Due to the fact that I use 29" rear tires and 25.5" front skinnies, my car tends to lean forward. My front end does rise on the launch but, not fast enough to transfer the weight to the rear tires. This causes my slicks to spin a bit. I drive my El Camino to the track (20 miles) and sometimes on weekends. Have any of you had success using 90/10 drag shocks at the track? Do they work well enough on the street?
Thanks,
Daniel

I drive my Nova everywhere, and i have C/E 90/10 shocks, i have no complaints at all. Havent had it to the track yet though.

Try my shock nut trick first, works perfect for me.

What is your shock nut trick?

I would suggest a good adjustable drag shock, like the Koni SPA1. Then you can use the shocks to fine tune the launch of your car and can adjust them such that you can drive them on the street a little as well. The shocks adjust easily from the top of the shock. I have them on all 4 corners of my car.

Shock nut procedure.

At home for the first time.... remove the 3/8 fine thread lock nut and replace with a standard non-locking type nut and tighten down by hand using a socket and extension until snug. keep the lock nuts to have with you for use at the track.

1. At the track, remove the nut, washer and rubber bushing. put washer back on and then install the lock nut finger tight. both sides. store the nut and bushing to replace after racing.

Takes about 3 to 4 minutes.

I just keep an extension and 9/16 socket and the lock nuts together in my tool box so they are ready to go in case I am in a rush.

There is basically no shock action for the first 2" of movement.

you can add washers or the rubber bushing with the lock nut to control the action on either side.

You can also use a "crimp" style locknut or a nylon lock nut, the nylon will go on 1 more thread than the crimp nut for fine tuning.

I tried this with the 90/10s and there was more supension travel with the nut trick and 90/10s than without the nut trick and 90/10's. I felt no difference between the KYB and 90/10's and my 60 fts were essentially the same. the best part of this is once I replace the bushing and snug up with the non-locking nut I have the nice gas shock ride for the ride home and back again next week.

The nuts have never come loose in 5 years of doing this, but I checked them constantly the first few times at the track and after I got home.

Originally posted by mc71454:
Shock nut procedure.

At home for the first time.... remove the 3/8 fine thread lock nut and replace with a standard non-locking type nut and tighten down by hand using a socket and extension until snug. keep the lock nuts to have with you for use at the track.

1. At the track, remove the nut, washer and rubber bushing. put washer back on and then install the lock nut finger tight. both sides. store the nut and bushing to replace after racing.

Takes about 3 to 4 minutes.

I just keep an extension and 9/16 socket and the lock nuts together in my tool box so they are ready to go in case I am in a rush.

There is basically no shock action for the first 2" of movement.

you can add washers or the rubber bushing with the lock nut to control the action on either side.

You can also use a "crimp" style locknut or a nylon lock nut, the nylon will go on 1 more thread than the crimp nut for fine tuning.

I tried this with the 90/10s and there was more supension travel with the nut trick and 90/10s than without the nut trick and 90/10's. I felt no difference between the KYB and 90/10's and my 60 fts were essentially the same. the best part of this is once I replace the bushing and snug up with the non-locking nut I have the nice gas shock ride for the ride home and back again next week.

The nuts have never come loose in 5 years of doing this, but I checked them constantly the first few times at the track and after I got home. WHAT??????????? you are crazy, you want loose suspension parts? what if the bracket tears or more likely the bolt breaks? your back end will walk out from under the car and it'll smack the wall! WTF? can you even pass tech like that? damn, crap like that gets people killed graemlins/angry.gif .

Young, settle down. It's a trick that has been in use for decades. It's the front shocks and is only used at the track. There is very little, if any, danger.

I have CE adjustable 90/10 shocks on my S-10, they're set at80/20 forroad use.Plus I've been toldto see the effects of them you gottaget good traction.(which I don't)

Young Gun '71 ..."WHAT??????????? you are crazy...."Whoaa!!! Easy There....Nope, Not Crazy...But thanks for the Concern for my safety though. ;)

As Pat said it has been used for a very long time and has been proven to work and for less than $1. smile.gif I was turned on to the trick by an old time racer..Not everything requires a Parts Purchase.

