Lower a-arm at ride height?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,105
Likes: 114
From: Lawrenceburg, KY
Lower a-arm at ride height?
For optimal handling, at what angle/inclination (parallel to the road, angled up towards the frame, etc.) should the lower a-arm sit on a 85 (if it matters) C4?
edit: I guess I should have explained that I'm retrofitting an 85 C4 front suspension into a 79 C3 frame, so I'm asking what the optimal lower a-arm angle is because I can weld the suspension in at whatever height gives me that angle (my ride height is set by the vehicle frame being blocked up at ride height).
edit: I guess I should have explained that I'm retrofitting an 85 C4 front suspension into a 79 C3 frame, so I'm asking what the optimal lower a-arm angle is because I can weld the suspension in at whatever height gives me that angle (my ride height is set by the vehicle frame being blocked up at ride height).
Last edited by ChrisLSx; Apr 23, 2021 at 11:41 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 6,119
Likes: 1,994
From: St. Charles MO
Yeah, I think the bigger issue is trying to get lower ride height for lower CG (reduces weight transfer in cornering), and balancing that against retaining adequate suspension travel in compression. Don't worry about the LCA angle. Lowering it no more than parallel to ground is a general rule of thumb, but if it dips a bit below that it won't ruin things. I wish I still had mine to tell you where mine sat, but I doubt it was below parallel to the ground, even though it was probably 2" lower than stock.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,105
Likes: 114
From: Lawrenceburg, KY
Yeah, I think the bigger issue is trying to get lower ride height for lower CG (reduces weight transfer in cornering), and balancing that against retaining adequate suspension travel in compression. Don't worry about the LCA angle. Lowering it no more than parallel to ground is a general rule of thumb, but if it dips a bit below that it won't ruin things. I wish I still had mine to tell you where mine sat, but I doubt it was below parallel to the ground, even though it was probably 2" lower than stock.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 6,119
Likes: 1,994
From: St. Charles MO
Ah, okay. Yeah, without having plugged in our suspension geometries into analyzing software, I'd say that parallel is a good target to shoot for.
