Need good Suspension book

[Strider]

I get the idea behind how suspension works but I want to lean more and I want to learn how to tune my suspension. That way I will be better informed when making suspension purchases. I also think that if I more fully understand why my car is doing such I thing I can deal with it better.....

[SmokingTires]

I get the idea behind how suspension works but I want to lean more and I want to learn how to tune my suspension. That way I will be better informed when making suspension purchases. I also think that if I more fully understand why my car is doing such I thing I can deal with it better.....


Just floor Pat Washburns E-mail with questions :lol:

I'm not really sure if there is a book specific to tuning your suspension for auto-cross. I'm guessing there is somewhere.

However tuning really depends on your money, driving preference and car. Are you tuning for a class, or just to get the most performance you can?

[jdlhonda]

I picked up How to Make your Car Handle and Secrets to Solo Driving(or something close to that) I've liked both book quite a bit. More of a generalization but, it teaches you.

I also picked up a Honda/Acura Performance book by Mike Anca he had some good advice in there if your a Honda guy.


Jason

[pinhead]

Doug,

Per Schroeder (from Grassroots Motorsports magazine) wrote an excellent book on VW's, it's probably ~10 years old by now, but I thought it was really good, and it had autocross specific information in it.

I don't remember the name, something like "Perforamnce VW" or something.

That'd be a good place to start.

Per's book is specific to VW, but there are other suspension tuning books out there that are more general. I think Carrol Smith wrote a famous one, for example, called "Tune to Win" or something.

[SmokingTires]

Doug,

Per Schroeder (from Grassroots Motorsports magazine) wrote an excellent book on VW's, it's probably ~10 years old by now, but I thought it was really good, and it had autocross specific information in it.

I don't remember the name, something like "Perforamnce VW" or something.

That'd be a good place to start.

Per's book is specific to VW, but there are other suspension tuning books out there that are more general. I think Carrol Smith wrote a famous one, for example, called "Tune to Win" or something.


Yeah, most of the good books out there are really old. "Secrets of Solo Racing" is probably the best book I have read that has helped me mentally se what I need to improve, and how to do so. And that book wa published in 1989! There is a section on modifying your car in the book. It should be what you are looking for, as far as general auto-cross tuning.

[weidnerpaul]

And that book wa published in 1989!

1989 is NOT OLD!!!!

It was just yesterday...

[jdlhonda]

Sure it was especially considering if your driving a FWD vehicle they have progressed greatly since then. And besides I was nine when the book came out. :D

I'd have to agree with smokingtiresV6 on helping Secrets of Solo Racing helping mentally, I go back a reread every couple of events to keep things fresh in mind when out on the course. It helps. Now if I can get the car to cooperate by not breaking I'd be in pretty good shape. The goal is always to nab one away from Neal or at least be the best of the rest.


Jason

[914 Dave]

Drive to Win by Carroll Smith is interesting, has a little on set up, Tune to Win is pretty deep on the suspension tuneing topic, but worth having also.

Performance handling by Don Alexander if a fav of mine, techinical enough to be interesting, but you don't need an engineering degree to make sense of it all.

I had another suspension tuneing book around here somewhere, but loaned it out. If I can get it back and get the title/author, I'll add that as well.

[ITSrotary]

I really like:

"Performance Handling" by Don Alexander

Little tougher read:

"How to Make Your Car Handle" by Fred Puhn.

"Race Car Engineering and Mechanics" by Paul Van Valkenberg

and the bible for the engineers among us:

"Race Car Vehicle Dynamics" by Milliken & Milliken

BTW, the VW book Roger mentioned is "VW Sport Tuning for Street and Competition"

Steve

[phile]

>"How to Make Your Car Handle" by Fred Puhn.

"I have a deal with Motorola. I don't make TV sets and they don't build race cars."
- Fred Puhn ("poon"), manufacturer of "Quasar" cars

[miata#37]

I really like:

"Performance Handling" by Don Alexander

BTW, the VW book Roger mentioned is "VW Sport Tuning for Street and Competition"



Don Alexander's book is an excellent primer on the basics of what you're trying to accomplish and a good back ground. Per's VW book is interesting background on the the performance parts sold for older VW's, but it is a poor substitute for a good suspension book. It contains very little on vehicle dynamics which is what you're really playing with when you start changing your tires and suspension. Some of the best resources for vehicle tuning can be found on the local autox course or the internet. Just becareful of the "Lemming Effect" when it comes to setups. Many people will tell you what the "hot" setup of the season is without ever really understanding what their car is doing. Try shopping at the SAE web site's book store for the absolute best info. (Info in book form, that is.)

I will own the Milliken book one day....

[SUV-ETR]

More focused question to the peanut gallery: Which of these books has the best information on tuning a strut suspension, and/or modelling suspension geometry? Carrol Smith's books are great, but they focus really heavily on "real" (i.e. open-wheel, CanAm, etc) race cars.


Per's VW book is interesting background on the the performance parts sold for older VW's, but it is a poor substitute for a good suspension book. It contains very little on vehicle dynamics which is what you're really playing with when you start changing your tires and suspension.

Agreed. I know Per personally, and I respect him a TON. It is a good book to have for many reasons, but besides what miata#37 says above (which is simply due to the fact that the book never intended to go that far), there is also some information in that book that IMHO is not *quite* correct. And there's a LOT of information about autocross suspension tuning in particular that isn't necessarily INcorrect, but it is definitely no longer the "hot" setup for serious competitors. The book was written a good while ago now, and VW autocross setups have done a 180-degree turn from what was the "hot" setup in those days.

I need to get the Milliken book. I keep hearing good things about it.

I highly recommend the "XXX to Win" series from Carrol Smith. Prepare to Win and Tune to Win are both great, but like I said, sometimes you have to weed through a lot of information about "real" race cars to find the stuff that you can actually apply to something that still has fenders.

Neal

[celica_jedi]

anybody know someone qualified enough to write a book on said topic?