Nice run! looks fun.
72bluNblu, What are the advantages of going with the QA1 tubular lower control arms?
72bluNblu, What are the advantages of going with the QA1 tubular lower control arms?
ANY AUTOCROSS RACERS
- Thread starter loganscuda
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The QA1's will flex less, but compared to a set of boxed stock LCA's it's probably a pretty minor difference. I run them because they have a shorter profile height, so, you actually increase the amount of available suspension travel. Now, that was before they changed the design and added the bump stops to their LCA's, so, if you buy a brand new set that isn't an advantage unless you cut off that bump stop and mounting boss. But based on their profile height without that added bump stop they add almost an inch to the available suspension travel, so on a car lowered significantly with the torsion bar adjusters and larger torsion bars you can get a little suspension travel back.
They also already have sway bar tabs on them. So, if you have a old set of stock LCA's that doesn't have sway bar tabs, needs to be rebuilt and boxed the QA1's start looking a lot more appealing. If you can weld and have the time to rebuild and box the stock LCA's it's no big deal. But if you can't, or just don't want to, buying the QA1 LCA's isn't going to be a ton more money than paying someone to do all that to a set of stock LCA's. You get a new set of LCA's that have new bushings, new pivot pins, sway bar tabs and don't need to be boxed all at the same time.
There's some truth there. That's getting between the devil and the deep blue sea. Always beware of the allure of highest speed when seeking to retain speed. When road racing, highest speed through and out of the turns usually equals best lap times. In some tighter track corners, and most autocrosses, retaining speed is good, but cutting distance reduces lap time. Figuring out and managing the balance of those two (retaining speed, and reducing distance) in real time is a learning curve for sure!
jedrattle
Well-Known Member
Question.....Would dropped spindles be a help or a hinderence in this situation?
I have a '64 Valiant (V8/4spd) I'm collecting parts for right now. I have offset bushings, new ball joints, tie rod ends, etc., I want the car to set low but still be a decent ride. It's a semi DD/weekend autocross car. 17in wheel/tires for now. What are good shocks for this type of setup? Would the 1.03's TB's be a good choice for this one?
I have a '64 Valiant (V8/4spd) I'm collecting parts for right now. I have offset bushings, new ball joints, tie rod ends, etc., I want the car to set low but still be a decent ride. It's a semi DD/weekend autocross car. 17in wheel/tires for now. What are good shocks for this type of setup? Would the 1.03's TB's be a good choice for this one?
loganscuda
This/These
Bilstein shocks from what I’m done research on. I ordered some from FirmFeel and will let you know how they perform as soon as I get them and my new leaf springs.
If you're building a car to handle well, drop spindles are a waste of time. You need larger torsion bars to handle well, and larger torsion bars will result in less suspension travel. Which means you can lower the car with the torsion bar adjusters because you don't need as much available suspension travel. How much you can lower the car will depend on how big you go for torsion bars, but if you are planning doing some autoX than you should be going large enough on the torsion bars to be able to lower the car close to 2" without drop spindles. The drop spindles also change suspension geometry for the worse compared to just lowering the car with the adjusters- more bump steer, higher roll center, less camber gain, etc. There's more details on the drop spindle drawbacks in this thread Magnum Force 2" Drop Spindle
The 1.03" torsion bars from PST are a good place to start for a street car, but if you're planning on autoX'ing you will probably want a stiffer torsion bar IMO. The 1.03" bars are listed as a 230 lb/in wheel rate (finally they listed the wheel rate!!!). By comparison, on my Duster I run 1.12" torsion bars from Firm Feel which have a 300 lb/in rate. With those bars I'm lowered about 2" from stock, maybe a little more, and with some changes to the bump stops I have plenty of travel. They're definitely stiff, but with the Hotchkis Fox shocks I think they're fine for a daily driver. I use my Duster as my daily driver, year round, and don't have an issue with how it rides on the street. I don't know that I'd go any bigger than that though for a car that sees a lot of street time.
Firm Feel also makes a 1.06" torsion bar that has a 252 lb/in rate, which would also be a good choice. Stiffer than the 1.03's, but not quite a stiff as the 1.12's. And there's also SwayAway, they make a 1.08" bar that works out to be about 265 lb/in. I think the 1.06 and 1.08" bars would be fine for a street car with some occasional autoX'ing. Some of that also depends on tire choice, sway bars, ride height, etc., how the rest of the car is set up will determine what you need for wheel rate. Especially the tires.
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69wacuda
Handling, and a 500ci engine.... All in good time!
I am running Hotchkis Racing springs in the back. The car felt fairly balanced, with a nice amount of rotation from the rear. I will definitely run at a higher setting on the shocks next time though. I did have an issue with the fuel splashing out. The rubber on my fuel cap is pretty hard. Do they make a new seal that can replace it?
4.10:1 with an A518. I had it in 2nd (1st/2nd) on this course.
