Having 500 rwhp im just curious if you really need new springs or not for drag racing? Ive actually have some people tell me staying with the stock springs is fine and some tell me otherwise. So which is it for a drag application?

 

In a drag racing application - rear squat is good as it transfers weight on to the back wheels, so a softer spring rate will allow that transfer. Seeing as most aftermarket springs increase the spring rate (because we don't like our cars wallowing about like drunken vagabonds), I believe you'd be better off with the stock springs. Of course, if you want to lower the car then tough ****, Shirley.

The most beneficial upgrades for drag racing could include control arms and adjustable dampers to control the axle location and weight transfer. These would also cure wheel hop.

Basic drag strategy - keep the weight on the rears and wheels on the ground (axle hop BAD)

 

Ummm, I think it's the other way around as far as the squat motion is concerned. Rearward load transfer (aka "weight transfer") is due to acceleration and causes the squat to happen. Just how much squat you get depends on several other things, springs (and shocks) being only part of the story. You still have rearward load transfer even if there is zero squat, and also even if the rear end actually rises slightly. The relation between "weight transfer" and squat confuses LOTS of people.

Really, squat is not a particularly good thing for RWD cars because one of its side effects is to let the CG drop (or at least not rise as far as it could) and another is that the rear wheels are not getting planted as quickly as they could. The first limits how much acceleration you can have before the tires are simply overwhelmed by torque and the second hurts the effectiveness of your launch. Normally, those are not winning strategies . . .

I suspect that if drag racing is top priority that rear suspension geometry and rear shock tuning is worth more than playing around with springs. Not that you wouldn't, just that they're about 3rd in line of things to do.


Norm

 

Well, I got one thing right. What I do know, is that you don't want a spring strong enough to pitch the car forward after a rear weight shift - so basically an ideal balance spring rates around the car or dampers capable of controlling the shift.

Another idea is to move the battery to the trunk - this will effectively move the center of gravity of the vehicle farther back.

 

In a drag car you don't want it to squat more than 1" in the rear, the factory mustang springs work ok for a drag application, a good set of adjustable shocks will help out more.

 

Okay ill order some shocks then! thanks for all the help.