Im thinking about just replacing my traditional t bucket solid tube style front axle with something better. What is the best handling suspension. Not really wanting anything like a mustang II. But not out of the question. Wanting something that can handle speeds over 100mph on straight aways safely. And corner pretty good too. And not look like crap.
Best handling front suspension
- Thread starter Slowvelle
- Start date
MovingViolation
Member
An open wheel car REALLY needs a drilled/dropped front axle. With a little research and development you can achieve a decent ride/handling package that will please both eh driver and the passenger. BTW, the first thing I did was throw away the mono leaf spring.
CCR is stupid expensive. I could go with a mustang 2 with tubular control arms for not much more.
Possibly, but you asked for best not cheapest.
Your right. Lol i guess when I typed best I ment best setup. Wasnt thinking about all the different brands.
tfeverfred
Well-Known Member
And, IMO, it would standout like a sore thumb, but it has been done before. What kind of ride are you trying to get? Comfy and soft? Auto cross type with a nod to turning corners at speed?
I work 1 hour away from home abou half of the drive is very curvy and hilly. The other half is 70mph highway. I would like to be able to drive it to work at 55 to 60 on the curvy road like i do in my s10. And 70 to 75 on the highway. And not feel like im gonna die. So im looking for a little bit smooth but mostly stable. And i do enjoy going to the trank and running my chevelle in the 1/4. And id like to run the t bucket as well.
old round fart
Well-Known Member
You may have a problem running at the track with no rollbar.
Hackerbilt
Active Member
You obviously don't know how handling works.
It's dependent upon many factors other than just suspension design.
Once you get into complicated independant systems meant for actual handling as opposed to soft riding (which doesnt really equate to handling) you also need to upgrade to a chassis/frame with the required stiffness to allow the performance suspension to work on its own. If the frame is flexible it makes suspension tuning impossible. There will be no predictability in how the car handles on a varity of surfaces or under different suspension inputs. Eg...pot holes or RR crossings etc. The frame becomes a Wet Noodle and the big buck suspension is along for the ride.
If you start to chase that dog and design a frame to make things really work with a high tech suspension, you end up with something much different than a regular, simple T bucket.
Mind you...it CAN be made to work...but its a lot more complicated than it really needs to be!
Many T's are driven all over the place with the simple buggy spring suspension up front and coilovers out back.
The trick is to build that suspension carefully with all mounting points etc in the correct place and strong.
Perhaps the best (potentially anyway...) would be one of those Speedway Deluxe style frame/suspension setups with 4 links front and rear.
They use a trad axle up front with a normal rearend out back but the 4 links will make it all a bit more supple in driving.
Pretty inexpensive as well really.
Having driven my T many miles with the normal suspension of coilovers, hairpins and buggy spring, AND enjoyed the simplicity of it all, I personally feel no need to change things up on my car.
If you can't consistantly drive your car at 70+ Mph then there is something done wrong.
Again...where are some pictures so people with knowledge can at least make a few suggestions on what you need?
You have a lot of helpful people flying blind here....LoL
It's dependent upon many factors other than just suspension design.
Once you get into complicated independant systems meant for actual handling as opposed to soft riding (which doesnt really equate to handling) you also need to upgrade to a chassis/frame with the required stiffness to allow the performance suspension to work on its own. If the frame is flexible it makes suspension tuning impossible. There will be no predictability in how the car handles on a varity of surfaces or under different suspension inputs. Eg...pot holes or RR crossings etc. The frame becomes a Wet Noodle and the big buck suspension is along for the ride.
If you start to chase that dog and design a frame to make things really work with a high tech suspension, you end up with something much different than a regular, simple T bucket.
Mind you...it CAN be made to work...but its a lot more complicated than it really needs to be!
Many T's are driven all over the place with the simple buggy spring suspension up front and coilovers out back.
The trick is to build that suspension carefully with all mounting points etc in the correct place and strong.
Perhaps the best (potentially anyway...) would be one of those Speedway Deluxe style frame/suspension setups with 4 links front and rear.