I believe this was an intentionally easy course with only a basic layout for those who maybe hadn't participated before. I will hopefully get on some more challenging courses in the near future.
loganscuda
This/These
I have found nothing that works. I am looking for a lockable gas cap that goes under the flip top they are pricey. I usually make my runs in 2nd gear also.
Bad Shrimp
Well-Known Member
No official autocross experience, but I set up my 440 Scamp for corners. Like to drive on twisty mountain roads. Out back is bilstein shocks, 7/8ths sway bar and hotchkis road race leaf springs that I blew apart. They were weak sister. Had to have them rebuilt with extra leaves added and hardware replaced because the locator pins sheared in half. If your car jams out hard then i,d try firm feel leafs or have hotchkis springs modded right off the bat.
Car squats down and digs in nice now.
Car squats down and digs in nice now.
loganscuda
This/These
Got my firm feel leaf springs in and Bilisteins. Wow what a difference the ride is. My launch is better and and the handling is great in the corners. Now just need a sway bar for my 8.8
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joes68340s
Well-Known Member
Logan’s Cuda, do you run a mustang 8.8. I ask as I have one in my car and I am curious if you have bleed the rear calipers. I get very little fluid out during bleeding. Also with the firm feel springs can you get them set for height as in lower than stock height.
loganscuda
This/These
I have explorer 8.8. I got a -1 drop on my springs I will post some picks tomorrow. When I bled the brakes it took a few pumps to get anything out
loganscuda
This/These
Autocross this Sunday, Aug 4 at Wells Fargo Center (Hockey Stadium) Phila. Pa.
If anyone in the area is interested stop by, or register if you want to run.
Either way you'll have to sign a participant waiver when you enter the lots. But non-driving participants are not charged any fee.
Philly Region 2019 Summer Series Event #8
If anyone in the area is interested stop by, or register if you want to run.
Either way you'll have to sign a participant waiver when you enter the lots. But non-driving participants are not charged any fee.
Philly Region 2019 Summer Series Event #8
Just got this note via e-mail:
We are aiming for 9:30am start time tomorrow, since we have to be out of the lot (including the truck packed up) by 4pm due to a Philly Soul game.
That means everything is 1/2 hour early. If you're showing up to run, try to be there by 7:30 so there's time to regiuster plus, tech and course walks.
Course walking done by 9 AM, first car off at 9:30
And if you're just stopping by, morning will be better. Mid day OK, and late afternoon could be traffic!
Great event!
Got a coffee mug. LOL.
First time in a while someone has posted pics.
I'm not on FB. Anyone can look at the page.
There's a slalom gif.
Philadelphia Region SCCA
The tail of my car should be a little closer the cones.
I haven't looked through to see what the deal is on copying and pasting. Direct link to photos here:
edit: Wells Fargo Center - Solo#8
Final Results
Got a coffee mug. LOL.
First time in a while someone has posted pics.
I'm not on FB. Anyone can look at the page.
There's a slalom gif.
Philadelphia Region SCCA
The tail of my car should be a little closer the cones.
I haven't looked through to see what the deal is on copying and pasting. Direct link to photos here:
edit: Wells Fargo Center - Solo#8
Final Results
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loganscuda
This/These
Those are some good numbers you got there. That’s impressive. Those bmw and Miatas have leed times usually. If you say you need to hug the cones more I’m thinking you can definitely shave off a couple seconds
In the gif it looks like 5 to 7 inches between the back tire and the last real slalom cone. What looks like the last cone in the images is really not a part of the slalom but I do think I should have been a bit closer.
edit: looking at it again, it looks like I'm not late apexing the slalom cone enough to do get the rear tire closer.
3rd run Graver rode with me and he suggested I try braking earlier and smoother. Fifth run I was able to do that and keep my 'think ahead' pretty effectively through the slalom. If I could have done that through the final sections another 1/2 second there. He hadn't driven the course himself so when I talk with him or look thorough videos people are posting I'll see if my choice of line has any noticble difference.
Slippery lot, but my car felt good. So no complaints. Even though I was rolling over the outside of the tires more than I'd like, I'm going to leave the setup and see how much I can improve that with smoother inputs.
Most of our courses are favorable to the smaller 'momentum' cars are Karts. When I walked this one, I said today's theme is "Givin' it up!" In other words, don't even think about putting the right foot down hard or staying in the throttle. Had to sneak up on where more power and speed could be added.
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I bought a few pics from these folks after the last event.
But just saw this posting from earlier this year (not on FB, just browse for event info etc).
Pretty funny - although not sure I was quite as amused at the time...
and I found the full sequence of that carnage.
Starts here: Heat 1 | 9A9A7711
But just saw this posting from earlier this year (not on FB, just browse for event info etc).
Pretty funny - although not sure I was quite as amused at the time...
and I found the full sequence of that carnage.
Starts here: Heat 1 | 9A9A7711
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