How to Improve a Suspension for Drag Racing

Drag racing places extraordinary demands on the suspensions of ordinary vehicles, due to the need to accelerate quickly and adjust to the special demands of specialized drag racing tires, or racing slicks. By designing and implementing several improvements to the suspension of your drag racing car, you will be able to significantly reduce your times on the quarter-mile track.

Things You'll Need

  • Anti-roll traction bar
  • Adjustable shocks
  • Assorted parts used for engine and body bracing
  • Asymmetrical trailing-link suspension
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Instructions

  1. Improve Your Suspension for Drag Racing

    • 1

      Determine how you want to improve the suspension based upon the type of existing drive system of your vehicle. For instance, the best type of car used for drag racing is a rear-wheel drive that does not have an independent rear suspension. Other types of vehicles, such as front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, will require a different strategy.

    • 2

      Address the problems concerning the effect that high-torque engines have on the tires by creating different loads on each tire. This can be accomplished by improving rear roll of the suspension by adding a anti-roll traction bar to the rear of the car in the axle housing. Conversely, you can also increase the roll at the front of the car by removing an anti-roll car at the front, which will have the same effect.

    • 3

      Add a symmetrical trailing-link suspension to the rear of the car, which will help to improve the loading of the rear tires of the car. This is considered one of the best overall solutions for creating an equal weight distribution to all four wheels during intense acceleration.

    • 4

      Install adjustable shocks at all four wheels so that you can vary the amount of pressure on the springs to help reduce torque. On a rear-wheel-drive car, the front end of the car will rise, and the torque will cause the suspension to list toward the left. By adjusting the tension so that all four wheels will have approximately the same force exerted upon them, you can help the car remain level upon launch.

    • 5

      Consider additional bracing in your car at any area where there is a high level of flex. There are a variety of parts you can use to accomplish this, such as frame connectors, solid motor and body mounts, engine torque links, engine cradle braces and strut tower braces.