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Suspension Analyzer V2.4 for Windows User`s Manual

1. Full Vehicle Version with Data Logger Option Animate Data Logger Data The Suspension Analyzer can read ASCII files from data loggers recording engine RPM vehicle speed shock travel etc and display the actual suspension movement for detailed analysis This is done automatically with Performance Trends DataMite II data logger but can also be done with ASCII data from other data loggers Figure A 6 11 shows the Animation screen when displaying this data logger data To start the Animation process click on Animate at the top of the main screen If you have purchased the Full Vehicle with Data Logger Options version you will have a section called Read from File at the bottom of this screen Figure A 6 10 explains some of these features See section 2 7 on page 49 for more basic explanation of the Animate feature Figure A 6 10 Animate Menu of Options w Animate Inputs 3 Click here to choose what type of ASCII file you are going to be using Click here to type in the path and file name of the ASCII file from your data logger to be used Click on the Browse button to more easily search your computer for the file Choose Yes to have the Roll Axis roll moment arm and CG location drawn with the Animation You will still only see one suspension drawn either the Front or Rear Suspension Head from File Data Source Sees File Jewb98 orojects64suspan Brows Do Both Ends at Same Time si Hote This screen directs the
2. Help Type the name of a program Folder document or n Internet resource and Windows will open it For vou Open GA Programs Suspension Analyzer v2 4 Installer e gt te Log Mt Bevin Gertgen S Windows jhe Millennium Editi C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 1 Introduction Entering Registered Owner s Name The first time you run the Suspension Analyzer you will be asked to enter your name as the Registered Owner During this first session you can modify it until you are satisfied Once you accept the name the computer will generate a Registered Code based on the name To be eligible for Tech Help you will need both your registered name and code and to have sent in your registration card The name you enter should be very similar to the name you enter on the registration card Click on Help then About Suspension Analyzer at the Main Screen to review your name and code Unlocking Program Options The Suspension Analyzer is equipped with copy protection This ensures that legitimate users do not have to cover the costs for unauthorized distribution of the program When you first receive the program it is in demo mode In demo mode you can try either the Basic version or the full Vehicle version for ten days All features are working in demo mode Sometime during those 10 days you must call Performance Trends to obtain an Unlocking Figure 1 2 Menu to Unlock Program Options C
3. t report if you include the Starting From a Anti Dive pe Select what combination of Dive 0 GongTo hB suspension Roll 0 and Steer 0 as motions for tep Size io hich which usually happens Previews whicn you Secondary Type Rol F eS Pa for nel at want results Click on Reports and you Starting From 3 Conditions for Roll at reported 10 will obtain the Reports Going To ao eld Dive Ato menu shown in Figure i 8 Step Size 30 Columns of Data 4 18 From this menu you HoldDiveAt jo will pick what calculated results to display at what combinations of Dive Roll and Steer motion See Hake Report Help Cancel a Print Section 3 1 on Reports 21 Data Points for 13 Graph Lines ts the Maxinium possible rame Fiat hear how Figure 4 19 Typical Report from Settings in Figure 4 18 Click here or here to print this report Summary of current suspension Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends fCSAMPLE Bie Es Back Fr Report Types File Help F1 x Std Conds Camber Caster Toelm Track Rall Center Report Conditions 6 Comments Right 3 5 578 30 75 Ht 1 64 Hold Dive 000 Left 3 70 29 75 Right 17 51 Lt Aol 1 ARt Rol 1 Lt Rol 1 At Rol 1 Lt Rol 1 9 Rt Aoll 1 Lt Rol 1 Rt Roll 1 kai Rt Rall 1 000 O54 3 442 6 180 4 559 232 22 804 22 604 072 2000 037 054 3 442 6 180 4 559 5 292 22 804 22 804 ne D72 1000 O 031 054 3 442 6 180 4 559 5
4. C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples 10 Find the middle of the tire patches and mark that point of the axle line Using a carpenters scale or some other method mark a perpendicular line This will now be the centerline of the car Note that this centerline would not have to be exactly between the tire patches The Edit feature in Section 2 4 would let you recenter these measurements with one command 11 Now you can measure all the points from your marks on the drywall Depth measurements are made from the axle line Out measurements are made out from the centerline See Figures 4 8 and 4 9 Figure 4 9 Example of Measuring Some Particular Points Depth ahead of axle line are negative This point could be the This point front frame rnc 12 15 Out i mount Or Ne X right side frame e upper A Arm H 7 3 4 Depth Note that Y depth side SETE measurements upper A 143 8 out ahead of the Arm axle must be entered as a negative number with a minus sign in front of it Note that you can use fractions Simply type in the fractions and the program converts them to decimals Figure 4 10 Portion of Worksheet Filled Out Suspension Analyzer v1 1 Performance Trends C 2001 This Report Printed Blank Worksheet Your name company name can 1 15 pm 11 09 02 go here See Preferences Page 1 Location Type Lt Out WHO LtDpth Z Rt Out OQ Rt Rt Dpth Z Upper Ball Joint Input ZyY 20y
5. Static conditions shown when Dynamic is not checked ca Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends WCSAMPLE File Edit Graphs Reporte OtherSpecs Adust Optimize Ammate Preferences Help Calculated outputs are 100 Front View Side View Top View Ho View Dynamic Dejo E Fall 1 00 Stee 40 Standard Suspension movement on which the gain calculations are based This ts a view from the rear of car right side of screen is actually right side of car Gain based on 1 Dive Gain calculations and Roll Center are summarized here Toe ln Gain 01 Roll Center Ht 1 64 Roll Center Right 17 51 Toe ln Gain 03 Camber Gaim 1 27 Caster Gam 39 Caster Gain 78 Camber Gain 1 51 pusbenston Data Location ae State fkt Dynamie Lt Change _JF State Pt Dmamie Pt Charge al 0 00 5 38 Scrub Radius 5 03 Spindle Angle deg 10 38 Instant Center Height Output 1 75 20 12 Roll Center Height Output 1 64 Foll Center Right Output 17 51 571 2 41 4 Static calculated outputs shown in these identified with Output columns for Left and Right sides in this column Click and drag slide bar down to see different areas of the Suspension Data table C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples Dynamic Analysis at Main Screen If you click on the Dynamic check box shown if Figure 4 17 you can now direct the suspension to move through various amounts of Dive
6. When calculations are finished the program will present you with what it recommends for an adjustment and how much improvement was obtained You can then select whether you want to accept the suggestion or cancel If you accept the suggestion you should then check the results obtained by graphing the new Optimized suspension with the old suspension What the program has found to be optimum may look good to the program and fit the criteria minimum total bump steer but may not be what you expected Accepting an Optimized adjustment can change most all your measurements It 1s highly recommended you save your current Suspension File click on File then Save or Save As at the top left of the Main Screen before you make a Shim Adjustment 48 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 2 Animate The Animate feature lets you force the suspension through a series of movements similar to what it would do in actual racing or driving situations Click on Animate at the top of the Main Screen to be presented with the menu of Figure 2 34 You can select however many different motion sequences and motion types from 1 through 4 The animated motion always starts and ends at 0 Dive 0 Roll and 0 Steer Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Figure 2 34 Animate Menu w Animate Inputs First Motion Roll E nding Position Second Motion Dive Ending Position i Third Motion Steer E nding Position Chose the ty
7. e qomen v Draw Layout Standard Size Draw Layout Bigger Size Draw Layout Biggest Size gt v Side View Shows Both Left and Right Side a Y Side View Shows Left Side Only T Side view Shows Right Side Only Ao ai More View Options i E Close This Menu Toe In Gain 00 Camber Gain 1 20 Roll Center Ht 3 29 Caster Gain 05 Roll Center Left 8 30 Caster Gain 13 Toe In Gain 24 Camber Gain 1 58 Turn Radius None puspension Data Location _ ___fTupe___Fu ut Pike R Depng Muoweg _ Pr Height _I s Benin 2 _ 18 625 a 25 315 16 062 te 15 562 4 437 15 812 6 343 15 125 6 7 25 0 6625 6 125 437 5 875 23 20 75 5 875 20 937 4 25 5 487 4 562 5 406 8 454 4 625 Lower Frame Pivot Rear in i 6 Tie Rod on Rack in Tie Rod on Spindle in Spring Mount on Frame 6 611 7 97 1 59375 125 1 59375 125 1 312 24 5 7 5 24 5 7 5 5 5 Spring Mount on Lower Arm in Upper Sensor Mount in Lower Sensor Mount in Roll Bar on Arms in ee ee ee Mtn Ratio Spmg Shek ABar__ Qutput_ 4 Window Ww Inbox Out fam 2 Window 2 3 Interne f MainData t Bore Calcul Click on the View button for access to several commonly used Preference settings Note You can also change these settings in the Preferences menu Select to Draw Layout Biggest Size and the screen will be redrawn as shown below Front Suspension Rear Suspen
8. measurements if you change wheel offsets tire widths etc and you want to keep the car s centerline exactly centered between the 2 tire patches Then select the Direction you want to move the selected points Then enter the distance you want to move the selected points Then Click on the Move Points button to perform the Move 4 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions When you Edit points you simply move measurements This could mean that the lengths of links could change physically impossible unless you change or modify parts If you want to simulate moving selected points around but keep all lengths the same use the Adjust feature See Figure 2 26 below and Section 2 5 Adjust Feature Figure 2 26 Difference Between Moving Points and Adjusting Points Starting Condition Move All Points Up 2 Adjust shim Upper Arm t Frame Pivots Up 2 ES Suspension Analyzer v1 0 Performance Trends Eas Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends File Edit Graphe Feports Other Specs Adjust Optimize File Edit Graphs Reports OtherSpecs Adjust Optimize File Edit Graphe Reporte Other Specs Adjust Optimize Front View Side View Top View Ho View Front View Side View Top View No View Front View Side View Top View Ho View l This is a view from the rear of car right This is a view from the rear of car right This is a view
9. Max Distance Back depth a Max Distance Forward ey coal 142 inch Help Cancel Print Increment 5 Y E Settings H Motions Suspension Analyzer to Obtain 3 Dive to 3 Aise Roll No change in Fall Obtain Keep Roll Center at 3 Ht Chapter 4 Examples Select what suspension dimensions you want to adjust Select the range of adjustments and in how fine a steps Select the range of suspension motion to be checked Dive and or Roll On Lett side choose what suspension p Adjust and the range of Adjustment to allo Aight side choose what suspension motion check and what you want to obtain p Select what outcome you want or what suspension characteristic you want the program to try to obtain Use Hew Settings EZ The program found a condition 742 better than your curent condition with Moved Fight 1 Moved Up Moved Back Do You want the Suspension to be modified to these new settings Note The program automatically shims both the front and rear frame mounts the same amount for each condition keeping caster fairly constant When done a message is given as shown in Figure 4 25 letting you decide to keep or reject the proposed change After doing both the left and right side and keeping the proposed changes we should check to see the effect The easiest way would be to compare the original suspension WCSample with the new optimized suspensi
10. New start new suspension Ctrl M iew Dynamic mo E Roll o E Stee E Open from all saved suspensions Ctr ar right side of screen ts actually right side of car Save Ctri 5 Gain based on 1 Dive Save As Ctrl a Open from Floppy Drive amp 4 Drive Save to Floppy Drive 4 4 Drive Click on File then Print Main Screen Save intermitently to ae ase save your work Indowe Printer Setup S electing Save Unlock Program Options instead of Save As Transter Program to Another Computer i saves the file to the Exit Program current file name of Jim s Busch Monte Toe ln Garn 02 Roll Center Ht 1 64 Roll Center Right 17 51 Toe ln Gan 02 Camber Gain 1 27 Caster Gain 39 Caster Gain 78 Camber Gain 1 51 Suspension Data Location Type Lt ut Lt Height Y LtDepth 2 Rt Out fx Rt Height tr FtDephe Lower Shock Mount 73 1088 6 7657 3 0129 22 8443 5 801 3 1795 19 6958 9 0886 3 7315 19 1717 8 9302 3 6274 a 6 67 7 97 Spring Angle from Front Output 11 07 14 64 42 650 Min Ratio Spmo Shck ABar Output 545 Doo E 29 75 Tire Circumference in Input clc 86 8 Tread width in Inout felel 11 The procedure shown here is just one of several methods to measure a suspension enter the data into the program and save the data as a suspension file Example 4 2 will show you how to analyze this suspension file Conclusions e The program allows you to print blank worksheets for recording measurem
11. W Micro A Sus ERS 10 15 PM C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Ending Position Enter the last position you want for the motion specified above In Figure 2 34 the Animation will start at O Roll and finish at 2 degrees of Roll at the end of the first segment Steer and Dive will both start segment at 0 and end segment at 0 no change Second Motion Select the type of motion for the second segment either Dive Roll or Steer Note that if you do not choose a motion here the Animation will consist of only 1 segment Ending Position Enter the last position you want for the motion specified above In Figure 2 34 the Animation will start at O Roll and finish at 2 degrees of Roll at the end of the first segment and at 1 inch of Dive at the end of segment 2 Steer will start segment 1 and 2 at 0 and end segment 2 at 0 no change Third Motion Select the type of motion for the third segment either Dive Roll or Steer Note that if you do not choose a motion here the Animation will consist of only 2 segments Ending Position Enter the last position you want for the motion specified above In Figure 2 34 the Animation will start at O Roll and finish at 2 degrees of Roll at the end of the first segment and at 1 inch of Dive at the end of segment 2 and at 1 4 inches of steer at the end of segment 3 Fourth Motion Select the type of motion for the fourth segment either Dive
12. box Program will create a typical Watts Link as shown ia From here you may want Use Calc Value Help Cancel Print to fine tune the inputs some more Symetic Chassis Lt same as Atl iyo A Suspension Analyzer v2 4 Performance Trends watts pivot on frame File Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences Help 4 Link Front View Side View Top View No View Dynamic e i L E This iz a view from the front of car right side of screen is actually left side of car Gain based on 1 Dive All 3 rows of Watts Link inputs i Lj have been filled and a workable Watts Link has been d i drawn h The Watts Link Wizard is the O pooo o fastest way to avoid errors T TT A E from a combination of binding T measurements This can j 1 occur when you have switched from a panhard bar to a Watts Link or made some Toen Gain 01 Roll Center Ht 12 50 Turn Radius None oll Center Right 00 To4 other significant change in the Ant Sguat Static 6 42 Dyn 66 42 Anti Sqguat Static 28 24 Vehicle Specs screen pusbension Data a E a a jjo 20 75 18 Z D neal 24 3 24 6 25 28 24 5 28 25 5 O01 25 5 O01 22 14 5 8 22 10 5 8 Watts Link Pivot Baron Frame _ InpuNele 0 14 5 8 10 5 5 watts Link Pivot Bar Pivot in Input AN0 12 5 8 0 12 5 Click on Input clc for any of the Watts Link rows and the Watts Link screen in the upper right corner will ap
13. As you specify the changes you want the Ride Heights are calculated and updated so you can see the effect However to accurately see Ride Height changes you must first enter accurate Ride Height locations in the Other Specs menu These locations show where you are measuring Ride Height how many inches behind the axle a line connecting the left and right wheel centers and how far from the car s centerline See Section 2 3 Other Specs on how the Ride Height locations are entered The Jacking on Spring Adjustment option assumes you jack on the spring until the ride height on that side changes the amount you specify This Adjust screen does not tell you how many turns to make on the jacking screw to get this ride height change Note When you make a change on just side the program shows how much Ride Height changes on that side More than likely there is also a small change in ride height on the other side of the car Figure 2 30 Adjust Ride Height Menu iw Adjust Aide Height Ride Ht Change Left 2 359 Current Tire Circumference Rt 4 82 Current Tie Circumference Lt 4 82 How Are Tou Adjusting Ride Height Change Tire Circumference Which Side Lett Side Only New Tire Circumference Rt him New Tire Circumference Lt Hote Thiz screen shows the change in Ride Height measured from ground to some point on the frame by changing various suspension elements Where you measure ride height is specified in the Oth
14. Liy 2172 Upper Frame Pivot Front input S 772 3A 2I LS Aa Upper Frame Pivot Rear input S IF Lower Ball Joint npt Yig 5 if 3 Lower Frame Pivot Front Input 7S ld og Lower Frame Pivot Rear npt ZZY 7 45 JZ Ve Tie Rod on Rack Input Z a S S Dy Tie Rod on Spindle npt 229 FX 76 9 Steering Swivel Axis Upper Input cic C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples Figure 4 11 The New Suspension Screen with Tip Entering E saa REE M eas u re m e nts i nto Front View Stte cart New Suspension Cancel don t start new suspension Help o JE This File Name fortlew Folder Name for Add Suspension New Suspension pP rog ram JIM S BUSCH MONTI D TA Click on Pick Specs to Keep based on current JIM S BUSCH MONTE File then Now you have all the measurements on New start Any Specs which you Pick to Keep for this New new your worksheet Back at program click nike P l Suspension will be based on the current Suspension suspension on File upper left corner of the Main i JIM S BUSCH MONTE j Screen then New start new suspension to bring up b h N S C If a different Suspension would more closely match this the New to ring up the New uspension screen new Suspension reducing the number of changes you S which will likely show a Tip message m Will hava to make in space click on Cancel at the top oe f Toeln Garr 02 en click on File and O
15. Lt Depth Z Input 13 52 a Torque Tube on Frame in Watts Link Mounts on Frame in Input cle Snina Mount an Frame 20 13 8 20 12 8 a4 79 RR 24 aq AA 150 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Fig A 6 15 Torque Arm Live Rear Axle The Torque Arm is similar to the Torque Tube rear axle The ball joint at the transmission is now replaced with a slider joint Two lower control arms have Torque Arm been added to resist the axle twisting when viewed from the top plan view It then uses some type of lateral locating device panhard bar shown here to resist sideways motion All accelerating and decelerating torque is transferred through the lower control arms S i Ny f This suspension was used in the f N 4th generation Camaros and S Driveshaft typically goes along Firebirds 1993 2002 6x side or below torque arm d Slider restrains motion laterally Leto and vertically only not fore aft Torque Arm is an example file supplied with program for you to evaluate fa Suspension Analyzer v2 4 Performance Trends Torque Arm File Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize zoom Animate Preferences Help Front View Side View Top iew Ho View Dynamic b E o E This ts a view from the right side night side of screen is front of car Gain based on 1 Dive Side view of Torque Arm suspension Program needs location of the Torque A
16. Not optimum handling or safety The changes proposed may produce unwanted side effects Increment ior Making adjustments Note making the car UNSAFE to drive If you accept a proposed change you must check all that you may want to start with a large other suspension characteristics to ensure safe vehicle handling increment to see if anything significantly better than the current condition can be found If so then try a smaller increment On slower computers trying large ranges of changes with small increments an Optimization may take up to an hour 47 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions a ee ny Then select the amount of suspension Dive and Roll motion to check If you know your suspension only goes through 1 of Dive and 1 of rise negative dive then only select 1 Dive to 1 Rise Do not select 3 Dive to 3 Rise as this will take longer to calculate and the optimum setting obtained for 3 movement may not be the best for only 1 movement Then select what you want to obtain from the suspension Note that Steering Component changes are usually optimized to obtain minimum Bump Steer and Shimming Upper Arms are optimized for Roll Center movement Then click on the Optimize button Depending on the conditions you have set the Optimize routine make several minutes If it is taking a long time you can click on the Cancel button to stop Optimizing Then you can change some settings and try again
17. Print the top of the Main Screen 107 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples a ey Click on the amount of shims you want to add or remove from either the front or rear frame mount and the change to Camber and Caster is displayed immediately along with the current Camber and Caster settings When you have decided on the appropriate shim change click on Use Calc Value to make these changes to the current suspension file at the main screen Note that not only will the frame mounts be changed and Camber and Caster but many other measurements as well because the changing Camber may also slightly change ride height on that side of the car See the Adjust Feature in Section 2 5 Optimize The main reason you bought this program is to improve or optimize your suspension geometry One method of optimizing would involve you making many changes to mounting points lengths of arms location of the steering rack etc and look for some suspension characteristic to improve For example you may want to shim the tie rod end at the spindle up or down to find a location which reduces bump steer Note that some Optimum setting arrived at by this feature may not actually produce optimum handling or safety It only means that some suspension characteristic falls into some mathematical range The changes proposed by this feature to obtain improvement in one characteristic may completely screw up other sus
18. Roll 0 Rit Roll 0 Lt Roll 1 Fit Roll 1 Lt Roll 2 Fit Roll 2 Sy Jes EEEE EAE a ee EES I I I I I I I I I 4 I I I I I I I I I I I I I 0 Pease Conclusions e The Suspension Analyzer provides several methods to analyze suspension motion e Staticly and Dynamically at the Main Screen e Through the construction of reports e Through the construction of graphs and comparison graphs e Graphs provide the most flexible and powerful method of comparing 2 different suspensions 105 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples a 106 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples Example 4 3 Adjusting and Optimizing a Suspension Suggested Background Reading e Section 2 5 Adjust Feature e Section 2 6 Optimize Feature e Example 4 2 Analyzing a Suspension e Appendix 2 Rules of Thumb for Tuning Suspension Characteristics and Additional Reading The Suspension Analyzer provides several methods for making adjustments to the suspension easily Some will be demonstrated in this example For all examples we will start with the WCSample used in Example 4 2 Shimming Assume you are circle track testing and determine from tire temperatures that the inside of the right front tire 1s getting too hot working too hard Since the car is always turning left you want to try reducing static negative caster 1 2 degree to put more weight o
19. Roll and Steer You will now see the Dynamic values of many calculations like Track Camber Caster Ackerman etc in the Suspension Data grid For example say you direct the suspension through the standard suspension movement on which the gain calculations are based usually 1 Dive You should then see the change in Camber Caster and Toe In from the Lt Change and Rt Change columns shown in the Figure 4 17 below match the Suspension Layout drawing gain calculations Figure 4 17 Dynamic Analysis at Main Screen Staicvehide o tlih Dynamic conditions shown when Dynamic is checked shown with dotted lines Type in or click on arrow buttons to for comparison of change the amount of Dive Roll and Dynamic vehicle position Steer to be applied to the suspension Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends W4CSAMPLE Bi Es File Edit Graphs Reporte Other Specs Adjust Uptimze Ayimate Preferences Help Front View Side View Top View No View Dynamic Dive 70 Fol 100 Steer 40 This i a view from the rear of car right side of screen is actually right side of car hain based on 1 Dive Roll Center location is displayed for the amount of dynamic motion applied to the suspension Turn Radius and Turn Toe In are shown if you have applied Steer to Toe ln Gain 01 Roll Center Ht 91 Turn Radius 144 Lt Roll Center Right 23 11 oe In Gain 03 i Camber Gain 1 27 Caster Gain
20. Save s Ctrl current file s ee Other Specs to a new name which can be the name Print Main Screen be the Current File See Figure Print Blank Worksheet Ore ioa A MAL DIANE w OP Sneer Suspension File E Windows Printer Setup Then click on Other Specs to Unlock Program Options g 5 Print the ensure some critical specs here Transfer Program to Another Computer Worksheet are set correctly For example if Steen Ctrl the current file has Rack and Pinion steering there will be no blanks on the worksheet for the Pitman Arm steering measurements The Steering spec in the Other Specs menu must be set to Steering Box Critical Other Specs to Set before printing Worksheet Steering Susp Travel Sensor Springs Steering Sensor Roll Bar Obviously it is important to set all specs correctly its just that these specs listed above affect the worksheet bring printed right now Any and all these specs can be changed at any time after you start creating this new Suspension File 89 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples Figure 4 2 Saving the New File to a New After you have set the Other Specs to match your new suspension File Name by Clicking on Save As you may want to save these changes if there were any to the name you want to use for the new suspension file you will create For w Save a Suspension File x example it could be called Jim s Busch Monte To do this you would cli
21. You can only make comparisons on Gain numbers calculated for equal standard motions During this standard movement the program also checks on how much the springs and shocks and roll bar if any compress twist in the case of the roll bar for this standard movement Knowing how far the spring compresses for a given amount of wheel movement is the precise way the program calculates the spring and shock and roll bar if any Motion Ratio Unlike the Gain numbers the Motion Ratios calculated are corrected for changes in the standard motion This means a Motion Ratio calculated for 1 Dive will be close to the Motion Ratio for 1 2 dive Note however that if the standard movement is very small Motion Ratio accuracy will not be good For example say the standard motion is 1 2 Dive and 2 deg Roll The left side wheel may go through a 1 of travel but the right side may go only 33 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions through 05 travel The right side Motion Ratio will not be accurate Therefore for accurate Motion Ratio calculations we recommend you use the default standard motion of 1 Dive or at least avoid Roll as a standard motion Use Alternate Location for Files Some users typically those on a network may need to store their data files in nated other that in the peng bar folder in the Figure 2 19 Alternate Path in Windows SUSPANZR folder the folder containing the actual Suspension Exp
