With the emphasis on placing more loading on the left front corner, it works harder and helps turn the car. We can use lift arms and pull bars with various stiffness of shocks and springs. A shock does not have any influence if it is not moving, so dirt shocks necessarily can influence the car a lot. The rates in parenthesis are the rate equivalent if the springs were mounted to a clamp on the rearend. wheel Spacer to Right rear * * * 2 Lengthen Right Side WheelBase (1/4 in. ) Conversely if you pushed the bar to the right it would result in or freer or looser handling car. If the gain through the turns and off the corners is more than the loss of top speed due to increased drag, by all means, run the larger spoilers. * * * 2 Some suggest higher amounts of toe, but we feel that those high numbers work best when the setup promotes a lot of front load transfer and the LF isn't working so hard. So, in the RR corner, we can start out the night with the coilover in the rear hole, which is the higher rate of the two, for an equivalent rate of 325 and then when the track goes slick move the coilover to the front hole for a 234 rate which provides more bite off the corners. This week Iâm going to answer some questions I got from some readers and maybe give you some better insight into what ⦠If you can find a way to make the correct changes as the track transitions, then you’ll be fast under all conditions. We looked at where we were going to be racing and how our driver likes to race and tried to apply the technology we have been presenting in CIRCLE TRACK over the past few years. Set-ups will also vary according to track condition, tire combination, and several other factors. Kevin Rumley is the mad scientist behind the grip on the #49 machine. We installed most of the body, all of the suspension parts, the rearend, and the motor and transmission. There is a lot to be gained in this area for both performance and reliability. Mechanical affects, such as Ackermann, could be more beneficial on dirt than on asphalt, but again only to a small degree. This extreme degree of wheel travel means that shocks get to do more work than with other types of race cars. Today, we see successful dirt racing teams and car builders designing their Moment Centers more carefully and running setups where the left front tire is mostly in contact with the track surface. The axle wrap-up is controlled by a unique design of pull bar built by Bert that we discovered some 10 years ago and one that I like. The rates are spoken as being approximately 10 percent out and 90 percent in. The dirt chassis are not easy to use for alignment because there isn't any real symmetry between the two sides of the "frame." DirtonDirt.com covers Dirt Late Model racing like no other publication, magazine or website with massive amounts of original content including videos, photos, stories, columns, blogs and more. A. The data off the sensors we had installed on the link showed that it worked to control wheel spin all of the way around the track where a simpler design became fully extended and solid soon after power was applied. Dirt late model LR suspension. Many teams will tell you that there is a need for rearend steer to the right at times when the car is tight and you need to get it pointed in order to exit the corner. The gain in toe should be limited to about 1/4 inch at the wheel, or about 1 inch out at 10 feet in front of the hubs. 0:32. The truth about setup dynamics is that at mid turn each end will want to roll to its own degree of angle. Racers discovered the need for better aero designs some years ago. Posted on August 15, 2018 by Trevor 4-link suspension information. So, we need shocks that will reduce cavitation (getting gas mixed with the fluid) and dissipate heat better. Because we will be setting this car up to be more balanced and using the left front tire more so than some setups, we did not need to put high amounts of camber in the RF. We did some measuring and calculations and found that the rearend would be rotating to a maximum of 3.5 to 5 degrees. Driving Tips: How To Execute ⦠After you have made positive changes to the front to make the car turn better, be sure to work on the rear to reduce or eliminate the crutches you had previously installed. We installed most of the body, all of the suspension parts, the rearend, and the motor and transmission. The primary indicator of a left front not working is when we see that tire off the ground through the middle of the turns. This is evidenced by the numbers of new shock companies that have arisen and also the move by existing previously asphalt-only shock companies into the dirt market. If the temperature of that tire is low compared to the left rear tire, then it is a good bet it is less loaded and doing less work than it could, and should, be. This controlled our movement and location of the MC. On dirt, we need the most loading on our front tires that we can get and aero generated load is not weight we have to accelerate. The dirt car rear geometry layouts are varied and usually highly adjustable for both late models and modifieds. Here is the way it works. We should work to develop ways to create more rear traction only on acceleration so we don’t ruin our mid-turn handling. So, the MC needs to be located farther to the left in order for the car to work well. The dirt car Moment Center design is different than that of an asphalt car. That ideology will never change and more and more racers have come to that realization. A tire not in contact with the racing surface does no work. Be careful not to overdue the loading of one tire. So, our difference at the front of the driveshaft was 1.50 degrees to the transmission tail shaft and 2 degrees at the back of the driveshaft to the pinion shaft. Develop a proper approach to the setups for the tracks that you intend to race at and be prepared and willing to make changes to your setup when the track conditions