Leaf Spring vs. Coil Spring Cars

[Outlaw #03]

Is there an advantage to running a Leaf spring car (Nova, Camaro) vs. a Coil spring car (Metric Monte etc.)? I know a Leaf spring car is more forgiving and is suppose to be easier to set up. Aside from that, is a well set up Leaf Spring car superior to a well setup Coil spring car??

[lcpyltx8]

what i've learned around THR is that a coil car was always loose loose loose, unless it has a panhard bar. when a bar is installed on the rear end it allows you to tighten it up. we run a camaro and has always been "easy" but have worked closely with a metric chassis and thats what they've done it.

[badsonic]

Coil cars love a big bar set up in the front, if you can run a rear even better. trust me there is a lot more tricks and secrets when you can mess with rear control arms.Its easier when you have 4 or 3 link setups.

[poorboy]

The biggest problems with a metric car is the front end geometry, rear upper links, and it is too narrow. Most of the tracks allow 3 link suspension in the rear but that is not enough to make these cars even with a camaro. It sure does help though.

[hray]

Nick is probably the better one to chime in on this, but we've run both. The leaf spring is less adjustable and there are fewer spring rates available, but there is less chance of binding and no panhard bar required. There is one big advantage to leaf springs. As you accelerate the leaves bow from torque and add a substantial amount of pinion angle which translates to forward bite. Dirt cars really benefit from this on dry slick, but asphalt cars can usually use forward bite too. 3 links are simple and have good adjustability for all asphalt requirements. They lack of rear steer and side bite that the 4 link and Z link set ups give, so most dirt cars have gone that direction where rules allow. The 3 link must run panhard bar and most 4 links also do unless it's a stock metric chassis like the sport mods.

If I was running asphalt I'd prabably go 3 link if the rules allowed. On dirt I'd run a 4 link for the light cars like mods and LM's and a leaf spring for the bombers, pure stocks and super stocks. Just my preference based on the fast cars we have had.

[HiTech]

had both i like leaf . we get better forward bite .i can add a leaf or take out a leaf if need to .some classes wont let you buy after market leafs . and with leafs i can move the rear end backwords or forward or rear stear it if i have to .driver fill is important some drivers like one or the other ..few like both ..

[poorboy]

The 3 link is only one part of the car. The front geometry is so bad on the metric car that it takes alot of work to get these cars to turn in the middle at a tight track like CC, maybe not as big of a problem at SA or THR but I bet the width of a camaro is beneficial at those tracks.

[Guest bigfat]

Coil Spring Cars Are SUPERIOR.

[JohnnyT66]

i got to go with leaf sprung race cars.all tracks change from race to race.tire temps on the leafs are nearly always the same.on our metric cars we could change the rear some to tighten it up,but this was not needed on the leaf cars.also like the front geometry on the nova compared to the metric.there is something there to work with.frank t.

[kn1ghtblade]

LoL so moral of story is for coil cars to have extra sets of springs for adjustments??? LoL

 

By the way Big your car is looking sweet, I hope you have it ready for tomorrow night.....

 

Also I think bigs opponion on the springs comes from the fact that his car is coil suspension... As for my opponion I dont have one yet.. LoL ask me after next year when I have run my metric car finaly... LoL LoL

[ACE44]

It depends on what class and what surface you are racing on.If you run a hobby asphalt care ,the full size coil car is the best ,street stock the leaf cars work the best ie: camero and nova.The late models coils or coil overs are the only way to go , I think Heath Stewart had the last fast leaf limited late model,8-9 years ago. Now on dirt the metric chassis work the best . So with that said, what class are you going to race and what type of track will you race it on will determine wich chassis you would call superior.

[Waco Racer]

http://txsz.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=21&t=9161

[RockStan]

not nescacarilly there are still people that swear by leaf srung chassis there are even modified chassis builders that still offer them for dirt they work wonderfull for a one night big money show like as in posted before they just stay the same and there is an ease of adjustabilty you role up unload the car and 3/4 of the time it is fast and will stay that way all night long, as long as you hit it right, but basically it all comes down to what do you want to run it is all driver preffered and gary the last one i remember is Mark Chrudimsky's last llm it was bad fast with the leafs under it but he preffered the coils so it was converted over to coils and was still just as fast like i said it is all prefference

[hray]

there are even modified chassis builders that still offer them for dirt they work wonderfull for a one night big money show

There are some asphalt mod builders in some of the mid west series that are building leaf spring asphalt mods. Supposedly they are very competitive.

[REBELRACER]

you'd think by looking at the street stock and sportsman class that the leaf spring cars must be better......that seems to be all those classes are now.........camaros and novas, mostly camaros........

[poorboy]

I don't beleive the Camaros are dominant because of the leaf springs. I beleive they are dominant because of the front end geometry. Look at Late Models, Camaro clip with 3 link rear. How many Late Models are metric clip, there is a reason. If you put rear leaf springs on a metric car and left the front the same it still would not be as good as the Camaro.

[soaker]

Ran both and the leaf is easier but I feel once you get the coil there it is faster. Thats on a chevelle or malibu. Not a metric.

[Outlaw #03]

I'm running/ converting my Metric dirt to a Hobby Stock @ HMP and have noticed that most asphalt hobby / St stocks are novas and cameros and figured there was a reason. It looks like the poor front end geometry is the biggest problem with the metric cars just like on dirt. Thanks for all the suggestions and help.

[Truck99]

I'm running/ converting my Metric dirt to a Hobby Stock @ HMP and have noticed that most asphalt hobby / St stocks are novas and cameros and figured there was a reason. It looks like the poor front end geometry is the biggest problem with the metric cars just like on dirt. Thanks for all the suggestions and help.

If HMP allows the hobbies to convert the stock metric 4-link to a 3-link/panhard bar setup like the other tracks have done, you can get the metric close to the novas. Right now, Camaros are not allowed, but you may see that change next year. If you convert the car to the 3 link setup, start to focus on the front geometry. Like poorboy said, that's where most of the problem will lie once you have the better rear suspension setup (3-link.) The good thing is that there is a ton of information out there on how to legally correct some of the issues with the metric front end such as bump steer, camber curve, and roll center.

[JohnnyT66]

Knigtblade,if you cant change your rear springs in about five min.,practice.its one of the easiest things to do.we change them from heat to main ,depending on the track.frank t

[HiTech]

our car is a pinto and it is leaf .and it has alot of rear bite and does not push . off or in at kyle or sas cc alittle twichy out of four .but that is my camber i have set up on my left front for kyle .we ran coil for years and either one works good but coil always seem to be more touchy .from daylight to dark and track temp . jmo.