For young or new car guys here are some basic suspension tips:
<BIG>Here are some general basic rules if you want to improve your cars handling:</BIG>
<BIG>Here are some general basic rules if you want to improve your cars handling:</BIG>
- If you race in sanctioned competition, read your rule book before performing any modifications at all to your vehicle. It would be a pity to buy a fortune in trick parts only to have them declared illegal by an official. Beware of SCCA’s Street Prepared rules as many hot and popular street car mods would put you out of this class.
- Do not lower your car too much! This perhaps is the number one no no. It is a symbol of a true rice-boy (not a racial slur, means all show no go, typical car that has $5000 bucks of wheels and tires, a big 5 inch tip, aero kit, a thumping stereo, vinyl graphics, no springs and not much else). Lowering looks really cool and can make a significant improvement to a cars cornering capability but going too low is detrimental to both handling and even safety. Going too low can cause bumpsteer, where the tie rods and control arms are traveling different arcs resulting in the wheels steering themselves with no steering wheel input. When a car is so low that the suspension bottoms under cornering loads, the end of the car that bottoms first will violently slide out. Super low guys are convinced that they are driving super touring cars but if you take them out on the track they will suck incredibly. SE-Rs are cursed with short travel suspension as it is and cannot take being lowered more than 1.5-2 inches at the most. So install some good springs such as Eibach, H&R or Ground Control and DO NOT CUT THEM MORE TO MAKE YOUR CAR LOWER. If you have the Ground Control springs do not adjust them to lower your car more than two inches except if you are going to compete in car shows where the car will be a stationary display. You want to maintain at least 1-3/4" of travel.
