Springs: Hurt or Help?

[Sick96Stang]

It seems like everybody says that lowering your car with springs will hurt your 1/4 mile time since it lowers your center of gravity and hurts weight transfer, but I have heard a few knowledgable people say it will actually help you in drag racing? Can anybody enlighten me in great detail as to why it would help or as to why it would hurt.

 

[JonJon]

Weight transfer. Depending on the springs you get, you could have more or less weight transfer. If you have less, you will have more trouble keeping the rear planted. If you have more weight transfer, you'll hook better

Drag springs cause the front end to lift a lot and transfer weight to the back.

now the technical terms behind all that, someone else will have to explain.

 

[Sick96Stang]

Weight transfer. Depending on the springs you get, you could have more or less weight transfer. If you have less, you will have more trouble keeping the rear planted. If you have more weight transfer, you'll hook better

Drag springs cause the front end to lift a lot and transfer weight to the back.

now the technical terms behind all that, someone else will have to explain.

Next question what springs should I get that will help me transfer the weight back more and what springs should I stay away from?

 

[Mike97gt]

stay away from lowering the car.. lowering is almost never good for drag racing. unless you get shorter springs designed for weight transfer.

most of the mods you can do to help your car hook will hurt handling somewhat.

on my car i am going too use the stock springs for now and add a drag bag (airbag) too the right rear, remove the front sway bar ( better weight transfer with it removed) and i also plan too reinforce the tourqe boxes and do the contorl arms and drag struts/shocks at some point on 15 inch rims.

 

[01SN8K]

if you seriously want to drag then some good springs would be the eibach drag launch kit which includes the springs and air bag designed to transfer weight and help launch your car.

 

[stangman16]

stay away from lowering the car..

You mean that Ford made our Mustangs look like 4x4 trucks for a good reason? (besides aftermarket upgrade possiblities?) I cannot stand how my '99 GT sits so high up. Would a 1" drop hurt all that much at the track?

 

[Blue70]

You mean that Ford made our Mustangs look like 4x4 trucks for a good reason? (besides aftermarket upgrade possiblities?) I cannot stand how my '99 GT sits so high up. Would a 1" drop hurt all that much at the track?

Not that much at all, just drop it and throw some 315 Nittos on the back, they more than made up for any losses I might have seen from the springs.

I'm lowered and don't spin on a track with some rubber laid down on it.

AND I dont sit higher than a Ford Ranger

 

[stangman16]

I dont sit higher than a Ford Ranger

Hehe, good deal.

 

[triggz]

Shorter springs don't hurt weight transfer, stiffer ones do. A shorter spring with the same spring rate will have minimal effects on weight transfer.

If you cut your stock springs, you'd keep a good transfer and get a lower ride height. It's not a horrible idea like people tend to think.

I have H&R super sports on my car, it hurt my launch a little bit, maybe +.5 on my 60's. But they are *way* stiffer than stock, and 2" shorter. A set of drag radials will fix that though.


But, as was stated earlier- the basic rule suspension of thumb is handling mods hurt you at the track and track mods hurt you in the corners.