change. All we need now is to complete the installation of the body, fuel her up, and throw on some new tires. The most general rule of thumb is that they are a very forgiving type of suspension. In past ancient setups that were prevalent in the early ’90s and before, the left front tire did little, if any, work. Once the LF is set up to stay loaded, high amounts of toe will work against being able to turn the car as the two front tires fight to go in separate directions. Weight DistributionThe final settings involve the weight distribution in the car. As racers learn more about what they need and the technical ways to take care of those needs, the cars become easier to drive and consistently faster through the changing conditions. Once referred to as âtaxi cabs on dirt,â stock cars and late models have become pillars in many dirt-track promoterâs racing programs. This car is set up based on recommendations published by leading dirt Late Model builders about five years ago. The option for a low range of cross is to go with 49 percent cross, or about 70 pounds of LR. We have already redesigned the front moment center location from what we had. We almost always need to develop more rear traction for dirt cars. On dirt, the shocks take a lot of abuse. After my thirty-plus years of working on various types of race cars, I came up with the setup and logbook which ⦠So, your spacing at 10 feet will change and gain an inch when the wheels are turned, again both ways, the same amount as would be expected to get through mid turn. It all comes down to trying to create better driver comfort and more consistency. âYou have three timing devices in a race car suspension. This provides some ease in turning left, but does not overly restrict turning the wheel to the right such as would be the case with a larger caster split. The Answers: Iskyâs Nolan Jamora Answers Your Tech Questions, Pt. The frontends are wedges that scoop the oncoming air up and over the car. To get to those locations, we needed to drill new upper mount holes and then reinforce those holes with large washers welded on both sides of the square vertical tubing. I believe that the rearend does not need to be any different in alignment than at 90 degrees to the centerline of the chassis and/or to the right side tire contact patches, and those patches need to be inline, even on dirt. I do earn a small commission from the links to Amazon which are connected to these links. The use of rear steer to the left must only occur on acceleration and not at mid turn. This keeps the left front firmly on the track and working hard, and all four tires gripping and working. The term “balance” means that both ends of the car have the same resistance to roll and will actually roll to the same angle if they were independent. We needed to set our caster, camber, and toe so we raised our car and installed links where the shocks mount that would simulate the spindle position at ride height with all of the weight on the car. This created an opportunity for us to make changes to the spring rate the car feels just by moving the coilover to a different hole. We are ready to set up the car. The setup for slick tracks is with a controlled difference in the balance of the front to rear relationship with the rear desiring to roll more so than the front. We also know how it should be done technically and the two, practical application and theory, are on the same track. The mounting of the bar on the right side chassis provides a more consistent feel to the driver and a more stable dynamic condition to the car. Top : C. Making Bump Steer Corrections : Now that you have measured your bump steer you will need to adjust, shim or relocate the suspension components to get the exact reading that you desire. Just look at the dirt late model cars and how they have evolved. Your information will be collected and used in accordance with our Privacy Policy, Dirt Late Model Suspension - Preparing For Battle. All set-ups can only be justified with proper maintenance and checking all suspension components on a regular basis. OneDirt - Dirt Track Racing Magazine We'll send you the most interesting Street Rod articles, news, car features, and videos every week. We only care about the MC location after the car has taken the attitude of dive and roll in the turns. Moving lead around is not so easy at the track and we will be developing ways to move weight up and down on a sliding tube to make changes to the center of gravity for changing track conditions. This means that they provide very little resistance to being extended when the car accelerates, and considerable resistance to compression to control the force of the 3,500 pound spring in the pull bar as the driver enters the turn. This is the dynamic location and the static location, the one at ride height, started farther left at about 18 inches left of centerline. In many of our articles on various aspects of chassis setup, we try to include both sides of the coin-dirt and asphalt. This Tuning Guideline can be used for Late Models, Modifieds or BâMods Problem: Car is tight on corner entry, when on the throttle: Take Wedge out of Car * * 1 Add 1/2 in. Another trend that has become very popular is closely aligned with most of the above and that is working toward a more balanced setup. This makes the setup more balanced, the left front tire does more work turning the car through the entry and middle of the turns, and it offers more bite off the corner as a result of you being able to keep the car straight and not needing to break the rear tires loose to get the car pointed coming off the corners. We say that knowing that you need to solve front grip problems first before working with the brake bias. Bobby won a heat race with that amount of LR weight and felt like this track could use a lot of LR load to help with bite off the corners. With this amount of rotation and pinion angle change, when the car is