22. You will get a screen as shown in Figure 2 2 where you are presented with a list of saved suspensions in the Suspension Library Some suspensions are examples provided by Performance Trends As you enter suspensions yourself and save the results you will add many more suspensions to the library These saved files are useful for making SE a ES TU UES Figure 2 2 Opening a Suspension File Figure 2 2 shows that the Suspension w Open Suspension File x Library is divided into sections called op aea fw Llilken Chosen File New Omod Folders in Figure 2 2 to help organize a base steer m large number of suspensions For RTS TEST ita aed tt ledfikasi example all suspensions for the ABC Copy of HOWE ere Baht Team could be saved under a section ore eis Fede 49 Fale 49 name of ABC Team All Port City tm HOWE Camber 2 Camber 3 suspensions could be saved under a KJHGKJI a ia Bana ae section folder name of Port City This Sec iG 1 AoFight 34 Sus ae will PNR considerable time and KJHGKJH 2 Remount right upper frame pivot down 2 confusion when trying to located a KJHGKJH3 remount left upper frame pivot down 1 4 particular suspension in the future See kihgkihg raise ride height on left side 178 Secti f j id Limited Late Model Result roll center is now 3 2 high and ection 3 5 for creating new Folder new 32bit Format 11 lefewhichimoves appia names Hewr0mod 1 6 total movement The car now rolls new 5 TEER To look in different sections
23. a Figure 2 7 Column Headings in Bottom Section of new menu will appear where you can enter Suspension Data Grid other information to calculate the original inputs for that row Column Headings change when you go to lower half of Grid Most measurements are to locate some point in F puspensien Data e space for example the center of the upper ball e a ns joint To locate this point requires 3 Spring Angle from Front Tapa 8 35 on Spring Angle trom Side awe o0 measurements Out measured out from the Sane saa eae ae centerline of the car Height measured up Mtn Ratio Spma Shck SBar Output 535 from the ground and Depth measured back PO from the axle a line connecting the center of ute the tire contact patches on the left and right side You will use negative numbers to enter Depth measurements in front of the axle These columns are labeled at the top of the Suspension Data grid for both the Left and Right side See Figure 2 4 page 15 Some specs just require a Right and Left input like Spring Rate shown here Other inputs are just a single number for the Right and Left side like Tire Track or Spring Rate Then you enter the value in the Out column Note that if you click on the scroll bar on the right side and slide down the report the column names change to Static Dynamic and Difference See Figure 2 7 on this page 18 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definition
24. poa HeY Dbe Ta Bar to display era Ball Joint D 097 21 670 0 310 k S ae e 17 999 aE T a a nn 3 820 more ouspen i semis ict seer Input 15 340 17 059 5 990 14 850 17 420 5 230 sion Data Lower Ball Joint 24 382 10 040 0 140 23 449 g 0 140 which may n Lower Frame Pivot Front 8 560 6 725 0 050 8 180 6 370 0 020 ay i ot Lower Frame Pivot Rear Input 14 560 7 820 12 160 14 260 7 000 12 430 be able to fit Tie Rod on Frame 6 500 EE 5 7 500 5 980 5 on the screen 5 675 21 375 a 5 505 14 540 roa 10 14 540 6 240 r a 7 9300 5 240 12 790 r an T 680 12 790 22 375 7 8 7 85 7 85 E Click on the Suspension Data grid in an input row to type ina new number then press lt Enter gt You can use the arrow keys or lt Enter gt button to move to the next cell box you want to change Many inputs like these shown are locations of points which require 3 numbers an Out measurement from the center of the car a Height measurement above ground and a Depth measurement distance back from the axle axle being a line connecting the left and right wheel centers Type of Data Inputs are numbers you enter Output is calculated by program Name of Suspension Data in this row 11 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions If you want to Open a previously saved suspension file you can click on File in the upper left corner then click on Open from all saved suspensions
25. the Email 256 Color Graph amber Rt eee 3 ana smaller faster 16 color graph the program explains that MSPaint exe will start up You must wait while the Suspension Analyzer directs MSPaint exe to save the graph in the 16 color format 3 D Suspension Analyzer Please wait while the Engine Analyzer Pro starts up Microsoft Paint tm to create your 16 color graphics file While Paint is running do not use your mouse or keyboard Wait while MSPaint exe is directed sl Tu to save the file in the 16 color Type in email address or pick from list below HGraph mp Paint format etal ich tech performancetrends cam ty f n File Edit iew Image Colors Help A 7 CE to Suspension Analyzer y2 4 Shock Sensors Front and Rear Back File Format view GraphType Add Suspension Help oe 2 afell SS OOD OOS oe Hi aae tenet Gary Graph of Camber vs Rall i Choose or enter the email address es _ Send weet and the message then click on the Creal Te Sees m For Help click Help Topics on the Help Menu Send key Also see previous Fig A A MAA 165 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer _ gt _ _ _ _ _ __S_S Appendices Fig A 6 32 Help Definition Picture Describing X Y and Z Dimensions Fie Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences sla Fron View Side View Top V
26. 1 Dive but not at 1 46 Dive Figure 3 12 Cursor Features and Commands Cursor line usually pink or green depending on Click here to turn cursor ON background color Click here to turn cursor OFF Click on these buttons to move the cursor left or right Hold down the lt shift key gt while clicking these buttons and the cursor moves faster w Suspension Axcalyzer v1 1 LIMITED LATE MODEL 2 E4 Back File Format Nw Graph Type add Sfspensifn Help Th f h lal XQ Ae eel beeli tEn sca na bag Lt amp Rt ce deg vs Dive inches gene ene limited late model 2 r r 7 NG 1 14 90 ee rocco oe occ oe ILt Rolle 2 577 cursor IS displayed l i i i IRt Roll 2 486 here Lt Roll 1 551 IRt Rolle 1 616 th Se eee lads ees ioe tare tee ee a ee ae ee hee _____ Lt Rolle 0 531 TRU IRt Roll 0 770 ee Se ee FH eee ee dee eee ele ew eee cle eee ew ole wee we eh ee ww I The X value of the cursor is shown here in this case Dive 1 3 0 2 5 2 0 1 5 1 0 5 O A 1 0 1 5 2 0 2 5 3 0 Dive 1 0 You can also enable the cursor by single clicking on a graph line at a data point This also provides a quick way to move the cursor from 1 area of the graph to another Do not drag the mouse while clicking or you will zoom in on that area 76 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output Changing the scales Many times you
27. 1 and Vehicle Speed Uppler Frame Pivot Front in Input 15 15 15 562 E 5 be Uppey Frame Rivot Rear in Input 15 0625 15 125 Relative Shock Positions 6 343 LowedBallJoint in Input 25 712 6 625 0 0 Lower Frame Pitot Front in Input 110 1 ti 437 ken aek aean o i Relative Brake Steering Wheel Position and Throttle S075 E riction Circle showing how much of the tire s available traction is being used Tie Rod qn Spindle in L Track Map showing vehicle s position on the track at this circle Spring Mount on Fram mm Input Spring Mount on Lower Arm in Input 1 55575 22 012 fo While the Animation is running all dynamic tabular data in this section is updated like spring length Roll Center position camber etc 143 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices The 5 sections at the bottom of the graph consist of from right to left as identified in Table A 6 2 Table A 6 2 Graph Track Map Sections Track Map The Track Map is a simplified drawing of the track layout If you click on a point on the map then the circular cursor identifying that point is drawn on the map At the same time a corresponding cursor is drawn on the Friction Circle for the same point and the suspension movement for that position is displayed 2 Friction Circle The Friction Circle is a graph of the sum of the lateral an
28. 127 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices SSS SSS If you analyze Front and Rear Suspension together the program also calculates and displays these Full Vehicle results These results are listed at the bottom of the Data Table on the main screen Total Roll Stiffness ft lbs deg Front Roll Couple Rear Roll Couple Roll Axis to CG Moment Arm Level Ground Roll Rate deg G Front Natural Freq cps Rear Natural Freq cps The Depth Z measurements for Rear Suspensions are positive if they are in front of the axle toward the front of the car Depth Z for both the front and rear mean in towards the center of the car See Figure 5 if you ve made a mistake entering Z measurements Figure 5 i Suspension Analyzer 1 1 Performance Trends 4 Link File Edt Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adiust Optimize Zor Swap Left and Right Side Specs Copy Lett Side to Right Side Copy Right Side to Left Side right side o ain bed on 1 Flip Direction front to back on All Pes Should you make a mistake on the Z direction measurements this command will swap the Z measurements from front to back or switch the and signs on all Z measurements Move Groups of Measurements Another useful feature for working with front and or rear suspensions 1s the ability to selectively open one end of a vehicle suspension file and use it on the same end of the current vehicle you are working with or building
29. 20 21 Upper Frame Pivot Front 20 Upper Frame Pivot Rear 21 Upper Sensor Mount 22 Upper Shock Mount 22 Upper Spring Pad 22 Virtual Scales 147 Vista 2 147 Watts Link Wizard 147 Watts Linkage 133 Wheel Rate 1 24 Wheel Rim Diameter 54 Wheel Spacer Width 46 Wheel Tire 43 46 Wheelbase 26 38 51 52 Wheelbase inches 38 Windows 1 3 1 2 28 29 34 35 74 83 84 121 122 123 124 147 Windows 7 2 147 Worksheet 20 29 89 90 92 93 X Y and Z Measurements definition 145 148 Zoom 133 138 147 169
30. 39 Turn Toe In 09 e a Gain 2 Camber Gain 1 51 the suspension pusbenston Data benon fiee Sis Dane iere fisa bae ere T 5 76 z3 70 30 75 30 96 56 8 87 8 Tead Widen inate 11 5 4 01 99 Sa 6 69 1 18 3 70 3 80 r 5 78 6 66 88 Caster Trail Output 89 50 Oo 1 28 1 46 18 0 3 5 3 51 0 3 76 3 76 Toe lIn inches Output 00 K 96 00 1 05 1 05 00 70 3 70 00 3 57 3 57 Ackman Error deg Output 00 19 19 00 19 19 5 38 6 63 1 25 5 94 AE 78 5 03 5 03 il 5 81 aaa 13 SSS ees Change in Tire Track is also k Dynamic calculated outputs shown in these nown as Tire columns for Left and Right sides The change between Static and Dynamic are shown in the adjacent columns 101 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples Reports Figure 4 18 Report Menu p g p Click here for the Reports menu shown here Reports can be made by A Suspension Analyzer _ 0 Performance Trends WCSAMPLE clicking on Reports at the File Edit Graphs FRep rts OtherSpece Adjust Optimize Animate Preferences Help Select what top of the Main Screen Front arr sone Reports are the dynamic Output EE results you calculated numbers for Rept Type Caster deg want to f bi f PROI LYRE Pick Data from List Camber deg report here various combinations o i Side Left Right Side by Side Roll Cntr Lt Fit Static calculated numbers Settings o O Ldn will be included in the Primary Type Fol Caster Trai deg
31. 4 for more help on Measuring your suspension Close Print 166 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices 5 Link Independent 147 Ackerman 1 18 25 26 38 65 73 101 Ackrmn Error deg 26 65 73 Active Bar Length 57 Adjust Options 6 43 Adjust Ride Height 45 46 Adobe PDF 148 Alternate Location 34 Angle 23 25 26 65 72 117 118 125 133 Animate 6 30 49 141 144 Anti Dive 27 66 73 Anti Dive 99 Aspect Ratio 53 Assumptions 7 3 113 Backspacing 46 Backup 123 133 139 Ball Joint Wizard 147 Ballast 147 Bellcrank Axis Front 22 23 Bird Cage 147 Brake 142 144 C G 91 52 Calculation Menu 6 9 10 21 51 54 56 91 Calculation Menus 6 9 51 Camber 1 2 12 13 16 24 26 33 43 45 47 65 72 92 99 101 108 113 115 116 118 133 136 139 Camber Gain 1 2 12 16 24 33 99 113 115 116 118 133 139 Caster Trail 24 25 65 72 117 118 Center Car based on Tire Tracks 41 Center Link Pivots 22 Centerline 19 39 92 Centimeters 133 CG Center of Gravity 37 92 128 148 Change 7 20 29 45 101 116 Chassis 37 38 Circumference 35 45 53 Clc button 51 56 Clc buttons 51 Coil Springs 54 Comments 33 59 60 94 Cross Weight 147 Cursor 74 76 104 Customer 12 35 37 38 60 Data Logger 22 133 139 141 142 Data Logger Option 133 141 DataMite 141 142 144 Decoupled Live
32. A WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION BY PERFORMANCE TRENDS INC FOR ANY PURPOSE OR GIVE RISE TO ANY LIABILITY Of OBLIGATION Of PERFORMANCE TRENDS INC WHATSOEVER USER ACCEPTS ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR SELECTING THE SOFTWARE TO MEET USER NEEDS OR SPECIFIC PURPOSES PERFORMANCE TRENDS INC IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO FURNISH USER UPDATES OR ENHANCEMENTS EVEN IF FURNISHED TO OTHER USERS LIMITATION Of LIABILITY If at the time of delivery to the original User only there are any defects in the media on which the Software is provided User s sole and exclusive remedy shall be the replacement of any media returned to Performance Trends Inc within 90 days of the receipt of the Software by User or at Performance Trends Inc s sole option a refund of the License fees paid to Performance Trends Inc by User IN NO EVENT SHALL PERFORMANCE TRENDS INC OR THIRD PARTIES WHO HAVE RIGHTS IN THE SOFTWARE BE LIABLE TO USER FOR LOSS Of PROFITS INDIRECT SPECIAL INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES EVEN IF PERFORMANCE TRENDS INC IS AWARE Of THE POSSIBILITY Of SUCH DAMAGES Continued on next page IN THE EVENT ANY REMEDY HEREUNDER FAILS Of ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OR IN ANY OTHER EVENT PERFORMANCE TRENDS INC S LIABILITY HEREUNDER SHALL NOT EXCEED ANY AMOUNTS PAID BY USER TO PERFORMANCE TRENDS INC UNDER THIS AGREEMENT Some states do not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages and some states do not allow the exclus
33. Dive 0 Rt Dive 0 Lt Dive 0 Rt Dive 0 Lt Dive Rt Dive 0 220 2 361 3 109 1 469 2 768 257 2 268 3 078 1 677 2 799 297 2 183 3 038 1 872 2 763 341 2 107 2 988 2 05 2 92 390 2 038 2 930 2 216 2 841 442 1 978 2 663 2 366 2 911 500 1 927 2 f86 2 500 3 000 563 1 883 2 r00 2 618 3 109 631 1 848 2 605 2 f20 3 237 f05 1 821 2 500 2 604 3 384 T86 1 802 2 386 2 872 3 549 _ C m m _ _ _ Primary Suspension Secondary Suspension Motions if Motions listed here any are listed here in the table 66 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output 3 2 ASCII Data Files You may want to use the results from the Suspension Analyzer in Figure 3 4 ASCII Files Options Menu other software packages This could be for additional graph capabilities statistical analysis data basing etc Once you have created a report as shown in Section 3 1 click on File to write the results to an ASCII file with a name of your choosing The ASCII File command is possible any time a report is displayed on the screen Click on File from Report Screen for ASCII File menu nsion Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends Print Report Types Fi You can only save the results currently displayed on the Report Come ae oe casta Note that screen If you want to write an ASCII file of a suspension file you eft 5 a the file have previously run you must open that suspension file first then h
34. For example say you have built a vehicle file working with only the Front Suspension file Now you want to put only that front suspension on an existing vehicle file which has both a front and rear but you want to keep the rear You would click on File then Open then choose the Selective Open option shown in Figure 6 This feature also lets you put a front suspension on the rear or rear suspension on the front McPhearson Strut or Double A Arm only 128 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Figure 6 Click on File then Open from all saved suspensions iA S zspension Analyzer 1 1 Performance Trends 4 Link Panhard Bar l Fre Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Anima i Set this option to Yes for Selectively Opening just the 8 Suspensions in Library Chosen File WUSample car front or rear suspension of a 34 FORD HIGH BOY Preview Ts file has Front Only particular saved file Front Duble amp Arm wishbone heer eer hate a N Par ae y fi Mmnamia aln 1mm o i Front g i acipar Suspension File Ea Super Late Model prevj w specs below are for Front SUPRA Rear a ea ok 29 Track 3075 This combo box lets you WCS ample Camber 5 5 Caster 578 choose which suspension to Spring 800 RcHt 1 64 use from the file you are opening A 1 5 mile medium banked oval Note that this file has been modified somewhat so as not to give away any Toe tuning secrets For this reas
35. In to the manufacturer s recommended specs if they are available If you have a custom suspension start with Toe In at 1 8 inch total 1 16 inch toed in at each wheel Front wheel drive cars usually want slight negative Toe In Production vehicle s usually have a Toe Gain curve where high amounts of dive 2 5 to 3 inches dive will produce about negative 3 4 total Toe In 3 8 inch toe out at each wheel Caster Adjust caster to the manufacturer s recommended specs if they are available If you have a custom suspension start with positive caster Light cars need more caster than heavier cars Start with 2 to 3 degrees on cars under 2800 Ibs and 1 to 2 degrees for cars over 2800 Ibs As another rule of thumb generally the caster angle should be about 1 2 of the King Pin Axis Inclination Angle when viewed from the front See Figure 2 11 page 24 Caster Gain Anti Dive Most suspensions have positive Caster Gain which is also an indication of Anti Dive being present in the suspension geometry Anti Dive means the suspension resists diving during the application of the brakes Production cars usually use more Caster Gain Anti Dive than race cars Negative Caster Gain means the car will dive more than normal during braking and should be avoided Caster Trail Caster Trail is positive if the tire patch is behind the point where the caster angle hits the ground This is typical of most cars because most cars run positive
36. Main Screen Commands 2 2 Preferences 2 3 Other Specs 2 4 Edit Options 2 5 Adjust Options 2 6 Optimize Options 2 Animate 2 8 Calculation Menus 2 9 New Suspension Menu Chapter 3 Output 3 1 Reports 3 2 ASCII Data Files 3 3 Graphs 3 4 Printer Output 3 5 Suspension Library Table of Contents cont Chapter 4 Examples Example 4 1 Measuring a Typical Steering Box Pitman Arm Suspension Example 4 2 Analyzing a Suspension Example 4 3 Adjusting and Optimizing Suspension Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Appendix 3 Appendix 4 Appendix 5 Appendix 6 Appendix 7 Index Accuracy and Assumptions Rules of Thumb for Tuning Suspension Characteristics and Additional Reading Backing Up Data Full Vehicle Version Features Illustrations of Calculations New Features in v2 0 New Features in v2 4 8 89 99 107 113 115 121 125 131 133 147 167 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1 Overview of Features The Suspension Analyzer by Performance Trends Inc is software to let circle track racers road racers chassis builders engineers and performance enthusiasts understand tune and even design front suspensions It does a complete double A Arm wishbone suspension analysis including bump steer Ackerman caster gain anti dive tire scrub camber gain and much more Its detailed inputs and calculations will exa
37. Paara eo MAASKE o print a ees summary of each suspension The disadvantage of Paper Back Ups For Open from all saved suspensions CiO Para example say you have accidentally erased a Suspension File but have a Save Cirle Gair paper report of that data You will have to type in all this data by hand save As Ctra which is time consuming and prone to errors Cen tem e ek Bie Save to Floppy Drive as Drive Print Main Screen Pint Blank Worksheet Windows Printer Setup Copying data to disk with Windows commands This method is the preferred method If you are not familiar with Windows commands have someone help you the first couple of times Unilck Program Options However this ts the most reliable and most efficient way to back up your Trar ster Program to Another Computer data Exit Rrograrn Chr Se ee Note Unless stated otherwise all mouse clicks are with the normal left button on the mouse Click here to print a Suspension Summary To copy Entire 3D DATA Folder using Windows 95 98 or NT which contains all folders and suspension files in the Suspension Library Click on Start then Programs then Windows Explorer usually at the bottom of the list of programs You will obtain the Windows Explorer screen shown in Figure A4 2 Locate the PERFTRNS PTI folder may not be printed in capital letters on the left side of the Windows Explorer screen usually on the C drive Click on the sign to the left of it to displa
38. Reports OtherSpecs Adjust Optimize Arimate Preferences Help First select click on review en Clic A a j p the O bit t Front View Side View Top View No View Dynamic Dive 0 g Roll fo the folder which pa a uton a w Open Suspension File contains the r n ar f t OOP EO SPS 2 Suspensions in Library Chosen File WCS ample suspension file you this Example file and want to use h Preview return to the main WCSample Chassie t screen Left aa Second select click Caster 3 70 aster on the file from this Spring 650 RecRight 17 51 BH 1 folder A preview of Static i this Suspension is A shown in the Preview nalysis at section to the right Main Screen _ t s Camber Gair Suspensior slas tsidal Ti i Finally click on the Back at the Main Location ee bf Open button to open Screen there are peel Baly he suspensions this file and sina to Upper Frarne one Pee saved Under that several useful Upper Frame Oren Advanced Folder Name the main screen calculations to analyze Lower Ball Cancel Help Delete NEW Lower tain this suspension See ewer Frama Pirnat Paar lami it 1401719 Figure 4 16 Calculations like Roll Center Left Right and Height Caster Anti Dive etc are calculated and shown in the Suspension Data table in the Output rows You may have to click and slide the slide bar down to be able to see various sections of the Suspension Data table If you click on the No View tab at the
39. Roll or Steer Note that if you do not choose a motion here the Animation will consist of only 3 segments Ending Position Enter the last position you want for the motion specified above In Figure 2 34 the Animation will start at O Roll and finish at 2 degrees of Roll at the end of the first segment and at inch of Dive at the end of segment 2 and at 1 4 inches of steer at the end of segment 3 and 1 inches of dive 1 inch rise at the end of segment 4 At the end of segment 4 the program will force the suspension gradually back to the starting conditions of 0 Roll 0 Dive and 0 Steer 50 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions 2 8 Calculation Menus Check Appendix 6 and 7 for new Calculation Menus in v2 0 and 2 4 The following section explains the user input for specs listed with Clc buttons or are identified with a Data Type of Input clc in the Suspension Data grid on the Main Screen These specs are ones where you can simply enter a value or click on the Cle button or Input clc and the program will present a menu of inputs which will calculate that particular parameter These menus are like computer scratch pads for calculating specs like Spring Rate Height of C G Tire Circumference etc from other inputs Notes The starting values in each calculation menu are usually blanked out when the menu is opened If there is other information in the program t
40. Size 64 65 71 72 Susp Travel Sensor 38 89 Suspension 1 4 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 10 11 12 13 15 16 17 18 19 20 25 27 28 29 30 33 34 35 37 38 41 43 44 45 47 48 49 50 51 53 54 57 59 60 61 63 64 65 66 67 70 71 72 73 79 80 81 82 83 84 89 90 94 95 96 99 100 101 104 105 107 108 109 110 113 115 116 117 118 119 121 123 124 125 126 127 128 130 133 135 138 139 141 142 144 145 147 148 Suspension Layout 6 13 15 16 17 35 49 99 101 145 Suspension Library 6 12 28 73 81 82 121 123 124 Swivel Axis Front Angle 58 Swivel Axis Side Angle 58 Symmetric Chassis 38 Tech Help 3 5 Throttle 142 144 Tie Rod Length 27 Tie Rod on Rack 21 Tie Rod on Spindle 21 Tire Circumference 24 44 45 46 51 53 92 Tire Radius 52 Tire Scrub 24 66 73 Titles 67 74 Toe In deg 8 25 26 65 72 73 Toe In in 25 35 65 73 Toe In inches 25 35 65 73 Torque Arm 147 Torque Tube 147 Torsion Bar 54 56 133 Torsion Bar Diameter 56 Torsion Bar Length 56 Torsion Bars 54 56 Track Map 133 142 144 Trailing Arm 147 transmission 133 Transmission 138 Transmission Angle 133 138 Tread 24 53 92 Tread Width 24 53 92 Ttread 24 Type 2 5 8 18 20 21 38 51 53 54 56 59 63 64 65 70 71 72 Upper Arm Len True Frnt Rr 27 Upper Arm Length 27 Upper Ball Joint 20 Upper Frame Pivot
41. Suspension Rear Suspension Toe ln Gain 18 Roll Center Ht 6 78 Turn Radius None Roll Center Right Q Toe ln Gain 18 Camber Gain 1 47 Caster Gair 19 Caster Gain 19 Camber Gain 1 47 o Fetes pusbenston Data kosin o o oo a RN m e a E 25 Lower H Arm on Frame Front _ Input 13 Lower H Arm on Frame Rear Input 14 24 130 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Appendix 5 Illustrations of Calculations Figure A5 1 Definition of Anti Dive and Anti Squat WB wheelbase distance between front and rear axles FB the percent of the vehicle s braking developed at the front axle typically 60 70 A Side View Instant Center swing arm of upper and lower A arms B CG Height at a distance FB x WB behind front axle C height of 100 anti dive line at Instant Center distance behind front axle dee EBX WB gt 400 Anti Dive Line for Front Anti Dive A height C height x 100 Instant centers which lie above the 100 Anti Dive Line are more than 100 anti dive A Side View Instant Center of Rear Suspension B CG Height at the Front Axle C Height of 100 Anti Squat line at the Instant Center distance ahead of rear axle 100 Anti Squat Line Anti Squat A height C height x 100 Instant centers which lie above the 100 Anti Squat Line are more than 100 anti squat 131 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices EUU
42. This could be because you mistakenly erased it you had a major computer failure or you are moving the program to another computer Do NOT restore data unless you have one of these problems as you could possible create many more problems than you are trying to fix When restoring suspension files and folders you pretty much reverse the procedure for backing up First you put your backed up floppy disk in the floppy drive Then open Windows Explorer find the Floppy drive icon and click on it to display its contents Right click on the folder you want to restore and select Copy Now find the 3D DATA folder under SUSPANZR under PERFTRNS PTI usually on the C drive Right click on the folder 123 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices 1 level UP from the folder you are restoring For example if you are restoring the suspension file folder CHEV which was in the 3D DATA folder you must click on the 3D DATA folder If you are restoring the entire Suspension Library folder 3D DATA you must click on the 3D DATA folder If you are restoring the suspension file 194 150 which was in the CHEV folder under the 3D DATA folder you must click on the CHEV folder During the restoring copying process Windows Explorer checks to see 1f it is overwriting an existing file Figure A4 3 If it is it will ask you if the existing file or folder should be overwritten Be very careful when overwriting files as you may overwrite a n
43. Watts Link measurements based on just a few inputs Some Enough Dimensions 7 Specs for Center Pivot Distance Behind Axle Height Above Ground inputs are shown in Layout Pick Watts Link for Rear drawing below Suspension here in Vehicle Specs Screen Center Pivot to Arm Pivot Specs for Arms w Vehicle Specs Back iok File Help Vehicle Specs lear Suspension General Specs Data Logger Sensors Note Check Figure 46 5 in 4ppendix 6 for a picture of Arm Length Top rm Goes Suspension Type Susp Travel Sensor es these various inputs 3 Link top link Aight side w lateral locator r Lateral Locating Linkage Ride Height Measurements z Use Calc Value Hel Cancel Print Watts Link center link attaches to Axle Lt Side From Centerline P S a a aaa rs im Suspension Analyzer v2 0 Performance Trends watts 3 link Rt Lt Symetric File Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize zoom Animate Preferences Help Front View Side View Top View No View 8 Dynamic Squa Roll b A This is a view from the rear of car right side of screen is actually right side of car Gain based on 1 Dive Center Pivot to Arm Pivot in Calc Menu Front Suspension Toe In deg 25 Ant Squat Static 2 puspension DAta e esen ee pu Me Deng paa a I Height Aye ETE in Cale TER 24 5 25 5 E TAT aes H i here for Calculation Menu show FEN on L watt
44. a ee aaa 132 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Appendix 6 New Features in v2 0 Version 2 0 was released in 2006 and added the following major features e Anew Preference of Metric inputs was added Inputs are entered in Centimeters KG for weight and Kg Cm for spring rate The program keeps track of what units are used for each suspension file If you are in say Metric mode and open a file saved with English units the units will be converted to metric once it is opened You can also manually force a file to be converted by clicking on Edit top of main screen then selecting either Convert Measurements to Metric or Convert Measurements to English See Fig A 6 1 e Added a new calculation called Front Lateral Load Distribution or FLLD and Rear Lateral Load Distribution or RLLD These calculations are similar to roll couple and can be used to find a balanced setup by adjusting spring and roll bar rates and roll center heights This feature is only in the Full Vehicle version and is discussed in detail below See Fig A 6 2 and A 6 3 e Several new Optimize features and options have been added including one to find your desired FLLD automatically This is discussed in detail below See Fig A 6 3 and A 6 4 e A Watts Linkage has been added to the possible Lateral Locator devices in addition to the Panhard bar This feature is only in the Full Vehicle version and is discussed in det
