Suspension R&D Project

[Skip White]

I'm in Kingsport TN doing much work on the SRT. As many of you know there have been some issues with the suspension mods, that several of us have done on these cars. The SRT is so much better looking when lowered a bit, and another added bonus is we can change the ride characteristics. Needless to say, this has been a failure for several reasons, not quality of the product, but lack of testing and improper application. I've since learned much about suspension, and will be taking the car to a suspension expert, to address the problems.

So many thanks to, Brian Evans, Chris Beudin, and Mike Adams for there patience and feedback. I'm convinced we will have a perfect product for the SRT, at a very low cost. I'M ON THE FIFTH SET OF COILOVERS. The problems are much fewer than in the begining. There is a very delicate balance when setting up this suspension. Many factors are involved, get it wrong and the car will not be to your liking, or outright dangerous. I'm amazed at how the car's ride can be improved and still handle very well, at least on the street. I just never realized how many factors there are to changing it around.

I think this is one of the greatest upgrades you can do on the car. The oem setup is just to high, and positively to firm. I really don't mind it being a bit firm, but I don't think the bounce in the rear is right. I think this has a part in problems such as wheel hop, and overall driving enjoyment. I drove many cars and did not have this bounce, exept one, do any of you guys remember the 84 Corvette, this is what it reminds me of. They cured that problem the following year.

I really thought Aldan Eagle would have researched this out better from the begining. They are willing to do what ever it takes to make there product perfect for the SRT. After learning what I have about suspension, the problems are not that complicated. I will be going through several more changes in spring rate, and compression settings. The rear valving is going to be changed also. I going to make strong mental notes on the ride quality with changes.



Skip White

 

[quickysrt]

cool...break out the whip on those guys and make them do a titanium exhaust and every body panel out of carbon.

 

[Viperfreak2]

I'm in on the low cost suspension thing. I still want a lower car at a reasonable price, and if it rides better....great!

The question is: low price = better than Motons?

 

[SnakeEye]

Look forward to hearing more on this...

 

[502CID]

Skip,
Have you tried Penske's, I am new to this board and have not read previous posts so please forgive me if that info has already been posted. Although the initial valve codes have to be matched to spring rates and unsprung mass they are very effective in solving dynamic problems. I have only driven my 05 SRT about 200 miles and thus have not really experienced the rear hopping effect. It sounds like the rear is under damped in rebound based on what you describe or that the run flat side walls are flexing which cannot be damped. I have triple Penske's on another car and am really pleased with them. You can actually change the initial steering input understeer/oversteer characteristics of the vehicle as well as corner exit behavior through adjustments. Springs will effect front and rear ride frequencies, ride height and roll stiffness along with anti-roll bar rates. I have found that the shocks gave me the most control over dynamic events such as hop/bounce, steering responce and throttle application. Springs had the greatest effect on steady state conditions i.e. mid corner balance. This is assuming of course, that the wheel rates are close for the application and that the car is well balanced under static conditions.

 

[Skip White]

502.,(Bruce) sounds like you know a bit about suspension. I've not tried any other brand, and I may do that, but I do have a lot of time in this setup. I'm convinced we will get it right. These are the problems we have been having,

Bottoming out, this can and usually does damage the shock.
Spring imbalance from front to rear, this is more important than one would think.
valving on the rear for compression dampening is way to soft.
No spherical bearings on the top. The coilovers do move on a two axis, this I have discovered.
The rubber bushings are not like the oem ones, those do allow much more movement.

The shock bodies have to be made to allow enough piston travel. They have two different setups now.

I'm really impressed with the way the car is driving now compared to several sets ago. We are making headway.

Now for those who want the car lower than 1.25 of an inch or so, we will have to build a third set, and I'm really worried about suspension geometry. This is what I'm working on now.

Skip White

ps, lets here more suspension talk here, I'm all ears on this, espesially from guys that have had experiance with the Viper

 

[Viper Specialty]

Hey Skip-

I have something else that may be a possibility to add onto a Viper. I am doing a little R&D on it, but it seems quite difficult to get the information out of people. So far, seems possible. Certainly on the pricey side- but think "Electronically controllable damping from inside the cockpit, as well as cockpit adjustable ride height"

 

[kaval]

is that a tein setup?

 

[kenvw]

Re: Suspension R&D Project

Skip, will Aldan replace the first set of shocks I bought that are not up to spec?

 

[Skip White]

Re: Suspension R&D Project

Daniel says,
Hey Skip-

I have something else that may be a possibility to add onto a Viper. I am doing a little R&D on it, but it seems quite difficult to get the information out of people. So far, seems possible. Certainly on the pricey side- but think "Electronically controllable damping from inside the cockpit, as well as cockpit adjustable ride height"

______________________________________________________________

Sounds very complex, especially the ride height. As far as damping, once you have it right, you really won't need to change it. It should serve most all porposes.

Kaval, what's a Tein setup????

Ken, yes, I'm sure Aldan will correct what you have, if there is a problem, and there may be if you lowered the car.

I think the Aldans may not be the best out there, but I'm sure they are better than the oem setup. The shock actually weighs more than the oem Dynamic. Both are aluminum bodied, but the oem unit seems very cheap once you get the spring off it. If you were involved in high end racing, maybe a better unit would be desirable.

Skip White

 

[Viper Specialty]

Re: Suspension R&D Project

SKIP- Surprisingly, much simpler than one would think.

Big upside to adjustable ride height is you can SLAM the car to the ground, and still get into driveways at the touch of a button. For Damping control, there would be 4 settings, which range from soft "touring" to road-course ready "Harder than Chinese Algebra".

As I said though, VERY expensive- on the order of 1800.00 PER SHOCK. Possibly lower with some haggling. Then add in the electronic controls... you get my drift, but still cool as hell none the less.

 

[kenvw]

Re: Suspension R&D Project

Final,
That would be a nice mod. Does sound pretty expensive but keep researching and tell us what you end up with. I definetly like the idea and might have to spring the money for that type of system.

 

[VIPER D]

Re: Suspension R&D Project

hey skip when you have something ready call me..



good luck


vd..