The Topic concerns FRONT shocks...

There is No Danger with this mod and 500+ passes later I can say that confidently.

Try it, nothing works for Everbody But You'll never know unless you do.

Now where can you find a suspension tuning procedure that costs less than $1 and takes 4 minutes to do...Think About it....

I guess he doesnt pay attention,he's been registered since 2001 and hasnt heard about Toms cars performance or Toms shock trick??? I guess he's been graemlins/boring.gif

i tried it, although i dont have any timeslips there seemed to be a definite improvement in front end rise and weight transfer. i didnt see anything unsafe about it, and i wouldnt hesitate to use it at the track. best of all its so cheap it might as well be free.

you can add washers or the rubber bushing with the lock nut to control the action on either side. Tom

im curious about how yours is setup, and do you have any recommendations as far as tuning the shock nut trick.

Originally posted by RatONaStick:
i tried it, although i dont have any timeslips there seemed to be a definite improvement in front end rise and weight transfer. i didnt see anything unsafe about it, and i wouldnt hesitate to use it at the track. best of all its so cheap it might as well be free.

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />you can add washers or the rubber bushing with the lock nut to control the action on either side. Tom

im curious about how yours is setup, and do you have any recommendations as far as tuning the shock nut trick. </font>[/QUOTE]Brandon, Yes I do. For a while I was running just the washer and lock nut on top for both shocks, while tuning my car into the 1.53 60 ft range I was getting some new twisting in the front than I wanted, enough that now the left front wheel would come off the ground and the right wasn't. This was a change in launch due to the tuning of the car by 60 ft.

So, I simply put the rubber bushing back in the left front with the washer and lock nut so it just reduced the amount of "free movement" of the suspension on the left side when compared to the right side...Result: 60 fts got quicker by 2 to 3 thousdandths and most importantly the car launched straight and more consistent.

It would be untrue to say this simple mod will make your car faster if you are already hooking it very hard, But what it does is add another step in the right direction to Consistency.

Last Night I made 5 passes in a row with a variance of .005 seconds from the quickest to the slowest.

So my recommendation is to have someone watch the cars reaction and try to straighten it out by limiting free movement....more to come..I have a meeting I have to go to.

For some reason Im not getting it.

When you put the nuts on with the rubber bushing removed do you leave 2"'s of thread open for travel ?

will this work on shocks that aren't 90/10

I'v also heard of replacing the section of A-arm bushings with copper washers that will let the front end come up quicker. If you bounce the front end with your hands ya can hear them creek and resist. The washers wear and have to be changed over time.

Originally posted by BlownGasket:
For some reason Im not getting it.

When you put the nuts on with the rubber bushing removed do you leave 2"'s of thread open for travel ?

will this work on shocks that aren't 90/10

Yup, It actually works best with a gas shock that is already trying to extend itself anyway. I use $29.99 KYB Gas Shocks, same shocks I bought 6 years ago.

My car is full of little mods and tidbits that cost next to nothing.

So my recommendation is to have someone watch the cars reaction and try to straighten it out by limiting free movement....more to come..I have a meeting I have to go to.Tom

thanks, im definitely interested in anything you would care to add.

Brandon

I run mine staggered.
90/10 front right...80/20 front left....70/30 right rear....and 60/40 left rear.
The car handles fine....and launches straight.
Now if I can only get to the track with my new motor to see how much harder it does launch ;)
Brian

Originally posted by Rapid Robert:
I guess he doesnt pay attention,he's been registered since 2001 and hasnt heard about Toms cars performance or Toms shock trick??? I guess he's been graemlins/boring.gif musta been graemlins/clonk.gif
if I can work up the guts to try it I will.