accelerating, the pinion, driveshaft, and transmission will be almost inline. Article & Photography by Bob Bolles, Circle Track Magazine (Powered by the Hot Rod Network) http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/chassis-suspension/1505-dirt-race-car-setup-prep/ Reproduced with permission, Article & Photography by Bob Bolles, Circle Track Magazine (Powered by the Hot Rod Network), Digital Elite LED Waterproof Gauge Panels, http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/chassis-suspension/1505-dirt-race-car-setup-prep/, Billet Caster / Camber Gauge with Magnetic Adapter, Caster / Camber Gauge w/ Magnetic Adapter, Computerscales® WIRELESS 10" Tablet XLi™ Single Load Cell, Digital Caster / Camber Gauge with AccuLevel™, Precision Bump Steer Gauge with Billet Plate. Our swing arms came with two holes and different lengths on each side. We will be reporting on the results of our first race in the next issue, whatever the outcome. RaceKnowHow.com is an educational website that focuses on teaching and showing racers and race car enthusiasts how to work on and how to improve their cars and racing program. Janeen Magana. We had already moved all of the lead ballast to the middle of the car and some of it up higher to promote roll over and side bite. We clamped them with a vise grip plier and drilled a hole and bolted them together. That way the wheels always keep the same toe or toe gain in equal amounts while turning right or left. The difference in roll angles is then changed from equal for tight conditions to different for loose conditions and variable between the two for the transition from tight to loose. Rear GeometryWe had already made the decision to take most of the rear steer out of the car, so when we mounted the rear links on this Z-link, swing arm car, we did so with that in mind. Most of the time, moving the right rear back or the left rear forward is a way to crutch a car that will not turn. The speed of movement on return to static position, when the car is off the throttle and entering the turns, is controlled by a pair of AFCO shocks specially designed for this task. Playing next. Once the frontend is fixed, there will be less need to do crazy things to the rear alignment. The cambers we set were: LF = 2.50 degrees positive (top leaning out away from the centerline) and RF = 4.50 degrees negative (top leaning in towards the centerline). 6 years ago | 17 views. Shop Dirt Late Model Suspension & Steering Hardware parts and get Free Shipping on orders over $99 at Speedway Motors, the Racing and Rodding Specialists. Report. Dirt Late Model Setup Log Book. We measured our relationships between the driveshaft and both the pinion and the transmission. We set our panhard bar, which is mounted to the right side of the chassis as it is in all Rayburn cars, at 10 1/2 on the left and 13 1/2 on the right. The shock absorbers are two-way adjustable with LMP available as a piggy back version and LMJ series in hose version with remote reservoir. These links can be made of any material, and we chose two strips of one-inch wide aluminum that would overlap. Dirt car setup is undergoing a change, and has been for about five years now. Spring SetupFor springs, we needed to spring the car for North Florida Speedway, which would be our first race in the car. The Ackermann must be developed in the design of the tie-rod’s angles from a top view and not differences in steering arm length the way it is done with asphalt cars. We decided on a caster split of 3.50 degrees positive caster for the RF and 2.50 degrees of positive caster for the LF. Turn entry on dirt is important and dictates how well we are able to negotiate the middle of the turn. Either way, the goal is to have the MC end up in a place where it will do the most good. What used to be standard setups are a thing of the past for the top teams competing in dirt late models, modified, and even the stock classes. We want to thank all of our partners who have provided support for this project. We then aligned our rearend in the car. 4 LINK DIRT SUSPENSION TIGHTEN CAR ON CORNER ENTRY ⢠Raise left side frame mounted panhard bar on chassis ⢠Lower panhard bar on pinion mount ⢠Stiffen left front spring ⢠Raise left side ride heights (rock up) ⢠Soften 6th coil spring LOOSEN CAR ON ⦠As the car rolls and the chassis changes its height, the control arms change angles and that causes the MC to move. With some cars, the MC moves to the right, a very common result, and with a few cars, it moves to the left from static location. We promise not to use your email address for anything but exclusive updates from the Power Automedia Network. Theyâve won championships together in the #6 car. This is my third book and it is a setup log and notebook geared toward the dirt late model racer. And while there may still be some car models that have suspension systems that are designed like those from the past, many of them provide greater shock and vibration absorption. Dirt modifieds are also using better hoods and roofs that will make use of any aero downforce. The driveshaft measured 2.50 degrees (rear down) and the pinion was at 4.50 degrees down angle. âThe location of the spring â inboard or outboard â and the angle of the shock, are influencing factors on rear steer,â Merritt states. When it comes to these classes of race cars, PFC Brakes has built up an amazing portfolio of experience in its more than 35 years of circle track racing. There are several ways to do that without changing the handling at other points around the racetrack. Home / Uncategorized / 4-link suspension information. There is an algebraic increase in both drag and downforce associated with increases in speed through air. Gas pressure shocks are now commonplace in dirt racing where 10 or 15 years or so ago, they were just being introduced. This provides more rear traction to give us more bite off the corners. Although we may know how adjustments affect the