Re: Strut brace and body roll (was Spring/Shock Combo's)

[Huw Powell <human@nh.ultranet.com>]

> Did you change anything else when you installed the strut brace, Huw?

Nothing.  It was a simple bolt on job so there was no temptation to
change anything else.

> By stiffening the front end the car is likely to respond quicker to steering
> inputs and subjectively it may "feel" like flatter cornerring, but I bet the
> actual roll for a given lateral acceleration is virtually the same (unless you
> changed springs/swaybars at the same time).

Bet it isn't.  This was a radical change.  Although to be fair, I have
no measurements so this is just anecdotal and I may be totally wrong.

> Yes, you have a clue :)  The small movement of the strut towers translates in
> small changes in the suspension geometry.  The towers may move in at the top, or
> they may move out, or one may want to go up and the other may want to go down.
> Minimizing these deflections gives you a stiffer, more responsive, perhaps less
> understeering chassis.  But let's  be realistic.  How much can these strut
> towers really move? 0.1"? (educated guess) 

Feels like more... but again, no meaurements.

> That translates into about 0.1
> degrees of body roll.  Compared to the 5-7 degrees (or more) or body roll due to
> how much the suspension compresses on one side and extends in the other, that's
> negligible.  Even the best track suspensions will roll 2-3 degrees.
> 
> > Love to hear how close I am from someone who actually knows about this
> > stuff.
> 
> I would also like to hear from someone who really know this tuff, as I am not a
> chassis expert either ;)

We wait with bated breath...

-- 
Huw Powell

http://www.thebook.com/human-speakers/audi-main.htm