anti-dive?

when building a round tube chassis with struts, do I need to build it with some anti-dive built in with the control arms? or is that only for the mustang 2 style front? Thanks Jason

anti what

I guess I answered my own question with some internet research. anti-dive....the angle of the upper control arm, usually measured in degrees, the front of the arm is mounted a little higher than the rear of the control arm.

yep,5-10* i think it is.and also 5*for the a-frame at ride hite.

cool40, I have decided to go with struts in the front

you'll be glad you did,IMO,i havent ran mine yet but i like them already.

so, are your lower arms parallel with the ground?

no,5* on them with the car at ride hite.the info i got from strange with the struts said so.take a look at s&w's website and look at thier instructions,you'll find what your looken for.

While braking anti-dive geometry is usually easier to figure/show/generate with an A-arm/spindle front suspension (because you have both upper & lower control arms that together can create a more aggressive lift point). But strut suspensions can also have this geometry too with just a lower control arm. The strut setup just can't generate quite as much anti-dive as an A-arm/spindle setup is capable of.

Worrying about anti-dive on a full chassis strut drag car usually isn't at the top of the list because (A) they usually don't have much front suspension travel (B) they usually have the short aftermarket struts & (C) they usually have a decent amount of positive caster (in the 8* to 10* range).

For a strip only full chassis car with limited front suspension travel, usually putting the struts at 10* positive caster & the lower control arm chassis pivot points at/around level with the ground will usually get you enough anti-dive to where the front spoiler won't slam the ground every time you hit the brakes.

If you go beyond having the strut's control arm pivot points "level" with the ground (raise the rear or lower the front pivot point), you will increase the anti-dive even more. But there is a limit how far you can go because the more you raise the rear pivot point (or lower the front) the more positive caster you will actually loose as the strut extends down throughout it's travel.

Thanks Dave, I am asking questions, because I an about ready to start my obortion... I mean the fairlane.

Buy the Jerry Bickel Book.............worth its weight in gold.

I have built several cars with this book by my side.

You will always be able to answer everyones questions like you are the pro!!!!

Adrian