car, we do not always know why the adjustments do what they do. Sheppard opens Summer Speedweek at Volunteer Speedway With WoO Win. Keeps the carâs tyres in contact with the road surface . To give the car more rear traction, we need to understand a little about the dynamics at work on the car when we are accelerating. We could always use more bite off the corners on dirt. That means they move more quickly and more often. Research that has been done to document shock influences on dirt show that there are a lot of gains to be had by concentrating on your shocks. This is the magic we talk about so often and perfecting this process will make you more successful. Shocks affect the motion of the corners of the car and therefore the placement of wheel loads during transitional periods, and dirt cars are almost always in transition. The exit portion of the track provides little traction and most corners are usually more flat. 1. So, we need to evaluate our turn entry characteristics related to brake bias. Think out your handling deficiencies and plan out how to make shock changes to help solve those problems. Dirt Late Model Suspension & Steering Hardware parts in-stock with same-day shipping. Specializes in revolutionary component design and scientific data analysis . Specs. Shim as needed. It is dead weight. Dirt late model LR suspension. Our experts tell us that this is the ideal situation for minimal power loss and therefore maximum rear wheel power. We started at the transmission and recorded a 1-degree angle with the tail down. Each car needs to be evaluated for where it is to be raced and then set correctly. More and slower movement is needed for slick conditions and much less movement for the tackier conditions. A neutral handling car is not necessarily a dynamically balanced car. Follow. When I explain exactly how I know that and what specific technical changes have been made, you’ll better understand what I am talking about. It worked quite well. I know this will excite and incite many racers, but it is true. We may well try that for tight conditions. It is common to try to increase loading on the left rear tire on acceleration. Dirt car setup is far more complicated than setting up an asphalt stock car. âI told both national tours two years ago that if they wanted to take it and refine it to whatever they think it needs to be that I would join them,â he explained. Dirt tracks typically require a larger number at the rear. This speedway is a medium-banked track that I would estimate to be around 12 to 14 degrees. The age old truth is that we need to perfect our setup first before working with the shocks. On dirt we can manipulate that balance relationship to adjust the car to different conditions. The wheel wells are shaped to route air out and away from the front tires creating downforce. Alignment issues present just as serious a drawback for a dirt car as with an asphalt car. Aero grip, mechanical grip and the rules box that the engineers have to work with on the âabsolutely horribleâ dirt late model machine â All while some teams just complain to the rule makers to catch up. The amount of difference is directly related to the installed motion ratio of the spring and the spring’s rate and amount of motion. As promised, here is a detailed summary of what we did and why. The parallel four-link rear suspension is common to Dirt Late Model, Dirt Modified stock cars, and Sprint Cars. You can easily check your Ackermann by using strings or a laser system. ⦠My books, dirt racing shocks, weight, and spring stiffness I havenât blogged on Hogan Technologies consistently for a couple of years now, but Iâm having fun with it. Front GeometryThe first step in any first time setup is the front end geometry settings. While weight jacking is a quick and simple way to change the handling of the race car, it is still a crutch. Then we tested it at Eldora and gained 3/10 in a back to back test. Driveline GeometryAnother area of racecar geometry that should be evaluated when putting your car together is the driveline geometry. The frontends are wedges that scoop the oncoming air up and over the car. In tests we have participated in, we have run the same lap times with the car “sideways,” due to excess rear steer, as when running it straight ahead with no rear steer. Learn all about the Metric Four-Link Suspension Design, as we take you in-depth with their design, models, and functionality. Our Dirt Late Model project car has been undergoing a lot of change over the past month. The message here is that dirt car setup and design is indeed changing, sometimes from month to month. Aero influence varies with the speed of the vehicle. But if we introduce too much Ackermann, the result will be like with the asphalt cars, the front tires will fight each other and both will lose grip. This is usually when the track is very slick. Fortunately, we have really good sources within the top levels of Dirt Late Model racing circles and we know how the top teams think and the way they approach their racing. Pinion angle to the ground plane is useless if we don't also measure its relationship to the other driveline components. It may be an affront to most dirt racers to say that technological changes that have taken place in asphalt racing have trickled into the realms of dirt racing. This was first tried by Billy Moyer at my urging on a Rayburn car in 1997 at the Hav-A-Tampa Dixie Shootout, the final race of the top Dirt Late Model touring series held at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Georgia. Both the upper and lower links are more parallel to the ground and with the bird-cage connection to the rearend provides wheel travel with little or no rear steer. We also installed Mono-Ball ball joints in both lower arms and spaced them so that the ball joints were as low as possible to take most of the angle out of the lower arms.
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