They use a trad axle up front with a normal rearend out back but the 4 links will make it all a bit more supple in driving.
Pretty inexpensive as well really.
Having driven my T many miles with the normal suspension of coilovers, hairpins and buggy spring, AND enjoyed the simplicity of it all, I personally feel no need to change things up on my car.
If you can't consistantly drive your car at 70+ Mph then there is something done wrong.
Again...where are some pictures so people with knowledge can at least make a few suggestions on what you need?
You have a lot of helpful people flying blind here....LoL
tfeverfred
Well-Known Member
T Buckets are fairly simple cars by design. Maybe they should be kept that way. The same basic formula has worked for decades, but you have to do it right.
EX JUNK
Moderator
Here are some ideas that you may like to consider if you are going to build ( especially if you want to have some degree of success at the drag strip ).
1. Build your frame with a "K' member. This will minimize any frame flexing under hard acceleration as compared to the usual "ladder" type frame used on most builds.
2. Use an "adjustable four link" rather than a conventional "four bar" or a hairpin. With the adjustable four link you have two mounting points on the front end of the top link and the bottom link. The bottom link has two mounting points at the rear also. By adjusting you are "effectively" lengthening or shortening the traction bar for the best launch at the strip.
3. Consider using a "wishbone" locator rather than a panhard bar on the rear end. The reason is that a panhard bar has the rear end travel up and down in a parallelogram fashion rather than a perfectly vertical path. The wishbone helps the car launch in a straighter path.
I can't take credit for this as it is just some old "drag tech" that I've used very effectively in my T. Having been into drag racing and sports car events like road racing and rallying I like a car to handle as well as just accelerate. My car does both very well and rides quite comfortably as well. My suspension is firm but not the lest harsh. My wife and I both have RA but we can ride for extended periods of time with no notable discomfort.
Jim
meangreen
Active Member
Good advice/info above from both Hackerbuilt and Ex Junk. One thing you didn't specify - what type of radius rods are you running? You said you have a tube axle. Are you running hairpins? If so, your front end is in a bind when you corner hard and when it binds handling is "out the window". Tube axles do not twist, but hairpin radius rods try to twist the axle when the car leans over in a hard corner. Something's got to give and it's usually flex in the radius rods. The binding can cause the Heim joints/clevises to wear prematurely and that also affects handling. If this is the case, I recommend changing to a parallel 4-bar setup to eliminate binding. (I-beam axles twist fairly easily and react like an anti-sway bar when paired with hairpin radius rods.)
If you are running hairpins on the rear, you probably have a similar problem there, but likely worse! I have hairpins on my roadster, but they are rubber mounted at the rear axle to allow flex for cornering. My coupe and the '32 roadster I'm building both have "truck arms" on the rear with rubber bushings at the rear axle to allow flex for cornering. I raced stock cars for 30+ years, so I like cars that handle; I'll put either of my cars through a gymkhana course against Camaros and Mustangs any day and then drive home down the interstate 70-75 mph.
If you are running hairpins on the rear, you probably have a similar problem there, but likely worse! I have hairpins on my roadster, but they are rubber mounted at the rear axle to allow flex for cornering. My coupe and the '32 roadster I'm building both have "truck arms" on the rear with rubber bushings at the rear axle to allow flex for cornering. I raced stock cars for 30+ years, so I like cars that handle; I'll put either of my cars through a gymkhana course against Camaros and Mustangs any day and then drive home down the interstate 70-75 mph.
The ultimate in handling vvould be a Corvette IFS, the nevver, the better. But IRS makes a dramatic improvement also. I utterly hated IRS until 5-ish years ago I got an '85 300ZX as part of a trade. I had to do the camber mod, but then it vvas unbelievable hovv much better it cornered, compared to My Camaros and Mustangs. You have several good choices, from T-Bird to Jaguar, but going same-year 'vette front and rear vvould be truly ultimate. '88-'96 is your target, '84-'87 isn't as good, but beats '63-'82 by a country mile.
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