Suspension
Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2006 10:00 pm
R/T man...
Tell me what your SS came with( engine, rear leafs /side, and anti-sways if equipped) and what your planning on putting in it.
Then what you would like to have it do.
The .96 bar is a substantial step up from stock. (The hemi bars were only .92), which is good. Ma always did seem kinda light on the spring rates. Infact, the .92 bar is the smallest street bar mopar carries today. The .88 bar is for the /6 cars and really only good for straight line racing.
I'll give you a quick breakdown on what I did to my runner. a 383 4 speed ( 5 speed now) 8 3/4. 255/60/15's on 15X8 rims "0" Offset Magnum 500's
1) Every last rubber bushing was replaced with poly bushings.
This is huge since the stock rubber bushings let the Control arms, Struts and Springs move around. NOT GOOD. I think this is the most critical because it is the base on which everything else is built.
2) I stepped up to 1.00" torsion bars. These are known as the Road Race bars. It makes the ride very VERY stiff. But they are indeed worthy of their name. It is a huge jump in ability over the .90 ( for a 383 car) bars.
3) I went with the 7/7 rear springs. These are what was used in the police package. It only gives you the extra 1/2 leaf on the one side over stock BB 6/7. It was of little consequence as I was adding the next parts to even that out.
4) Anti-sways. I chucked my stock front bar and went with the front and rear set from Hellwig. You must have the proper front control arms to use Hellwigs bar. That is they must be from an anti- sway bar car. Or you need to add the mounts for them.
5) KYB shocks. They are OK- but I might change them to set of Koni's or Bilsteins.
If you have a BB car that you wanted to be a bit more user friendly the .96 bars are a good choice. I would add a front anti-sway. Especially on a 440 equipped car. Try a stock unit first, then up grade if you feel the body roll is too much. This is with a new set of 6/7 rear springs and new poly bushings at every point including the struts
After that , if I felt the car was not as stiff as i wanted it, then I would look at a rear anti-sway. The stock units are pretty wimpy and having an aftermarket one really plants the rear end. However- the tendency to oversteer ( the ass end comming around) is greatly increased. The car handles better, but the saftey of the understeer ( the car looses traction and keep heading forward) is greatly diminished.
The other HUGE factor is your wheel/tire combo. I have the same rubber at all 4 corners. Goodyear Eagle GT II's Tires make a huge difference. I originally had Dunlop GT Qualifiers. NEVER AGAIN. The rubber compound was too hard. I could lay rubber for 300 ft, but they didn't grip very well, comparably.
The 255 is what I felt was as wide as practical and keep a good weight to contact patch ratio. If I went to a 275, the weight per sq inch would be light to let the rear slip too early, (oversteer) If I went 235, I felt the tire would roll onto the sidewall-( understeer).
Honestly I am quite happy with it. I might change the front bars to .98 but that would be the only thing besides the wheel/tires to 255/17.
The whole trick in doing this is to keep things balanced. If you stiffen the front, then stiffen the rear the same amount.
If the car is pushing ( understeer) then add stiffness to the rear. If it is loose ( oversteer) then stiffen the front.
This can also be accomplished by taking away from one end or the other also.
If you want a stock ride- like I said-Then use the .96 bars, with a stock front anti-sway, and the 6/7 leaf pack in the rear with poly bushings and a GOOD set of rubber at all four corners. Just doing that will put you ahead of stock by a noticable margin.
With my set up I REALLY need better seats first. The car handles so well my biggest challenge is not sliding out from behind the steering wheel. Granted some think a mouth guard should be standard, but it isn't that bad IMO. Kinda similar to vette. You feel everycrack in the road.
Tell me what your SS came with( engine, rear leafs /side, and anti-sways if equipped) and what your planning on putting in it.
Then what you would like to have it do.
The .96 bar is a substantial step up from stock. (The hemi bars were only .92), which is good. Ma always did seem kinda light on the spring rates. Infact, the .92 bar is the smallest street bar mopar carries today. The .88 bar is for the /6 cars and really only good for straight line racing.
I'll give you a quick breakdown on what I did to my runner. a 383 4 speed ( 5 speed now) 8 3/4. 255/60/15's on 15X8 rims "0" Offset Magnum 500's
1) Every last rubber bushing was replaced with poly bushings.
This is huge since the stock rubber bushings let the Control arms, Struts and Springs move around. NOT GOOD. I think this is the most critical because it is the base on which everything else is built.
2) I stepped up to 1.00" torsion bars. These are known as the Road Race bars. It makes the ride very VERY stiff. But they are indeed worthy of their name. It is a huge jump in ability over the .90 ( for a 383 car) bars.
3) I went with the 7/7 rear springs. These are what was used in the police package. It only gives you the extra 1/2 leaf on the one side over stock BB 6/7. It was of little consequence as I was adding the next parts to even that out.
4) Anti-sways. I chucked my stock front bar and went with the front and rear set from Hellwig. You must have the proper front control arms to use Hellwigs bar. That is they must be from an anti- sway bar car. Or you need to add the mounts for them.
5) KYB shocks. They are OK- but I might change them to set of Koni's or Bilsteins.
If you have a BB car that you wanted to be a bit more user friendly the .96 bars are a good choice. I would add a front anti-sway. Especially on a 440 equipped car. Try a stock unit first, then up grade if you feel the body roll is too much. This is with a new set of 6/7 rear springs and new poly bushings at every point including the struts
After that , if I felt the car was not as stiff as i wanted it, then I would look at a rear anti-sway. The stock units are pretty wimpy and having an aftermarket one really plants the rear end. However- the tendency to oversteer ( the ass end comming around) is greatly increased. The car handles better, but the saftey of the understeer ( the car looses traction and keep heading forward) is greatly diminished.
The other HUGE factor is your wheel/tire combo. I have the same rubber at all 4 corners. Goodyear Eagle GT II's Tires make a huge difference. I originally had Dunlop GT Qualifiers. NEVER AGAIN. The rubber compound was too hard. I could lay rubber for 300 ft, but they didn't grip very well, comparably.
The 255 is what I felt was as wide as practical and keep a good weight to contact patch ratio. If I went to a 275, the weight per sq inch would be light to let the rear slip too early, (oversteer) If I went 235, I felt the tire would roll onto the sidewall-( understeer).
Honestly I am quite happy with it. I might change the front bars to .98 but that would be the only thing besides the wheel/tires to 255/17.
The whole trick in doing this is to keep things balanced. If you stiffen the front, then stiffen the rear the same amount.
If the car is pushing ( understeer) then add stiffness to the rear. If it is loose ( oversteer) then stiffen the front.
This can also be accomplished by taking away from one end or the other also.
If you want a stock ride- like I said-Then use the .96 bars, with a stock front anti-sway, and the 6/7 leaf pack in the rear with poly bushings and a GOOD set of rubber at all four corners. Just doing that will put you ahead of stock by a noticable margin.
With my set up I REALLY need better seats first. The car handles so well my biggest challenge is not sliding out from behind the steering wheel. Granted some think a mouth guard should be standard, but it isn't that bad IMO. Kinda similar to vette. You feel everycrack in the road.
