Leaf springs, educate me?

[SandDiesel]

If you want good traction the idea is weight transfer or "squat" at the rear right? So what do the SS springs do for the the rear? What is the difference both in traction and drivability (doesn't take out your fillings) between re-arching the stockers, 3400lb, and 3600lb springs? Thanks. Just have a street car but looking to get edumicated. :icon_mrgreen:

 

[Redpolara]

90/10 shocks on the front will help transfer weight to the back......but they're not designed for street use. You could use the standard rear springs and fit a set of Cal Tracs....that'll eliminate the spring windup.

 

[Satellite65]

Am I missing something here? It looks as though the bar (point 'A' in your photo) is underneath the leaf spring. Isn't it supposed to go on top?

 

[Redpolara]

Am I missing something here? It looks as though the bar (point 'A' in your photo) is underneath the leaf spring. Isn't it supposed to go on top?

Yep good point, it was late and I googled for a pic, didn't bother to study it.
How about we use that pic as a reference on how not to fit them, oh......it was on a chev, who knows maybe he likes doing burnouts in reverse, maybe it's how they do things over in the GM camp.
Anyway,here's one on how to.....

 

[khryslerkid]

Does the Super Stock spring option have the torque side spring having more arch or an extra spring? They seem to sit up more on the right side. Would'nt care for that on some of the tracks with a pronounced "crown" in the middle and you would be in the left lane...

 

[72 Charger SE]

SS springs are set up to be stiffer on the front segment than the rear, and stiffer on the right side of the car than the left. This is to help control the tendency for the right side to squat from the torque of a full throttle launch. Mopar leaf spring suspensions are not supposed to squat on launch. Quite the opposite. A good working set of SS springs should have a visible rise in the body seen at the rear tires. This is from the springs using the torque of the rear axle (wind up) and trying to pick up the body of the car - hence the reason for the stiffer front segment. This also means that you need a longer rear shock to keep the shocks from hitting their maximum extension and then trying to pull the rear axle up off the ground.

A good set of SS springs working properly with long shocks should generate about 3 inches of body rise at the rear wheel, seen by watching the gap from the top of the tire to the bottom of the wheel well. A set of 90/10 shocks up front will also help by allowing the front end to come up quicker and settle back down slower, keeping a greater percentage of the car's weight on the rear tires for longer.

I drive mine on the street with this set up, but it definitely feels different and I wouldn't recommend taking any curvy mountain roads, as the handling in corners will not be there. Cal-tracs sound like a good option with factory springs, since you can take the preload out of them for street driving, and set up the preload for best traction once you get to the track. I've never used them, but the concept makes sense to me.

 

[Revhendo]

I'm not a big fan of the Cal-Trac set up. I see a lot of them installed on cars that don't have the power to use them (Posers). I appreciate how they work and the theory behind them, but I'm not sold on using them on a Mopar. A well set up Mopar suspension should be good up to the point you should be looking for a link rear suspension. Plus, if you have a lowered car, all of that hardware is gonna start hunting for speed bumps.

 

[SandDiesel]

Was about to say those are some healthy leaf springs, then saw the shocks and 'Diesel Power" logo in the corner of the pic. Got a Cummins myself.

 

[Cranky]

I have a different take on race setups. I like mine low and SS springs do not do that. I build my own springs and add leafs as needed. I also take a main leaf, cut off the front eye right where it starts to curl and cut the rear section off and stick it under the main that's already there. If it sits higher than I like, I rearch to where I like it. Front shocks usually end up somewhere around 50/50. If the car is fast enough, it'll never settle down with the 90/10....at least mine didn't. Once I'm faster than low 11's, I start looking at ladder bars. To me, doing it like that feels better and the front end geometry stays in alignment more too. As far as Cal-Tracs go, I don't like them either and have had experience with them but if you run in a class that restricts you to using leaf springs and your car is fast, there's not much choice. There's other choices out there imo for a lot less money too if you are bracket racing and don't have to follow any suspension rules.

SandDiesel, I did a double take too and looked at where the spring was going before seeing the watermark lol