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Can Upgrading Suspension Increase RWHP?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Auto Reverse
  • Start date Start date Nov 12, 2004
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sjhm9102

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Jul 10, 2004
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texas
Nov 15, 2004
#21
  • Nov 15, 2004
  • #21
thats why its called "REAR WHEEL HORSEPOWER" suspension and chassis upgrades increase RWHP internal engine parts and externals increase at the fly wheel you need the ubove upgrades to put the power to the ground or the tires will just spin EFFECT ADDING HORSEPOWER to the rear wheels
 

Auto Reverse

Member
Jul 22, 2003
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Buffalo, NY
Nov 15, 2004
#22
  • Nov 15, 2004
  • #22
Well, the Eibach ProKit and the Steeda Sport springs seemed to be about the same. I wanted something for looks, launch and drivability. The Eibach Pro Kit seemed to deliver on all ends and a lot of people had good things to say about them.

I also got them for $176 brand spanking new!
 

Michael Yount

Mustang Master
Apr 10, 2002
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Charlotte, NC
Nov 15, 2004
#23
  • Nov 15, 2004
  • #23
I think the missing piece of the discussion here has to do with the practical aspects of dyno testing for rwhp. Cars are strapped down and in 4th gear for the tests the vast majority of the time. Loss of traction is not an issue - so there's rarely a loss of rwhp measured on the dyno due to tire spin. Although I have seen a couple of 5-600+HP machines spin the tires on the dyno in 4th - it was solved by tightening up on the tie-down straps.

In the real world however we launch in first gear. Because of torque multiplication through gearing in the tranny, there's about 3 times as much torque available twisting the tire in 1st gear as in 4th gear. That's why most of us can easily spin the tires in 1st. If you were to dyno test in first - tire spin would likely be a problem - and the result of tire spin would be a lower rwhp reading for the portion of the run when the spin was occurring. So the average torque/power over the rev range (area under the curve) would decrease. IF your suspension changes result in more traction than you had before - then as a practical matter - yes, your average rwhp has increased; said another way, you can put more of your power down - and that's what rwhp is, a measure of the power put to the ground. That's why et/trap speed may increase with appropriate suspension changes even though the engine isn't making anymore power than it did before.

Will those same suspension changes show up as a higher peak number on a typical 4th gear dyno run? Probably not.
 

sjhm9102

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texas
Nov 16, 2004
#24
  • Nov 16, 2004
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TTT maybe im thinking Chassis and suspension mods cause if someone put a 600 HP engine in a rail car compared to a subframe car i think it would have more RWHP
 

Michael Yount

Mustang Master
Apr 10, 2002
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Charlotte, NC
Nov 16, 2004
#25
  • Nov 16, 2004
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If the rail car's frame was stiffer than the tube frame car's, so more of the engine's torque went into the driveline instead of into torquing the frame, then yes, more rwhp should show up. That of course assumes everything else about the two set ups is the same. And it probably wouldn't be. A rail car has an entirely different driveline than a tube frame car, and the driveline also contributes to parasitic loss. So, as a practical matter, you can't come up with an apples to apples comparison of your case - rail vs. tube frame. Moot point.
 

sjhm9102

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#26
  • Nov 16, 2004
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so chassis dynos measure driveline performance and an aluminum driveshaft and closer tranny gears would show a difference in RWHP assuming the tires and diff gears are calculated.... and suspension cannot be measured as RWHP on a chassis dyno
 
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SlowGT

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Jun 17, 1999
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Nov 16, 2004
#27
  • Nov 16, 2004
  • #27
sjhm9102 said:
so chassis dynos measure driveline performance and an aluminum driveshaft and closer tranny gears would show a difference in RWHP assuming the tires and diff gears are calculated.... and suspension cannot be measured as RWHP on a chassis dyno
Click to expand...


I don't believe the trans gear ratios would make a difference, unless your were swapping in a lighter alloy, but everything else you said is correct.
 
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