So what other low-buck tips do you have mc 71454?I always looking for something that is cheap or cost next to nothing to improve the performance of my chevelle,thanks...

You could remove the front sway bar (track only) and/or add a rear bar. An air bag in the right rear spring will help, too.

This only applies to cars running a GM HEI, may also apply to other distributors. Try removing one or both of the springs on your mechanical advance and replace it with an "e" clip to hold the weight(s) from coming off. You will have to adjust your idle and check your total timing (which shouldn't change) but check with a light to make sure where you are. Try different weights if there is too much advance at idle.

This will give you full advance the instant you mash the throttle with no delay. It does work to improve 60 ft time. On my ride it is good for .05 in ET. Just be careful to make sure the "e" clips are on correctly. Put the springs back on for the ride home.


Most people do not unleash the potential in 60 ft by accelerator pump tuning. While this is not a quick change 50 cent upgrade, a lot of ET can be found in fine tuning the accelerator pump system. This will take discipline and patience but can be done for very little cost (under $25) if you can borrow some spare parts to find out what you need to buy. I was able to accelerator pump tune .1 ET out of a mid 11 second combination Just by experimenting carefully with the accellerator pump circuit. and this was done with A-B-A testing at track rentals.

Tire Pressure - Who would have guessed 20 to 22 psi would give me my best ET's and MPH with Hoosier QT Pro's....well it did and it still does...ET Gain .05 and 0.5 mph over 16 psi.

It is the Nitty Gritty that many don't discipline themselves to do. I am guilty of this myself as there are still many tweaks and experiments I still need to do and discover and conquer to get quicker for little or no $.

[/qb][/QUOTE]if I can work up the guts to try it I will. [/QB][/QUOTE]

I certainly would not recommend anything that was dangerous. Don't worry nothing will happen except a little momentum will jerk the front end up and transfer some weight.

Look at the launch closely in the following video. It is a often posted video comparing stock suspension launch versus the chassis reaction with No-hop bars and some upper shock nut modification. My point is to watch how the front rises very quickly just before the rear slightly rises making a smooth clean launch.

http://www.boomspeed.com/mc71454/no_hop.wmv


Wild wheel stands are cool but are not for me. The front wheels get a little air under them so I know the rear tires are supporting the 2 tons.

While I do not have the fastest car by any means on this board, I have set up a combination that runs in the 10.70's in the best air and 10.90's in the worst. I drive the car everywhere including the track and to and from work. My Street Legal class has a low ET break of 11.000 so I have to add ballast when I compete. My car is capable of 10.20's when setup with a few different key components (that I do have in the garage) to modify the combination, but that is not my goal and certainly wouldn't help me win races. I like running 3.42's and looking like a Monte with mags that turns a few heads at the track when clipping off a 10 second pass when they were expecting a 14.xx.

Originally posted by mc71454:
Try my shock nut trick first, works perfect for me. Tom,

What about the rubber bumpers on the upper A's..........do you install shorter or cut them down? My car should be running soon with a 4 speed and a decent 400SB. This will be my first time making a car hook at the track.
Thanks
John

Originally posted by hilljack:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by mc71454:
Try my shock nut trick first, works perfect for me. Tom,

What about the rubber bumpers on the upper A's..........do you install shorter or cut them down? My car should be running soon with a 4 speed and a decent 400SB. This will be my first time making a car hook at the track.
Thanks
John </font>[/QUOTE]I left them stock, as well as the upper control arm bushings. You can cut them shorter but haven't felt the need to. I am trying to maintain as much of a normal roadworthy ride as possible for safety reasons.

Originally posted by mc71454:
Look at the launch closely in the following video. It is a often posted video comparing stock suspension launch versus the chassis reaction with No-hop bars and some upper shock nut modification. My point is to watch how the front rises very quickly just before the rear slightly rises making a smooth clean launch.
[/QB]does it make a differance if the upper or lower part of the shock is loosened up? (nice monte BTW)

Only the top of the front shock..Never the bottom