Quote:
Originally Posted by solidONE
 So meaty, those Vipers. Like them thick chicks with the big booties. Nicki Minaj lol
From what I've seen, which is not very many, drag oriented suspension you would want something with a good amount of travel and 'give' for those launches to maximize traction in the rear tires. So you'd want to take that into consideration because most of the aftermarket suspension out for this car tend to have the "hellaslamed" market in mind. KW v3 come to mind when you look at what's available off the shelf for our cars. They seem to have plenty of damper stroke compared to many other setups. Another one is Bilstein B16 B14, but you might want to call them for ride height and damper stroke specs as both the KW and bilstein also have their setups designed with some lowering in mind. Both applications are damping adjustable so that will allow you to adjust the damping for a good launch.
Here is a good read for drag applications (mustang specific, but some of the info should apply to all cars)
http://www.dragzine.com/tech-stories...z-motorsports/
Damping and suspension tuning:
http://www.racingjunk.com/news/2014/...ension-tuning/
https://www.afcodynapro.com/file/131...token=L9zcJo0C |
The DragZine article is a good read. I'm no drag car expert, but RCE Andrew's comment jives with my thoughts.
Compliant suspension + solid bushings/joints + adjustable arms/links + sway bar delete + bracing
I see 2 modes for the suspension:
1)
Launch - Cars have an inherent amount of anti-squat (resistance to compression of the rear suspension, when the car is accelerating).
For drag racing, this is bad. You want to dig in and get the most out of your tires. Front-to-rear weight transfer is generally good, until you pop a wheelie or bottom out the suspension. More weight on the rear tires means more potential power is delivered during launch.
Adjustable arms may allow you to dial in some squat. When the suspension is compressed, a little toe-in and camber will help with stability (during launch). Too much camber can reduce the effective section width of the tire, so keep it reasonable (check tire temperature distribution).
Sway bars can be helpful if there's massive torque on launch... but for low/medium-power cars you'll want the wheels to articulate freely. Small sway bars or none.
Bushings can be stiffened. This let's the suspension work it's magic and control the body motions. As others have said, a softer spring is good here. The ideal dampers would have a supple low-speed with a slight bias towards rebound damping (this will jack down under stress and loosen as you move down the strip). Medium and high speed damping should be aggressive enough to settle bumps and shift motions quickly.
2)
Acceleration - Once you've transitioned from grip-limited power delivery to engine-limited power delivery, it's important to keep the wheels in contact with the ground and settle any bumps/shifts quickly. You want plenty of travel and neutral geometry. No need for excessive toe-in or camber. This car's geometry shouldn't get twitchy unless your static alignment is too aggressive.
To your main question:
Something like the Bilstein B14 is probably what I would pick (assuming that your wheels aren't crazy wide). The soft, progressive springs and height adjustability should be good for drag. Saving money on coilovers will allow you to spend it on bushings, adjustable arms, and bracing.
If you can catch a deal on KW V3, they have tons of adjustability and will accept a wide range of 2.5" springs. Probably a better choice, if you have the budget.