Ground Control - Suspension

Hello and welcome to the suspension discussion of our blog, so lets jump in. In todays technological vehicles the suspension system is a vital part in getting the power to the ground. Or, if you would rather ride in comfort there are plenty of air bag options to smooth out that rough ride.

With todays technology the options for suspension upgrades are limitless. If your looking to get the power to the ground here are some options to consider. Coil over shocks are a great upgrade for any old school ride, not only will the vehicles not bounce everywhere but it will help stabilize the car for better handling and control. A bigger sway bar will also help with traction control, keeping the car from twisting and swaying in the turns or off the line. A four link in the rear end keeps the rear end from twisting and will help with keeping the power to the ground.

If comfort is more your style, air bags are the way to go. There fairly easy to install and give your vehicle the smooth but not bumpy ride your looking for and are great for long road trips. When it comes to improving your vehicle's performance, shock absorbers are probably one of the last things you consider. However, shock absorbers as an integral part of your vehicle's suspension, work to maximize the ability of your tires to perform.
The springs in your suspension hold up the weight of your vehicle and help resist pitch to the front and rear, and (in conjunction with the vehicle's sway bars) resist lean to the side. Your shock absorbers are the primary suspension components that actually help "absorb shock" preventing continued bounce every time you accelerate, stop, corner or hit a bump. Shock absorbers are designed to slow and reduce these movements to help control the weight of the vehicle during transitions and allow your tires to perform better as they accept your input.

When shock absorbers wear (often very slowly over tens of thousands of miles, making the deterioration less noticeable), their resistance to movement weakens, your vehicle's handling suffers, and tires and suspension components wear abnormally. New shock absorbers can restore the performance that has been surrendered by weak shock absorbers on used cars. Even new cars can improve their performance by upgrading their shock absorbers.

Shock absorbers work by converting suspension movement (kinetic energy) into heat (thermal energy). Fluid in a telescopic shock absorber is forced to pass through restrictive valves as the shock's piston is compressed (bump stroke) and extended (rebound stroke). Many shock absorbers are gas-filled to reduce foaming as their piston is forced through the fluid, and have a "floating" piston to separate the fluid from the gas. This helps eliminate performance fade to maintain good ride and handling characteristics, even in demanding driving conditions.

BEFORE

AFTER [LOWERED]

Most "heavy-duty" shock absorbers, by means of larger diameter rods and pistons, better seals and valves, more fluid, and stronger mounting points, are stronger and better suited to the demands of hard driving, than are Original Equipment shocks. Some performance shock absorbers are adjustable allowing the driver to tune the behavior of the vehicle to meet their preferences for ride comfort and handling balance. This feature also allows the driver to adjust the shock absorber's dampening to compensate for the wear that occurs over tens of thousands of miles.

Stopping Power - Brakes

Brake system upgrades are a popular performance enhancement. Whether it's to improve the appearance of your vehicle after installing open-spoke wheels to improve stopping ability on the track or to shorten stopping distance for safety's sake, many brake upgrades result in a larger brake system rotor or caliper, or both. While looking good and filling out the space behind the spokes of your wheels, these larger brake system components

In this article, we'll examine the ins and outs of brake upgrades. We'll look at why you'd want a brake upgrade, some of the parts typically replaced in a brake upgrade and the types of upgrades possible.

The politically correct reason for wanting to upgrade your brakes is improved performance. Higher-quality brake parts can last longer, decrease stopping distance, perform better under extreme conditions and, as a result, improve your vehicle's safety. Of course, if you're trying to show off (without really looking like you're trying), nothing says performance more subtly than a set of big, vented rotors peeking out from behind custom rims.  

 

pose a challenge to the wheel fitment. Original Equipment wheels installed at the factory were not designed with larger brake components in mind, and rarely allow sufficient clearance in diameter and behind the spokes for a performance brake upgrade. The increased diameter of the brake rotor will often dictate using larger diameter wheels, sometimes as much as 2-3" larger. Because the caliper is often changed as part of the upgrade, consideration must be given to the size and shape of the new caliper, which will encroach on the space directly behind the spokes or face of the wheel. The combined shape of the new rotor and caliper create a profile, which must be measured and compared to the space behind the wheel to determine if sufficient clearance exists. But it's important to remember that larger wheel diameter alone does not assure clearance around the brake components. It's the combination of diameter and profile, or shape of the wheel itself, that determine how much room is available for larger brake components.

In addition to brake upgrades sold as aftermarket components, a number of vehicle manufacturers offer special edition vehicles that come with larger, upgraded brake systems right from the factory. 