45. are listed here at the top you from having to type in many specs to describe this New Suspension This also f ensures consistency between a Starting a New Suspension your suspensions and reduces Start New Suspension Cancel dort start new suspension Help the possibility of errors File Name for New Folder Name for Add Suspension Hew Suspension If the current suspension is not LIMITED LATE MODE NEW a good pattern for this new l suspension you can abort Pick Specs to Keep based on current LIMITED LATE MODEL starting this new suspension by Click here to start a New suspension based on these settings Summary of Selected Other Specs a ee CGHt 14 Wheelbase 110 00 new suspension at the top of Steering Steering Box the New Suspension screen Springs Coil Over outboard Then click on File at the top away Bar es left of the Main Screen and Chassis Johnson U32 i t nti Customer Hendrickson select one of the Open options to open a past suspension to Measurements All Suspension Data will be blanked out tor the serve as a pattern new Suspension escept steering system data There are 4 categories of specs Suspension and data you can individually select to keep or blank out from the previous suspension e Other Specs e Measurements e Steering System e Test Comments A Steering Sp tem All Steering Data will be blanked out for the new Test Comments Remount right upper frame pi
46. caster Caster Trail can be changed by changing tire diameter spindle or the caster angle Caster is similar to Scrub Radius except viewed from the side instead of the front Increasing Caster Trail will increase steering wheel effort especially when cornering hard Scrub Radius Most production cars have a relatively low Scrub Radius compared to race cars You definitely want equal scrub radius on each side of the car Negative Scrub Radius 1s more stable than positive Scrub Radius especially when braking if the left and right braking forces are not equal Unequal amounts a Scrub Radius left and right will cause the car to pull to one side under braking 118 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Additional References How to Make Your Car Handle by Fred Puhn Classic Motorbooks 800 826 6600 Osceola WI Chassis Engineering by Herb Adams Classic Motorbooks 800 826 6600 Osceola WI Tune to Win by Carroll Smith Classic Motorbooks 800 826 6600 Osceola WI Building the Pro Stock Late Model Sportsman by Steve Smith Steve Smith Autosports 714 639 7681 Santa Ana CA Stock Car Dirt Track Technology by Steve Smith Steve Smith Autosports 714 639 7681 Santa Ana CA Fundamentals o f Vehicle Dynamics by Thomas D Gillespie Classic Motorbooks 800 826 6600 Osceola WI Race Car Vehicle Dynamics by William F and Douglas Milliken Classic Motorbooks 800 826 6600 Osceola WI Tires Suspension and Handling by John C Dixon Class
47. deg Rt etc You can also click on Data Type names and the corresponding data line will flash This is useful to find a particular line when several are graphed Note that 2 Suspension File names are shown when you are doing graphs of 2 suspensions Vertical Y axis The scaling of this axis can be easily changed as described in this section Horizontal X axis The scaling of this axis can be easily chanaed as described in this section Data graph lines The style and thickness of these lines can be changed by clicking on Format then Line Style 69 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output Graph Options Menu Figure 3 6 Graph Options Menu The Graph Menu is shown in Figure 3 6 Graphs can Hau be made of various Suspension characteristics as the Graph Type Pick Data from List suspension goes through various amounts and Side Left and Right combinations of Dive Roll and or Steer This menu Settings lets you select what characteristics data to graph and Rimas ma in ea the motion for the suspension to go through sine Caster Trail Starting From Anti Dive Click on the Graph menu command at the Main Screen oing To to be presented with the Graph Options Menu shown in tep Size Preview Figure 3 6 The inputs in this menu are described Secondary Type Nona Ree een eee 3210 3 Stating From Hold Fall At 0 Hold Steer At 0 below 21 Data Points for 13 Graph Lines
48. distance to this axis See Figure 2 14A Center of Car Arm Length True Spindle Length Arm Length Rear Spindle Length is the distance from the centers of the upper and lower ball joints This is calculated from other inputs and is shown here only to help you check and visualize these other inputs Tire Rod Length Tie Rod Length is the distance from the tie rod mount on the spindle and the tie rod mount on either the rack or the center link This is calculated from other inputs and is shown here only to help you check and visualize these other inputs 27 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions 2 1 5 Main Screen Commands The next section discusses some of the commands available at the top of the Main Screen Most will not be discussed here in detail as they are discussed in other sections of this manual File see Figure 2 15 for File Options New start new suspension Click on File then New to start a new suspension This process will walk you through some critical steps to preparing a new Suspension File You can select to keep certain data from the previous suspension like suspension comments engine specs etc Keeping data can save you considerable time since you don t have to type in information which may be the same as the current suspension The New Suspension command is discussed in full detail in Section 2 9 Figure 2 15 Main Menu File Commands a Suspension A
49. equivalent of 9 375 Suspension Data Definitions McPhearson Strut see page 31 Upper Ball Joint Upper McPhearson Strut see page 31 The location of the Upper Ball Joint Measure to what you visualize to be the center of the ball inside the joint Upper Frame Pivot Front Lower McPhearson Strut see page 31 The location of the Front Frame Pivot for the upper A Arm or Wishbone 20 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Figure 2 10 Measuring Ball Joint Locations Upper Frame Pivot Rear Measure to what you visualize to be the center of the ball inside the joint The location of the Rear Frame Pivot for the upper A Arm or Wishbone Lower Ball Joint The location of the Lower Ball Joint Measure to what you visualize to be the center of the ball inside the joint Lower Frame Pivot Front The location of the Front Frame Pivot for the lower A Arm or Wishbone On some suspensions this may be the forward strut sometimes called Drag Strut which locates the main lower arm like some Masterbuilt tm chassis or stock Fords Lower Frame Pivot Rear Figure 2 10A The location of the Rear Frame Pivot for the lower A Arm or Wishbone On some Idler Arm suspensions this may be the rear strut which locates the main lower arm like some Lefthander j tm and Port City tm chassis Axis Tie Rod on Rack The location of the Tie Rod End as it attaches to the rack rack and p
50. from the car s centerline to where you measure ride height on the Right side Rt Side Behind Wheel Center Enter the distance back from the center of the wheel or spindle to where you measure ride height on the Right side If you measure ride height in front of the spindle enter a negative number 39 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions EM SS eens 40 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions 2 4 Edit Options Edit Options allow you to modify a large number of Suspension Data measurements with one command They consist of the 3 Copy commands shown in Figure 2 24 and the Move Figure 2 24 Edit Options at Main Screen Options shown in the Menu of Figure 2 25 Click on Edit for These Options ES Suspension Analyzer v1 0 Performance Trends LI Edit Copy Commands Edit Graphs Reports Other Specs Adjust Optimize F Swap Left and Right Side Specs No view _ The Swap command lets you copy all Right side Penn lett Slee be leit Sige measurements to the Lett side and copy the Left side BeaMle Teter Geli Stes r of car right sid measurements to the Right AN L Gain based i Move Groups of Measurements The Copy commands only copy one side s measurements onto the other side This command can be handy for creating a symmetrical chassis You only need to enter measurements for one side then copy that side s measurements onto the other side
51. from the rear of car right si Gain baser Gain baser Gain baser Toe ln Gain 01 Roll Center HE 2 56 Toe ln Gain 01 Roll Center Ht 4 11 Toe ln Gain 3 Roll Center Ht 105 97 Camber Gairr 1 59 e e 12 Camber Gain 1 53 Caster Gain 12 Camber Gain 64 Caster Gairy m m m Bal All points simply move up camber does not change Camber and Caster which can not be seen here E change as would happen with the actual suspension Lengths of all Arms and Spindle stays the same Only Upper Frame Pivot points move up both front and rear were selected to move 42 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions 2 5 Adjust Options Click on Adjust at the top of the Main Screen for the Adjust Options shown in Figure 2 7 These options fall into the 3 basic types shown Figure 22 1 Adjust Options from e Shimming the Upper Arm Frame Pivots either in out or up down Main Menu e Changing the Wheel Tire Offset which changes Track e Making adjustments which change Ride Height Specs Adjust Optimize Animate Preferences He a a Shim Left Upper Arm In Out Clicking on Steering System just refers you to the Edit menu which is the ekim Pik Urner Araw only way to move the steering system as a unit See Section 2 4 Also see nthen Shim Left lineere Ue Daan Example 4 3 for using the Adjust Option a wan Uerlrets Ride Height Lett Wf
52. future even after the car has been moved You can print the Steering Swivel Axis screen of Figure 4 6 when it is blank and use it as a separate worksheet Figure 4 6 Calculation Menu for Determining Upper and Lower Points to Identify Steering Swivel Axis i Steering Swivel Axis Lt Out fe Lt Height Lt Depth Upper Axis Lower Axis Left Greening Anca Aca Steering Arm Length Steering Arm Top ngle Steering Arm Side Angle Swivel Axis Front Angle Swivel Axis Side Angle Hote Calculations above based on the current Left side measurements of where the swivel ball of the Steering Pitman arm attaches to the Center Link 10 2768 5 5131 6 3716 Side Wew Bottom Print this screen when it is blank for a worksheet Use Calc Yalue Help Cancel int Front Wiew Side View Top iew 9 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples E 5 Be sure to mark the center of the tire patch at both the front and back of each tire This is not for toe in determination but for identifying the exact tire track from left to right See Figure 4 7 6 Make the other measurements required like Camber and Toe In You can also record other info like Tread Width and Tire Circumference 7 At the bottom of the Worksheet are several Other Specs you can measure or estimate Several of these we already set like Steering type Springs type Roll Bar type before we printed the worksheet Th
53. gE mi SM a 5u Apit l E A E a 3 18PM 6l C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output 62 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output Figure 3 2 Report Options Menu 3 1 Re D O rts w Report Settings car Toe In deg Report Type Pick Data fror List Caster deg i Camber dea Reports can be made of various Suspension o EREET Rall Cotr LURe characteristics as the suspension goes through Roll Cntr Height various amounts and combinations of Dive Settings _ ve Ly in FE 3th Roll and or Steer This menu lets you select Primary Type rol O Ackimn Err deg what characteristics data to report and the Caster Trail motion for the suspension to go through Starting From Anti Dive Going To Step 5ize Click on the Report menu command at the Main Screen to be presented with the Report Eaa Options Menu shown in Figure 3 2 The Secondary Type Dive 11 Data Points for Roll at inputs in this menu are described below Starting From fh z a a 104 Going To Hold Steer Ato O utp ut Step alee 18 Columns of Data Hold Steer At 21 Data Points for 13 Graph Lines is The Output section specs lets you select the the Masimum possible type of data you want calculated and for what side of the vehicle Hake Report Help Cancel Print Report Type In this current version there is only 1 type of report 1 Pick Individual Items If you se
54. level Block up tire level with scale and raised for accurate level car weight The new weight on the front tires or rear tires 1f the front of the car is raised when the car has been raised 52 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions 2 8 2 Tire Circumference Figure 2 39 Rolling Radius Tread Width me This calculation is available from the Suspension Data grid on the Main Screen and allows you to estimate Tire Circumference and Tread Width for certain Tire Rating Types Click on Input clc for either Tire Circumference or Tire Width calculation menu Diameter Radius Side Click on this combo box to select which tire you want to calculate specs for Rating Type Click on this combo box for the following rating types e P Metric ex P225 60 15 e Letter ex G 60 15 l a e Rolling Radius inches Figure 2 40 Calc Tire Circumference e Diameter inches im Calc Tire Crcumference inches Depending on your choice certain specs will become enabled If you Calc Tire Circumference inches choose the P Metric or Letter Type you will also be able to calculate the Cale Tread Width inches Tread Width P Metric Tire Size ex 225 l Rating Type P Metric ex P225 60 Metric Tire Size ex 225 leterTweSze eepest sto 5 I Identifies the tire s cross sectional width in millimeters and is also related to the tire s load carrying capacity Letter Tire Size I
55. map feet forward Y direction of starting location Column 4 longitudinal gs is acceleration Column 5 lateral gs is accel to right turning right Column 6 distance along track from starting location Column 7 Engine RPM Column 8 MPH Column 9 RF Shock Travel Column 10 LF Shock Travel Column 11 Steering Travel Column 12 RR Travel Column 13 LR Travel Column 14 Brake pressure or Travel Column 15 Throttle Travel Read Freeform File This file format can have the columns in any order and does NOT need the Track Map data The Suspension Analyzer can generate it from the other data supplied You do not need to provide all data columns The program will just not display what you have not provided This format was designed so that you could just export or write most any ASCII text file from your data logger of all your channels and the Suspension Analyzer would just handle it If you have a data file which the program can not handle please email us a copy of it and we ll let you know what can be done time longitudinal gs is acceleration lateral gs is accel to right turning right distance along track from starting location Engine RPM MPH RF Shock Travel LF Shock Travel Steering Travel RR Travel LR Travel Brake pressure or Travel Throttle Travel Notes for the Freeform file format e The data must be for only 1 lap e Ifthe data file includes data at more than sample every 0 1 seconds the
56. name Click on File Click here to then Save As Save Specs to bring up to New this Save Suspension menu name shown i Suspension Analyzer v1 0 Performance Trend LIMITED LATE Ale Edit Graphs Repos Other Specs Adjust Front View Side Yi bw Top View Thin iaf inu fam thn nar ai n w Save a Suspension File Joo Hew Suspension Name LIMITED LATE MODELS Folder Hame NEw OF Cancel Help Advanced Enter a New Suspension Mame and click on OF The current Suspension name i given should you choose to modify it slightly for the new name Use the Delete key to erase the name if vou want a completely new name New Folder Name Toe ln Ga Camber G Ifyou want to save the Suspension under a different Folder name click on the down arrow button and SUSPENS select one Select the top choice of Add New Folder Location and you val be asked for a new Folder name to add to Upper Bal Upper Frame Pivot Front 15 020 18 300 d dM Name of current suspension file you are working with Click on the down arrow button to pick a different folder to save this suspension to Note that the top choice in this list is Add New Folder Pick this option and then you can type in a new folder name This new folder name will be added to the list so that you can save the suspension file to that folder if you wish The word folder can be changed to most any word in the Preferences menu Type in a New F
57. of previously used numbers Customer Type in most any name up to 20 characters to identify the owner of this head or click on the down arrow key to pick from a list of previously used customers Susp Travel Sensor Click on the down arrow key to select the type of suspension travel sensor being used by a data acquisition system if any Your choice will determine if inputs are required to describe the mounting points of sensors at the Main Screen 38 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Steering Sensor Click on the down arrow key to select the type of steering sensor being used by a data acquisition system if any Your choice will determine if inputs are required to describe the mounting points of a sensor at the Main Screen Ride Height Lt Side From Centerline Enter the distance from the car s centerline to where you measure ride height on the Left side Lt Side Behind Wheel Center Enter the distance back from the center of the wheel or spindle to where you measure ride height on the Left side If you measure ride height in front of the spindle enter a negative number Figure 2 23 Ride Height Measurement Locations Top View of Right Side Shown Here Wheel Center Axle Line A Front of Car Right Side from Centerline Right Side Behind Wheel Center Car Centerline Frame location where you measure ride height Rt Side From Centerline Enter the distance
58. point from the ground Depth measurements are somewhat more tricky as they are measured from the axle line which is a line connecting the center of the 2 wheels If the car had a straight axle this would be exactly at 0 Depth Points which are ahead of the axle are measured as a negative Depth For example a point 4 inches ahead of the axle would have a Depth of 4 See Figure 2 9 You can print a blank worksheet for recording your measurements by clicking on File at the upper left of the Main Screen in the Menu Bar then clicking on Print Blank Worksheet Be sure you have first selected the correct Other Specs Steering Type Figure 2 9 Depth Measurements T Negative Depth Front of Car goes towards front of car Axle Line connecting the wheel centers spindles is 0 Depth All Positive Depth Depth goes toward back measurements of car are measured from this line Spring Type Roll Bar etc by clicking on Other Specs at the top of the Main Screen to obtain the correct worksheet for your car Other inputs are just a single number for the Right and Left side like Tire Track or Spring Rate Then you enter the value in the Out column Note that if you click on the scroll bar on the right side and slide down the report the column names change to Static Dynamic and Change See Figure 2 7 Tip You can enter fractions for measurements like 9 3 8 and the program will convert this to the decimal
59. program will ignore points which were recorded faster than 0 1 seconds and only use points at approximately every 0 1 seconds e The columns must each have a text name so the program can determine what they are e Columns can be separated either by commas or tabs 142 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Example files of each of these file formats can be found in the Data Logger Files folder in the Suspension Analyzer folder SuspAnzr20 Figure A 6 11 Animate Feature Using ASCII Text Data Exported from Data Logger A Suspension Analyzer v2 0 Performance Trends Shock Sensors Front and Rear Fie Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences Help Front View Gide View Top View No View x Dynamic Dive sS Roll S Steer 39 Wal Aninmnate L Fr Single Step Roll and Steer based on the sensor readings in the data file and the sensor positions you ve entered Slower into the Suspension Analyzer Faster Vere deki Eng APM 5344 Roll Cex He a55 Click here for options 7 Cas Gain 13 In Figure A 6 12 aster Gain 05 Toeln Gain 24 Camber Gain 1 58 Suspension Data ot Omo Help Toe ln Gain O0 Camber Gain 1 20 Shock Movement View from Rear MPH 120 Lokation Type Lt utes LtHeiahtv LtDepthi Rt utp gt t Relative Engine RPM Upper Ball Jdint in Input BEE 22 812 1 amp
60. special suspension conditions etc Larger Font Print Size Check this option if your particular Fiqure 3 16 Print Commands for Main Screen printer re printing the results with j Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends LIMITED small print font This option will File Edit Graphs Reports OtherSpecs Adjust Optimize Preference increase the font size for some parts of some reports Also see 7 Click on File in either Section 2 2 Preferences for Open from all saved suspensions CthO kar right side of ser the Engine Spec menu Selecting Printer Fonts page 24 save tilt Gain based on 1 Div to display these Print Save As Ctrl 4 Options Hew start new suspension Ctrl M ae Dynami Open from Floppy Drive as Drive Save to Floppy Orive 4 4 Drive Print Main Screen Print Blank worksheet windows Printer Setup Other Pri nt Options Unlock Program Options Transfer Program to Another Computer Other menus have print menu Exit Program commands or print buttons as shown in Figures 3 16 and 3 17 Figure 3 17 Print Button Cale Roll Bar Rate Inputs Type of Bar Solid Bar Bar Outside Diameter in Bar Inside Diameter in Active Bar Length in _ RE Many screens and menus Arm Length have a Print button Click on it to print that particular Note screen or menu Active Bar Length is the lenght of the bar that is designed to twist which usually has a smaller than the rest of the bar Arm Length ts the d
61. suspension to move The starting and ending position is always O Dive Fall and Steer Click here to start the Animation process shown in Figure A 6 10 Animate Clear Help Cancel Print There are 4 types of file formats the Suspension Analyzer can read which can be picked in the Data Source input in the Animate screen as described in Table A 6 1 below Table A 6 1 File Formats for Animate Read from File short This file would typically be for just the front suspension with minimal data channels recorded Column 1 time Column 2 RF Shock Travel Column 3 LF Shock Travel Column 4 Steering Travel 141 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices a a T Read from File long This file would typically be for both the front suspension and rear suspension with minimal data channels recorded Column 1 time Column 2 Engine RPM Column 3 distance along track from starting location Column 4 RF Shock Travel Column 5 LF Shock Travel Column 6 Steering Travel Column 7 RR Travel Column 8 LR Travel Read from File w Track Map This file is the same as what the Performance Trends DataMite Il s software would export to the Suspension Analyzer Most other data logger software packages do not export the Track Map feet data so this form has been made easier to use with the addition of the Freeform format below Column 1 time Column 2 track map feet to right X direction of starting location Column 3 track
62. the 3 columns for each side of the car The Dynamic Angle due to Dive Roll and or Steer is shown to its right 4th and 7th column and the difference is shown to its right Sth and 8th column 23 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Spring Rate Wheel Rate The spring rate in pounds per inch force required to compress the spring inch Click on the Input clc and a menu will open where you can calculate a spring rate from other specs You can type in this number in the 3rd and 6th columns leftmost column of the 3 columns for each side of the car The calculated Wheel Rate in pounds inch force required to move the wheel center up or dive the vehicle 1 inch is shown to its right 4th and 7th column Figure 2 11 Illustration of Camber King Pin Mtn Ratio Spring Shock Sensor Axis and Scrub Radius Camber Angle negative angle shown here The motion ratio between the Spring Shock Sensor motion and the wheel s motion See Specs for Calculating Camber Gain in Section 2 2 Preferences on exactly how Motion Ratios are calculated Front View Track The track from the car s centerline and the center of the tire King Pin Axis patch on the ground The Static Track 1s shown 3rd and 6th columns leftmost column of the 3 columns for each side of the Spindle Angle car The Dynamic Track due to Dive Roll and or Steer is shown to its right 4th and 7th column and the difference called Tir
63. the idler arm in the United States D Front of Car Steering Arm Points To Steering Arm Side Angle Select if the steering arm Pitman arm from the Steering Axis steering box or idler arm either points to the front of Side Angle the car or the rear of the car Ifthe arm points toward the rear then the axis is in front of the pivot point as shown in Figure 2 45 Steering Arm Length C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Steering Arm Length Figure 2 46 Steering Axis Menu with Approximate Measurements for Steering Box shown in Figure 2 45 Measure the length of the steering arm Pitman arm from the steering box or idler arm from the pivot to the axis See Figure 245 Lt Out fs LtHeight Lt Depth 7 Upper Axis Lower Axis pze w Steenng Swivel Axis Steering Arm Top Angle Left Is the angle of the steering arm Pitman Steering Arm Points To Rear arm from the steering box or idler arm when viewed from the top After entering Hise fag Aico the angle click on the Top View button Steering Arm Top Angle shown in Figure 2 46 to confirm the angle Steering Arm Side Angle points in the direction you measured er Ronan ane E wiyel Axis Side Angle steering Arm Side Angle ea Calculations above based on the current Lett side measurements of where the swivel ball of Is the angle of the steering an Pitman the Steering Pitman arm attaches to the Center arm from the steering
64. the left and right rear wheels 156 Cross weight changes by changing tire size All weights and weight percentages can change by moving adding or removing weight from the car at a particular location Program also shows new CG location and location of weight added and weight removed or how weight was moved C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Fig A 6 21 Watts Link Features w Watts Link Now the Watts Link pivot can be Enough Dimensions 7 w Vehicle Specs pack ok Fle Hel either on the axle 7 housing or on the Specs for Center Pivot frame Distance Behind Axle General Specs Data Lobe Suspension Type Susp Travel Sensor Yes Height Above Ground 3 Link top link Right side Live Axle Center Pivot to Arm Pivot Lateral Locating Linkage Ride Height Measurements z Specs for Arms Watts Link center link attaches to Frame Lt Side From Centerline P Panhard Bar frame attachment on Right fide Lt Side Behind Wheel Center Arm Length Panhard Bar frame attachment on Lett side Watts Link center link attaches to Axle Rt Side From Centerline Watts Link center link attaches to Frame T op Arm Goes SMD Cod Over ouboac Enter just a few inputs then click aN ial Y on the Use Calc Value button in Nate Roll Bar None ihe lower lan whentereic a Check Figure 46 5 in Append 6 for a picture of X l these varous inputs Yes in the Enough Dimensions
65. tire down somewhat tilting up Use Calc Value the left side of the chassis All fie ees measurements tilt up and there would be some small change in some New Caster and Camber are shown measurements moving to the right This here for the Shimming requested feature can simulate all these changes that you would see on the actual car See Figure 2 29 To use this feature first pick whether you will Add or Remove shims for either the Front or Back mount or both Then select whether you want to use standard sixteenth 1 16 and eighth 1 8 inch shims or to enter some other Custom shim adjustment After your selection the lower inputs will become enabled as appropriate Selecting No Shims disables the lower inputs and keeps that mounting point unchanged The total shim thickness will be displayed for both the Front and Back mount and the change in Caster and Camber 43 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Figure 2 29 Difference Between Moving Points and Adjusting Points Starting Condition Move All Points Up 2 Adjust shim Upper Arm s 6 Frame Pivots Up 2 Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends Suspension Analyzer v1 0 Performance Trends ia Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends File Edit Graphs Reports Other Specs Adjust Optimize File Edit Graphs Reports OtherSpecs Adjust Optimize File Edit Graphe Reports Other Specs Adjust Optimize Front View Side View Top Vie
