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My metric chart is broken.
I did look it up online. It seems we are close in height though.
Thank you.
What is your ride height?
- Thread starter Kern Dog
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I did look it up online. It seems we are close in height though.
Thank you.
Nate S
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@MoparLeo isn’t all wrong though. You can of course stick them at whatever height you want, however… there is front suspension geometry that both changes camber and steering angle as the car tilts. These are designed into the metal parts. When you raise or lower the car from FSM numbers you “de-optimize” these. Not a big deal of course but it actually takes stiffer springs and sway bar to get back to the factory handling.
I’ve seen and ridden in a few that had stiff suspensions to “make them handle well” that were lowered and didn’t actually manage corners as well as stock performance stuff. Oh sure, there was less body roll but they often oversteered and frequently broke free before the original designs did (if good tires are put on).
You can use offset spindles and/or re-form steering linkage parts and get both but most people don’t do that.
I’ve seen and ridden in a few that had stiff suspensions to “make them handle well” that were lowered and didn’t actually manage corners as well as stock performance stuff. Oh sure, there was less body roll but they often oversteered and frequently broke free before the original designs did (if good tires are put on).
You can use offset spindles and/or re-form steering linkage parts and get both but most people don’t do that.
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Nate says..... When you raise or lower the car from FSM numbers you “de-optimize” these.
Not a big deal of course but it actually takes stiffer springs and sway bar to get back to the factory handling.
I’ve seen and ridden in a few that had stiff suspensions to “make them handle well” that were lowered and didn’t actually manage corners as well as stock performance stuff. Oh sure, there was less body roll but they often oversteered and frequently broke free before the original designs did (if good tires are put on).
You can use offset spindles and/or re-form steering linkage parts and get both but most people don’t do that.[/QUOTE]
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Thanks for responding but you certainly haven't driven or been in a car that is well sorted out. I have driven stock and I have driven modified. Nobody would pick a stock setup if they wanted their car to handle well. These cars were designed to handle safely, not quickly. Understeer is built into every front engine, rear drive car because it is the safest handling setting for the average person. To believe that the factory settings were optimal is far from the truth. There were many factors to be considered when these cars were designed. Many manual steering cars had alignment settings calling for positive camber and negative caster to make it easier to steer. Yeah, the car understeered at anything over 20 mph but hey...the tires were not going to hold at speeds much higher than that even with better alignment.
No stock Charger is going to outhandle one with upgraded parts and a good alignment. Stock .90 torsion bars, a 7/8" sway bar and oil filled shocks were barely adequate with 6 inch bias ply tires. My tires are almost double that.
I've heard guys at car shows for years arguing that the factory exhaust manifolds were better than headers so your perspective doesn't surprise me.
Maybe you don't know what "camber gain" is. Did you know that the further the front suspension compresses, the more caster you get? Most Mopars are lucky to get 2 degrees of Positive Caster. I was able to get 4 with stock upper control arms, partly because of the ride height. Big torsion bars allow me to run at a lower height and get more Caster while also some Negative Camber. Body roll is reduced along with brake dive.
If the car doesn't drag or scrape....and the ride is acceptable, who is to say that a man's car is too low? The law in CA is that no part of the undercarriage can be below the lowest part of the wheel rim. This is not a problem.
Not a big deal of course but it actually takes stiffer springs and sway bar to get back to the factory handling.
I’ve seen and ridden in a few that had stiff suspensions to “make them handle well” that were lowered and didn’t actually manage corners as well as stock performance stuff. Oh sure, there was less body roll but they often oversteered and frequently broke free before the original designs did (if good tires are put on).
You can use offset spindles and/or re-form steering linkage parts and get both but most people don’t do that.[/QUOTE]
**************************************************************
Thanks for responding but you certainly haven't driven or been in a car that is well sorted out. I have driven stock and I have driven modified. Nobody would pick a stock setup if they wanted their car to handle well. These cars were designed to handle safely, not quickly. Understeer is built into every front engine, rear drive car because it is the safest handling setting for the average person. To believe that the factory settings were optimal is far from the truth. There were many factors to be considered when these cars were designed. Many manual steering cars had alignment settings calling for positive camber and negative caster to make it easier to steer. Yeah, the car understeered at anything over 20 mph but hey...the tires were not going to hold at speeds much higher than that even with better alignment.
