Best traction mods????

subscribing.......I am going to be doing suspension mods this month as well. I wont be going to the track but I want to be pretty fast (300-320hp). SO is strange the best for suspension??

Curse said:

That is the thing, some people say the HPM control arms are badass, but if you read the baselinesuspension.com website they advise against them if you have a stick car. That website obviously works with the 60 ft times people are putting down with his advice, but I think it’s a bit much for me. How important is pinion angle and instant center?

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You can use as many or as few of his mods as you want. I think just getting the correct shocks and springs on a car can do wonders for traction. You ever hear about those "wonder" cars that are turning low 13s and high 12s with a bone stock engine. It's not magic.

Curse said:

How important is pinion angle and instant center?

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VERY.............

Maryland Stang said:

You can use as many or as few of his mods as you want. I think just getting the correct shocks and springs on a car can do wonders for traction. You ever hear about those "wonder" cars that are turning low 13s and high 12s with a bone stock engine. It's not magic.

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Yeah which is why I think his stuff works, but I really don't understand finding your instant center or setting a pinion angle. I know he explains it, how does it affect traction?

Maryland Stang said:

You can use as many or as few of his mods as you want. I think just getting the correct shocks and springs on a car can do wonders for traction. You ever hear about those "wonder" cars that are turning low 13s and high 12s with a bone stock engine. It's not magic.

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Stock motor, stock original suspension.
best 60' was 1.69, but 1.71-1.73 was typical... 12.96 @ 104.0

I've recently order'd Baseline's upper kit, pro3i's spherical lowers and 50/50's.
70/30's will be next for the front... I don't like 90/10's, and I'm certian Baseline would not recommend them for any car.

Your best traction mod will always be tires.

Curse said:

I know he explains it, how does it affect traction?

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Short answer - it affects the way the weight is applied to the tires and helps maximize traction.

tmoss said:

Short answer - it affects the way the weight is applied to the tires and helps maximize traction.

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and redistributes the forces to act in a more horizontal plane, rather than shooting up into the middle of the car... causing wheelie city.

With a lower profile tire, the tire size is even more "picky". Less sidewall to conform to the wheel. 275/40R17's on a 17x8 is kind of stuffing it, it will cause the sides to be pulled up and distort the whole footprint of the tire. Honestly, a 245/45 or a 255/40 would do better. I have seen this many times. I had 17x9 Cobra R's, 275's were perfect in the rear and a 255/40 up front, worked out well, but not for drag racing.

The problem with the Mustang is the weight bias to the front. That is way they are some of the worse car's in snow. The weight bias is worse than a pickup truck with an empty bed. So, when you launch, you want to get all the weight to the rear that you can. When doing this, of course removing front end weight, especially in front of the bumpers, and moving weight to the rear helps, but the suspension is what really does this. Typically, when the weight shifts the front end rises, which is on most levels or power, nessasary to get the weight to the rear. However, excessive lift is a problem. Energy is being used to pull the car up, instead of forward, so a wheelie is just waisted energy.

Also, when the rear squats, that is the suspension absorbing "downforce" that should be put to the track. Many controll arms, such as the one's I have HPM Megabite Jr's, the angle causes a "lift" effect on ther rear end due to the mounting. However, if it lifts too much, it will screw up the front weight transfer, and then after launch, as the car settles, the rear will loose traction. So you want everythign to keep things level. Having an anti-rollbar in the rear keeps it even between the tires.

Probally the perfect setup when the car launches the left front is barly off the ground, and the right front is just barley touching, and the rear end stays level, doesn't rise or squat. Having the proper angle helps big time, but I never tuned my setup.

This is just my .02 cents, very basic. It's a whole science in itself. Anyone who says "anyone can drive in a stright line" has never driven a serious car. There is as much in it as any other type of "race" car.

90mustangGT said:

It's a whole science in itself.

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That is what I have learned so far. I though picking suspension parts was going to be easy. But when I looked into it, everyone has a different idea about how the suspension works and they all seem to right.