/2 inch front spacer and see what that gives me. Front Control arms are almost level. I think 1/2 inch spacer would be right one the money.