Traction

Quote from edwardaneal

I am not sure I agree - the weight shifting to the rear is happening weather the car "squats" or not. the weight transfer is a function of acceleration. To me it would seem that a stiffer shock in the back would actually force this weight transfer to increase the down force on the rear wheel which would improve traction where as a soft shock would actually soften the downward pressure on the rear wheel as it would be absorbed by the shock and not transferred to the ground. It seems to me that a softer shock causing the car to "squat" to the rear more is actually a sign that the shock is lessening the downward pressure put on the rear wheel.
As a side note I just did some investigative research and Top fuel Dragsters, which clearly would want the maximum traction, don't even have rear shocks or for that matter any suspension at all - if soft shocks helped weight transfer to the rear you would thing they would want this advantage

@edwardaneal We do not run slicks at very very low tire pressures that heated and become sticky as heck from a prior burn out.

We are not trying to sell you better shocks, and by all means if you feel the stock shocks will provide you better traction during a hard acceleration then please keep the original shocks. It's all about what you prefer, and everyone had their own opinion.

The major thing to keep in mind is that what's optimal for drag racing (or quick off the line performance) is not what's optimal for everyday riding or performance handling. You'll have to decide which environment you'll be spending most of your time riding, and build your ride for that. Then you can do adjust the shocks and air pressure to fine tune the ride even more.

Most owners that have adjustable shocks set them for the daily ride they want knowing that cornering or weight transfer could be adjusted a bit, but they get the best overall performance they love. I'm sure that the more slingshot events you go to, you'll see owners adjust their shocks before riding the tail of the dragon, Blood mountain, the hill climb in Avon etc, then dial it back some for normal everyday use. That's the beauty of having adjustable shocks

Quote from edwardaneal

I know you are not trying to sell me anything, I am just trying to understand the process. When we accelerate weight shifts to the rear - this is physics, I am trying to reconcile in my own head how having a softer spring at the rear helps transfer this weight shift to the tire and ground - it seems intuitive to me that a softer spring would reduce the pressure transmitted to the tire by absorbing some of it before it gets to the tire. Please dont think I am trying to be argumentative if I am coming off that way please forgive me - I just would like a technical explanation as to how having that softer spring helps instead of hurting.

Very well said @funinthesun. @edwardaneal You are talking about springs now. When you started this you were talking about shocks. Two different things entirely.

Some of the shocks have adjustments that soften or firm up the compression and / or rebound (I think that's what it's called) rates. An owner can literally make adjustments instantly as to how the shocks perform deepending on conditions and desired performance or riding experience.

Well put @Live-a-Little!.

Dragsters do have 'suspension'. It is the wrinkle wall slicks they run. On hard acceleration they get much taller and narrower due to the low pressure and high rpms. Now I'm not going to pretend to understand the physics beyond 'they go really really fast' for short, straight-line distances, but I can tell you that it is a single purpose build, is nothing like a street suspension setup and can't be usefully compared. I too wish I understood more but in the lack of personal comprehension or knowledge, I tend to listen to the big-brains and experienced guys. That has worked well for me...

Oh yeah, and the stock pogo sticks SUCK!!!,

Listen to us Polaris - performance package upgrade!

Best traction pic on the internet

Quote from edwardaneal

Okay, perhaps I am confused. in an earlier post in this thread someone said that a softer rear shock let the rear "squat" and increased traction. - what did they mean by "softer" if they were not revering to the spring? - With coil overs I assumed the firmness or softness is a function of the spring or the tightness of the spring. Please help me understand where I am going wrong

by turning that dial on the adjustables you can make your shocks softer or firmer without messing with the spring.

I'm going to jump in and just keep the questions going...

So the picture you posted @Neosolidus... I have those... I know nothing, so bear with me... And @Turbosling, feel free to answer... At the tip are those circles that can turn and, rise or lower on the grooves causing, I think, the spring to compress or expand... What would happen if one does that? I notice there are at least 3 or 4 inches of grooves...?

Quote from MiM

I'm going to jump in and just keep the questions going...

So the picture you posted @Neosolidus... I have those... I know nothing, so bear with me... And @Turbosling, feel free to answer... At the tip are those circles that can turn and, rise or lower on the grooves causing, I think, the spring to compress or expand... What would happen if one does that? I notice there are at least 3 or 4 inches of grooves...?

@MiM are you talking about at the top of the coil over? The Crome looking parts withseveral holes in them? Those "grooves" are threads. So by compressing expanding the spring your ride height will change.

Quote from MiM

I'm going to jump in and just keep the questions going...

So the picture you posted @Neosolidus... I have those... I know nothing, so bear with me... And @Turbosling, feel free to answer... At the tip are those circles that can turn and, rise or lower on the grooves causing, I think, the spring to compress or expand... What would happen if one does that? I notice there are at least 3 or 4 inches of grooves...?

That adjusts the ride height

Quote from SlingLow

Dragsters do have 'suspension'. It is the wrinkle wall slicks they run.

Many Sportsman/Super Comp class dragsters do ...... hardly anyone in the lower classes run hard tail anymore ....

Not a photo of the one I ran but the same four link rear setup .........

It helps grip with the smaller diameter tires and shorter chassis.. also makes them safer and much easier to adjust for different track conditions ....

.

Thanks @Rob the Slob and @Neosolidus!

I thought if the spring was really compressed, the ride quality would change... Be stiffer? But they just do height?

Quote from MiM

Thanks @Rob the Slob and @Neosolidus!

I thought if the spring was really compressed, the ride quality would change... Be stiffer? But they just do height?

Yes but not a huge amount

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Quote from av8ingtom

Tank you Rob. What you want is the rear to squat and help transfer the power to the pavement.

I wasn't aware of that...I guess I don't know "squat"

Quote from MiM

Thanks @Rob the Slob and @Neosolidus!

I thought if the spring was really compressed, the ride quality would change... Be stiffer? But they just do height?

it changes but it is negligible unless you go all the way down.

Quote from MiM

Thanks @Rob the Slob and @Neosolidus!

I thought if the spring was really compressed, the ride quality would change... Be stiffer? But they just do height?

If its compressed too much yes it will change how it rides. Compressing it over spec will make the machine ride harder. When a spring and shock combo is matched shock body/length and spring weight/height is optimized for the application with room to adjust. Typically coilover shock will be designed to be at close to to stock ride height and be able to go down but not up.