Author Topic: front end is two high  (Read 1236 times)

Offline Dgoode87

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front end is two high
« on: June 27, 2016 - 08:36:43 AM »
hello everybody

I just installed new rims n tires. and now the front end looks like its a truck and sits higher than the back i was wondering if the hotchkis tvs lowers the car much or am i looking for something else i was planning on buying the tvs kit.

So should i wait till i get the hotchkis tvs or will that not solve my problem?




Offline dfrazz

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Re: front end is two high
« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2016 - 09:00:22 AM »
The Hotchkis TVS only lowers the rear due to the springs.  To lower your front, adjust your torsion bars.

Offline mopar70maniac

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Re: front end is two high
« Reply #2 on: June 27, 2016 - 02:16:56 PM »
 it seems as though the factory stock ride height on our e bodies is slightly higher in the front... that's why I just installed 2" drop spindles on mine to gain some attitude! :working:

Offline gyman98

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Re: front end is two high
« Reply #3 on: June 27, 2016 - 03:05:36 PM »
Seems like the only logical solution here is a crate Hemi to weigh down the front end
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Offline anlauto

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Re: front end is two high
« Reply #4 on: June 27, 2016 - 03:08:02 PM »
Adjust the torsion bars :2thumbs:
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Offline dave73chally

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Re: front end is two high
« Reply #5 on: June 27, 2016 - 03:24:24 PM »
If you want the performance benefits then go with the hotchkis tvs kit, just know they don't come with their torsion bars so you'll have to buy those as well if desired. If you just want ride height, crank down the torsion bars and save yourself 3k...
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Offline YellowThumper

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Re: front end is two high
« Reply #6 on: June 30, 2016 - 11:50:05 AM »
And use the 3k you saved to start funding for the Hemi.
Oh and you can readjust the torsion bars back up...
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Offline dougs bs23

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Re: front end is two high
« Reply #7 on: June 30, 2016 - 12:32:47 PM »
But dont forget to take the weight off the front end before adjusting the t bars or bad things could happen


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Offline 72bluNblu

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Re: front end is two high
« Reply #8 on: June 30, 2016 - 02:13:02 PM »
How much do you want to lower the front end? What size torsion bars do you have?

Ride height is directly related to the amount of suspension travel you have, and the amount of suspension travel you need is directly related to the size of the torsion bars.

If you want to lower the car less than 1", you can probably get away with just using the torsion bar adjusters even if you have stock torsion bars. How close to 1" you can get will depend on your engine/torsion bar combination.

If you want to lower the car more than 1", you need more parts. Either larger torsion bars, or drop spindles. But what you want is larger torsion bars. The problem is that if you lower the ride height more than about 1" you won't have enough available suspension travel to match the wheel rate of the stock torsion bars, and you'll end up bottoming the suspension out on the bump stops quite frequently. Which makes for a lousy ride, and lousy handling. If you increase the size of the torsion bars, you increase the wheel rate, and as a result you need less suspension travel. So, you can lower the car and not bottom the suspension out all the time. The more you want to lower the car, the larger the torsion bar you need to stay off the bump stops. The other way to do this is to get drop spindles. But, it's not the best way. The only drop spindles out there right now lower the car 2". That means that you keep the geometry of the UCA's and LCA's the same, but lower the car 2". That does a few things compared to lowering the car with the torsion bar adjusters and larger bars. It keeps the roll center in the same place with respect to the center of gravity, and increases bump steer. A car lowered with the torsion bar adjusters and larger bars will lower the roll center with respect to the CG (better handling), actually decreases bump steer compared to the stock ride height, and improves the geometry of your camber curves.

So, IMO, drop spindles are just for "looking cool". You keep your undersized stock torsion bars, lower the car, and get almost none of the suspension geometry benefits of the lower ride. The CG is the only thing that improves, everything else stays the same or gets worse. That's if you lower 2". If you don't lower the car the full 2" while using 2" drop spindles, you actually raise the roll center with respect to the CG, and make the bump steer worse than stock. Not to mention you worsen your camber curves with suspension travel.

If you want to lower the car more than 1" and want your car to handle better, get a larger set of torsion bars. I run 1.12" bars and am lowered the same amount as when I was running 2" drop spindles. I rarely ever hit the bump stops (although I also run shorter bump stops, https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ens-9-9132g/overview/). With larger torsion bars you will want better shocks that are intended for higher wheel rates, Bilstein RCD's are good, Hotchkis Fox shocks are even better. The 1.12" torsion bars I run are great with Bilstein RCD's, the ride quality is similar to a modern performance car. So, stiffer than stock by a long ways, but not harsh. And if you're not planning on slamming the car on the ground for ride height, you could use smaller bars than that. 1.03" or 1.06" bars would be fine. I think Hotchkis' torsion bars are 1.1", and they're obviously intended to go with the TVS system. The TVS system doesn't include torsion bars, so, it wouldn't lower the car any in the front. It does include leaf springs, so it does lower the rear. Meaning, you need larger torsion bars if you go with the TVS, and they aren't included. Just FYI.

And regardless, if you lower the car you will need to at least check your alignment. More than likely it will need to be changed if you lower the car significantly, and you should use alignment specs for radial tires, not the factory specs which are for bias plys. Something like -.5* camber, +3* caster (or more if you can get it), and 1/16" to 1/8" toe in is a good place to start.
« Last Edit: June 30, 2016 - 02:19:17 PM by 72bluNblu »