Alden shocks - what settings for a road course?

[Joseph Dell]

Roebling Road is this weekend and I need to remember to change my shock settings from the current drag racing set-up. The question is, though, what setting do I want for road racing? firmest all the way around? I truly have no idea...

any suggestions?

JD

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Aren't those two-way adjustable? Regardless, I wouldn't go firm all the way. Obviously there are too many variables to give a one-size-fits-all solution - tires, springs, track surface, driving style, etc. I'd start at a medium setting and if they are easily adjustable you can play with the settings at the track.

 

[Eric H]

The road conditions at Roebling are rough in spots, if you go full on stiff, you will have some nasty wheel bounce in spots that are patched. as a typical rule of thumb whenever i try a new track and want to tune the setup, start at the halfway mark giving the rear just a notch or two more to give it a bit of push(to be on the safe side) and then after a session or two I will dial +/- as needed.

For most tracks wth maybe the exception of VIR which can some pretty smooth surfaces I would never run a fully stiff suspension setup. just my humble opinion.

 

[Bugeater]

Eric's suggestion regarding biasing the rear shock's settings on the stiff side for push is correct if he is referring to mid-corner understeer. I assume he is since thats probably where most people would get in trouble...

Keep in mind that our cars already understeer naturally, so dont go too wild with the bias!

 

[CHAD]

That is a drag race shock and I would be surprised if you could ever get tight enough on the front rebound.

 

[Eric H]

Eric's suggestion regarding biasing the rear shock's settings on the stiff side for push is correct if he is referring to mid-corner understeer. I assume he is since thats probably where most people would get in trouble...

Keep in mind that our cars already understeer naturally, so dont go too wild with the bias!

you are correct sir, which is why i said just a notch or two to start and dial as needed depnding on your driving style. Me, i like more a bit more oversteer than most, its hell on tires but its much more fun!! but not something I would suggest for the average track newbie.

 

[ViperRay]

I thought shocks only played a role when there was active weight transfer, as in corner entry, for example.

In mid corner the car should already have taken a set.

I would think spring rates and sway bars and car height would play more important roles in mid corner.

 

[Eric H]

you typically brake into a turn, transferring weight to the front wheels, HOPEFULLY by mid turn you can accelerating out of the turn, transferring some of that weigh back to the rear tires to maintain traction to the rear wheels and in turn keeping the rear tires from going in front of the fronts ;-) ie... a spin

if the front shocks are too stiff, the car can become erratic, not transfer the weight smoothly and if transfer is abrupt a spin is almost inevitable.
if the fronts are too soft and the rears too stiff, again, the weight transfer can be abrupt when the front dives, shifts the weight to the front, hits the bump stops and you get some serious push . i hope this makes sense.....it all makes sense in my own head, but then again so do all the voices! ;-)

Although springs and sways do have a large part to play in how the car handles in a turn, you can fine tune the car with a good shock setup.

<end rambling>

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

I'm at odds with some suggestions here, and so am asking for more advice.

Shocks manage transient weight transfer. The tire with the most load slips more. So I would have assumed that turning in with a stiff front shock would load the front tire sooner as the car leans, producing corner entry understeer. Mid corner is acceleration neutral, and on exiting, In my AX events (OK, much different) a stiff rear shock produces corner entry oversteer.

This is with the OEM Koni shock, which is rebound adjustable only, so my experience is only due to jounce change.

And from having fooled with springs, I know the geometry is different front and rear. For example, I have 550# in front, 800# in rear, but the front wheel rate is stiffer because the shock/spring is closer to the tire. Could this also be part of why it seems a stiffer rear shock is OK - because the rear goemetry has more leverage?

Thanks for your patience!

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

We're getting into some deep analysis here. Gonna be an interesting thread. JD, as mentioned earlier, set them to medium and go have fun.

Jeeze, the pros are fiddling with suspensions right up to the green flag.

Where's Erik Messley when you need him?

 

[ViperRay]

I agree with you Tom.

A couple weeks ago in Iowa, I noticed a tendency for my car to oversteer on turn in (very disconcerting)... it was very stable in mid corner though.

As I have Motons, I went 2 clicks softer on the bump on the rears. This allowed a more gradual transition of the weight to the outside rear wheel on turn in and the problem resolved.

Adjusting the shock settings can help resolve these kind of transitional issues.

Changing springs and stabilizer bars will affect the amount of body roll (roll stiffness) and hence the outside tire loading. Lowering the center of gravity will also decrease the roll angle. The higher the cornering forces, the more roll stiffness you need.

It's very interesting stuff... and each element affects the others (don't forget tires, camber, etc.)... that's why you see the pro's always testing, testing, testing.

 

[Joseph Dell]

I had no idea how exciting this topic would be when I posted! Thanks to all who responded. I'm going to heed what I have learned and will try and see. Very much looking forward to it...

Thanks!!!

JD