Why does the vette swing to the right..
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 117
Likes: 0
From: winnipeg manitoba
Re: Why does the vette swing to the right.. (BB wowbagger)
It's because of the direction of engine rotation, if you ever look at a prepared NHRA stocker esspecially a GM intermediate (Chevelle, GTO, etc) you'll see that the car doesn't sit level, the right rear will be higher as a result of a stiffer/longer spring or air bag ( the air bag works best) and the car will level out at the hit of the throttle planting both wheels evenly and accelerating forward in a straight line. On a stock vehicle the engine torque combined with rotation plant the right rear and lift the left rear, the wheel getting more traction drives the car ahead, and since it's the right rear it moves in that arc, if the engine rotated the other way the left would swing out.
Ken :cheers:
Ken :cheers:
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 16,483
Likes: 1
From: The Only Corvette in Gila Bend, Az.
St. Jude Donor '09
Re: Why does the vette swing to the right.. (ken markusa)
All roads lean to the right for drainage. for the lane your in...
I did a burnout at the drag strip friday night. and I went to the left.
But that's just my opnion....and I could be wrong.
I did a burnout at the drag strip friday night. and I went to the left.
But that's just my opnion....and I could be wrong.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 2,581
Likes: 14
From: Tolar Texas
Re: Why does the vette swing to the right.. (BB wowbagger)
Mis-alignment of the wheels can contribute to this problem.
A friend who had owned a '66 Vette many years ago said that it would swap ends in a heartbeat if you stomped the gas from a standstill.
A four wheel alignment cured it.
A friend who had owned a '66 Vette many years ago said that it would swap ends in a heartbeat if you stomped the gas from a standstill.
A four wheel alignment cured it.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,228
Likes: 6
From: lancaster ma
Re: Why does the vette swing to the right.. (BB wowbagger)
Alignment would probably be the first thing to check. My drivers rear wheel was toed out and it affected handling on acceleration as well as braking.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 3,728
Likes: 1
From: Maple
Re: Why does the vette swing to the right.. (adamdinat)
if you mean the body points a different direction then i would say some shims fell out of the rear...my car was doing this to the left and that was the problem...
[Modified by 1bad69, 5:47 PM 4/13/2003]
[Modified by 1bad69, 5:47 PM 4/13/2003]
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 4,004
Likes: 2
From: Severna Park Md
Re: Why does the vette swing to the right.. (BB wowbagger)
Like DesertDawg says, when both back tires are spinning good, the rear of the car will fall down the direction of the crown in the road. In order for it to be totally straight the road must be level. The airbags on one side of some cars are to compensate for axel tq. With the driveshaft spinning hard in one direction, the whole rear axel will want to rotate the other direction. I dont mean axel wrap either. Thats when the pinion moves upward under hard load. I mean rotate like hands on a clock. This plants more weight on the left rear tire. The air bag on one side is an attempt to keep the plant even on both rear tires. Same reason you see the left front tire lift up first when a car does a wheelstand. its cause the axel is rotating hard in the reverse direction of the driveshaft which pushes the left rear tire down harder the the right and lifts the body up on the left side first. so they put an air bad on the right side only to try and keep the right side of body from stuffing down as the left is lifted up. On vettes this is largely a non-issue since the IRS has the pumpkin mounted directly to the frame. You still get a slight lift on the left front from motor tq but its far less evident than on a solid axel car like a Chevelle.
