Nope ... dropped the rubber topper long ago ... Just going from the
Roush to yours set me up about 2 inches ... Then the WC lower
control arms set me back down where I needed to be.

I dunno ...

Cliff

 

Cliff,
How stiff is the ride?
TB

 

Not as stiff as most "track" cars ... Mine is stillmy Daily Driver,
and I don't mind teh stiffness and the responsiveness one bit ...

 

I don't understand the need for the 1100-1200 lb front springs. I'm not saying you are all wrong I'm just saying I don't get it. My Roush supplied front springs feel great at the track. I never lose traction with the front end (except when the track is wet). My truck will lose the rear way before the front. Last week in the first session on Sat. morning it had rained about 2" the night before and there was no rubber on the track. I was chasing the rear at turn in on all the medium to high speed turns. This was before I ever hit the gas. After some rubber got put down, this problem went away.


I also don't understand the QA1 problem some of you are having. I first put my fronts on eight and the rears on six. This was fine at the track but would beat your teeth out on the highway. I now have mine set on seven on the front and five on the rear and it rides as well as a stock truck. I will turn them back up for my next track event but it sure is nice on the street since my L is my every day driver. I don't think the truck was any better on the track with the QA1's than it was with the Roush supplied shocks. I may take them off and sell them. Maybe the 1200 lb. springs are to much for the shocks?


Jerry

 

If you are loose in the rear, stiffer springs in the front will help.


How long has it been since you rode in a stock truck? The Hotchkis springs I used to run definitely harshed up the ride, even with the stock Bilsteins. The Roush springs are reported to be even stiffer than the Hotchkis.

 

Old Hotchkis front and rear springs here with QA1's, on no setting is near a stock ride. After being in a Roush truck, it's definately stiffer so I don't see how you got that one.

 

Which setting gives you a stock ride?

 

Your are correct Tim in assuming it's been a while since I've been in a stock truck. Like about two years. I just know that when I first installed the QA1's and had them adjusted to the higher numbers it was way to stiff for a every day driver. I could feel every line in the road! My wife said she thought she was going to get sick it was so rough. At the lower (softer settings) my wife even thinks the truck rides ok. I will take back the statement that it rides like a stock truck but at 7 on the front and five on the rear it is way to soft for any race track but is a pleasure to drive on the street.



Can any of you suggest some reading material that will explain suspension set-up? I have no clue. I have never read anything on the subject. I have this book on order now: Going Faster: Mastering the Art of Race Driving : The Skip Barber Racing School



Jerry

 

There's one on tires by some famous SCCA guy that
was exerpted in Sports Car magazine ... I will try to look it up.

It was GREAT

 

I've read:
Drive to Win
How to Make Your Car Handle

Both are good to check out, only made it about 1/3 through the second before I picked up something else.


Here is a much larger list:
http://corner-carvers.com/wiki/index...y%20of%20books

 

I have found that tire pressure (and construction) is the most important variable in ride comfort. I run 295/40-20 runflats on the street. With the stiff sidewalls, bumping them up into the 40s (like I like the F1s) was scary rough. With the same suspension settings, and the stock F1s in the mid-30s, the ride is about twice as compliant.

I wish that the QA1s had finer adjustments in the middle ranges. The lower end (below 5 in front) is way too soft and the upper end (above 9) is way too hard. I suspect that it has to be this way so that they can be used on a wide range of vehicles. And it's a minor issue. I'm not that good at chassis setup to be able to exploit minor differences.

Chassis setup is humbling. It's like a degree in physics from MIT is required just to set shocks. At least it seems that way after a few bong hits.

I have most of the leading books, but the subject is so complicated that I think that I may sign up for a course (I am a member of the SAE). If you go to Amazon.com and enter either of the books suggested by the good captain (both of which I have) you will find references to other books, and so on. Tune to Win (companion to Drive to Win) also has a reference section on other texts suggested by the author.

 

SVT KY

When you changed your springs did you replace your front bump stops with shorter ones? Mine did the same thing after I put in Stans 1100lbs springs. I though that I would try to use the stock length bump stops and I got the bounce that I think your talking about. Then I installed the short 11/16 tall bump stops and the bounce or porpossing went away. I have my QA-1's set at 7 in the front and 3 in the rear for crusing, 8 and 4 for playing and then I crank them up for the auto crosses and turn them down for drag racing.

 

Taz ... I don't porpoise ... I love the handling of mine.

Hey everyone, the author is Paul Haney and the title is
"The Racing & High-Performance Tire "


Web Site

 

Hrm...with the roush/qa1 setup, when I hit steeper shortswells at 80-85 on the highway, I tend to feel like I catch air.

So other then needing to reposition myself in the seat, I don't "float" after.


-Dan

 

The only problem i'm having is over consecutive swells at freeway speeds (65 - 85 mph). Over swells at freeway speeds, the front tends to bob up and down slowly, sort of like a caddy would do. I'm getting too much slow moving compression and rebound oscillation. Hope that describes it better.


Sorry SVT KY got the name mixed up it was SpeedJunky I think he has the stock bump stops still in. Its kinda like what mine felt like till I put the new ones in. Then it went away.

Hey SVT KY did you change your sway bars? I put in the Hellwigs front and rear made a big difference. We run a 1.6 mile long auto cross up here with the mustangs. We have one guy that has the big brakes and race tires and if they would score him with the mustangs he would finish in the top 6 of the mod class. Man these trucks are a blast!