Help with Shock Valving....

2001CamaroGuy
10-04-2002, 11:27 PM
Before I start, please don't just tell me to "go buy someone else's set up....I would really like how to learn how to do this...

Ok...now down to business

Here is what I'm at so far.

the car weighs 3,440 lbs (empty tank and no driver)

Weight Distribution is about 55/45

so that comes to:

Front Left = 946 lbs
Front Right = 946 lbs
Rear Left = 774 lbs
Rear Right = 774 lbs

I am thinking of using:

Front springs = 650 lbs/in
Rear springs = 175 lbs/in
(both linear)

I have been working with some formulas I dug up from old books I had

front vertical stiffness per wheel = 390 lbs/in
rear vertical stiffness per wheel = 175 lbs/in

front natural frequency = 2.00
rear natural frequency = 1.48

formula for natural frequency:

3.13 (sqrt((suspension vertical stiffness per wheel)/(sprung weight per wheel)))

now....for the shock damping (with a ratio of .45) I used the following formula:

(0.45)(2(sqrt((suspension vertical stiffness per wheel)((sprung weight per wheel)/(32.2 * 12))))

What I go, was the following:

front = 27.81 lbs/in/sec
rear = 25.15 lbs/in/sec

now...that seems all fine and dandy...but the problem is...when I convert those damponing numbers to the shock manufaturer's lbs/25 in/sec.....I get:

front = 695 lbs/25 in/sec
rear = 628 lbs/25 in/sec

that seams REALLY REALLY high.....so high that it is way outside of what is even offered (they stop at a 600# comp. / 65# reb.)

so the ultimate question is....where did I go wrong? or did I?

Any help that you can give "pointing" me in the "right" direction would be really nice.

Thanks

Chris