The objective of Autocross/Track pads is to provide extreme stopping power and withstand high levels of heat to resist brake fade, even after repetitive high-speed stops. Because of their unique formulations, these pads usually need to be warmed above ambient temperature before they're able to provide their maximum level of stopping power. While fine for high-speed track events, lapping days or wheel-to-wheel competition, these pads may cool off too much between stops on the street and possibly provide less initial stopping power than O.E. brake pads. With the increase in ultimate stopping power can also come a significant increase in required pedal pressure, pad and rotor wear, noise and brake dust – none of which are desirable during every day driving.

Built For Speed Or For Comfort? Part II

Hey Everyone and welcome to the second part of built for speed or for comfort? In this blog we are discussing performance modifications. So lets jump in.

After the proper diagnostics have been performed on the engine to make sure its in good condition or if it needs to be rebuilt we can get into these mods. Lets start with machining the block. Here are a couple of things you can do:

1. Boring out the cylinders will increase volume within the cylinders which means more air/fuel mixture resulting in more power. The over boring sizes range from .010-.060 over (caution .060 is the biggest you want to go because the cylinder wall will be to thin and cooling issues will occur).
2. Decking the block lowers the surface where the heads meet the block. This is done at very small increments, by thousands of an inch. This will increase the compression ratio and better atomization within the chamber.
3. Boring out the intake and exhaust ports will increase air flow, which will increase power.

Now that the block is clean and machined lets talk about internal parts. To  make sure your parts are going to be strong and durable look into a forge crankshaft and rods. They are an increased cost, but are an optimal choice for the long run. Aluminum pistons are a valuable feature; they are light weight and durable.  When purchasing the new pistons ensure you get the correct piston rings with the corresponding over boring size.

Next on the list would be the heads. They do have heads that can be ordered, from performance parts stores like Summit, with all the attached bells and whistles . Another option is to get the heads machined with over sized valves, this will allow more air flow and increased power. To increase valvetrain efficientcy, roller rockers are a good investment. Believe it or not there is a lot of power that is lost in the valvetrain and roller rockers will deduce friction.

In conjunction, with improving the heads, getting the exhaust redone with help the engine breath and overall performance. Headers are an easy modification to increase horsepower and torque that any weekend mechanic can do can. Although some people like to designing their own exhaust systems there are some companies like heartthrob exhaust that make easy bolt in systems for a descent price.

That will conclude todays brief overview regarding options that can take your car to the next level of performance. See you next time.

Built For Speed Or For Comfort? Part I

    Good day everyone and welcome to the second blog of Weekend Mechanics. Today's topic: engines. Now when it comes to engines, the first question is bound to be, "Is the engine built for comfort, or for speed?

    Initially, when asking yourself this question about your engine, you need to consider whether or not you want to rebuild the entire engine block, or add performance to your existing engine. If you are looking to build upon your existing block let's first go through some check points to find out if the engine is in good operating condition. If you are looking to rebuild the engine completely that will be covered in part two.

    First, you must always check the oil; Pull the dip stick and observe closely the condition of your oil.

• If oil is black the engine was neglected and could possibly have further damage.
• If oil smells burnt: improper lubrication can be the cause, with the rod or the main bearings.
• If the oil smells like fuel, this could indicate worn piston rings or cylinder wall.

    Next, drain the oil and look for any metal shavings (a small amount is normal) but if the oil sparkles, then excessive wear and tear is the cause and the engine would need to be rebuilt. Fill the engine up with oil.

The next step is to pull a spark plug and check its conditions:

• Burnt (black)- improper burning, burnt exhaust valve, fuel ratio is too rich.
• Porcelain cracked-   pre-ignition or detonation
• White- coolant leak inside cylinder

    After you have pulled and checked all the plugs, this would be a good time to do a compression test. If you do not have a compression tester, you can rent or buy one from your local motor parts store. In order to do a compression test, you need to find out what the compression ratio is for your specific vehicle; it can be found in the repair manual which should be located in your vehicle's glove box.

     To perform a compression test:

Pull the ignition wire going from the coil to the distributor cap to prevent spark through the wires.

Thread the tester into the spark plug hole and crank over the engine let it crank over 4 times.

Watch the needle and record the reading do this three times for each cylinder. The compression for all the cylinders should be around the same with only a 10% difference between the lowest and the highest recording. This indicates:

• Proper sealing of the piston rings
• Intake and exhaust valves are working and seating properly
• The head gasket is in good condition

    Another required test is a vacuum test. A vacuum gauge which can be found at your local parts store is needed. After you have put the spark plugs back in and replaced any that are damaged hook up the vacuum gauge by simply attaching it to an existing port located on the intake manifold or at the base of the carburetor. Start the engine and watch the gauge. Here are some reading to help with figuring out what your looking at:

   Now that the basic engine tests have been performed you can determine whether or not it might be easier to rebuilt or to add performance to your existing engine. In part 2 the discussion of those performance parts and the building of the engine will occur.