Front shock and spring sizes

[RICK LAKE]

Mr Putman, the ERA phone is a pain, tryed your name 3 times and they say NOBODY answers to the name. Teyed both numbers new and old. Any way I can't find the specs on the front spax shocks and springs for my car. Need full extension, and compression, spring diameter. I am looking for a 550-600lb front spring with a varying load rate. Also looking for a bigger sway bar for the back of the car, 1" or 1 1/8". Don't know if Pete or you got me phone replys. Rick Lake

[strictlypersonl]

E-mail sent.

[Enginetime]

Hey Rick,
550-600lb is enough for a Mack truck. There is no need to go over 300lb spring on an ERA with a big block for either street or strip. (Unless you wish to bounce around a corner) Eibach purple 12X250lb and the Spax shocks will perform great. I like the adjustment on the Spax and have tried Koni's and Aldens...I now run the Spax.
Enginetime

[RICK LAKE]

Enginetime Thanks for the info. For 1/4 mile and street driving on a BBFE motor the suspension setup is great. For road course and autocross the suspension is too soft and the car plows like a John Deere tractor on 1+g turns, the car nose dives with the spats in there. Tire temps and watching the car act, tell you everything. I have been to susspension classes and chassic setup. I great autocross car or roadrace car handles like a Mack truck under normal driving. I go to R&G everyyear since 93 and learn new things. The top pro racers at R&G are all running over 500 lb/in. with Koni or custom. I run 17" Pilots, not the 15" GT's anymore. The car ran 3 seconds with just the switch of tires, same course, same slow driver, ME. My current setup works great for 1/4 mile. Car squats and leaves, no tire spin. Rans from 12.5 when beating it. For bracket racing I run 12.90 all day long, any temp. Cutting the tree down is the trick. Last R&G cut my first .000 prefect light. I am setup up the car for a special 2 classes I have done the formulas, and weights of the car, I have the right numbers. Thanks again Rick L.

[xracerbob]

Rick-

Just a couple thoughts- Stiffening the front springs will greatly reduce the "pitch" problem of the nose dropping down, but it can also have an adverse effect on the mechanical grip in the front. The car could still understeer badly. You may want to look at some more sophisticated shocks that allow a wide range of adjustment for high speed bump, low speed bump, high and low speed rebound, bleed valves, etc. Something like Penske, Ohlins, etc. For example, to stop the car from pitching forward put more low speed bump in the front and more low speed rebound in the rear. These shocks are expensive but properly set up can make a world of difference.

Good luck at R+G.

[Chaplin]

Rick-
I blame your problems solely on driver error!

[RICK LAKE]

Chaplin I could not have said it better The older I get the slow I become. But there may be an upside to this, with a new bundle of joy due any time now, I will be getting my 8 hours of sleep By the way, how is that nursing harness working out Rick L. Ps if you look at the Kitcar write up I was the slowest. 6 cylinder didn't help either.

[RICK LAKE]

xracerbob Thanks for the info. I looked into Ohlin shock and they where about $1,200.00 a pair, with the bells and whistles. That didnot include springs. Bob I go to R&G for fun and to help other people. First or last, doesn't matter. The best cobra people I have meet are there every year. I am not a pro driver and limit my top speed to 120mph. It has taken me 31 years to get my cobra and given up alot to build it. ERA has been great with all the help in building the car. It is hard to build a car that will do everything great,1/4 mile, road course, autocross, and street cruising. To the best of my recall, no stock body cobra without any power adder has run 9.0 second run. At least at R&G anyway. Would like to build a motor next year to assault that record. There is alot of info in 2 suspension books about, oversteer, understeer, Ackerman angles, bump steer and alignments but the most important thing is about reading the temps of your tires after racing and knowing what changes to make to your car suspension for better control. I know that I need a bigger swap bar for the rear of the car, 7/8" or 1.0" is needed with the 335/17" tires for better control of the rear tires to remain flat on the surface of the track. Hope you get your ERA car. Maybe see you in New Louden OHIO for the cobra bash. Rick L

[xracerbob]

Rick-

My Cobra is on order, the waiting has just begun. For sway bars, you might want to look into Raetech in Michigan. They make adjustable blade type sway bar ends and can probably fab the whole thing for you. The adjustment is quick, I even had cockpit adjustable bars on some cars. Maybe you can do the delvelopment/prototype and I can just copy yours.

I'm getting the ERA rear suspension and upgraded brakes, so I'm hoping to do a little track stuff with the car.

Bob

[lineslinger]

The reason the car is nose plowing is it is reacting to plumbers crack.

[RICK LAKE]

LINESLINGER If I come out to R&G this year Would you be a cone on the autocross? The 5 second penalty for running over your big toe would be worth it. Rick L

[Morris]

Rick

Give me a call tonight.....

Morris