66. to be applied using the top 4 specs Then enter the range of motion and increment size This motion will appear on bottom horizontal X axis on the graph Note that the larger the range and smaller the Increment size the longer it will take to construct the graph and the more detail in the graph 70 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output In the Settings section you can also select the Secondary Suspension Motion to be applied using the next 4 specs This will add more graph lines to the graph for each Secondary Motion You can also select None for keeping the graph more simple Again enter the range of motion and increment size for this Secondary Motion You can also select the setting for the Suspension Motions you decided not to use For example if you chose Roll as the Primary Motion and Dive as the Secondary Motion then you can select Steer to be at some particular setting Primary Type Select the primary motion you want to see in the graph e Roll e Dive e Steer starting From Type in the starting amount of Primary motion you selected Roll Dive or Steer in the suspension for the graph Going To Type in the ending amount of Primary motion you selected Roll Dive or Steer in the suspension for the graph Step Size Type in the increments size for the Primary motion you selected Roll Dive or Steer in the suspension for the graph For example if you selected Primary Type Roll S
67. you are ready to start the new suspension click on Start New Suspension at the top of the screen If some critical spec has not been entered the program may warn you and ask you for it at that time 60 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output Chapter 3 Output The Suspension Analyzer provides several ways to view and output the data and results including e Reports of tabular data displayed on the screen e ASCII files for exporting results to other software packages e High resolution graphs e Printer output of reports or graphs e Suspension Libraries for recording suspension data for later use All these topics will be covered in this chapter Figure 3 1 shows how to reach all these various features Check Appendix 6 and 7 for several new features for output introduced in v2 0 and 2 4 including the ability to email graphs and reports Figure 3 1 Various Output Options from the Main Screen Click on File to display several options to Save test files Open test files which were previously saved or print information Click on Graph to display several Graph Options and produce a high resolution graph Click on Report to display several Report Options and produce a tabular report Once a report is displayed it can be output as an ASCII file or printed Name of current Suspension File Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends LIMITED LATE MODEL Reports OtherSpece Adjust Optimize Preferen
68. 00 Full Vehicle Version lets you analyze these ends of the car Front Suspension Only Rear Suspension Only Front and Rear Suspension together A Click on Vehicle Specs for the Menu Shown Here A Suspension Analyzer v1 1 Performance Trends pushrod x A T Graphs a Vehicle Specs Adjust Fe Zoom Animate Preferences Hey VIEW Specs like Front View Side View Top View No View F Dynamic Diep E Stee Suspension Type for This is a view from the rear of na ae Fro nt or Rear of Car w Vehicle Specs Back ok File Help Vehicle Specs General Specs Identification Choose Which End to Height of C G inches Chassis J Analyzer here Front gt Front Braking Bea es Front Suspension only Rear Only or Wheelbase inches F Comments 7 Rear Suspension F ront an d Re ar Suspension to Analyze Fronted Rear Y Stock 1978 Mustang Il This is a popular front end for street rods Vehicle Weights Unfortuantely we don t have spring or roll bar specs just geometry These are courtesy Bob Left Front 562 5 Total wt 2500 McNall Ford Engineer street rod builder and egn Roini al Right Front Rear good fiend A z Nes Cli k h b Left Rear Let 50 p 54 27 ick these buttons to Help z z 7 Height of the vehicle s Center of Gravity This Right Rear Cross measurement is only used for Anti Dive 0 WO rk on view an d calculations If you are not sure use 20 inches 10 27
69. 1 with WCSample with the rack dropped 1 you have to save either of these suspensions with this modification at the main screen under some new name like WCSample Raised 1 Then you can modify the rack position to a 1 drop from the original position Make a graph of the current suspension with a 1 drop You 104 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples E now have the option of graphing this suspension with either the original rack position WCSample or with the rack raised 1 WCSample Raised 1 Figure 4 23 is Graph 4 22 with the added Suspension File for comparison and with the Secondary Type of suspension motion shown in Figure 4 19 set to Roll Each secondary suspension motion in this case Roll at 2 1 0 1 and 2 degrees produces a separate graph line You can see it can get quite confusing when you get so many different types of suspension motion graphed especially for 2 different suspensions Usually you don t want too many levels of Secondary motion because it adds too many additional graph lines Figure 4 23 Graph of 2 Suspensions with a Secondary Type of Suspension Motion In This Case Roll of 2 1 0 1 and 2 Degrees not generally recommended because it is too cluttered w Suspension Analyzer 1 1 WCSAMPLE Back File Format Wiew Graph Type Remowe Suspension Help if EI CP eee witsample limited late model Lt Roll 2 Rt Roll 2 Lt Rall 1 Rit Roll 1 Lt
70. 1 Dive Driveshaft angle and length Zoom Out drawn here oom Ofi New Zoom Buttons to move drawing left right up and down qo Shackle assumed to Transmission be 2 long Angle drawn Oe ey See er as dotted line Leaf Spring option for rear solid axle Toe In deg 00 Roll Center Ht 15 86 Turn Radius Mone Roll Center Right 00 Toe In deg 00 Ant Squat Static 25X14 Dyn 257 12 Suspension Data Location A a Type Lt Quit Lt Hejfnt Lt Depth 2 AtOutp Rt Height Spring Mount on Axle Ht in 11 Front Spring Mount in Input 21 5 12 21 21 5 12 Rear Sorina bAaimk in lrir iF 71 R aq 70 71 R 71 Only Height is needed for this measurement 138 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices i Fi A 6 7 New File Opti New File Options Jaz ew File Options i Suspension Analyzer v2 0 Performance Trends Shock Sensors Front and Rear Figure A 6 7 shows some new File options The Backup command copies all suspension files to a floppy disk CD or memory stick Restore copies files from a A6 Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences Help New start new suspension Ctrl h e Dynamic i E W previously backed up floppy disk CD or memory stick Open from all saved suspensions Ctro right side of screen is actually right side of car back to your program To be safe before you restore ave C5 din based on 1 Dive you may want to do a backup in
71. 232 22 804 22 804 009 072 O00 0S 054 3 442 6 180 4 558 5 232 22 804 22 804 009 072 ai 054 3 442 6 180 4 558 232 22 804 22 804 009 072 a000 o 031 054 3 442 6 180 4 559 5 292 22 804 23 804 009 D72 3000 O 031 054 3 442 6 180 4 559 5 292 22 804 23 804 009 072 ee fa Toeln deg Toelnmdeg Caster Caster Camber Camber RC LtRt RC Lt Rt Scrub Serb Lt Aol 0 At Aol 0 Lt RAol 0 At Aol 0 Lt Rol 0 At RAol 0 Lt Aol 0 Rt Rol 0 Lt Aol 0 At Roll 0 3 000 000 000 3 703 5 779 5 000 5 500 17 507 17 507 000 000 000 000 3 703 5 779 5 000 5 500 17 507 17 507 000 000 000 000 3 703 5 779 5 000 5 500 17 507 17 507 000 000 o0 J 000 D00 3 703 5 779 5 000 5 500 17 507 17 507 000 000 000 000 3 703 5 779 5 000 5 500 17 507 17 507 000 000 000 O00 3 703 5 779 5 000 5 500 17 507 17 507 000 000 000 O00 3 703 5 779 5 000 5 500 17 507 17 507 000 000 PE Toeln deg Toelndeg Caster Caster Camber Camber RC Ltt RC LtAt Scrub Scrub Lt Aol 1 At Rol 1 Lt Roll 1 At Aol 1 Lt Rol 1 Rt Roll 1 Lt Rol 1 Rt Rol 1 Lt Aol 1 Rt Roll 1 022 049 3 923 5 343 5 358 5 825 12 359 12 359 018 DGF 2 AAN nv NAG 7q FAA R ARO A OF 172 Rg 17 Rq 012 ney C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples Graphs Graphs can be made by clicking on Graphs at the top of the Main Screen Graphs are constructed much the same as reports except that the results are graphed instead of being listed in a table However a significant advantage of graphs 1s you can c
72. 3 10 Printing Graphs Clicking on the Printer button is the same as clicking on File and then Print Color Click on File to display the 3 w Suspension Analyzer vt 1 LIMITED LATE MODEL 2 print menu options Back Fife Format View Graph Type Remove Suspension Help Add Test ta Graph S lt i gt lt E A Click here to print the graph in Print Black amp White dashed lines color solid lines Windows Print Options Click here to print the graph in black amp white various styles of dashed and solid lines Click here change the printer or printer driver page orientation etc 74 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Figure 3 1 Printing Options Printed Comment Enter a comment to be printed on the graph The default comment shown below iF any is the last ones Include Suspension Comments comment you entered for a graph Comparison of 1 lowering in Upper Ball Joint Chapter 3 Output Do you want to include the Suspension Comments and Suspension Summar on the printout Suspension Analyzer v1 1 Your name company name can Suspension File WCSAMPLE Performance Trends C 2001 go here See Preferences Folder EXAMPLES Page 1 Date 11 09 02 Time 1 12 pm 10 000 a a 6 000 ee 4 000 Se OE EE E E ES 000 4 000 6 000 RC Movement Right wcsample _ re Lt Rt wcsample __ ia LYRE Comparison of 1 lowering in Upper B
73. 5 3 Program needs location of the 2 control arms for Suspension Data Location Type AtOut RtHeight VY RtDepth 2 LtOut amp LtHeighttv Ltepth 9 each side and the location of the torque Lower Link 4xle Mount in i f i i bea m Pan Hard Bar Frame At Side Input 154 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Fig A 6 19 Four Link Features Right Side Upper Link Frame Mount Bracket Locations Up Down Forward Back er NoteX Fit pidktheR o These buttons let enter the measur from the centero YOU move all holes Location ype RE Gut Rt Height 7 Upper Link Frame Mount in Input p4 Am Upper Link Axle Mount in Input Edit Right Side Brackets Click on This screen eae lets you enter gles P gt HoleUsed i Input clc om a F several hole Inches a locations for Ground pea particular each bracket Haaa Equivalents mount to Hole 2 1 8 125 choose Hole 3 cs which side s cE a brackets you m 34a 75 want to edit Se Screen to l O right will be m displayed Roll Center Ht 9 00 Turn Radius Hone Fi eral OK Exit Help Cancel Print Dyn 82 1 e Move all existing holes This much Ji a hee i i JCO z Edit Left Side Brackets Lower Link Frame Mount in Input center of each hd pa Close This Menu Generate Several Holes center of eachhd a certain amount Lower Link Ax
74. 6 22 Program now highlights the appropriate cell in the spreadsheet when you click on a point in the layout drawing Fig A 6 23 Added a View button on layout drawing so you can quickly change some Preference settings which affect the layout drawing Fig A 6 24 Some of the new Preferences we ve added which can be changed at the View button include e Added Bigger Preference so you can select to make the layout drawing bigger on higher resolution screens e Added Preference to allow only 1 side to be drawn in side view helps avoid confusion Now all versions have the Ball Joint Wizard for more accurately calculating the location of the center of rotation of the ball joint Fig A 6 25 Made several changes to graphing to allow for you to press the arrow keys on the keyboard to move graphs around and to not run into limits where zooming and shifting would run into limits Program now automatically checks for old versions 1 1 and 2 0 of Suspension Analyzer on your computer for importing files The File then Import feature now looks for old versions 1 1 and 2 0 of Suspension Analyzer on your computer for importing files 147 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Se ee OO U a ee When choosing different types of suspensions the program now better checks for valid types of springs which can be chosen especially for solid axle rear suspensions For example torsion bars and springs to upper arms can not be used o
75. Angles Help opy Right Side to Lert Side righi eed on Flip Z Direction Front to back on All Points Layouk Shows Actual Camber Camber Toe Don t Ask About Drawy Centered on 0 Dimensi fe Updating Move Groups of Measurements Convert Measurements to Metric Convert Measurements to English Import paste Dimensions From Another Program Leaf springs typically add about 25 more roll stiffness than what just their spring rate and spacing would indicate Here you can enter what percentage you want the program to use Choose how you want the rear axle drawn Choose if you want actual values or Gains displayed on the Suspension Layout screen Choose if you want spring angle info displayed or shock and sensor length FLLD Front Lateral Load Distribution When a car makes a turn weight is transferred from the inside tires to the outside tires However how this weight transfer is split between the front and rear has a huge impact on the feel and handling of the car If more weight transfer occurs on the front of the car the outside front tire is being overworked more than the rear outside tire causing less cornering traction at the front This is more likely to produce understeer or a push Very simplistically if the Front Lateral Load Distribution is 50 that means the weight transfer split between front and rear is the same and that should produce
76. Axle 147 Depth 18 20 34 93 128 Dive 1 7 8 13 16 18 23 24 27 33 37 38 48 49 50 63 64 65 66 70 71 72 73 76 92 101 102 103 104 110 113 116 117 118 148 Double A Arm 126 127 128 133 Dynamic 6 7 8 13 16 18 20 23 24 66 73 101 102 Edit 6 7 19 29 41 42 43 93 133 Emailing 61 142 148 Ending Position 50 Engine RPM 141 142 144 English 133 Extension Lines 1 35 File 2 7 12 13 20 28 29 34 44 45 48 59 60 67 80 81 82 83 89 90 94 96 99 105 121 123 124 128 133 139 141 142 145 147 148 Find 47 93 133 135 Find Optimum Settings 47 First Motion 49 FLLD front lateral load distribution handling 47 115 133 Folder 12 35 60 95 99 121 124 Format 148 Freeform 133 Friction Circle 144 Front Lateral Load Distribution 115 133 134 135 Front Suspension 19 56 126 128 Going To 64 65 71 72 Graph 7 8 12 30 35 36 67 69 70 71 72 73 74 76 77 103 104 105 109 110 125 127 144 148 Graph Legend 148 Graph Type 70 109 Graph Restore Defaults 148 Graphs 6 13 30 69 70 72 73 74 99 103 105 Gs 133 Height 18 19 20 34 37 45 51 52 92 99 136 138 Height of C G 37 51 92 Height of C G inches 37 Help 2 3 5 7 8 9 30 36 51 60 125 133 148 Hold At 65 72 Hollow 54 56 57 Ideal Ackrmn Toe In deg 25 Import 1 133 139 145 147 Import Dimension
77. Caster Line hits the ground and is usually produced from negative caster Projection of each tire s angles See Figure 2 12 turn radius intersects s at the wheelbase Toe In deg Toe In is the angle of the wheel when viewed from the top in degrees Positive Toe In means the front of the wheel is tilted in toward the center of the car Toe In inches Toe In inches is the distance the front of the wheel is tilted in toward the center of the car In the Preferences section you can select to have this based on the tire circumference you ve entered for this suspension Lt Rt or some standard tire radius Selecting a standard tire radius lets you compare this number across any suspension independent on the tires used for each Note that this is reported for each wheel separately and that total Toe In would adding the left and right Toe In together Most racers tuners and mechanics talk about total Toe In For example if Ideal Ackrmn Toe In deg Figure 2 14 Ackerman Error and Turn Toe In exaggerated here to illustrate concepts Negative Turn Toe In toe out Positive Turn Toe In Projection of each tire s turn radius intersects behind wheelbase Projection of each wheel s turn radius intersects ahead of wheelbase 25 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions a as Ideal Ackerman Toe In is the angle in degrees for the left and right side which would produce perfect Ackerman Stee
78. ERFTRNS PTI 83 121 123 124 Preferences 6 7 12 15 16 18 24 25 28 30 33 34 44 60 65 73 80 95 99 113 147 Primary Type 64 65 71 72 print 1 20 29 79 80 89 91 96 99 121 Print 20 29 79 80 89 90 99 121 148 168 Printer 6 29 35 61 74 79 80 printer orientation 133 printing 29 74 80 89 Pushrod Mount on Arm 23 Pushrod Mount on Bellcrank 23 Radius 18 25 52 54 65 73 117 118 Rating Type 53 Readme doc 2 README DOC 2 Rear Lateral Load Distribution 133 Registered 3 5 Registered Owner 3 5 Request Report Comment 80 Restore 133 139 148 Restore Defaults 148 Ride Height 1 39 43 44 45 Rim Offset 46 Rim Width 46 rocker arm 133 Roll 1 7 8 12 13 16 18 19 20 23 24 26 27 29 30 33 34 35 37 38 48 49 50 56 57 59 63 64 65 66 70 71 72 73 82 84 89 92 99 100 101 102 103 105 108 109 110 113 115 116 118 128 133 134 135 136 138 147 148 Roll Bar 13 20 23 30 37 38 56 57 59 89 Roll Bar Rate lb in 38 Roll Center 1 12 13 18 19 26 27 34 35 48 66 70 73 82 84 99 109 110 113 115 116 118 135 136 148 Roll Center Height 18 26 27 66 70 73 110 136 148 Roll Center Left 18 27 66 70 73 99 Roll Center Motion 70 109 110 Roll Stiffness 1 27 128 Roll Stiffness ft lbs deg 27 128 Rolling Radius 53 54 Rt Side Behind Wheel Center 39 Rt Side From Cent
79. Enter Edit F kevini performancetrends com Path to MS Paint C wINDOWS SYSTEh Neutral Line for Anti Dive Side View Instant Centers which lie on this line exhibit 100 anti dive Instant Centers below this exhibit less than 100 anti dive and are typical Neutral Line shown in side view only i Suspension Analyzer v2 4 P File Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle 5 Front View Side View Top This is a view from the right side right side of screen Gain based on 1 Dive Rall Center Ht 3 29 Turn Radius None Caster Gain 05 Toe lIn Gain 00 Camber Gain 1 20 Suspension Data Location Rt Out fs Rt Height 0r Rtl Type Enter the Email Specs used by your email service For Email Info you can choose from several Default providers which will fill in SMTP Port Number and Use Secure Socket Layer or use Use Specs Below to enter most anything you want Note The Default specs may not always work for those providers and things change To find these settings you may have to go into your email program and click on things like Properties Mail Accounts etc To get these settings correct may require some trial and error Click here to enter your email password Note that it is NOT stored in an encrypted form Enter the email address you want emails sent from the Suspension Analyzer to be marked as From Click on the Find button to find the path to the Windows Accessory MSPaint exe This path is o
80. FLLD you want The program will default to a typical value based on your car s weight distribution 4 Click here to have program save these new settings Figure A 6 3 Find Front Lateral Load Distribution by Clicking on Optimize w Find Front Lat Load Dist 150 7 180 1 75 7 1 68 Current Rear Springs Current Nat Freq F Hew Front Lat Load Dr New Rear Springs Options Adjust For This FLLD This change tends to make the car slightly looser Hote The new settings you find using this feature may NOT be best your driving style and could be UNSAFE Click on Help for more info For this vehicle s Front Wit of 50 02 55 0 52 higher would be a suggested setting 0E Keep Help Cancel Print on this tuning factor You may then want to have the program adjust the Rear Roll Center to find the FLLD you desire After you adjust the Rear Roll Center and keep this change click on OK Keep then you can go back into this screen and try adjusting springs and or roll bar and they are likely to have more affect The new settings you find using this feature MAY NOT BE THE BEST AND COULD BE UNSAFE USE YOUR JUDGEMENT when making adjustments based on this concept 135 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices New Optimize Features Figure A 6 4 shows some of the new features in the Optimize screen Figure A6 4 New Optimize Features This brings up screen of Figure A 6 3 fe suspensio
81. Fig A 6 14 Torque Tube Live Rear Axle The Torque Tube rear axle has one torque tube link attached at one point typically up near the transmission This pointis a ball joint allowing motion in most Torque Tube all directions All accelerating and decelerating torque is transferred through this one point This tube has supports to resist the axle twisting when viewed from the top plan view It then uses some type of lateral locating device panhard bar shown here to resist sideways motion This Suspension was used in the 3 generation Camaros and Firebirds 1982 92 Front ball joint allows for rotation but the center stays fixed in all directions Torque Tube is an example is Suspension Analyzer v2 4 Performance Trends Torque Tube file supplied with program for File Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences Help you to evaluate Front View Side View Top iew No View Dynamic B B This is a view from the right side right side of screen is front of car Gain based on 1 Dive Side view of Torque Tube suspension Program only needs Rear Suspension QCation of the single ball joint Toe In Gain 00 Roll Center Ht 12 50 Turn Radius None Roll Center Right Db Toe In Gain 00 Anti Squat Static 168 8 Dyn 168 8 Ant SqyatStatic 168 8 Dyn 168 8 Suspension Data Location Type tut X Rt Height Y RtDepth Z Lt Out Lt Height Y
82. I at ee dJen Ree ete ee tee Add Last Suspension my tests limited late model Add New Suspension Te TNE T Click here to add a 2nd suspension to this graph see Fig 4 22 E e wtsample __ Toeln deg Lt Toeln deg Rt Click here for the Graph menu shown here Select what calculated result you want to graph here Only the first selection will be graphed Select what i suspension motions for which you want results aranhad 103 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples Se ee 3 to 3 Dive If you click on Add Suspension you can add a second suspension to the graph as shown in Figure 4 22 This suspension can either be the last suspension you added to a graph or one done at Performance Trends if you just got the program or you can pick some new suspension from the entire library of saved suspensions Figure 4 22 shows the vertical Cursor which lets you pin point values on the graph lines You can obtain the cursor by e Clicking on a graph line near one of the data points which makes up the line in this case near dives of 3 2 1 0 1 2 or 3 inches e Clicking on one of the cursor buttons e Clicking on View then Turn Cursor On Figure 4 22 Graph Comparing 2 Suspensions Cursor can be displayed by clicking on View then Turn Cursor On Cursor can be displayed by clicking on one of these Cursor B
83. L Instant Messenger ppy Gi na oi Aol25 f E E 122 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices SSS O a ee ay Now you must tell the computer where you want to copy the files to Click and drag the slide bar for the left section of the Windows Explorer screen to the top You can also click on the up or down arrow buttons on the slide bar Look for the Floppy Drive icon usually the A drive Put a new formatted disk in the floppy drive Then right click on the Floppy Drive icon and select Paste from the list of options You will see the floppy drive light come on as the entire 3D DATA folder and all its contents are copied to the floppy disk Label this disk with something like 3D DATA folder xx xx xx with a name and date Notes If you have so many suspensions in the Suspension Library they may not all fit onto 1 floppy disk Windows Explorer will tell you this and ask you to insert another new formatted disk If this happens be sure to label all disks with a name date and sequential s and keep the entire disk set together A suggestion for novice computer users is to make each folder under 3D DATA a separate floppy disk This may require more floppy disks but will make it easier to understand restoring just certain folders in the future You may just want to back up one particular folder in the suspension library in the 3D DATA folder or just 1 particular suspension You would do this th
84. LATE MODEL Optimize Preferences Help p View K Dynamic Dy en E Rall ol Steer This is a view from the rear pf car right side of scre n is actwally right side of car Gain based on 1 Dfe File Edt Graphs Reports Other Specs Front View Side View Top View Right Instant Center drawn in blue Roll Center drawn in black Left Instant Center drawn in red just like the right side 4 a suspension The red arrow pointing off the screen Toe ln Gain 14 Roall Center Ht 1 62 Turn Aadi Roll Center Right 12 75 Toe ln Gain 05 shows Its actual location is off the Camber Gain 92 Caster Gain 37 Turn Toe ln 26 Caster Gain 26 Camber Gain 1 65 screen Sway Bar roll bar drawn in green Centerlink drawn in gray for steering system Summary of critical calculated outputs These are defined in this section pa Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends LIMITED LATE MODEL File Edit Graphs Reporte OtherSpecs Adjust Optimize Animate Preferences Help Front View Side View Top View Ho View Dynamic Dw E Aol 0 JE sea E This 1 ew f the right side right side of is front of 5 12 1 a View Tom E ee ee ed ECTEeNn 15 MONI OF Car Rotation Axis for steering box Pitman arm and idler arm not applicable for rack and pinion steering Arrows showing front of car Toe ln Gain 04 Roll Center Ht 2 56 Roll Center Right 2 65 Toe In Gain 4 Camber Gain 1 53 Caster Gai
85. Lower Frame Pivot Front fa 8 04 6 125 437 10 125 5 875 23 Lower Frame Pivot Rear in Input 5 125 5 875 20 937 Help Definition The location of the Front Frame Pivot For the lower 4 Arm or Wishbone On some suspensions this may be the forward strut sometimes called Drag Strut which locates the main lower arm like some Masterbuilt tm chassis or stock Fords p21 The first time you get a definition for each time you start the program you will be asked if you want a picture of the X Y and Z dimensions and how they are measured w Definition of A Y and Z Measurements Positive X direction is measured out from a i k Centerline Negative Direction for Front Front Axle Line is zero 0 Z oe Car Centerline can be several different is Depth w i toward center things center of 1 tire patches center of car toward a of driveline etc Just be consistent driver an aratia centerline for all x measurements Screen showing how the X Y and Z dimensions are measured direction for the Front vs the Rear NOTE If you find you have made a mistake in how you measured a suspension there is probably an Edit option click on Edit at top Positive Y direction left corner of main screen is up from Ground that will let you correct it Rear Axle Line Negative is zero 0 Z Z Direction for Rear a ee a N Seer ee l H Also check Example 4 1 in book Chapter
86. Run then Browse and find your CD drive Then look for SETUP EXE on the CD and run it to run the Installation Wizard If you want to bypass the wizard go into the Programs folder and run the Suspension Analyzer v2 4 Installer exe file Figure 1 1 B Installation Wizard or Bypassing Installation Wizard A Performance Trends Installation Wizard Seles Options ne Product Comparisons Visit our Website wew perFormancetren The Installation Wizard will Auto Start when you insert the program CD Here s the Suspension Analyzer button to install this program You can also install any or all of the other demo programs on the CD Click on the Brochure button by a particular product for a description with illustrations a brochure of that program to be displayed Engine Perfomance ata Logger Programs Check Movies for a quick tutorial Install This Program YWiew Dyno Datah ite Brochure Drag Race DataMite Brochure Road Race DataMite Brochure DataMite System Spex Brochure Brochure Install DataMite Utilities Other Products Install This Progra View Brochure Engine Analyzer Plus Brochure Drag Race Analyzer Pro Engine Analyzer Pro Brochure 4 Link Calculator Practice T Engine Building Tools Practice Tree Install This Program View Prelim Race Clutch Comp Ratio Calculator Brochure Circle Track Road Kace Tools Cam Analyzer Brochur
87. UU a ee aaa 114 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Appendix 2 Rules of Thumb for Tuning Suspension Characteristics and Additional Reading Suspensions can be set up for various types of handling e Optimum performance which usually means optimum cornering e Stable predictable handling on the street e Anything in between This appendix gives some very general guidelines The best information and understanding can be obtained by reading some of the books listed at the end of this Appendix 2 Version 2 0 introduces a new calculation called Front Lateral Load Distribution or FLLD This can be used to understand vehicle balance oversteer or understeer and is discussed in more detail in Appendix 6 Optimum Handling racing Roll Center Camber Camber Gain Roll Center is an imaginary point about which the chassis tends to roll in cornering maneuvers In general the lower the Roll Center the more the car rolls in the corners and the farther right the Roll Center the less the right side moves up or down during cornering Camber Gain is the amount of camber change tilt of the tires when viewed from the front you get from a certain amount of body motion typically 1 inch of dive from braking Most race cars want Camber Gain in the range of 1 to 2 degrees for an inch of dive This is especially true for the outside tire in a turn For circle track cars always turning left the desired camber ga
