Q&A Link Tech

Coilovers dont unload.

Poorly designed link geometry does. Where we put our links affects the vehicle. Coilovers are just long springs wrapped around a long shock, they are nothing more and certainly not magical. They respond to forces put up on them and mitigate those forces as smoothly and evenly as possible based on spring and valving selections we chose. So if your front end is raising excessively while climbing an obstacle or the rear end is walking under your truck, then you need to look at the link placements and their angles in relation to the ground. Everything starts at the axle and ends at the chassis, and link placement and its relation to LEVEL ground will always control what our vehicles do. If you work with gravity instead of trying to fight it you and your truck will be much happier.

 

Are you still offering the rear radflo shocks tuned for 63's? I didn't see them at first glance on the new website (which looks sweet), and I've been contemplating ordering a set for a while now to compliment the front coilovers I got from you.

 

Why no second gen love haha.

 

I think I saw a mention of it for the future on Instagram?

 

Doing my swap next year and buying parts already. Axle is rebuilt, kings ordered, truss, moto bilt Lower link brackets upper axle bracket. Only thing left for links is Frame mounts and panhard bar mounts. Heims and tube

 

Got not room for a vehicle in the shop at the moment. I seriously need more sq. footage.

 

I can build them for you yes, but as far as putting them on the site........I'll think about it. Leaf spring guys have a tendency to think that shocks dont matter for them.

 

Try working out of a 2 car garage

 

Can you elaborate on this a bit for me? I'm still attempting to educate myself on link geometry so don't mean any offense in anyway shape or form. That being said, from what I think I know, it would seem to me that the relationship of the instant center (from a side view perspective) WRT the location of the center of gravity, would have more of an effect on handling behavior than link angle WRT the ground. Perhaps a greater angle affects how much the IC moves when the suspension cycles?

 

The only roll the Instant Center is to us is as a tool to measure certain characteristics. It, it's self means nothing.

 

It literally is the angle of the link arm to the ground that is important. The instant center is only an imaginary point in space, and should be treated as such. All we are trying to do is control the torque load of the axle back into the chassis. If those forces are being applied in a 10* upward angle while having only 5"s of upward axle movement and 9"s down and the link starts at 10*s what is it then once the suspension reaches full droop. 25*? 30*? 35*? Since the greater the angle of the link the greater the unloading of the suspension you can imagine doing everything in your power to get a flatter link at ride height would equal the greatest performance in "ALL" situations.

 

If you want to control torque loads on the chassis then the location of the IC absolutely matters. More specifically, the distance from the CG to the IC (height difference measured in a side view) is literally the “R” in the definition of torque. T = F x R

(Read “ F cross R”)

 

Controlling torque back to the chassis is about "force vectors". which just means the direction the force is applied. Our IC is imaginary force location not actual. The location of that force is the actual location the link is placed on the chassis. And it applies force in that direction at the location. But since you can get the same IC with several different link designs and since the IC is only a moment, its not doing anyone any favors by making the IC the focal point. And while having your IC in the same location as your CG sounds great and is, most of us are foolish enough to try and move our IC to our CG when we should be doing the opposite.

 

Understood on the vectors, that's basically what I am talking about. As the links are basically pin connected, they can't transmit torque through the joints, for modeling I would treat them as only being able to transmit force axially. As the IC is where the suspension pivots about in a 4 bar linkage (when viewed from the side) , the relationship between acceleration (whether it be throttle or braking) induced forces, the IC, and the CG, determine how the suspension will behave; if the acceleration vectors point directly at the IC then no moment would be created and acceleration forces shouldn't induce a moment and vise versa.

FWIW, I have no idea how much of a moment is desirable WRT antidive and antisquat. I am still trying to figure all that crap out and it makes my brain hurt.

I should also admit I have zero intention of linking my Taco for a very long time, it's my DD and the IFS / leaf combo works perfectly for that application. Right now I'm going through all of this debating on messing with the geometry on my heep which is currently on a Clayton 4link rear , 3 link front. I'm sure those guys did their homework but the low hanging links bug me; moving them might allow me to gain 3" of ground clearance and improve behavior.

 

*Homework*...... I wouldnt bet on it.

 

Good explanations and very deep.