Re: Stagger -- Florida Street Stock 100

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Date Posted: 07:10:55 07/14/00 Fri
Author: Maples
Subject: Re: Stagger
In reply to: Daev(gfsstek) 's message, "Re: Stagger" on 03:49:42 07/14/00 Fri

Yes, but it would be prudent to keep ride heights consistent and check them after making any changes that affect them since they affect so many other things such as front and rear geometry, body roll etc.. As far as the term corner weight, I meant static corner weight. As in, while sitting on the scales, if you try to load up the right rear by any means like a larger tire, jack bolt, spring rate change, etc. some of that load will be transfered to the left front(opposite corner), the left rear and right front will experience changes also as in: the combination of those two are cross weight and will under these circumstances lose total combined weight. Therefore: if you change stagger you change cross weight. Dynamic forces are incurred while moving and are difficult to monitor unless you have thousands to spend on on-board telemetry, or have the technology to use a pyrometer and know what it is telling you. On a stock car the critical items that make a car work include: on the front end, A-frame angles, quality and well maintained bushings, ball joints, and tie rod ends, castor and cambor, toe, sway bar, correct spring rates, quality shocks, all with free movement throughout their travel. On the rear, pinion angle, control arm angle, again quality and well maintained bushings, panhard bar angle if so equipped, on leaf spring equipped cars keep them free of any bind, lubricate them and the shackles. If shackles are used to adjust cross, keep in mind spring bind can occur for example, from one spring being on a 2" shackle and the other on a 10" shackle. Lowering blocks, if legal can help this situation. Again, correct spring rates and quality shocks. Getting enough rear weight bias is a problem with stock cars since the motor can be moved little, so the ideal situation is make the front as light as possible without compromising safety, strength, and integrity, so place all bolt or weld in items as far to the rear as practical. I've heard arguments about not placing any weight behind the rear axle. I personally don't subscribe to this theory and place it as far back as possible thereby allowing the addition of less weight to get the same rear weight bias through the fulcrum effect, without burdening the car by being grossly overweight. Keep the car as light as safety, practicality, and rules allow. It takes horsepower to move weight. On asphalt try to get as much left side as physically and legally possible. Keep the car as low as practical and legal, keeping all critical suspension angles in mind. Keep all mass as low in the car as possible. Cross weight, ie. left rear and right front combined weight percentage, depending on whose theory you want to follow should be any where from 53% to 60%. The higher the percentage the tighter the car will be and the right rear will tend to get hotter as the percentage goes up. A car can be fast with high cross but normally the tires will go away in a long race. A good starting point is 1% behind your left side percentage. The less cross you can operate with and still make the car work the better off you are. I have seen cars actually become loose with massive amounts of cross because the car is teetering on the right front and left rear. Physics dictate that four tires work better than two or three. Rear weight percentage: between 50% and 55% and adjust accordingly. On dirt left side weight and ride height are not as critical since you want some body roll to create side-bite. Rear stagger is a track specific item and should be as little as possible while still allowing the car to role freely through the turn. A quality braking system is a must, especially on asphalt. And no matter what type of surface, "smooth" driving is fast. Spend the extra bucks to have QUALITY machine work and parts in the motor, it pays off in the long run. Safety is paramount, spend all you can on helmet, firesuit, gloves, shoes, nomex underwear is a GOOD idea, and a fire suppression system is a good investment. Books.... the one you mentioned about building an IMCA modified is good to start in my opinion. The book and technology is old but is pretty basic and for the most part still relates to stock suspension escpecially the front end. Racing the asphalt Late Model is good but might be a little intense for a beginner. They also have a good video tape selection. One titled "Racing the asphalt Late Model", filmed at the Howe shop is good and explains these theories which are still relavent even on a stock car, with dialogue and visual aids. There are alot of resources locally. Racecar engineering seems to be "up" on technology but I don't know how free they are with their information. When Pete Orr was there a phone call got alot of info. Fred Coxson at Action performance will tell you what works. Buzzy Berry at L. W. Funk Racing has been around forever too and carries new and used parts. Snooping around the pits and seeing what the fast cars are doing is always good until some redneck gets annoyed with you. Having the tools to monitor and adjust are invaluable. Scales, castor/cambor gauge, toe stick, pyrometer, durometer, and the trusty tape measure are necessary to be consistent and should be used constently. One bump, crash, or even a race on a rough track can change the car alot. For the more advanced a bump steer gauge is a good tool. So the bottom line is, to make a car fast and consistent it takes the "combination" of a vast amount of technology, alot of hard work, and of course dollars. Combination being the key word. The term "nut and bolt" should be part of your weekly routine, which entails touching every nut and bolt with a wrench. See you at the races.
>
Maples,
> You are correct in your statement that weights will
> remain the same"IF" the ride height stays the same.
> That is the key. If you change tire size only, ride
> ht. WILL change.I'll admit, only slightly. It might be
> a good Idea to also explain "corner wt".Someone may
> think that means "the weight on the corner of the
> car".Actually I think that term could be better
> described as dynamic weight. in other words,taking in
> all the dynamic forces on the track,during
> cornering.And Yes.. There are a lot of things going on
> in the front end geometry. It's nice to know all these
> things, but in this class where some things are not
> "legaly" adjustable, they can be a little confusing to
> the beginner. Most of the "street stock" cars have
> only springs ,tires ,sway bar, and a few
> caster/camber/toe adjustments to work with. There
> have been some requests for a book to recommend for
> beginners. What book(s). I would you recommend ?? I
> have read a several over the years. I don't recall any
> single one of them being "eye openers". I just seemed
> to pick up stuff from each of them. Going back and
> re-reading was the ticket. I do recall reading one
> about constructing an IMCA Modified, that had lot's of
> good stuff, (and a lot of dirt tech.)but that was
> after I had some idea how things worked "Basicaly". I
> don't think I would have gotten anything of value if
> that was my first book.As I recall Steve Smith
> Motorsports has a good selection of books.I no longer
> get the "flyers" from them.If you have any
> recommendations, pass 'em on to the board.
> Dave

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