88. abandon changes Back keep combo highlighted Print Sort Table By prod uce table of all Top Frame Bottom combinations shown to left Click here to rank all combos by the characteristic you are most interested in 155 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Appendices Suspension Analyzer Fig A 6 20 Virtual Scales Suspension Analyzer v2 4 Corner Jacking Screen Bird Cage Rear w Brackets Back Back keep changes Print Help Virtual Jacking Scales turned on by clicking on Adjust then Corner Weights E Suspension Analyzer v2 4 Performance Trends Bird Cage Rear Left Front Threads Inch Turns Down Static Weight Spring Rate Left Rear Threads Inch Turns Down Static Weight Spring Rate Right Front Threads Inch Turns Down Static Weight Spring Rate Right Rear Threads Inch Turns Down Static Weight pring Rate Static New 48 76 48 76 Rear 66 21 56 21 Left S327 S137 Cross g File Edit Graphs Reports Yehicle Specs EURA Optimize Zoom Animate Prel Help Definition Enter the number of tns from where you started or click on the Up Down button to toggle the reading up or down 1 turn Where you started is the screw poXtion which produced the Static Corner Weights shown here Important The estimates made in this screer are based on several assumptions two of the most important being he chasis is perfectly stiff and the tires are perfectly stiff Fron
89. ack Fie Samum ll View Gragh Type Add Suspension Help gt Leeds pele Pe at Favie Set sca Camber vs Roll degrees on shoes Camber Lt Camber Rt Data To Grapbfigraph typet Larger Labels in Line Style Back Calor g a et a S a A ia tors ore y Ge cies eanbaran en TDT erg ee a veer 1 w Y Axis is Dive Roll i i Legend graph line labels Classic View smaller Return to Defaults Larger View the Graph Legend a alee wf Largest view je ee ee ee ee ee Click on Restore L to Defaults to switch most settings back to factory settings EEE D eo ae E E E EE E E eee one i mee Roll 162 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Fig A 6 28 Preference for Neutral Line for Anti Squat and Anti Dive w Preferences Definitions File Options Hain Screen Printing amp Graphing Draw Front view Extension Lines Main Screen wiew From Front Moves 50 inches Neutral Line Preference under Main Screen tab Dynamic Arrow Buttons Refresh Calcs after Main Screen Show Front Sid Layout Shows Gains Change Show Front WHeelbase Change Draw Suspern ion Layout Side View Tes ad Std Size Show Left and Right x Rear Axl Ahout Updating Email Info SHTP Use Specs Below 7 No Set Graph Port Number Colors Use Secure Socket Layer From Email Address Restart Showing Help Tips
90. ack to the New Suspension screen Be sure to check the check box at the left for all specs you want to use for your new suspension If Other Specs is not checked they will be blanked out Blank specs may cause problems when entering Suspension Data for the New Suspension Therefore we recommend you keep Other Specs checked for most situations Most all specs in these categories can also be changed once the suspension has started with no problems This includes specs which simply describe the suspension and do not affect any calculations or what is recorded like Chassis Number Customer Comments etc Two 2 critical specs are listed separately at the top 1 File Name for New Suspension is the file name the program will create for saving the Suspension Data for the new suspension you are starting The program fills in a default name of the current suspension name but incrementing the last digit in the name by 1 You can change this name to most anything you like The program will warn you if the name entered is not valid and show you what is wrong 2 Folder Name for New Suspension is the folder in the 3D DATA folder where the suspension will be saved The program may not be using the name folder for this spec but whatever word you have assigned in the Preferences menu at the Main Screen The folder name Examples is reserved for Performance Trends example suspensions supplied with the program and can NOT be used for your suspensions When
91. ad added to the graph for f Suspension Library comparison Suspension Other G raph ng from which to choose Folder and File name are a New Suspension shown for your info Features The graph screen has several other v1 1 LIMITED LATE MODEL 2 features including Graph Type Add Suspension Help e Printing Add Last Subperision newslinited late modell 73 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output aue e Cursor to pinpoint the value of a particular point on the graph e Changing titles and legend names e Changing the scales These are discussed in this next sections Printing Figure 3 10 shows the options for printing graphs and how to access these options Figure 3 9 shows the screen for changing the Windows Printer Setup Figure 3 11 shows how you can add information to a graph printout After you request printing but before the graph is actually printed you will be asked 2 questions as shown in Figure 3 11 Figure 3 9 Standard Windows Printer Options Print ais Ea The Properties Brier sometimes Properfies called Advanced button displays a screen for selecting various printing Paper Orientation and color options Try ize i 5 Portrait SIZE Letters 172 x 11 in ortral changing Ma e Source Upper tray settings to correct certain print problems Status Default printer Ready Type HP Lasertet IIIF Where LPT1 Comment Landscape Cancel Figure
92. ail below See Fig A 6 5 e A solid axle with leaf springs is now a possible Rear Suspension type This feature is only in the Full Vehicle version and is discussed in detail below See Fig A 6 6 and Fig A 6 9 e A coil over spring can now be mounted on the upper A arm similar to that used in the early Ford Mustangs This feature is only in the Full Vehicle version See Fig A 6 9 e A coil over spring can now be mounted inboard of the frame attachment point on the upper A arm This is sometimes called a rocker arm spring and is common on Formula cars with independent rear suspensions This feature is only in the Full Vehicle version See Fig A 6 9 e A Torsion Bar spring can be used with either a Double A Arm or McPherson Strut suspension This feature is only in the Full Vehicle version See Fig A 6 9 e The program now has Backup Restore commands Click on File at top of main screen and select either Backup or Restore The Restore command has 2 options either restore all files from a previous backup or just 1 file at a time See Fig A 6 7 e When Opening a file a Find button has been added letting you enter some phrase or sequence of characters to look for in a particular files name This helps you locate files faster e You can now import dimensions directly to the program from either a file or by pasting them after copying them from another program like Microsoft Excel This feature is only in the Full Vehicle w Data Logger Option ve
93. all Joints Suspension Summary and Comments for wcsample i ee Std Conds Camber Caster Toe In Track Roll Center Graph Conditions Right 5 5 5 78 0 30 75 Ht 2 59 Hold Roli 000 Left 5 3 70 0 29 75 Right 9 82 Pteld Steer 000 Sample Winston Cup Type Suspension for 1 5 mile medium banked oval Note that this file has been modified somewhat so as not to give away any tuning secrets For this reason DO NOT try to copy this file exactly for your car Graph Comment Suspension Summary and Comments for wcsample l Test Std Conds Camber Caster Toe in Track Roll Center Right 5 5 5 78 0 30 75 Ht 1 64 Hold Roll 008 Left 5 3 70 0 29 75 Right 17 51 Hold Steer 000 Sample Winston Cup Type Suspension for 1 5 mile medium banked oval Note that this fiie has been modified somewhat so as not to give away any tuning secrets For this reason DO NOT try to copy this file exactly for your car Summary Test Comment 75 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output Cursor The cursor feature is very useful for determining or comparing the value of the graph lines at various places See Figure 3 20 for explaining the use of the cursor Note that you only get readings at the actual data points For example if you calculate Toe In every 1 inch of Dive as shown in Figure 3 12 you will only get a reading at 1 inch increments of Dive You will get readings at 1 Dive and
94. an only select from a list of pre programmed choices Some specs have a Calc calculate button where you lj can either enter the specs directly in this case the w Other Suspension Specs Back pk File Help General bpecs fs Ride Height Measurements Height of C G or Height of C G inches E Cale Lt Side From Centerline Front Braking 6 a Lt Side Behind Wheel Center heelbase inches Wo f Rt Side From Centerline Comment text Steering Steering Box Rt Side Behind Wheel Ce frame to enter a springs Coil Over outboard ag Lommen comment to Furu m TEET describe these Way bar Yez ermount right upper rame vol down N component specs remount left upper frame prfot down 1 4 raise Sway Bar Rate Ib in ride height on left side 1 2 These comments Result roll center is now 3 2 high and 1 1 lett are saved with the symetnic Chassis Lt same as Rt No which Moves appro suspension specs 1 6 total movement The car now rolls through in the Suspension oe th ter of the turm better th ti Identificatidn a er of the turn better than any time Library Chassis i Johnson 032 Help ed Customer Hendrickson Height of the vehicle s Center of Gravity Click on the Calc Button to calculate from readings made during a Data Logger Gensors special test See the manual on page 6 p 20 Susp Travel Sensor None Steering Senor None click on the Calc button to calculate it from other
95. atches and the Instant Centers The car tends to roll about the Roll Center Roll Center Left and Right is the distance the Roll Center is left or right of the car s centerline Anti Dive Anti Dive is the amount of resistance to dive from braking produced by the suspension geometry Theoretically a car with 100 anti dive will not dive at all during deceleration Graphs Comparing 2 Suspensions There are 3 basic types of suspensions which can be graphed in the Basic version e Current suspension results These are the suspension results of the suspension file which you are working with on the Main Screen e Last suspension results graphed These are the suspension results which you previously included in the graph for comparison This allows you a way to easily refer back to one particular suspension for comparison e Add Suspension lets you pick any suspension from the Suspension Library to compare to the Current suspension results This suspension now becomes the Last suspension results graphed You can only compare additional suspension to the Current Suspension If an additional suspension is graphed for comparison the Add Suspension command changes to Remove Suspension You must first click on Remove Suspension before the Add Suspension command reappears so you can add a different suspension Figure 3 8 Graphing Multiple Tests Choose Add New Choose Add Last Suspension Suspension to open to add the last Suspension you up the entire h
96. box or idler arm Link 10 2768 5 5131 6 3716 when viewed from the side After entering the angle click on the Side View Use Calc Yalue Help Cancel Print Front View Side View Top iew button shown in Figure 2 46 to confirm the angle points in the direction you measured Side View Bottom Swivel Axis Front Angle Is the angle of the steering arm axis when viewed from the front After entering the angle click on the Front View button shown in Figure 2 46 to confirm the angle points in the direction you measured Swivel Axis Side Angle Is the angle of the steering arm axis when viewed from the side After entering the angle click on the Side View button shown in Figure 2 46 to confirm the angle points in the direction you measured 58 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions 2 9 New Suspension Menu The New Suspension command is available by clicking on File at the top left of the Main Screen then selecting New You will then be presented with the screen shown in Figure 2 47 When starting a New Suspension it is usually best to first Open a previous suspension which is similar to the New Suspension you will be measuring similar Measurements Suspension Type Roll Bar and Similar Suspension Comments This previous suspension will then be the pattern or template for the Figure 2 47 New Suspension Menu New Suspension and will save 2 Critical specs for the new test
97. carefully as it has a large impact on the results 56 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Figure 2 44 Roll Bar Measurements Bar Inside Diameter in Production Style Bar Custom Style Bar Is the inside diameter Bar Outside Diameter Bar Outside Diameter of the torsion bar if Arm Length Arm Length you have selected a aes Hollow Roll Bar in inches aoe Active Bar Length in Active Bar Length Active Bar Length Is the length of the bar which is designed to twist which is usually the thinnest part of the bar See Figure 2 44 Arm Length in Is the distance from the bar to where the bar attaches to the suspension See Figure 2 44 2 8 5 Steering Axis The Steering Axis is only used to describe the motion of Pitman arm steering members It is amore complicated to understand than some of the other measurements This axis represents the axis about which either the idler arm or steering box Pitman arm rotates See Figure 2 45 The program needs any 2 points on this axis to describe the axis completely Rather than asking you to measure to 2 perhaps imaginary points you can use the Steering Axis calculation menu to enter angles to describe the axis Figure 2 45 Illustration of Steering Axis Inputs Side Steering Arm Select which side you are calculating axis points for Points to Back either left side typically steering box in the United pr States or right side typically
98. case you restore over os Ee the top of a file which you have recently changed Import Suspension File Import From Another Program Import From an Earlier Suspension Analyzer Program te Open from Floppy Drive A Drive The Import Dimensions from File is only available in the saelan Dien Dine Full Vehicle Version with Data Logger Features Import Dimensions From File Backup Suspension Files store From 4 Backup in Screen with Suspension Layout Print Main Screen Data Only Print Blank Wo New Backup and Restore Options Preference to Show Toe Gain Caster Gain and Camber Gain vs Actual Toe Caster and Camber Figure A 6 8 shows the difference for setting this preference as shown in Figure A 6 2 Gains mean the amount of change for a given amount of vehicle movement typically 1 of dive or squat in the rear Setting this to Actual Toe Caster and Camber may be easier to understand for many users Figure A 6 8 Toe Gain Caster Gain and Camber Gain vs Actual Toe Caster and Camber 7 T Toe In deg 00 Rall Center Ht 3 99 Camber 2 80 Caster 1 22 Toe ln Gam 04 Roll Center Ht 3 99 Suspension Data E Camber Garn 1 55 Caster Gam 14 lk Mak Mr m m T m Toe In Gain Caster Gain and Camber Actual Toe In Caster Gain the only option available in v1 1 and Camber 139 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices New Types of Springs Figure A 6 9 shows some of t
99. cation or adjustment for some selected suspension component which produces some optimum type of suspension characteristic One example would be to move the left tie rod end to find minimum left side bump steer See Section 2 6 page 47 Animate The Animate option lets you direct the suspension through a series of steps to simulate continuous motion much as you would see on the actual test track or race track See Section 2 7 page 49 Preferences Preferences let you customize the program for your needs and for your computer and printer See Section 2 2 page 23 Help Click on Help for several options to help describe your options at the Main Screen and for other information to help you understand how this program works 30 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions McPhearson Strut Inputs McPhearson Strut Top Is a point through which the axis of the McPhearson Strut travels at its top location McPhearson Strut Bottom Is a point through which the axis of the McPhearson Strut travels at its bottom location Note that this is NOT the location where the strut actually attaches to the spindle Figure 2 17 B McPhearson Strut Specs McPhearson Strut Top a Not McPhearson Strut Bottom do not measure to the attachment point of the strut to the spindle McPhearson Strut Bottom measured to a point on the axis of the struts motion 31 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspens
100. ces Help New start new suspension Ctrl M IX Dynamic Divel1 3 J ceni IS Saving options to Save Open fran all saved suspensions CiO FE z a suspension file are ar rig 3 Save Cirk i Dive discussed in Section Save As Ctrl 4 3 5 Open from Fheappy Dige 4 4 Drive Save to Floppy Dwe AY Drive Print Main Screen Piia L U Workshek P Opening options to adows Angater Setup m open a previously Transfer ae tier qmputer ee saved suspension file Emit Program SS l Ctrl mi z are discussed in Section 3 5 Toe ln Gain 01 Roll Center Ht 1 9 Tum Radius 67 ft Lt Roll Center Right 17 34 Toe ln Gain 05 Camber Gain 1 53 Caster Gain 12 Tum Toe ln 06 Caster Gain 26 Camber Gain 1 65 een Data Location Type Lt Out ty N a Cm O Ft Height FtDepthp al aeee Ball Joint 22 514 Upper Fens Fat Font lint 15 020 18300 l ites Tene ONL ash Input 14 950 17 420 Print options let you Lower Ball Joint 23 449 g 0 1 T Lower Frame Pivot Front Input 08 180 6 370 0 020 print the contents of Lower Frame Pivot Fear Input 14 260 7 000 12 430 this Main Screen Tie Rod on Rack 7 500 5 980 5 Tie Rod on Spindle Input 21 375 E 6 505 6 which is a good Steering Swivel Axis Upper Input cle 7 850 10 14 540 14 summary of this Sheenng Swivel Axis Lower Input ele 7 850 980 6 240 E Center Link Pivots Input 7 850 7 680 12 790 cu rrent test See Ooo E Section 3 4 AsStan Agga
101. ck on File then Save As step 4 in Figure 4 1 Then the New Suspension Name EW Iciim nil program will ask you for a new name and folder for saving this new Folder N suspension file See Figure 4 2 DO NOT click on Save as that will ese My T ests save these changes to the current Suspension File which you do not want to change You only want to use the current Suspension File as a pattern for the new file and a pattern for the worksheet T re F ance elp vance Now that the current file s Other Specs critical specs matches the new suspension click on File then Print Blank Worksheet to obtain the Enter a New Suspension Name and click on OK The worksheet shown in Figure 4 3 Note that the Print Report menu will current Suspension name is given should you choose flash for about a second or so before the worksheet is printed see to modify it sightly for the new name Use the Delete Figure 4 10 to see a worksheet key to erase the name if you want a completely new 8 name IF you want to save the Suspension under a ditterent Folder name click on the down arrow button and select one Select the top choice of Add New Folder Make Measu rements and you will be asked for a new Folder name to add to the list of Folders With the blank worksheet you are now ready to make measurements Check pages 18 21 for some background on these measurements Taking measurements can be a difficult and time consuming task if you t
102. click on the Folder name from the list shown at skd slasi lsjdal UR Eue oma bts ditterent Folder the lower right of Figure 2 2 The list of Eh AEN name to display all suspensions will then be updated for that Examples the suspensions i Hu Tezt saved under that Folder To pick a suspension simply Open Advanced ee 5 eye click on it from the list of suspensions a i Cancel Help Delete oldroll _____ then click on the Open button For ae those familiar with computers Folders eet Maer nm NI Click here to pick a different category or group of the 3D Data folder The N Folder j a ee tests Folder from which to displav a list of Test Files can be changed to something else like Customer or Manufacturer in the Preferences menu Notice in Figure 2 1 that a current suspension name is listed at the top in square brackets This is the file of recorded suspension measurements Other Specs comments etc which are currently saved in the Suspension Library and are the suspension measurements and specs you are currently working with If you change the measurements comments etc or make a graph or report it is for this current suspension file If you click on one of the Menu Commands at the top of the Main Screen you can be presented with a screen of specs Figure 2 3 shows the screen for the Other Specs Figure 2 3 discusses some of the commands to enter or change settings at this menu and
103. creen click on Print to bring up Print Report Options screen Std Conds Camber Caster Toeln Track Roll Center Report Conditions Comments Right T ANKE 0 Ht 3 29 Hold Steer 000 Left 1 70 0 Left 8 30 Check this new Email as PDF File option and any other options 5 you want for this printed report then click on Print Report Using z Include Other Sper 4 These Specs to send The process is very similar to the emailing s PDF file shown in previous Figure A 6 30 X Email as PDF File Larger Fonts print size 7 7 What we are basically doing is finding a PDF printer type on your PES Te e 3 computer printing the report as a PDF file and then attaching it to a an email all in 1 step Tip Close See page 79 in manual for more Caster Caster Camber Camber info Roll 0 Lt Roll 0 Rt Roll 0 Lt Roll 0 Rt Roll 0 3 000 em 1 269 3 560 6 774 675 2500 2 454 047 1 345 3 602 6 191 414 1 926 030 1 419 3 642 5 577 097 1 416 016 1 492 3 679 4 930 275 925 006 1 563 3 712 4 252 699 453 001 1 633 3 744 3 542 1 174 Options for emailing graphs under File Suspension Analyzer v2 4 Shock Sensors Front and Rear J Back gi Format view Graph Type Add Suspension Help Ca me ct a e testo PAP Heal Print Color solid lines Ap Print Black amp White dashed lines ber vs Roll degrees shock sensors reese ey i i allen If you selected to do
104. cursor is turned on Also start the upper left corner well away from a graph line or the program may turn on the cursor instead This menu can be obtained by clicking on the Set Scales button the right most button on the graph screen Grapk Scales Calculated Results Roll Center Camber etc Maximum Horizontal Yalue usually roll or dive Minimum Honzontal Yalue usually roll or dive Maximum Calculated Yertical Y Yalue Minimum Calculated Yertical Y Value OF Tom Autohicaling U a fof um AutoScaling ON computer picks sca The current scale limits are loaded when this menu opens Change any or all these to most any value you want Click on Turn Autoscaling ON to let the program pick the best scale settings Click the Turn Autoscaling Off button to turn Autoscaling Off to enable changing specs in this menu This screen shows this button disabled you can t change it so Autoscaling is already turned Off Click on OK to have the graph redrawn to these new scale limits 77 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output 78 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output 3 4 Printer Output The Suspension Analyzer can print the tabular suspension results of a report for a permanent hardcopy by clicking on Print in the menu bar or the Printer icon The menu of options shown in Figure 3 15 will appear Check the options you want to use for the printout b
105. d Shims if you are actually removing shims Making a Shim adjustment can change most all your measurements It is highly recommended you save your current Suspension File click on File then Save or Save As at the top left of the Main Screen before you make a Shim Adjustment Adjusting Ride Height This powerful feature lets you change some component or adjustment on the chassis and have all other suspension measurements change just as if you had made the change on the actual car For example at the Main Screen you can change the Tire Circumference and only that measurement changes That is a useful method when you are first entering measurements for the car However on the actual car if you installed say a larger circumference tire on the Left side the left side would go up and the chassis would tilt up on the left side All measurements tilt up and there would be some small change in some measurements moving to the right There would also be a change in Left and 44 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Right Camber due to this tilt of the chassis by changing only the left side tire size This feature can simulate all these changes that you would see on the actual car See Figure 2 31 To use this feature first pick the type of adjustment you want to make then pick the side Left Right or Both Left and Right Then the appropriate inputs will be enabled for you to change
106. d longitudinal acceleration the vehicle is exhibiting If you click on a point on the friction circle then the circular cursor identifying that point is drawn on the friction circle At the same time a corresponding cursor is drawn on the Track Map for the same point and the suspension movement for that position is displayed 3 Steering Throttle This section shows the relative brake throttle and steering wheel position and motion Brake These signals are what ever you have assigned as Brake Throttle and Steering in the DataMite specs If the steering wheel s motion seems to be opposite of what the actual motion is then click on the Options button and you can change it See the explanation below The term relative is used because before this section is drawn the program finds both the maximum and minimum values for the brake throttle and steering channels Then the program auto scales these 2 bar graphs and the steering wheel motion to show good resolution of this movement 4 Shock Movement This section shows the relative position and motion of the shock sensors These signals are what ever you have assigned as RF Shock LF Shock RR Shock and LR Shock in the DataMite specs The assumption for this display is that as the Shock Signal gets larger that the shock is extending getting longer The Red line connects the 2 rear shocks This is a rear view of the car and this line is d
107. d provides a simple 1 click command to save the current suspension file to the disk in the Floppy Drive to the same name as is currently being used These commands provide a convenient method for copying files from one computer to another The drive letter A or B that the program defaults to can be changed in the Preferences menu Section 2 2 28 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Figure 2 16 Print Options Menu Print w Print Reports Options Ei Report Options Print Main Screen X Include Suspension Measurements Select Print Main Screen to print all the data from the Suspension Data grin Include Test Comments in a report The Print Options menu will be presented as shown in Figure Request Report Comment 2 16 These options are explained in Section 3 4 Print Blank Worksheet Wi Lovie acts feo ct Select Print Blank Worksheet to print a report with blanks for all inputs Print Report Using These Specs currently shown on the Main Screen and in the Other Specs menu Note that the menu of Figure 2 16 will be presented momentarily as the worksheet is Tp printed then disappear You do not have to click on any buttons in this Close EEA 147 th manual for menu Note that if you will be measuring a suspension different than the current suspension you may need to change the Other Specs first For example say the current suspension does not have a roll bar but the one you will measure using t
108. dentifies the tire s load carrying capacity Click on this combo box to select one of the letters This is an older rating system and there 1s more variation across different manufacturers T re Diameter in e Hote Unlike some other Performance Trends programs calculated Circumberences are NOT reduced 3 from exact dimensions That it because tire slip Is not an issue in this program Aspect Ratio Inputs SS SA Side Right Only X Is the ratio of tire cross sectional height to cross sectional width A 75 series tire has a height 75 as high as its cross sectional width and is generally a tall tire A 50 series tire is a lower profile tire more suited to Use Calc Value Help Cancel Print cornering and performance 53 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Wheel Rim Diameter Is the diameter of the wheel s rim Rolling Radius in Is the tire s radius measured with the tire mounted on the car with the tire on the ground with typical vehicle weight on it Radius 1s the distance from the center of the tire to the ground See Figure 2 39 Diameter in Is the tire s diameter measured in inches Diameter is the distance across the tire See Figure 2 39 2 8 3 Calc Spring Rate This Calculation menu is available by clicking on the Input clc data Type at the Suspension Data grid for entering Spring Rate Spring Location Figure 2 41 Calc Spring Rate Ca
109. e Install This Progr m DEW Cam Test Stand Brochure eE Fuel Economy Calculator Brochure Port Flow Analyzer Brochure Ciee Traek Analvect epee Rotating Inertia Calc Brochure Swirl Meter Brochure Suspensfon Analyzer Brochure __ Coil Spring Tester spring Tester _Brochure Tumble Fixture Brochure Trans Gear Calculator Brochure __ AVF Data Logger Data Logger _ Brochure Fuel Inj Calculator Brochure Lamdcsemient lier eee a Thermocouple Recorder Brochure __Engine Log Book _ Brochure Pit Stop MPG Calo Brochure ___Weatherwie__ _Brochure alve Spring Tester Brochure Circle Track Log Book Brochure Install Adobe tm Reader Valve Spring Wiz Brochure Shock Dyno Brochure Install Adobe tra Reader Click on Movies top of screen to play demonstration movie files of certain products View Install This Program W Roll Center Cal ulator stop if you purchased a program click on that product s button to install t as described on your installation sheet You can install any of our other programs here as demos to see their features To bypass the Installation Wizard click on Start then Run then Browse from the Run screen shown below to find the CDRom then the Programs folder on the CD then the Suspension Analyzer v2 4 Installer exe file in the Programs folder Open Office Document nl Programs Tait Documents Settings Search