No stock Charger is going to outhandle one with upgraded parts and a good alignment. Stock .90 torsion bars, a 7/8" sway bar and oil filled shocks were barely adequate with 6 inch bias ply tires. My tires are almost double that.
I've heard guys at car shows for years arguing that the factory exhaust manifolds were better than headers so your perspective doesn't surprise me.
Maybe you don't know what "camber gain" is. Did you know that the further the front suspension compresses, the more caster you get? Most Mopars are lucky to get 2 degrees of Positive Caster. I was able to get 4 with stock upper control arms, partly because of the ride height. Big torsion bars allow me to run at a lower height and get more Caster while also some Negative Camber. Body roll is reduced along with brake dive.
If the car doesn't drag or scrape....and the ride is acceptable, who is to say that a man's car is too low? The law in CA is that no part of the undercarriage can be below the lowest part of the wheel rim. This is not a problem.
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That was last weekend at the local breakfast cafe....yes they're CA plates. Of course we have about 237 different styles to choose from nowadays (for an extra fee, of course
). The 'Caddy has the old school black w/yellow characters (on the rear only, another "violation")
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He is absolutely, positively correct. How many people here have actually DONE wheel alignments ? If you brought your car into my garage & I did a suspension alignment by using a yardstick from the ground to a fender, I'd be more qualified to clean toilets.
Haha nice. So no more fender adjustments to "even 'er out".
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Exactly. There's a DIFFERENCE in adjusting ride height for "suspension alignment" and "visual appearance". Next time someone takes their car in for an alignment, any car, tell the tech just use a ruler to the headlights and fender lips.
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I'm on your side!!
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Yes, I know, I was merely emphasizing your comment. I therefore edited to reflect a generic response.
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I wouldn't bring my car to you anyway. I didn't ask for criticism. I asked for measurements from a common point that required nothing more than a tape measure. I'd bet that 99% of the members don't have an alignment pit to drive over and less than 8% probably have 4 post lifts to check the factory way. My request didn't involve laying on the ground either.
I'm not building an engine here where the numbers are critical down to the thousandth of an inch.
I never mentioned alignments with a yardstick...where did you come up with that?
The alignment techs I have used don't adjust the height of my cars or truck because I have the height set to where I want. Even if they did make changes, I doubt that they would dust off a FSM from 1970 and use an antiquated system.
If a car is all stock, I can understand following a factory procedure.
Once a car is modified, many of the factory service procedures are abandoned. I have solid lifters so I have to set the lash. Show me where lash adjustment is detailed for a 1970 440.
I recurved the distributor for faster advance and less total advance. The FSM never mentioned that.
The carburetor has power valves, jets, an accelerator pump cam and a vacuum secondary spring. The FSM never mentions those things.
The factory alignment specs are for the skinny bias ply tires the cars were built with.
I don't have tires like that on the car.
Enjoy your factory stock car and I'll enjoy mine.
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Factory ride heights are set with factory springs, shocks, tire and wheel diameters,
and powertains. Measuring to a fender lip
won't tell the true story. The lowest point
of the frame to ground is ride height.
Note the PVC tubes in place of springs
in this pic....
The ride height was pre determined for
this build.
and powertains. Measuring to a fender lip
won't tell the true story. The lowest point
of the frame to ground is ride height.
Note the PVC tubes in place of springs
in this pic....
The ride height was pre determined for
this build.
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Don't have to get bitchy, Kern. My reply was to Leo, NOT YOU. Anyone can raise or lower their ride height to their liking. But not by the yardstick method. Is that how you set your ride height ? And, also understand the effect a ride height change will have.
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cdr
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Good shot of the Coke Bottle shape, 24.5 28
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Your inbox is full, bro... Kern, you got too many love letters in there ?
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My GOLD membership expired but I just renewed a moment ago.
Gort
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Lol…this thread…
my height is about 30” in the front and 27” in the rear…
Trying to save my pan…
my height is about 30” in the front and 27” in the rear…
Trying to save my pan…
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Holeeee crap! You must look like you're at WOT all the time!
Gort
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Its easier to get in and out of though…
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