Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Suspension Low suspensions...

Since me and Stryped/Auto-X Fil are going for low suspensions, let's help everyone else that is also trying to go lower. This can be the official low suspension thread for people seeking the low look while maintaining the same handling characteristics of European kits such as BAT or Eibach. Here is the breakdown:

1.) B&G Autobahn 2.25" (Stiffer than B&G Sport and requires some strut mix & matching)

2.) Intrax 1.8" (All around good cold-wound with progressive rate)

3.) Ground Control 1-3" (Uses Eibach linear rate springs and ride height is completely adjustable .)

I am going with option 2

I plan on a whopping .5" drop! Maybe 1" if I really feel like lowriding. I'll have to measure my ground clearance and see how it ends up. I live on a dirt road here! Now for racing? Well, as low as the CG can get without hurting the struts or suspension geometry work for me! Lower CG=less wieght transfer=faster cornering!

Do you have any info on our geometry's roll center? I'd like to know if I'm putting it into the pavement when I lover the car. Where would you recommend I put my ride height for the best balance of low CG/small roll moment?

I've never figured out the numbers, but I know mac/chap-strutted cars are affected more than some other types. Consider that at stock height, your LCAs are level. Now, when you lower the car the geometry at the top of the strut doesn't really change appreciably (angle is computed as perpendicular to the strut axis), while the LCAs are now at a slight angle.

Consider that for a 1" drop in CG, the LCA adopts about a 1/12 slope (which I can't remember how to convert...) Anyway, you can see that the drop in roll center will be considerably greater than 1".

Puhn's book has all the formulas, but I haven't tried actually measuring my car.

I think I'm going to try a twofold approach: start with level LCAs and see what happens when I change it; and try to get some measurements and do a computer sim or hand calcs based on Puhn and Smith's books. I've been reading How to make... and Tune to Win lately, and if I can get good measurements I'll have a good idea what to do with my suspension. But getting the measurements are the tricky part. Roger, what suspension are you running, and what's the drop on it? Still Roush/Konis? How have you noticed the handling change? How do the Roush springs compare to the GCs, rate-wise?

Yup. Roush/Koni, but I haven't wrung them out, really. Just street driving. My general and basically useless observation (wrt competition) is that they "feel real good." Handling/grip is definitely improved, but that's to be expected when replacing a worn out suspension.

Hub-center to fender arch dropped about 1" in back and 5/8-3/4" in front, but I'm sure my suspension was sagging a bit before. It wasn't even from left to right! Now it is.

Rate-wise, I'd guess the springs are pretty soft--maybe only about 30% stiffer than the stock early-SE springs. (I made some measurements before I installed the springs--the fronts are linear so not too difficult. Rears I'm not sure.)

Since you have/are getting GCs, you have a lot of tuning ability. You can play around with height, and even go with stiffer springs if you get frustrated.

I'd be very interested to see someone measure the angles on this car.

So who else wants to go low?