AGX Settings??

[livestrong14]

Hey guys, I am getting a whole free set of AGX's for my 91' SS next week from the P-Tech center. I was wondering how people had them adjusted. Aren't they 8 way adjustable up front and 4 way out back? What would you suggest I set them to for auto-x? What about drag racing? Thanks guys

-Devan

[555BCTurbo]

Other way...4 way up front and 8 in back...


You will just have to play around with them and see what you like...but the general rules of thumb are...

Hard for best handling (like autox) and soft for dragrace (for good launch)

[Adam West]

I'm running them at 3 up front (hard) 4 in the back (I think)....

In the spring and strut sticky there are some figures about how many times each click is over stock struts...

Check it out. And awesome deal for you!

[bmxkelowna]

i ran 2F 8R all the time, autox and road
stock sway bars so the stiff rear help to get the tail out a hair around the cones

[Adam West]

I was doing the same setting but to get the tail out and cure understeer I went opposit with setting the front hard and rear soft.

But I have upgraded swaybars - 22 front, 24 rear, hard endlinks, polly bushings, ALK and aggressive alignment - so I've eliminated body roll. Car's lower an 1" (which is actualy BAD, BAD, BAD, don't do this...ha,ha!)

The rational: Carve the first part of the turn and swing the back around on the second part.

Someone at the track suggested I do this when I was getting lots of understeer. Seemed to do the trick.

This is why people run no rear sway bar in the rear, sloppy rear kicks out.

But if you have sticky tires you'll have to work really hard to kick the tail out, probably overdriving the car. Our cars want to understeer when they lose grip. Plow...

I might have this all wrong tho...Track lapping tho, not tight autoX.

Cheers,
AW

[livestrong14]

Thanks Nick and Adam! I'm really looking forward to this next years auto-x season. I should get these struts in by next week, two weeks at the latest. Then I am going to get those free tires this spring. Still can't decide on 205-55's or 225-50's. We'll have to see how much clearance I have after I install the ground-control springs.

[All_talk]

I’m not arguing against Adam’s particular set up or results. But in general chassis tuning rules, you soften up the end you want to grip and stiffen up end you want to slide, springs, struts and sways.

Gary

[livestrong14]

Thanks for all the tips so far guys! Keep em coming. I've learned more about suspension these last few weeks than ever before!

So far my plans are to have the following parts installed by this spring:

AGX struts all the way around (on their way)
Ground Control Coilover Springs
RCE Camber plates
Whiteline 20-22 mm adj. front and rear sways (awaiting installation)
Whiteline ALK
Custom made fender braces, H-brace, and rear strut brace (all aluminum)
BFG G-forces (on their way)

[555BCTurbo]

Go with the 205 tires...rolling fenders reduces their rigity greatly, to the point that if you lean on it it will dent...

[beatersubi]

Where do you get all this free stuff?

[Adam West]

You could run 215's if you can find them...

<<<<RCE Camber plates>>>>

Where are you getting these?

[livestrong14]

Through a program at my P-tech center. It is called the youth workforce investment act. I get $500 for parts, $250 for work clothes, $300 for having a 3.5+ GPA, and all of my tools needed when I get my apprenticeship at Larry Miller Subaru.

[Adam West]

What vendor has the best deal on those plates? Those are the design that hangs below, giving you more travel?

[livestrong14]

Racecomp engineering is the company that offers them. Jamal knows more about them than I do. I have exchanged many e-mails with Myles, the owner of RCE, he is a very cool dude.

[Adam West]

Ah, you order direct from mfgr...Good stuff. Sounds like the best deal.

So, you're going to become a full tech? ASE? I thought you already were a mechanic in the making. Doesn't your family own a repair shop? I thought that's what you said when we met at the WCSS? Good on you for doing it right.

[555BCTurbo]

Are you going to do the Subie tech thing for a career, or just do the apprenticeship for fun?

[BXSS]

For a fairly smooth ride on the street (NYC roads are terrible) I do 1-F & 4-R, which gives a fairly neutral feel.

For handling on our bad NYC roads I do 2-F & 5-R, with this change there is noticably quicker turn in & there is some lift throttle ass-sliding in the wet.

I'm pretty sure a stiffer setting will work even better on very smooth roads, but we do not have those here so I can't be certain.

I'm not too sure about going soft for drags on a awd car, as weight transfer from the front to the rear may cause more front-wheelspin than a stiff/ mid-stiff rear setting.
The wheelspin may actually help times a bit, but you'd really have to experiment with settings & 1/4 times to figure out what works best.

If this was RWD, I'd say definately go for a soft setting all around for weight tranfer.
If it were FWD I'd say definately say go for a stiff rear setting to prevent weight transfer.

[jamal]

That is not how it works.

The AMOUNT of weight transfer is dependent on a few things such as tires/grip, weight, center of gravity height, track width/length, and acceleration. It has nothing to do with the shock/spring/swaybar stiffness. You can't "prevent" weight transfer. If an acceleration occurs weight is transferred.

The RATE of weight transfer and the DISTRIBUTION of weight transfer do depend on the shock/spring/swaybar. Stiffer suspension transfers weight more quickly. That's why with stiff suspension you get a more responsive car.

To change the front and rear distribution of weight transfer, you play with spring rates and swaybars. For example, if you had no rear roll stiffness in the rear and all the roll was resisted by the front, in a corner all of the transferred weight would go to the outside front tire.


As far as drag racing goes, I've heard a touch softer is good. I don't know a whole lot about shock adjustment, though. Here are some links on the subject:

http://www.se-r.net/suspension/shock_tech.html
http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets6.html

Damnit I had some other good ones but lost all my bookmarks last week.

[livestrong14]

Ah, you order direct from mfgr...Good stuff. Sounds like the best deal.

So, you're going to become a full tech? ASE? I thought you already were a mechanic in the making. Doesn't your family own a repair shop? I thought that's what you said when we met at the WCSS? Good on you for doing it right.

Yeah, my dad owns a subaru shop in NW Portland. I will be getting my full ASE certification if I take SkillsUSA my senior year. That way I will have a job to do while I'm in college. I plan on majoring in journalism and minoring in business.

[AWD_addict]

I like 2-front and 5-rear for daily use. Try driving a twisty road, then changing settings and driving it again. The difference between full soft and full hard settings is quite apparent.

I’m not arguing against Adam’s particular set up or results. But in general chassis tuning rules, you soften up the end you want to grip and stiffen up end you want to slide, springs, struts and sways.

Gary

Indeed.

[BXSS]

If weight transfer has nothing to do with your struts, why do car with worns struts nose-drive under braking?

[jamal]

When you slam on the brakes, weight transfers forward. If you have super soft blown out suspension, it's going to compress a lot more than stiff stuff. It doesn't change the amount of weight transfer.

[smh0101]

hmmm... Sounds like an interesting setup...

So how is everything runnin Devan?

[BB]

3F / maxed stiff rear (10?) in all conditions.