110. e Height of CG and Front Braking are very difficult to measure or determine accurately Luckily they are only used for the Anti Dive calculation Itis recommended you estimate a Height of CG of 20 and Front Braking of 65 as typical for most cars 8 When all measurements are done roll the car off the drywall Draw a line from the left and right wheel spindle centers marked in step 2 This will be the axle line 9 Draw a line from the front and back tire patch dots Where this line crosses the axle line is the center of the tire patch Figure 4 7 Drive Car onto Sheet of 1 2 Drywall Measure and Mark Critical Points 4 x 8 sheet dl of drywall Front of Car Mark point extended out from center of wheel Mark front and spindle on back of center of each side tire patch to locate tire track width Figure 4 8 Remove Car and Draw Axle and Tire Track Lines and Car Centerline Distances toward front C are Negative depths Axle Line is al Out distances are connects Spindle tla measured from center points dain X Centerline aam Hee a side of perpen e N EE eee ee dicular to Axle Line X centered between the 2 track Track Lines Tire Track is measured from these lines to the Centerline All Depth measurements are measured back from All Out measurements are this Axle Line Points ahead of this Axle Line are af the Axle ine has a Nenth of 32 45 inches 92
111. e Scrub is shown to its right Sth and 8th column Tire Circumference a Scrub Radius The circumference distance around the outside of the tire Click on the Input clc and a menu will open where you can calculate circumference from other specs Figure 2 12 Illustration of Caster and Caster Trail Tread Width King Pin Axis The width of the tire s tread This is used only for drawing Upper Ball Joint the front and top views to scale and not used for any calculations Side View Caster Camber Angle positive S Camber is the degrees of tilt of the wheel with respect to shown i4 vertical the ground as viewed from the front in degrees Negative here E camber means the top of the wheel tilts in towards the car See Figure 2 11 Caster i Lower Ball Joint Caster is calculated as the angle between vertical and a line connecting the two ball joints when viewed from the side in degrees Itis about the same as King Pin Angle except viewed from the side Negative caster means the top ball joint is ahead of the lower ball joint See Figure 2 12 Caster Trail k positive shown here 24 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions a a a eg Caster Trail Caster Trail is the distance between the center of the tire contact Figure 2 13 Illustration of Perfect Ackerman patch and where the Caster Angle line hits the ground Negative Caster Trail means the tire 1s ahead of where the
112. e first when importing e If Left Side X values are negative common in some CAD programs they will be converted to in the import process e You will make a large change to your existing Suspension File If you have not saved a copy of this suspension s current measurements you may want to choose Cancel at the next screen to Stop Importing these dimensions Then you can save your current settings should you want to return to them if the Import process does not work as you intended 146 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Appendix New Features in v2 4 Added several new types of Rear Suspensions Fig A 6 14A including e Torque Tube Live Axle Fig A 6 14 e Torque Arm Live Axle Fig A 6 15 e Trailing Arm and Semi Trailing Arm Independent Fig A 6 16 e 5 Link Independent Fig A 6 17 e Decoupled Live Axle bird cage Fig A 6 18 Added Four Link features These features lets you enter all holes for all 4 link brackets and see all possible combinations and how each combination will affect anti squat and roll steer If you are working with a 4 Link type of rear suspension and are displaying it in Side View and new menu option of 4 Link will appear for you to click on Also for each 4 link mounting hole the type of input is specified as Input clc where the clc means if you right click on it it will ask which side left or right bracket you want to specify for entering in several possible mountin
113. e same as with copying the entire 3D DATA folder just click on the by the 3D DATA folder to display the folders under 3D DATA Then right click on the folder you want to Copy To find individual suspension files click on the yellow folder icon containing the suspension file and the contents of the folder will be shown on the right side of the Windows Explorer screen Then right click on the suspension file name and select Copy You can also copy individual suspension files to the floppy drive inside the Suspension Analyzer program Open the file you want to copy so it is the current suspension file Then click on File at the top of the Main Screen then select Copy to Floppy Disk This command takes care of all 3 files mentioned in the previous paragraph automatically More experienced computer users may want to use the Backup features built into Windows 95 and 98 click on Start Programs Accessories System Tools Backup This compresses suspension files so it takes fewer floppy disks However you need to use the Backup program to restore suspension files which can be more confusing to novice computer users Restoring Data Be very careful when restoring data as you may overwrite Suspension Files with old erroneous information Read all the information below before restoring data If you are not familiar with Windows Explorer have someone more experienced help you The ONLY reason to restore data is if you have lost suspension files
114. ed Other Specs ee Sge Specs EG Ht 165 Wheelbase 110 folder name Suspension 1s Steering Steering Box the file name Springs Coil and Shock outboard A summary the program Roll Bar es prog Chassis H of the current will create for a settings of saving the Test l l the Other Data for the Measurements All Suspension Data will be blanked out for the Specs is new Suspension except steenng system datal p new suspension l l given here file you are _ Steering System All Steering Data will be blanked out for the new starting The Se ele alt You can edit program fills in Test Comments Sample Winston Cup Type Suspenst the current a default name comments here of the current for the new suspension test or un name but check Test incrementing Once a New Tast is started you can easily erase or modify any of the specs listed above ae ae k the last digit in Anp specs not selected to Keep will be mostly blank when you start the New Test SIATE WI an the name by 1 o comments E a Click on this button to see the current Other Specs settings most anything Click here to Check or Uncheck these options Checking means you want to keep you like The these specs for the new suspension Once the new Suspension is started you can program will then make modifications ta these snecs if vou want warn you if the 94 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples E name entered is not valid and show yo
115. ee Ss see ste name can create a report for that suspension file ASCII File Options _ include the rate 7 EP complete omma 2eparate Include Text ions a a j 1 Convert to Columns particular ASCII File Options Pesce _ File Name d Sexcellatermodel csv Comma Separated Save File Cancel Tip Select this option to insert commas between data points Leave this Enter a valid file name and path if you hecked for d b di l d col want ta save ASCII file If just a file Dene chet sou cart pe erate E uneven E EE Oe name is given the file i saved to the Suspension Analyzer folder Refer to page 98 and 102 in User s Manual for definitions of Options Include Text Select this option to strip out all titles and letters leaving only numbers Convert to Columns If you do not select this option data will be written to the file much like it is displayed in the report on the screen Select this option to have the report turned on its side that is the rows will become columns and the columns will become rows File Name Enter a file name for saving this ASCII file Checks are made to ensure what you enter is a valid file name and that you are not overwriting an existing file The file is written to the Suspension Analyzer folder directory the folder which contains the SUSPANZR program file Note to Advanced Users You can also enter a complete path including disk drive and folders As shown in Figure 3 4 you can write to d e
116. ension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends JIM S BUSCH MONTE MEI E File Edt Graphs Reporte Other Specs dust Optimize Animate Preferences Help Front View Side View Top View No View Dynamic Divelo E Rall b E ster E This is a view from the rear of car right side of screen i actually right side of car Gain based on 1 Dive Layout is not drawn until enough entries are made to complete most of the layout Note that you can type in fractions Type in the number followed by a space then the fraction and press lt Enter gt The program will convert the number in this case to 24 375 5 uspension Data Oe ee ee IE Click on the cell of the grid where you want to enter a measurement Type in the number and press the lt enter gt key to let the program know you are done typing and to move to the next cell You can also use the up and down arrow keys to Paes Steering Swivel Axis Upper Input cle li ica aaacal eee ce mi i Click here to display the screen Click and slide slide bar h shown in Figure 4 6 to enter data to move to other to define the points on the sections of the Steering Swivel Axis Suspension Data grid 95 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples Figure 4 14 Main Screen After Entering All Measurements Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends JIM S BUSCH MONTE File Edit Graphs Reports OtherSpecs Adiust Optimize Animate Preferences Help
117. ent is used for Anti Dive Anti Squat and the new FLLD handling calculations introduced in v2 0 If you are not sure use 20 inches Because most vehicle mass is These 5 specs help determine what data can be entered in the Suspension Data grid on the Main Screen These specs are used only for the Adjust Ride Height feature described in Section 2 5 w ther Suspension Specs Balok File Help A brieral Specs shit of C G inches a Fb mt jinas inches 105 N feprin Steering Box nal Coil Over outboard X kai 5 rr y Bar Rate Ib in 5 meme Chassis Lt same as Rt Mo Id entiication assis H pCurty mer Data Logger Sensors Susp Travel Sensor None Stebring Sensor None Johnson 032 r H endrickson Ride Height Measurements Comments which Help definition for spec currently highlighted Enter most any comments to describe this suspension or modifications you have made These specs are for information only and are not used for calculations concentrated in the engine and driveline some people recommend estimating this at 5 above the height of the engine s crankshaft Click on the Calc Button to calculate from readings made during a special test See Section 2 8 1 Front Braking The percent of the vehicle s total braking force which is produced by the front wheels This measurement is only used for Anti Dive calculations If you are not sure use 65 C Per
118. enter wheel spindles extended out to the outside of Link Pivot the tire and mark this point on both the left and Attaches right side A line joining these 2 points will be Here the axle line the line from which all depth See UniJig at 888 UNI JIG7 or on the web at www unijig com or contact Tri Mark Side View from Left Side Steering Performance at 608 356 3595 in Wisconsin Right Side USA Swivel Axis Lower 90 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Figure 4 4 Idler Arm Has Short Shaft Steering Swivel Axis Swivel Axis Error Measuring Short Shaft Possible range of center link pivots with Chapter 4 Examples Figure 4 5 Illustration of Effect of Measurement Error on Steering Measuring Long Shaft 0 1 error ie 0 1 error very high measurements are made You do not have to draw this line yet but only after all measurements are made See Figure 4 7 3 For all points in the worksheet use the plumb bob to determine the location in the left right and front True Idler Arm Position 0 1 error Ogo Possible range of 3 center link pivots with 0 1 error much less fo True Idler Arm Position gt Ite Range of Swivel Axes F oto Range of Swivel Axes True Shaft Axis back direction Mark a dot on the drywall and label each point Then also measure the height to each point and write that down on the drywall also or on the worksheet Only height measureme
119. ents e These recorded measurements are entered into the program and the layout drawing is updated when enough measurements have been entered e The program has several options for starting a New Suspension file and using some or none of the measurements settings and comments from the previous current suspension file e You should save you measurements periodically by clicking on File then Save to save to the same current Suspension Name or Save As to save to a new Suspension Name 96 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples IUU ens 97 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples a 98 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples Example 4 2 Analyzing a Suspension Suggested Background Reading e Section 3 1 Reports e Section 3 3 Graphs e Example 4 1 Measuring a Suspension This example demonstrates the features to analyze a suspension once it has been measured It will use the WCSample file found in the Examples folder Click on File then Open from all saved suspensions to bring up the Open screen Then click on Examples to select the Folder in the lower left Figure 4 15 Opening a Saved Suspension File comer then click on Click on File then Open from all saved suspensions to display the Open screen WCSample to Z ae OuSspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends JIM S BUSCH MONTE highlight ais sid Fie Edit Graphs
120. er Specs menu available at the top of the Main Screen Hake Change Help Cancel Print Making a Ride Height adjustment can change most all your measurements It is highly recommended you save your current Suspension File click on File then Save or Save As at the top left of the Main Screen before you make a Ride Height Adjustment Figure 2 31 Adjusting Ride Height with Tire Circumference Change Starting Condition Change Tire Circumference by Entering new Value in Suspension Data Grid a Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends Fille Edit Graphs Front View Side View Top View No View Change Tire Circumference Using the Adjust Ride Height Feature E Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends File Edit Graphs Front View Side View Top View Ho View l iS Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends File Edit Graphs Front View Side View Top Yiew Ho View Reports Other Specs Adjust Optimize Reports Other Specs Adjust Optimize Reports Other Specs Adjust Optimize This is a view from the rear of car right s Gain baset This is a view from the rear of car right si Gain basec This i a view from the rear of car right s Gain base S Toe ln Gain 01 Camber Gain 1 53 Roll Center Ht 2 56 Caster Gain 12 Toe ln Gain 01 Camber Gain 1 53 Roll Center Ht 2 56 Caster Gain 12 Toe In Gain 01 Camber Gain 1 51 Roll Center Ht 1 66 Caster Gai
121. erline 39 Safe 3 46 47 108 139 Safety 4 3 47 108 Save 1 7 28 34 44 45 48 82 83 84 90 95 96 Save As 28 44 45 48 84 90 95 96 Scrub Radius 24 26 117 118 Secondary Type 64 65 71 72 105 Semi Trailing Arm 147 Sensor 22 24 38 39 125 133 Settings 63 70 71 102 Setup 29 74 133 SETUP 4 Shim 1 44 47 48 107 Shim Adjustment 44 48 Side 7 15 16 19 39 41 53 57 58 63 70 72 99 116 125 145 147 Spindle Angle 26 Spindle Angle deg 26 Spindle Drop 1 Spindle Length 27 Spring 1 8 13 18 20 23 24 51 54 55 133 138 140 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Spring Angle from Front 23 Spring Angle from Side 23 Spring Length 13 23 55 Spring Rate 8 18 20 24 51 54 Spring Rate Wheel Rate 24 Spring Width 55 Springs 38 89 92 126 140 Starting From 64 65 71 72 Static 7 16 18 20 23 24 33 66 73 99 100 102 107 115 116 Static Camber 116 Steer 1 2 7 8 13 16 18 23 24 33 48 49 50 63 64 65 70 71 72 100 101 102 103 110 136 Steering 7 18 20 21 22 26 38 39 41 43 47 48 57 58 59 89 90 91 92 141 142 144 Steering Arm Length 58 Steering Arm Points To 57 Steering Arm Side Angle 58 Steering Arm Top Angle 58 Steering Sensor 22 39 89 Steering Swivel Axis 21 90 91 Steering Swivel Axis Lower 21 Steering Swivel Axis Upper 21 Step
122. ew Side View Top View No View PX Dynamic Diep Roll oe Sterjo This is a view from the rear of car right side of screen is actually right side of car This is a view from the right side right side of screen is front of car Gain based on 1 Dive Gain based on 1 Dive Torsion Bar in Side and Top view eJn deg 00 Roll Center Ht 1 33 Toetn deg 00 Rol Center H shown as thick bar Program picks Camber 0 Caster 9 25 Torsion Bar shown in ET length of bar as this is not critical for Front View as a Hex calculations only the torsion bar rate is Suspension Analyzer 2 0 Performance Trends Rocker Arm iA Suspension Analyzer v2 0 Performance Trends Rocker Arm File Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences Help File Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences Help Front View Side View Top View No View M Dynamic p JE Front View Side View Top View No View Dynamic E B This is a view from the rear of car right side of screen is actually right side of car This is a view from the rear of car right side of screen is actually right side of car Gain based on 1 Dive Gain based on 1 Dive Coil Over inboard to Upper Arm with springs mounted below arm spring in compression Coil Over inboard to Upper Arm with springs mounted above arm spring in tension 140 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices
123. ew Go Favortes Tools Help el S amp z x E DATA folder Back Eor Expicie Paste Undo Delete Properties igus not seen here Address EQ Cpe Oper to open All Folders ana e Modified menu of fee aes a ew Addtozip y J Calc File Folder 5 19 99 3 23 PM options 2 BB Add to Piagd t zip File Folder 5 19 99 3 23 PM Shay Click on Copy oe rift ey il hay rate eae 3 i File Folder 5719799 3 24 Phi to copy the JH File Folder 5719799 3 24 PM ore s entire contents __ Pradat File Folder 5719799 3 24 PM f the 3D Cut Text File Folder 5719799 3 23 PM 0 7 Paper engine File Folder 5 19 99 3 24 PM DATA folder head File Folder 5 19 99 3 24 PM the entire test S Sains Shortcut i es nn file library Explorer os LFE dit ete DO NOT click Rename on Cut Properties dy Computer b Expl ook i j Drag slide Be gee Right click on Eile Edt View Go Favorites Tools Ai bar to the i the Floppy Eoo S d top of the drive icon Back Barsana Up F list to find Copy Disk Address T C perttrns ptipta30 S your E aH Add to Zip Then click on All Folders Floppy disk Sharing Paste to paste A Desktop li drive Scan with Norton Antius whatever you 34 FlopprfA R example the C FF entire 3D AOL Instant bl Create Shortcut i r ee DATA folder to E 5 Properties d aE c 3r F the disk in the S a C Flo drive Ean I GE i e DJ AO
124. ew suspension file with data from an old suspension file of the same name Before restoring suspension files it is good practice to back up all suspension files first Then if you make a mistake and overwrite suspension files you didn t mean to you have your backup copies to restore the suspension files from Note In v2 0 PERFTRNS PTI is now the Performance Trends folder in the Program Files folder and the SUSPANZR folder is now SuspAnzr20 folder Figure A 4 3 Windows Explorer Warnings when Overwriting Suspension Files Overwriting a Suspension File Overwriting an Entire Folder several files Confirm File Replace ad This folder already contains a file named Headnum ptr Be very careful selecting BF this option as several files Would you like to replace the existing file may be overwritten at once a P Confirm Folder Repl modifed on Wednesday Map 19 1999 3 28 48 PM onim Folder Replace f 3 This folder already coftains a folder named Combo with this one g 211KB If the files in the existing folder hawe the same name as files in the folder you are moving they will be replaced Do you still want to move modified on Tuesday August 31 1995 1 09 24 PM the Falder Yes to All No Cancel 124 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Appendix 4 Full Vehicle Version Overview of Features The Full Vehicle version of Suspension Analyzer has several enhancements o
125. ffs etc e Point you in the correct general direction for making modifications This direction should be verified by other sources like known authorities race results books etc Never trust one single source if it does not make sense to you e Make you think not think for you If unexpected results are obtained take a minute to Double check all your data input Refer back to this manual Ask someone else skilled and experienced in the particular area Give the retailer or Performance Trends Inc s Tech Help Line a call for an explanation Computer programs are written by normal people who can make mistakes It s always possible there may be an error in the calculations Your phone call may help us correct it Please also read the Warranty and Warning at the beginning of this manual and on the diskette envelope Also see Appendix 1 for general tips on optimum suspension settings and how there is little agreement on what is actually optimum C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 1 Introduction 1 4 Getting Started Installation You must install the Suspension Analyzer from the distribution CD to a hard drive before it will run To do this simply install the CD in your CD Rom drive and the Performance Trends Installation Wizard should automatically start allowing you to install the Suspension Analyzer and demos of any of our other products If the CD does not auto run then click on Start then
126. for a perfectly symmetric mirror image chassis Move Groups of Measurements Figure 2 25 Move Menu w Move Points This screen lets you modify move groups of Suspension Data points For example you could move all the suspension points up 1 inch as if you had Inputs changed vehicle ride height or to correct a mistake in measuring This can Move OYE All Points be very handy when doing measurements on a surface plate Say that the car s axle line 0 line for measuring depth ends up being 1 25 inches Direction ay f ahead of 0 on the surface plate You can still do all your measurements teach e but when you are done use the Edit command to move all measurements back 1 25 inches Now the axle line would fall exactly on 0 0 This screen lets you move groups of points of the slepension layout with one command This could change the geometry of certain parts like e All points would be selected for the 2 examples given above be rod lengths arm lengths etc Use the First select the group of points you want to Move Adjust feature to move mounting points tire e Steering System is useful for moving the rack or Steering Box Idler a cad Ceenine Geomeln abine neces Arm and Center Link to a new location endan e Left Side Only and Right Side Only can be useful for simulating chassis modifications and for correcting measurement errors e Center Car based on Tire Tracks is useful for recentering all Hove Points Help Cancel Print
127. formance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Wheelbase inches The distance from the vehicle s front wheel center to the vehicle s rear wheel center This measurement is used for Anti Dive and Ackerman calculations If you are not sure use 100 inches steering Click on the down arrow key to select the type of steering Your choice will determine what inputs are required to describe the steering geometry at the Main Screen Springs Click on the down arrow key to select the type of suspension springs Your choice will determine what inputs are required to describe the spring and or shock mounting locations at the Main Screen Roll Bar Click on the down arrow key to select the type of anti roll bar if any Your choice will determine what inputs are available to describe the anti roll bar mounting locations at the Main Screen Roll Bar Rate Ib in The spring rate of the anti roll bar in pounds per inch Click on the Calc Button to calculate the rate from anti roll bar measurements See Section 2 8 2 symmetric Chassis Lt same as Rt Click on the down arrow key to specify if the chassis is Symmetric ALL left side specs are the same as the right side Your choice will determine if only specs for 1 side are needed at the Main Screen Chassis Type in most any name or number combination up to 20 characters to identify this chassis or front suspension or click on the down arrow key to pick from a list
128. g holes Fig A 6 19 Added Virtual Scales features but clicking on the Adjust drop down menu Fig A 6 20 This feature has 3 different methods of adjusting corner weights e Turning Jacking Screws which changes the preload on the suspension springs on the 4 corners of the vehicle and typically affects Cross Weight only e Changing Tire Size which changes the preload on the suspension springs on the 4 corners of the vehicle and typically affects Cross Weight only e Changing Ballast by adding weight to or removing weight from a certain location of the car or by moving weight from it s current location to some new location Note Virtual Scales is only available if you are working with both a front and rear suspension on a vehicle Refined the method of entering data into the measurements Grid Now it is not so critical to press lt Enter gt after each new input Program is now more Vista and Windows 7 compatible and better able to handle latest versions of Adobe Acrobat Fixed some Watts Link bugs and now you can have the Watts link pivot mounted on either the axle or the frame of the car The Watts Link Wizard calculation screen is now easier to get to and suggested by the program to fix Watts Link math errors Fig A 6 21 Added 3rd option for rear suspension springs to be able to put spring on the upper arm For the Decoupled Live Axle bird cage suspension type you can also specify the springs are on the bird cage bracket Fig A
129. h setting of Roll 3 different Dive conditions would be set Dive inches 1 O 1 3 settings The total combinations for this report would then be 11 x 3 33 settings Hold At Hold At There are 3 types of motion you can apply to the suspension Roll Dive and Steer In the Primary and Secondary specs above you can specify what 1 or 2 of these motions are and the settings for each But that leaves 1 or 2 motions unspecified These Hold At specs let you specify these 1 or 2 unspecified motions For example in the example above Dive and Roll are specified Then the 2nd Hold At spec will be disabled The first Hold At spec lets you specify the Steer setting You could Hold Steer At 0 or straight ahead for the different Dive and Roll settings You could also Hold Steer at some other setting like 1 to the left and see what Dive and Roll produce with this steer setting Table 3 1 Data Types for Reports Definition also see Section 2 1 for illustrations Camber is the degrees of tilt of the wheel with respect to the ground as viewed from the front in degrees Negative camber means the top of the wheel tilts in towards the car Caster Caster is calculated as the angle between vertical and a line connecting the two ball joints when viewed from the side in degrees It is about the same as King Pin Angle except viewed from the side Negative caster means the top ball joint is ahead of the lower ball joint Caster Trail Caster T
130. hanges to your computer e Version 2 0 will look for and allow automatic or manual importing of all your v1 1 files See Fig A 6 7 e A new Preference was added to let you choose to display the Spring Angle front and side view or shock and sensor length See Fig A 6 1 e Several new example Suspension Files have been added Also click on Help then Display Readem doc file to display a more detailed list of each item which has been change or added and any bug fixes 133 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Metric Figure A6 1 Metric Inputs and Other New Preferences Choose to use Metric Inputs w Preferences Printing amp Graphing You can manually force inputs to be changed This is useful if you had the old v1 1 and entered dimensions in as Draw Front View Extension Lines Yes centimeters V2 0 will assume the Main Screen View From Rear Dynamic Arrow Buttons Moves 0 inche ath Enter Toe In As Degrees SEES Refresh Calcs after each change Yes centimeters are inches but you can manually force the program to do a conversion to real centimeters z A Suspension Analyzer v2 0 Performance Trends estart 3 Link Convergence Limit 030 l Showing File ati Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize 2c Help Tips ar 3 Link Max Calc Attempts 30 Fr pap Left and Right Side Specs x Dy opy Left Side to Right Side Main Screen Show Front Side Spring
