Ride Height

[JOP33]

The manual states that the ride height in the front is 4.5" in the front and 5" in the rear. It then states measured from ground to chassis. Is that at the chassis box or the lowest point of the chassis at the front of the car and the highest point of the chassis at the rear of the car?

Thanks

[RoadRacer]

Of course, it's kind of a dumb measurement to quote (even that rake), since the wheels/tires you choose can alter the ride height significantly. So.. it doesn't really matter what you start at, as long as it's consistent side-to-side and you're happy :D

[rponfick]

I think it is from the 4 corners of the cab structure before it starts to bend upward, front or rear. Yes, wheels and tire matter, but isn't height still height from ground?
Ralph

[1932]

Just + or - the height difference from FFR tires to the ride height.

[AJT '33]

The manual states that the ride height in the front is 4.5" in the front and 5" in the rear. It then states measured from ground to chassis. Is that at the chassis box or the lowest point of the chassis at the front of the car and the highest point of the chassis at the rear of the car?

Thanks

Its measured at the four corners under the four corners of the main frame under the seating/cab area. As mentioned below what is in the manual is a guide. I found that my rear shocks were wrong and once I installed the correct ones my front measurement is ~6" and the rears are at ~7-5/8". It has a nice rake now.
98841 98842
These were recently taken, its hard to see but its a nice rake now.

[TxMike64]

98841 98842
These were recently taken, its hard to see but its a nice rake now.

That sits nice! What are your wheel/tire specs?

[AJT '33]

That sits nice! What are your wheel/tire specs?

Front: Wheels PhatFUX 18x9 with Nitto 555 G2 245/40ZR18 Tires
Rear Wheels PhatFUX 18x10 with Nitto 555 G2 295/40ZR18 Tires
One cool thing is my tire guy installed flush air valves. As well I needed to add in 21mm spacers as well for clearance with this setup due to the backspace.
98948 98949

[TxMike64]

Thanks!
That front/rear size combo looks great! The rear tires do indeed look phat!

[AJT '33]

Thanks!
That front/rear size combo looks great! The rear tires do indeed look phat!

Now that I have the correct rear shocks I could have gone an up to an inch wider if I wanted.;)

[DS9941]

Yes, measure from 4 corners but the 4 1/2" and 5" was way to low for mine. I think i am at 6" rear and 5 1/2" front

103539

[NAZ]

If you're going for a cool looking stance and not concerned about handling, then set your ride height where it looks best and still has reasonable road hazard clearance. But if handling is important to you just realize setting ride height arbitrarily will likely have adverse handling effects. And I'm not just talking about center of gravity changes.

Changing ride height in the front affects roll center and lateral weight transfer (also affects rear roll center on IRS cars) but changing rear ride height on a solid axle car can change your instant center which affects acceleration / braking traction. Not considering this can make a car harder to hook or easier for the rear tires to lock on hard braking -- a real problem when hard braking in a corner or picking up the throttle on corner exit.

It can also create roll steer, a very annoying trait. As the car leans in a corner (weight transfer) the rear axle is skewed and results in an uncommanded turning input, the direction is dependent on which way the LCAs are angled. When you're done setting your rear ride height measure the angle of the LCA and if they are not parallel to the ground you have just induced roll steer. The degree of which is dependent on the amount of angle -- more angle = more roll steer. So you should really consider how your ride height adjustments are affecting handling. Ideally you want the LCAs parallel to the ground. Drag racers will many times set these with the front angled uphill to adjust instant center higher to adjust anti-squat but corner handling is not a priority to them.