This just popped into my head today while i was thinking about installing my LCA relocation brackets. The ideal angle for the LCA's is parallel with the ground correct? As far as i know the same is true with the sway bar "arms" that attach to the endlinks. Has anyone ever shortened the spacer for the endlinks after lowering to acheive that correct angle? Is the difference so minimal it's not even neccessary?

 

The "best angle" on the LCA's depends to some extent on how you are using the car, but for drag racing applications, you want the axle end of the LCA below the chassis end. That means the LCA is always pushing up on the chassis and down on the rear axle. If you put them perfectly level, if there's any "squat" when you launch, the front/chassis end is going to drop below the axle end, and lift the rear axle = wheel hop.

As far as the sway bar, its in pure torsion. The moment arm is the distance from the center line of the bar to the point the end link connects to. Having the bar exactly level with the ground will not affect the moment arm significantly at all, as long as it is close to level. Get the bar at a large angle from horizontal, and its going to alter the leverage, but not much as long as you keep it "close" to horizontal.

Think of the fun you could have with an adjustable end link.....

http://cjcfo.fbody.com/members/injun.../DCP04293a.jpg

 

Good to know about the LCAs, i was always under the impression that level was best. I just got the brackets installed today, will be picking up the car tomorrow morning. Hopefully they put the LCAs in the correct hole so i don't have to mess with it. I'm gonna try and make it out to the track in a few weeks here.

So with the adjustable end links, does that allow you to adjust, to some degree, the effectiveness of the sway bar?

 

That's not really a "conventional" sway bar, its the Spohn Drag Race bar.... the adjustable end-links allow the bar to be pre-loaded so the car launches level and straight.... not something you would want to do to a street car.

 

It depends upon what you're doing. For handling purposes, it is better to have the chassis end (front) lower than the axle end (rear).

Front lower than the rear = roll understeer
(outboard LCA is effectively shortened when the body rolls to the outside of a corner)

Rear lower than the front = roll oversteer
(outboard LCA is effectively lengthened when the body rolls to the outside of a corner)


What happens to the orientation of the axle when driven hard into a corner with each position? Which would you rather drive hard into a corner with?

FYI...this is why LCA relo brackets aren't needed (or wanted) for handling.