131. he Instant Center is below ground Instant Center Right or Left The Instant Center is an imaginary point at the intersection of extension lines from the upper and lower A Arms or Wishbones The wheel moves up and down as if it were attached to a swing arm attached at this imaginary Instant Center Instant Center Left and Right is the distance from Instant Center to the car s centerline usually on the other side of the car For example the Left side s Instant Center is usually on the right side of the car If this is negative it means the Instant Center is on the same side of the car and is very short very unusual Roll Center Height Roll Center is an imaginary point about which the chassis tends to roll in cornering maneuvers In general the lower the Roll Center the more the car rolls in the corners The farther right the Roll Center the less the right side moves up or down during cornering The Roll Center is calculated at the intersection of imaginary lines connecting the tire contact patches to the Instant 26 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions a ae Centers Roll Center Height is the height of the Roll Center above ground If this is negative it means the Roll Center is below ground Roll Center Right or Left Roll Center Left and Right is the distance the Roll Center is left or right of the car s centerline See Roll Center Height above Roll Stiffness ft lb deg Roll Stiffness f
132. he new types of springs possible in v2 0 the Full Vehicle Version In addition Leaf Spring solid axle is an option as shown in Figure A 6 7 Figure A6 9 New Suspension Options for Full Vehicle Version w Vehicle Specs New Spring Options chosen in Vehicle Specs Fack fok File Help ae Vehicle Specs Front Susp Genkgral Specs Coil Over outboard to Upper Arm as used Suspansion T in 65 73 Mustangs Sees Double Arm wishbone is Suspension Analyzer y2 0 Performance Trends 1968 Mustang File Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences Help Gain based on 1 Dive Steering Rack and Pinion Springs TorsioN Bar in lower arm ao ee Roll Bar i shock outboard ahas a oe Coil Over outboard Push Rod to lower arm w Bell Crank Pull Rod to upper arm w Bell Crank ae eae Ka OS ssl Symetric Chi Torsion Bar in lower arm T Toedn deg 25 Roll Center Ht 2 04 Turn Radius None Roll Center Right 00 Camber 00 Caster 5 74 Caster 5 74 Camber U0 iS Suspension Analyzer v2 0 Performance Trends 2001 Ranger 4x4 Torsion Bar A Suspension Analyzer v2 0 Performance Trends 2001 Ranger 4x4 Torsion Bar File Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences Help File Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences Help Front View Side View Top View No View PE Dynamic Diep JE Roll TE Stee 0 B Front Vi
133. he report e Roll e Dive e Steer starting From Type in the starting amount of Primary motion you selected Roll Dive or Steer in the suspension for the report Going To Type in the ending amount of Primary motion you selected Roll Dive or Steer in the suspension for the report Step Size Type in the increments size for the Primary motion you selected Roll Dive or Steer in the suspension for the report For example if you selected Primary Type Roll Starting From 3 Going To 2 Step Size 5 A report would be created for whatever data you selected at the following conditions Roll degrees 3 2 5 2 1 5 1 5 0 5 1 1 5 2 secondary Type Select the secondary motion you want to see in the report e None Roll Dive Steer If you select a Secondary Type other than None then for each Primary motion setting you would get each Secondary motion setting starting From Going To Step Size These are the same as for the Primary motion specs described above and are best explained with an example 64 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output If you selected Primary Type Roll Secondary Type Dive Starting From 3 Starting From 1 Going To 2 Going To 1 Step Size 5 Step Size 1 A report would be created for whatever data you selected at the following conditions Roll degrees 3 2 5 2 1 5 1 5 0 5 1 1 5 2 11 settings Then at eac
134. he spring s Pushrod as it mounts to the Bellcrank or Rocker Arm This spec is not used in this version Roll Bar Mount on Arm The location of the center of the Roll Bar s roll bar s attachment point on the A Arm or Wishbone Roll Bar Mount on Frame The location of the center of the Roll Bar s roll bar s attachment point on the frame This spec is not used in this version Spring Length The spring length calculated from the spring pad inputs above The Static Length 1s shown 3rd and 6th columns leftmost column of the 3 columns for each side of the car The Dynamic Length due to Dive Roll and or Steer is shown to its right 4th and 7th column and the difference is shown to its right Sth and 8th column Spring Angle from Front The spring angle in degrees from vertical when viewed from the FRONT A positive angle tips toward the car s centerline at the top This is calculated from the spring pad inputs above The Static Angle is shown 3rd and 6th columns leftmost column of the 3 columns for each side of the car The Dynamic Angle due to Dive Roll and or Steer is shown to its right 4th and 7th column and the difference is shown to its right Sth and 8th column Spring Angle from Side The spring angle in degrees from vertical when viewed from the SIDE A positive angle tips toward the car s rear at the top This is calculated from the spring pad inputs above The Static Angle is shown 3rd and 6th columns leftmost column of
135. he worksheet does Change this setting in the Other Specs menu to open up that row on the Suspension Data grid Then print the worksheet and roll bar inputs will be included Windows Printer Setup The Windows Printer Setup lets you change your Windows default printer paper orientation etc for printing reports or graphs in other areas of the program Unlock Program Options The Suspension Analyzer is equipped with copy protection This ensures that legitimate users do not have to cover the costs for unauthorized distribution of the program When you first receive the program it is in demo mode In demo mode you can try either the Basic version or the full Professional version for ten days All features are working in demo mode Sometime during those 10 days you must call Performance Trends to obtain an Unlocking Code Before you call Performance Trends you should get your registered code number and computer hardware number These are available by clicking on File in the upper left hand corner of the Main Screen then clicking on Unlocking Program Options A screen will appear as shown in Figure 2 17 See Section 1 2 for more information on how to unlock the program Figure 2 17 Menu to Unlock Program Options ee Unlock Form Ed it Code to Extend Demo 239235212 Computer Hardware H 842897 The Edit command lets you move a large group of Registered Name Joce mih measurements with one command or copy measurements from the left s
136. heel T ire Offset Aight Wheel T ire Offset Steering System shimming This powerful feature lets you shim Figure 2 28 Typical Shimming Menu change or adjust the Front and or Rear Frame Mounts for the upper control x arms A Arms or Wishbones You can S a shim this arm and have all other Shim Thickness Added Shim Thickness Added suspension measurements change just as Shims Added Rer Shims Added Front if you had made the change on the oo aca sta actual car Ej Add Remove Add Shims gt Shim Type Used Standard Shims Shim Type Used Standard Shims For example at the Main Screen you 1416 Shims 3s 1 16 Shims can change the Frame Mounts for the W178 Shims o 178 Shims e upper arms and only that measurement changes That is a useful method when Custom Thickness Added Custom Thickness Added you are first entering measurements for Hotes the car However on the actual car if Lame reeL This menu assumes that REMOVING shims you say shim out the front left Frame Estim ated New moves the Frame Prvot farther OUT from the car reducing negative camber increasing positive Pivot you will likely move the upper Curent camber If most Suspensions you work with are different change the Adding Shims option in the Preferences menu by clicking on Preferences at the top of the Main Screen ball joint out and back changing camber and caster You could also push the left
137. hly banked tracks over 25 degrees on the outside tire right tire in a left turn For circle track cars always turning left the desired camber gain on the left side may be less or even a positive number depending on track banking and other factors These Camber Gains are based on the program s standard definition as the amount of Camber Change from 1 of Dive Toe In Toe In Gain bump steer Toe In causes stability and initial understeer in a turn Toe Out negative toe in causes instability and initial oversteer Usually you want just enough toe in to keep the wheels from going into toe out at speed How to Make Your Car Handle Fred Puhn Suspension tuners vary somewhat on what they prefer for Toe In Some tuner s personal preferences are for slight positive Toe In to slight negative Toe In toe out but most agree that minor changes can have a large effect For circle track racing higher amounts of negative Toe In toe out are used up to 1 4 negative total Toe In 1 8 inch toe out at each wheel Most race authorities agree that 0 Toe In Gain no bump steer is ideal Some tuners have different theories for Toe In Gain bump steer for circle track left turning only cars but there seems to be no consistent agreement 116 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices I E Caster You almost always want positive caster top ball joint behind the lower ball joint Positive caster provides self cen
138. hoice hee cal Roll Bar Rate Ib in 3 determine what inputs are available at the Main b alia Symetric Chassis Lt same as Rt No Layout view of 4 Link Rear Suspension with Panhard Bar BE E E Suspension Analyzer 1 1 Performance Trends 4 Link Panhara Bar Ele Edt Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize oom Apfhate Preferences Help Front View Side View Top View Ho Yiew K Dyna Squat 1 E Foll hs E This is a view from the rear of car night se of screen is actually right side of car Gain b4zed on 1 Dive Total Vehicle results B Front Suspension Toeln Gain 01 Roll Center Ht 7 50 Tum Radius 7469 ft Lt Roll Cenbef Left 56 Toe ln Gain 01 Rear Suspension AntiSquat Static 161 8 Dyn 181 0 Turm Toe In 00 ApG quat Static 156 0 Dyn 141 7 Mehesh Suspension Data Location Type Lt Static Lt Dynamic Alt Change At Statio At Dynamic At Change Lower Link Length EEEE Panhard Bar Length Binding Error in Output Side View Swing Arm Length 1 19 Slide slide o bar button 74 e 3 to bottom to Ce view Total 1609 0 cna 90 90 ehicle 19 10 results 11 36 Level Ground Roll Rate deg G Output 1 28 shown Front Roll Couple Output Rear Roll Couple Output Total Rall Stiffness ft lbs deg Fall Asis to CG Moment Arm Front Natural Freg cps 216 2 46 Rear Natural Freg cps 1 22 here
139. ht side of screen is actually right side of car ain based on 1 Dive Impor Oimensions 236452 20 442 0 2436 222499 21 7094 0 9674 13 5638 19 2085 24099 137596 189905 2613 13 5778 18 9354 35873 13 7601 186173 3 3801 240281 80543 0 9179 24 3248 9 4303 0 4599 Click here to 507271 83206 0235 85572 80243 0 4146 14 8288 82951 11 7561 147828 87983 11 6374 a import 79175 80386 45335 72025 81072 4 5744 this data 21 7184 76891 7104 225443 87843 6 7023 s Click into Test Bos above to place cursor there Then do a Ctl press the W key while holding Cancel down the Chl key to copy the dimension data there Click on the Use This Data button to copy dimensions to the data entry grid starting at the top Use This Data Trele Game TA Aall Cankar He 4 74 Tin A adiis hana Aall Cankar atk 2 An Taala Fai AA The Suspension Analyzer can read suspension measurements copied from other programs either tab separated or comma separated The format is one row of 6 measurements for every row available for data entry on the current screen either front or rear suspension The data in the row is expected to be Left Side X Y and Z then Right Side X Y Z Notes e If your Preference settings are such that you are using a Front view in your Suspension Layout the screen will display the Right side measurements in the left columns then the Left side measurements Even in this situation you still have the Left side measurements com
140. ic Motorbooks 800 826 6600 Osceola WI Richard Hathaway suspension seminars Email richard hathaway wmich edu Kalamazoo MI Pi Research suspension seminars 317 259 8900 Indianapolis IN Tri Mark Performance Fee for service one on one consulting and questions answered Email trimark midplains net or Fax questions to 608 355 9827 119 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices EUU a ee aaa 120 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Appendix 3 Backing Up Data Version 2 0 added 1 step backup and restore commands Check Appendix 6 for details Backing up data means to make more than one copy of the data which can be used or referred to at a later date This may be needed in the event one copy becomes lost or erased or you need room in the Suspension Library Backing up data can take 2 basic forms either Paper Reports or Copying files with Windows copy commands Other than making Paper Reports backing up data requires knowledge of Windows Explorer 95 98 NT commands Unless you are experienced with Windows commands have someone experienced with Windows assist you to prevent losing data Figure A4 1 Print Suspension Paper Reports Summary If you already keep written copies of all suspensions you measure you File Edit Graphs Reports OtherSpecs Adjust Opti already understand this form of backing up data You could continue to do this by simply clicking of File the
141. icle Weight Ibs 2480 Total Front Weight Ibs Raed YVehicle Measurements Ee Hote See diagram and procedure in Section 2 4 in manual page 76 Use Calc Value Help Cancel Print 10 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Chapter 2 Definitions 2 0 Basic Program Operation Whenever you start the Suspension Analyzer you are brought to a Main Screen which will look like Figure 2 1 Figure 2 1 Main Screen Menu Commands of File Graph etc give you all the options to operate the program and change data l l between different l Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends LIMITED _4TE MODEL ME E views of the File Edit Graphe Reports Other Specs Adjust Optimize Beef rences Help Front View eiTe View Top View No View X Dynamic Diveli 1 E Roll hs Stee Suspension This ts a view from the front of car right side of screen ts actually left side of car Gain based on 1 Dive Name of Current Suspension File Click on these tabs to switch These Dynamic commands apply different motions 2 to the The Suspension Layout drawing B F l Foo updates as you ASSN eet change inputs ae measurements or apply motion Toe ln Gain 05 Roll Center Ht 2 15 Turn Radius 96 ft Lt Roll Center Right 14 15 Toeln Gain 01 Camber Gain 1 65 Caster Gain 26 Tum Toe Ir 10 Caster Gain 12 Camber Gain 1 53 De SS a Click on Slide MHediY Mbene
142. ide to the right side or vice versa The Edit options are discussed in detail is Enter Unlocking Code Ooo Help Section 2 4 page 41 Cancel Registered Code 14666 Click on Help for more info on how pou use this screen to unlock this program C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Graphs The Graph command lets you graph several different types of data from the current suspension either by itself or with data from other suspensions for comparisons The Graph options are discussed in detail is Section 3 3 page 91 Reports The Report command lets you create reports of several different types of data from the current suspension The Report options are discussed in detail is Section 3 1 page 83 Other Specs The Other Specs command opens up the Other Specs menu Other Specs are used to describe aspects of the suspension which can not broken down to the Left or Right side Many of these specs are quite critical for what inputs can be entered at the Main Screen For example if you set Roll Bar to None no Roll Bar measurements are asked for at the Main Screen See Section 2 3 page 37 Adjust This powerful feature lets you change some component or adjustment on the chassis and have all other suspension measurements change just as if you had made the change on the actual car This feature is discussed in detail in Section 2 5 page 43 Optimize This powerful feature lets you find a new lo
143. iew Ho Wiew Dynamic ret Edit options let you correct mistakes if you did not understand how the program wanted the dimensions measured Sania ee TTT o o ee Sao eS SS i cae ea Roll Center HE 3 29 Caster Gain 05 Toe In Gaim 00 Camber Gain 1 20 Turn Radius None Roll Ce Suspension Analyzer v7 4 Performance Trends Shock Sensors Front and Rear L IE This ts a view from the front of car right side of screen is actually left eon a aq Click on Help then Show Picture of X Y and Z Measurements Help on Main Screen Introduction to Basic Windows Zonmmands About Suspension Analyzer List Definitions For Main Sffeen Input Output Show Picture of amp Y and 2 Measurements Display Readme doc File Display User s Manual Full vehicle Version Features aa v2 0 Supplement v2 0 s added Features Request Remote assistance Performance Trends on the web ther Performance Trends Products Front Suspension aledig fi mja i Or click on any name in the first column and you will uspension Data ma ISOS Location O Me bar RtH Atoe first be presented with a definition of that input as Upper Ball Joint in Input y EEE 18 625 75 Opper Frame Pirot Fonun lin 14 812 16 062 425 shown to the lower left Upper Frame Pivot Fearin HAput 14 562 15 812 B 343 Lower Ball Joint in AA Input clc 25 5 7 25 E 25 712 6 625 E
144. ight on left side 178 Result roll center is now 3 2 high ard 1 1 left which moves approx 1 6 total movement The ca p25 LIHITED LATE MODEL 2 new 32bit Format Hew Omod new S TEER Click and drag slide bar to view all Suspensions in list Preview of suspension chosen Single click ona Suspension to choose it for preview Double click to immediately open it Suspensions can be saved under various categories folders to Toeln T0 help you organize Lambe Folders Lar large numbers of uspe UP EI N suspensions Click R different Folder Chut ame e cedeu al on a different name U ee 097 n the suspensions a here and a different pper saved under that list of Suspension Upper men aavanceL Folder Name 340 Files will 5 Lower Cancel Help Delete E displayed The name l far Cr aren Dahk D a r amra ok 14A OCA FAM 14A OCA changed in the Click here to Preferences menu to delete the chosen most any word Suspension Click here to bring up on screen help Click here to bring up standard Windows File Open Click here to close the Suspension Library with No changes without opening a suspension Click here to open the chosen Suspension screen to let you open a file in most any folder directory and disk drive 81 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output Open a Suspension File To open a suspension file saved in the Suspension Library c
145. ight side of screen is actually left side o ae Gain based on 1 Dive Calc Spring Rate calculated from these inputs click on the Use Calc Value button Otherwise click on Cancel to return to the Main menu with no change to Spring Rate Section 2 8 Calculation Menus explains all these calculations 3 D Suspension Analyzer Caster Trail is the distance between the center of the tire contact patch and where the Caster Angle line hits the ground Negative Caster Trail means the tire is ahead of where the Caster Line hits Toe In Gain 05 Rol Camber Gain 1 65 Cas l Suspension Data Location Tread width in Input J10 Camber deg Input 3 E eee ay Tire Circumference in Input___ 84 82 the ground and is usually produced from negative caster angles Click on Help at the top of this and most all screens for general info and tips on how to use the nrnanaAaram Click on the name left column for C Dup l2 Caster Trail Output__ EE Toelndeg in 5 Toe In inches Output 14 Ideal Ackmn Toe In deg Output 00 Ackrmn Error deg Output 1 50 King Pin Angle deg Output 11 14 Scrub Radius Output 5 12 Spindle Angle deg Output 8 14 any row and a definition and page is given Figure 1 8 General Help is available by clicking here w Other Suspension Specs Back ok Help General Specs Wheelbase inches 110 00 Springs Coil Over outboard m Sway Bar Ye
146. ihg new d2bit Form from another disk like a floppy or folder you can simply copy it into any folder in the 3D DATA folder and it will l be found by the Suspension Analyzer Fle memz program This can be done with a Fee aie ae c program like Windows Explorer es orp AN Files id lie Windows 95 98 You can also create mM new folders directories in the 3D DATA J a folder and these will also be used by the Suspension Analyzer program 84 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output 85 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output 86 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output Chapter 4 Examples Each example in this chapter becomes progressively more complex assuming you have performed and understand the preceding example Section 1 5 s example is somewhat more basic than Example 4 1 so it may be a better place to start if Example 4 1 looks complicated The results shown in these examples may be somewhat different than what you obtain with your particular version of the program That is due to minor upgrades in the calculations in later versions 87 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples a 88 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples Example 4 1 Measuring Out a Typical Steering Box Pitman Arm Suspension Suggested Background Reading e Sectio
147. in Screen Print Blank Worksheet Windows Printer Setup Click on File then choose from different Save or Open Unlock Prograrn Options Transfer Program to Another Comput Exit Prograrn Cree options Toe In Gain 05 Roll Center Ht 2 56 Sai Center Right 2 65 Toeln Gain 01 Camber Gain 1 65 Caster Gain 26 aster Gain 12 Camber Gain 1 53 Click on Suspension Daa LA l Unlock Rt Out fg Rt Height Y RtDepth 2 Lt Out t Lt Height fr fLtDephe J Upper Ball Joint 22 097 21 870 0 715 23 514 22 385 0 310 Program Upper Frame Pivot Front Input 15 260 17 999 3 510 15 020 18 300 3 820 Options to Upper Frame Pivot Rear Input niput 15 340 17 059 5 990 14 850 17 420 5 230 Lower Ball Joint Inpull 24 382 10 040 0 140 23 445 q 0 140 obtain codes to Lower Frame Pivot Front Input 18 560 6 725 0 050 5 180 6 370 0 020 give to Lower Frame Pivot Rear Input 114 560 7 820 12 160 14 260 7 000 12 430 Performance Tie Rod on Frame Input 18 500 6 386 5 7 500 5 980 5 Trend rends to Tie Rod on Spindle Input 122 375 g 6 975 21 375 g 6 505 Steering Swivel Axis Upper Input cle 7 85 10 400 14 540 7 950 10 14 540 permanently Steering Swivel Axis Lower Input cl 7 65 7 980 6 240 7 850 7 980 6 240 unlock the Center Link Pivots Input 17 85 7 680 12 790 7 850 7 680 12 790 program take out of the 10 MStat A E S in fy suspan E Susp Z Micros
148. in on the left side may be less or even a positive number depending on track banking and other factors Both of these have a large impact on a car s handling and maximum cornering capability Note from Performance Trends It is difficult to get any agreement from experts on optimum Roll Center location Camber Gain static Camber setting etc This is true for most any suspension setting The reason appears to be that these settings are so combination dependent Traction capability of the track and tires tire construction roughness of track temperatures compliance of the chassis suspension members and bushings shock settings etc all come into play However the component with the biggest effect on optimum settings is the driver Driver preference for how a car handles and feels to them has a huge effect on their confidence aggressiveness on the track and therefore lap times The following statements are ones we have found in various references which appear to be consistent between these references 115 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices EnO ene nny Roll Center Several authorities agree that the static Roll Center before any Dive or Roll should be from 2 5 to 4 5 above the ground For road race cars turning both left and right you want to keep the Roll Center near the car s centerline left or right The farther the Roll Center is to the Left the quicker the car will react m
149. inion steering or the center link Pitman arm steering systems Tie Rod on Spindle The location of the Tie Rod End as it attaches to the wheel spindle Figure 2 10B Steering Box Axis Any point on this line w above steering box can be picked as the Steering Swivel Axis Upper Steering Swivel Axis Upper A real or imaginary point which locates the TOP of the axis imaginary line about which the Idler Arm or steering box Pitman Arm rotates about See Figures 2 10A and 2 10B This point can also be created by clicking in Input clc Type in this row and using the Calculation Menu described in Section 2 8 5 on page 57 Any point on this line below the steering box can be Steering Swivel Axis Lower picked as the Steering Swivel Axis Lower A real or imaginary point which locates the BOTTOM of the axis imaginary line about which the Idler Arm or steering box Pitman Arm rotates about See Figures 2 10A and 2 10B This point can also be created by clicking in Input clc Type in this row and using the Calculation Menu described in Section 2 8 5 on page 57 21 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions a Re a a ee Center Link Pivots The location of the Idler Arm and Pitman Arm as they attach to the center link Steering Sensor The location of the Attachment Point for the Steering Sensor for a data logger on either the rack or center link Steering Sensor The l
150. inputs Maii Standard menu commands which provide the options for closing this menu Back erasing a set of specs click File then New printing this screen click on File then Print etc See the sections later in this chapter for more details on individual menus 14 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions 2 1 Main Screen Inputs and Outputs The Main Screen is shown in Figure 2 4 and shows a layout drawing of the suspension and various measurements and calculated results The Main Screen is made up of 5 basic sections as shown in Figure 2 4 These are discussed in the next 5 sections The rest of this section gives an overview of how the Main Screen is organized Figure 2 4 Main Screen 5 Menu Commands of File Graph etc 1 Click on these These give you all the options to operate the Tabs to switch program and change test data between the Ea Su pension Analyzer v1 0 Performance Trends LIMITED LATE MODEL iE ES different views of Adit Graphs Reports OtherSpecs Adjust Optimize Preferenose ffelp this particular Front View Side View Top View No Vue X Dynamic Diveli Soll 0 Steerjo suspension This ts a view from the front of car right side of screen is actually left side osx Gain based on 1 Dive 2 Dynamic a 3 Suspension Layout ee Toe ln Gain 05 Rall Center Ht 2 44 Roll Cert r Right 5 25 Toe ln Gain 01 Camber Gain 1 65 Caster Gain 26 Ca
151. ion Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions EM SS eens 32 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions 2 2 Preferences The Preferences Menu has been expanded considerably in v2 0 and v2 4 Check Appendix 6 and 7 Click on the Preferences item in the menu bar at the top of the Main Screen to bring up the Preferences menu shown in Figure 2 18 Here you can adjust some program items to Figure 2 18 Preferences Menu personalize the program for Preferences your needs Preferences may Program Title Comments Miscellaneous also save time by eliminating Fist A Default Floppy Disk Drive e m Second go here See Preferences x Y Z Axis to Use for Measurements Tip Enter text company name phone etc which Left Right Height Depth Will appear at top of printouts i Tire Size Used for Toe In inches Program Title Specs for Calculating Camber Gain Use 16 Radius 32 Dia 101 Ci Se adius ia Imcunteence Comments Specs to Use Standard 1 Dive 0 Rall Draw Front View Extension Lines Yes steps you don t require Enter most any text here for Dive for Gain Cales Dot Matrix Graph Printer No the First and Second lines IR ll for Gain Cales d i a scoala Printer Fonts MSSansSerif Font These 2 lines will appear at Standard 1 Dive produces the most accurate spring the top of printouts and and shock motion ratios P nnted Graph Width of Page fioo printed gra
152. ion of implied warranties so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you No action regardless of form arising out of any claimed breach of this agreement or performance under this agreement may be brought by either party more than one year after the affected party learns of the cause of action Refer to diskette envelope for full license agreement The Suspension Analyzer makes calculations based on equations and data found in various published and heretofore reliable documents The program is designed for use by skilled professionals experienced with vehicles and Suspensions The following processes are hazardous particularly if done by an unskilled or inexperienced user Obtaining data to input to the program Interpreting the program s results Before making measurements of or modifications to any Suspension engine or driving situation DO NOT FAIL TO Regard the safety consequences Consult with a skilled and cautious professional Read the entire user s manual Obey all federal state amp local laws Respect the rights and safety of others Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1 Overview of Features 1 2 Before You Start 1 3 A Word of Caution 1 4 Getting Started Installation 1 5 Example to Get You Going Chapter 2 Definitions 2 0 Basic Program Operation 2 1 Main Screen Inputs and Outputs 2 1 1 Tabs 2 1 2 Dynamic Motion Specs 2 1 3 Suspension Layout 2 1 4 Suspension Data Grid 2 1 5
