Suspension tool / Software

[HaLo]

Hi,

Winter is back and it's time to calculate some roll centers, CG, bump steer, squat, etc. I am looking for a software, book or tool that can help me accomplish this task. I doubt many of you have done this, but that is where I am at my suspension setup/tuning level. So please, help me if you can... :)

[HaLo]

I guess I pushed my luck asking a question that technical..

[altitude]

If you can find any modeling/simulation software having an accurate model of the 240sx let me know!

For books, did you read RCVD? (http://www.millikenresearch.com/rcvd.html)
It's quite the bible

They have some software too but I dont know anything about it, see: http://www.millikenresearch.com/rcvdps.html

[thx247]

Halo, try searching on these forums, you should find everything you need there.

http://www.eng-tips.com/
http://corner-carvers.com/forums/index.php

RCVD will have all that information if you want to buy a book about it. Its cheaper than buying software to do the same tasks and you'll understand more with the book imo. Have fun with that stuff, its all pretty interesting.

[HaLo]

Wow.. finally my degree will help with with something practical..
I guess I'll get this book. Now, I need to find the CG of the car...
(front and rear)

[PDM075]

Oktay.... prepare for a VERY VERY long procedure to properly plot your S13 for any serious suspension program.

I am being assisted by Gary Milligan and Joe Cheng, the 2 fastest drivers in the world in A Mod, and we have literally over 18 man hours so far into trying to plot my SM turbo 240SX. With the rear suspension it's quite a chore to properly plot X, Y and Z measurements for every single axis point of every single arm and bushing.

I believe Gary is using Susprog - which is commonly used by serious auto-xer's and road racers, but this program asks for everything from simple tire diameter to width, to aspect.....to all the X, Y and Z measurements, to unsprung weight, to strut axis, to just about every damn measurement and angle on any moving part on your car.

Easier on open wheel and tube frame cars, where you can get access to measuring, but on a sedan, it's a lot of work.

For reading, nothing beats Carroll Smith's books.... Tune to Win, Engineer to Win, and "Screw to Win"...or the nuts and bolts book...Prepare to Win.

Carroll wrote a lot of this stuff in the 70's and 80's, and it can take several re-reads to understand all the technical stuff he's going after....but it's all there.


PDM

[HaLo]

Oktay.... prepare for a VERY VERY long procedure to properly plot your S13 for any serious suspension program.

I am being assisted by Gary Milligan and Joe Cheng, the 2 fastest drivers in the world in A Mod, and we have literally over 18 man hours so far into trying to plot my SM turbo 240SX. With the rear suspension it's quite a chore to properly plot X, Y and Z measurements for every single axis point of every single arm and bushing.

I believe Gary is using Susprog - which is commonly used by serious auto-xer's and road racers, but this program asks for everything from simple tire diameter to width, to aspect.....to all the X, Y and Z measurements, to unsprung weight, to strut axis, to just about every damn measurement and angle on any moving part on your car.

Easier on open wheel and tube frame cars, where you can get access to measuring, but on a sedan, it's a lot of work.

For reading, nothing beats Carroll Smith's books.... Tune to Win, Engineer to Win, and "Screw to Win"...or the nuts and bolts book...Prepare to Win.

Carroll wrote a lot of this stuff in the 70's and 80's, and it can take several re-reads to understand all the technical stuff he's going after....but it's all there.


PDM

Thanks a lot Don (I assume),

I really love what you did to the 240sx, I was planning something very similar to mine. ;) I'll contact you by email.. I have a few questions and you're one of the only very serious auto-xers I know..

[altitude]

+1 for Carroll Smith

I have most of them except his first one: Prepare To Win which is out of print... I'd really like to get ahold of it because in all his other books he keeps refering to it.
Like, "we wont emphasize on this because it's covered in Prepare To Win" DOH!

IIRC in either Tune or Engineer to Win theres even a paper model you can cut to play with suspension geometries lol

And he's funny, too

[TheWolf]

Just got the l33t full version of this program. seriously nice. I'm gonna use it to map out my FSP bmw 2002 and my 240. I would love to model traction rods and various adjustment lengths hopefully will help with traction issues on the high HP sr20's