153. is O U t D U t the Maximum possible The Output section specs lets you select the type of Hold Steer At data you want calculated and for what side of the vehicle Graph Type Figure 3 7 Roll Center Motion Graph i Suspension Analyzer 1 1 LIMITED LATE MODEL 2 In this current version there are only 2 types of Back File Format View GraphType Remove Test Help ole ded beli Peele yt ieuvienfsetscate Roll Center Movement limited late model 2 008 RC LURt limited late model IRC LURI graphs 1 Pick Individual Items 2 Roll Center Motion If you selected the Pick Individual Items report type click on the Data Types in the top right section to select or deselect if it has already been selected that Data Type for reporting Data will be graphed for only the first Data Type you have selected The Roll Center Motion graph is different than the others in that it graphs the 2 Data Types of Roll Center Height and Roll Center Left Right versus each other It is basically a picture of where the Roll Center is for various amounts of Dive Roll and Steer See Figure 3 7 aaa RC Movement Right 0 on vertical Y axis is the car s centerline Side 0 on horizontal X axis is ground level Click on the down arrow button to select the side of the suspension for data to be calculated Left Right or Left and Right both Settings In the Settings section select the Primary Suspension Motion
154. is actually left side of car Gain based on 1 Dive redrawn with motion applied so you can visualize new positions The Suspension Toe In Gain 05 Roll Center Ht 2 15 Turn Radius S6ftLt Roll CenteAight 14 15 oe In Gain 01 Data table shows Camber Gain 1 65 Caster Gain 26 Tum Toe le 10 Caster Gain 1 Camber Gain 1 53 the static position fr z rc XL Suspension Data es lt IM Location FtStaic RED ynamic 7 RtChange 7 LtStatic LtDynamic LtChange before motion 64 82 64 82 and the new Tread Width in Input 10 10 dynamic position 3 5 04 2 25 40 2 Bead a RE 315 4 93 1 88 and the change Caster Trail Oupa 35 33 44 Toeln deg input J5 5 52 539 5 Click and slide Toe ln inches Output 14 1 54 i a scroll bar to data Ideal Ackrmn Toe In deg Output 00 5 31 i 5 5 ackmnEna deg Output 50 2 en orale King Pin Angle deg Output 11 14 13 09 3 l interested in Serb Radius Output 512 4 96 Spindle Angle deg Output 6 14 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 1 Introduction Main Screen See Figure 1 4 Then type in various amounts of Dive Roll and or Steer Or you can click on the up and down arrow buttons to increment the motions You will see the suspension move as in an animation and all dynamic calculations are updated You can watch camber toe in caster etc change immediately Figure 1 5 Graph Options Me
155. istance from the bar mounts on the frame back to Where the bar mounts on the suspension Use Calc Yalue Help Cancel Print 80 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output 3 5 Suspension Libraries The Suspension Analyzer allows you to save Suspension Data to the Suspension File Library under a name of your choosing You can then open these suspension files out of the Suspension File Library in the future for comparison or modification The Open window is explained below with explanations Figure 3 18 Suspension Library Options Click on File then Open from all saved suspensions to display Suspension Library shown here Click on File then Save or Save As to save current suspension and specs to the Library Total Suspensions in Library under this Folder Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends LIMITED LATE MODEL File Edit Graphs Ej Front View Side iex Top iew No View w Oper Suspension File Name of chosen Suspension currently g highlighted in List Reports Optimize Animate Dynamic 32 Suspensions in Library KJHGKJH 1 KJHGKJH2 KJHGKJH3 kihgkihg LIMITED LATE MODET LIMITED LATE MODE LIMITED LATE MODES Limited Late Model Fight Track 31 440 Cambe inni mT aa 13 Caster 2 79 pring 1000 Spring 1000 AcRight 2 65 AcHk 2 56 Remount right upper frame pivot down 2 remount left upper frame pivot down 1 4 range ride he
156. k Appendix 6 for a new Optimize option to adjust Handling FLLD front lateral load distribution This powerful feature lets you find a new location or adjustment for a selected suspension component which produces some optimum type of suspension characteristic See Example 4 3 One example would be to move the left tie rod end to find minimum left side bump steer Note that some Optimum setting arrived at by this feature may not actually produce optimum handling or safety It only means that some suspension characteristic falls into some mathematical range The changes proposed by this feature to obtain improvement in one characteristic may completely screw up other suspension characteristics making the car unsafe to drive If you accept some proposed change you must check all other suspension characteristics to ensure safe vehicle handling To use this feature first pick what suspension component you want to move You will notice that some components are identified with Move and some with Shim If you select Shim Left or Right Upper A Arm you are simulating actual shimming so that Camber and Caster and several other conditions are also changing just as 1t would in the actual suspension See Section 2 5 Adjust Feature You are also moving the both the front and rear Figure 2 33 Find Optimum Settings Menu Frame Mounts the same amount which l These settings will move the Right Tie Rod end should produce on
157. ke Graph button to make this graph type shown in Figure 4 27 At the Graph Screen click on Add Graph and add the WCSample to compare the Roll Center movement graph to the original suspension Figure 4 27 shows the new suspension does keep the Roll Center closer to a height of 3 than the original WCSample It also keeps it closer to the car s centerline This may or may not be what you want Other graphs could show what has happened to Bump Steer Anti Dive and several other suspension characteristics That is why it is always good to double check all suspension changes the optimize feature has produced Figure 4 27 Roll Center Movement Graph Path of Roll Center over w Suspension Analyzer 1 1 WCSAMPLE range of 3 to 3 Back File Format View Graph Type Remove Suspension Help inches of dive for del i Lelie S e Optimized Roll Center Movement condition Note wcaample that the average D RC Height is S closer to 3 inches ne than the original i suspension Note that the Roll Center also stays closer to the car s centerline which may or may be not what you want Path of Roll Center for original suspension 0 on Y axis is Ground level O on the X axis is the car s centerline RC Movement Right Conclusions e The Suspension Analyzer provides methods to adjust several suspension settings much as you would do on the actual suspension e The Suspension Analyzer provides ways to let the prog
158. l Rod w Rocker Arm springs for Double A Arm suspensions In Vehicle Specs choose these types for the Springs spec Figure 2 Example of Pushrod Spring Layout A Suspension Analyzer 1 1 Performance Trends pushrod File Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences Help Bell Crank with Front View Side View Top View No View F Dynamic Diep JE p JE rotation axis shown This is a view from the rear of car right side of screen is actually right side of ca as Ci rcle here Gain based on 1 Dive i Pushrod attached to lower arm Note that Pullrod would attach to the upper arm Toe In Gain 19 Roll Center Ht 89 Turm Radius None Roll Center Right 00 Toe In Gain 19 Camber Gain 34 Caster Gain 49 Caster Gain 49 Camber Gain 34 Suspension Data eee E nte r Location sType Lt ut LtHeight fv LtDepth RtOutpa FRtHeight Y RtDepth a measurements ee eed ping Mount on Fame Input 6 7 7 for Bell Crank Push Rod Mount on Lower Arm Input 18 8 18 8 I Bellcrank Axis Front Input 12 14 10 12 18 and Pushrod or Bellcrank Axis Rear Input 12 14 10 12 10 Spring Mount on Bellcrank input 9 18 9 18 Pullrod here Pushrod Mount on Bellcrank Input 14 16 14 16 E a Spring Length Output 11 79 11 79 Spring Angle from Front Output __ 15 25 15 25 Spring Angle from Side Output __ 15 25 15 25 Spring Rate wheel Rate Input fele 400 4
159. lc Spring Rate Click on this combo box to select which spring location you are l calculating a spring rate for either the Left spring Right Spring or both Cale spring Rate springs Inputs Type of Spring Spring Location Type of Spring Pegs NN Click on the combo box for Type of Spring to change the inputs in this i Leaves at Center ha menu for the 4 basic types of springs e Coil Springs it Leaves at Ends az e Leaf Springs e Solid Torsion Bars Spring Length in e Hollow Torsion Bars Thickness of 1 Leal in These inputs will be discussed in the 3 sections below E pring Width in e Hote Coil Spri ngs Click on Location to choose which spring you are calculating the Spring Rate for Choose a different Type of Spring for Torsion Bars or Leaf Wire Diameter in Springs Is the diameter of the wire which makes up the coils in inches Take this measurement carefully as it has a large impact on the results Use Calc Yalue Help Cancel Print 54 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Inside Diameter of Coil in Is the inside diameter of the wire coils which makes up the spring in inches The coil diameter ranges from 1 5 to 5 inches for most springs Number of Active Coils Is the number of active coils in the spring Usually the top and bottom coils of a spring do not move are not active and do not contribute to the springiness of the spring To be
160. le Mount in Input Copy Holes to Left Side Bracket hole is currently f Thi h Watts Link Mounts on Frame in Input tele 18 12 O IS MUCN SBT a oe os es Po cero Brrr emo Oe or Lom bk Polo rN ACT In Side View click on 4 Link to display Right Side Brackets features shown A Suspension Analyzer v7 4 4 Link Rear w Watts Link and Bracket Holes Fie Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences Help 4 Link Front View Side View Top View Ho iew Dynamic o s E isn pisie a iow from the abt side fri Right Side Brackets Click on a bracket hole and instant ee Hole center or pick a Hole from the 4 bracket Cpper Fra 1 l lists to check a particular combination Upper Axle 1 Lower Frame a Lower Ashe g IC Z ahead of axle 109 7 ICY above ground 12 7 Ant Squat 52 1 Lead Change 030 Turn Radius 93707 ft At Help T able Toeln Gaim OD Roll Center Ht 9 00 Turn Radius None Roll Center Aight 00 Toe ln Gain 00 Close keep changes Anti Squat Static 92 1 Dyn 62 1 Anti Sgyua Static 64 0 Dyn 64 052 Close abandon changes Suspension Data Wb Te a Height fr AeDepth Oy k her TLtHeyht ty Lt Depth Z A Anti Squat and Roll Steer characteristics 7 19 i i ne 18 13 g of the combo you chose are shown here 85 0 O REER YOu MEE 0 a aoe AS 24 changes 10 23 w 256 4 Link Combinations sorted by Anti Squat Click here to Back
161. lected the Pick Individual Items report type click on the Data Types in the top right section to select or deselect 1f it has already been selected that Data Type for reporting Data will be reported for up to the first 5 Data Types you have selected Side Click on the down arrow button to select the side of the suspension for data to be calculated Left Right or Left and Right both Settings In the Settings section select the Primary Suspension Motion to be applied using the top 4 specs Then enter the range of motion and increment size This motion will appear on left side of the reports one row for each increment Note that the larger the range and smaller the Increment size the longer it will take to construct the report and the more rows in the report In the Settings section you can also select the Secondary Suspension Motion to be applied using the next 4 specs This will add new columns in the report for each Secondary Motion You can also select None for keeping the report more simple Again enter the range of motion and increment size for this Secondary Motion You can also select the setting for the Suspension Motions you decided not to use For example if you chose Roll as the Primary Motion and Dive as the Secondary Motion then you can select Steer to be at some particular setting 63 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output Primary Type Select the primary motion you want to see in t
162. lick on File at the upper left corner of the Main Screen then on the Open from all saved suspensions You will obtain the window shown on the previous page Single click on one of the suspensions in the list or click and drag the slide button on the right side of the list to display more suspensions Once you single click on a suspension it is now the Chosen Suspension File and a preview of the suspension is given in the Preview section If the file you chose was not a valid Suspension Analyzer file or alternate format read by Suspension Analyzer the program will tell you and you can not choose it Tip Once you click on a suspension and get a preview use the up and down arrow keys to go through the list suspension by suspension getting a preview of each suspension The Suspension Analyzer can also read files from Performance Trends Roll Center Calculator and Circle Track Analyzer and BTS Software s Double Wishbone Suspension Analysis Software tm Simply find these files using the Advanced feature or copy these files to one of the folders under the 3D DATA folder If you copy them to one of the folders under the 3D DATA folder you will be told of the file type when you click on them as shown in Figure 3 18 The preview will only show this alternate file type name Once a suspension has been chosen you can delete it by clicking on the Delete button or Open it by clicking on the Open button in this window You can also click on a diffe
163. locate tire laterally To front of vehicle The C4 Corvette 1984 92 used this type of suspension 2 links typically go forward to control caster and locate tire fore and aft 5 Link Rear is an example file supplied with program i Suspension Analyzer v2 4 Performance Trends 5 Link Rear for you to evaluate File Edit Seem Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences Help Front View Side View Top Yiew Ho View Dynamic b E L g This is a view from the right side right side of screen is front of car Gain based on 1 Dive Side view of 5 Link suspension Front Suspension Toe ln Gain 20 Roll Center Ht 3 79 Tum Radius None Roll Center Aight 00 Toe ln Gain 20 Camber Gain O0 Caster Gain 66 Caster Gain 68 Camber Gain 00 5 2uspension Data 3 5 Progr am needs location of each 7 7 7 andofihe nink eor Front in Input clc fel 25 6 535 i 6 535 or 10 X Y and 7 i Lower Ball Jont Rear in Input clc 25 6 693 1 6 693 1 i Lower Frame Pivot Front in Tard ord coordinates for the Lower Frame Pivot Rear in Foe P52 i i Tie Rod on Frame 11 654 11 654 left and right side Tie Rod on Spindle in 10 906 10 906 153 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Fig A6 18 Decoupled Live Axle bird cage Live Rear Axle The Decoupled Live Axle is rather complex but provides lots
164. lorer Analyzer program For example you may want to put the files on J Exploring E the E drive so other computers can access them If so choose Yes File Edt Wiew Go Fawori and then the spec Path to Files will be enabled Copy the 3D Data Ge of In most all situations except for network users it is STRONGLY recommended you keep this marked No Back Firitapd folder to the new location Address E E Here it is shown on Salas the E drive ge C where the ge Dy path would be simply A EA It is also STRONGLY recommended that if you do choose Yes that you do NOT keep changing this back and forth from No to Yes This will produce possible errors when saving or opening files This will be due mostly to saving them in one location and then looking for them in another location gt GHD Path to Files i BA Davis SDK If you set the previously described Use Alternate Location for Files spec to Yes this spec becomes enabled Enter the full path to the new location for the Suspension Analyzer data files For example if you want to store the files on the E drive enter the path E Either before you make this change in the Preferences menu or immediately after that change you must copy the Suspension Analyzer data folder directory 3D DATA to the new location on the E drive in the root directory Default Floppy Disk Drive Choose the letter of the floppy disk drive on your compu
165. lue Help Cancel Print Front iew i Side View Same screen as above but after clicking on Side View button 160 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Fig A 6 26 Jacking Component w Preferences l m I 3 Link Convergence Limit n I E l 3 Link Max Calc Attempts i 7 ao Leaf Springs dd to Roll Stiffness i 1 Metric Inputs z Right Jacking Restart i Enter Toe InAs Showing inti T Component Toe In Gain 24 Camber Gain 1 58 Turn On in pe About Preferences Updating Left Jacking Component T m a J 24 5 8 454 v D 18 937 24 5 A Suspension Analyzer v2 4 Performance Trends watts pivot on frame File Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize zoom Animate Preferences Aelp Front View Side View Top iew No View P lt Dynamic Divel 2a A Fall so Stee 16 E This ts a view from the front of car right side of screen is actually left side of car Animate O ff Gain based on 1 Dive SERRE Forward Back Faster Slower Time 2 800 L l Toe lIn Gaim 00 Roall Center Ht 3 16 Tum Radiue 304 ft Lt Roll Center Left 7 58 Toe ln Gain 24 Camber Gain 1 20 Caster Gain 05 Tum Toe In 00 Caster Gain 13 Camber Gain 1 58 Suspension Data Of Options Help Static and Dynamic Jacking a Component shown here in results a Program is i
166. ly small caster 2 inches th h 2 inch left 2 o i any up 2 inches t roug down inches and left l inches through right 2 inches in 5 inch steps If you select Move then only the w Find Optimum Settings Ed components you move are changing Adjust from Curyent Position Motion to Check to Obtain gt This is usually for Steering components a any wae y n 8 P Wh al Move RUF D ive E Dive to 2 Rise which is still realistic If you move a a EA steering component you will likely ESEA IO Roll No change in Fol El readjust the Tie Rod lengths to bring Toe Max Distance Left _ a Obtain Min Right Bump Steer In back to the desired amount Max Distance Up RN Notes Max Distance Down On Lett side choose what suspension point to After selecting the Component to move di just and the range of Adjustment to allow On or shim then select how far to move it Max Distance Back depth Right side choose what suspension motion to check and what you want to obtain p from its current location For example Max Distance Forward No o o 4 to simulate shimming the left Tie Rod Increment 5 2inch End up and down a range of 1 from the current location 2 inches total range r _ Settings Hel C l Print you would enter 1 for Up and 1 for SS ee i Her Cance Print H Motions Down You can also select the Hote Proposed changes just meet the criteria set above and may NOT produce tfi k Jusi ts
167. mate users do not have to cover the costs for unauthorized distribution of the program When you first receive the program it is in demo mode All features work in Demo mode Sometime during those 10 days you must call Performance Trends to obtain an Unlocking Code Before you call Performance Trends you should get your disk serial number stamped in blue on the disk your registered name and code number and computer hardware number The registered name and code numbers are available by clicking on file in the upper left hand corner of the Main Screen then clicking on Unlocking Program Options A screen will appear as shown in Figure 1 1 Performance Trends will provide you an unlocking code number Type in the unlocking code number and click on OK If you typed in the number correctly you will be given a message that the program is permanently unlocked The program will only run on this one computer on another computer you must 2 Unlock Form install it obtain the computer hardware number and registered code number as shown in Figure Computer Hardware g42897 1 1 and call Performance Trends for a new Unlocking Code for that computer There may be a Registered Code 14666 charge for additional computers Enter Unlocking Code Po Help Code to Extend Demo 2392395212 Registered Hame Joe Smith Click on Help for more info on how you use this screen to unlock this program C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Anal
168. may want to change the scale of the X or Y axis This may be to show an area in more detail or to match the scales of a previous graph The program has several ways to change the scales as shown in Figures 3 13 and 3 14 Figure 3 13 Changing Scales for the X or Y Axis Clicking on these buttons shifts the graph left right up or down Hold down the shift key while clicking on them and the graph moves farther each step w Suspension Analyzer 1 1 LIMITED LATE MODEL t2 Back File dd ES amp ix een g VS Divo inches Format View GraphType Add Tas Hek 1 Lt Roll 0 i Rt Roll 0 Figure 3 14 Menu to Specify Graph Axes Scales SS oie Clicking on these buttons zooms in or zooms out on the graph either vertically or horizontally Hold down the shift key while clicking on them and the graph moves farther each step Click here to restore autoscaling That is where the computer picks the scale to show all the graph in good detail Click here to set scales as shown in Figure 3 14 below limited late model 2 1 ILt Roll 2 IRt Roll 2 Lt Roll 1 You can use the mouse to outline an area to be zoomed in on Simply click on the mouse key in the upper left corner of the area then hold the key down and drag the mouse to the lower right corner of the desired area A box will be drawn as shown When you release the mouse key this area will fill the whole graph This feature is disabled if the
169. mbers the program needs Distance fram Meas Point to Ball Joint 1 45 Gain cate Ball Joint Location These 0 349 Measured Location a a he re apes ments Side Right x you Ball Joint Type K 727 K72631003 entered Click on Stud Points Up into this ength tc ng screen Measurement Point Stud Tip Length to Measurement Point Angles to Use Flange Angle Input clc to open the Ball Joint Wizard shown to the right Side View Bottorn J Anoe from Front cain ie ROO Angle om Side Upper Ball Joint in Input clc eases Pick a side on which to base these calculations Upper Frame Pivot Front in 14 812 stud Tip X Left or Right Upper Frame Pivot Bearin input 14 562 Lower Ball Joint in Input cle 25 5 Lower Frame Pivot Frontin Input 8 04 Lower Frame Pivot Rear in Input 8 125 Tie Redon Backin Input 815 25 P menem bidali eee Pe ee eee Stud Tip Y Stud Tip Z i ae ac 1 C4776 10 077 a4 C mn w Gall Joint Location Distance from Meas Point to Ball Jom 1 45 Ball Joint Location Measured Location Specs Side Right Ball Joint Type K 727 K7263 1003 l Stud Points Up Measurement Point Stud Tip Length to Measurement Point Angles to Use Ange kom Fiant Side View Bottom Angle from Side Note Pick a side on which to base these calculations stud Tip X Left or Right Stud Tip Y Stud Tip Z Use Calc Va
170. mine all aspects of suspension motion and function in 3 dimensions left right up down and forward back Its many features include Features e User friendly Windows interface compatible with Windows 95 98 NT and 2000 e Can print results using most any Windows compatible printer many times in color e The Shim menu where you can shim the upper A Arms up down in out and see the effect on Camber amp Caster e The Optimize menu lets the program find optimum settings automatically e The Ride Height menu lets you change ride height either by Jacking on the Spring Changing Tire Size or Changing Spindle Drop e Detailed determination of Wheel Rate and Roll Stiffness e View car from front perspective or rear driver s perspective e View suspension from front or rear top and side e Simulate Rack and Pinion or Pitman Arm Idler Arm Center link steering systems e Draw Extension Lines to see how Instant Centers and Roll Centers are derived e Automatically calculate and display Camber Gain Caster Gain Toe Gain bump steer as measurements and locations are changed and updated e Save nearly unlimited number of suspensions for recall comparison and analysis in the future e Allows several reporting and graphing options for analysis for various amounts of Dive Roll and Steer e Write ASCII files for importing data into other computer programs Please read Sections 1 2 Before You Start and 1 3 A Word of Caution before you t
171. more precise do not count any part of the coil spring which is touching the spring mounting pad Therefore the number of active or moving coils 1s usually 2 less than the total number of coils For example for a spring with 12 coils the Number of Active Coils would usually be 10 Note that you can enter partial coils or that the Number of Active Coils can include a decimal fraction like 10 5 coils Leaf Springs of Leaves at Center Is the number of individual leaves at the center of the leaf spring where the axle attaches For a single leaf this would be 1 of Leaves at Ends Is the number of individual leaves within 2 inches of the front and rear mounting points on the vehicle frame Usually this is 1 spring Length in Is the length of the main leaf spring in inches usually 20 to 60 inches Thickness of One Leaf in Is the average thickness of each individual leaf in inches Take this measurement carefully as it has a large impact on the results Spring Width in Is the average width of each leaf in inches This usually ranges from 1 to 3 inches 55 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Figure 2 42 Torsion Bar Specs Torsion Bars Arm Length Torsion Bar Diameter in Bar Outside Diameter Is the outside diameter of the section of the bar which is designed to twist in inches Take this measurement carefully as it has a large impact on the results See Torsion Bar Length bel
172. most other menus in the program General Program Operation The Suspension Analyzer lets you determine a several aspects of the suspension s motion and handling characteristics These characteristics include Roll Center and Camber Gain For a quick background Roll Center is an imaginary point about which the chassis tends to roll in cornering maneuvers In general the lower the Roll Center the more the car rolls in the corners The farther right the Roll Center the less the right side moves up or down during cornering Camber Gain is the amount of camber change tilt of the tires when viewed from the front you get from a certain amount of body motion typically 1 inch of dive from braking Most race cars want Camber Gain in the range of 1 to 2 degrees for an inch of dive For circle track cars always turning left you may want positive camber gain on the left side Both of these have a large impact on a car s handling and maximum cornering capability See Appendix 1 The Basic procedure for using the program involves 12 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions 1 You enter measurements from your car or open an example file of measurements provided with the program by clicking on File and then Open If you are entering measurements from your car and are starting fresh it is important you correctly enter the Other Specs of the suspension This ensures you have places to enter the correct measureme
173. n 12 Only Tire Circumference changes All other points are unchanged Tire Circumference changes and all other points change to reflect the change in ride height on this left side chassis now tilts to the left 45 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Figure 2 32 Screen for Adjusting Left Wheel Tire Offset Wheel Tire Offset Right Wheel Tire Offset Adjust Wheel Tire Offset Left x Hew Track Left These Adjust options let you specify how you are changing the tire track by changing wheels and or wheel spacers You first specify the current wheel Current Track Left EEE you are using in the upper section In the lower section you enter specs for l the new wheel and or spacers The output at the top of the screen shows the Current Wheel Tire Specs current Track and the new proposed Track Rim Offset backspacing 4 Rim Width Unlike the other Adjust features this one only changes measurement on the Main Screen That s because it only moves the Track wheel and tire if Wheel Spacer Width jo or out from the car s centerline It does not change the height of any points because it assumes the tire circumference does not change If tire New Wheel Tire Specs circumference is changing also when you make this wheel change you Rim Offset backspacing _ must use the Adjust Ride Height feature for changing Tire Circumference AML ES UE SL gh 5S also RimWidth Wheel S
174. n 12 Caster Gain 26 Camber G Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends LIMITED LATE MODEL File Edit Graphs Reportes OtherSpecs Adust Optimize Animate Preferences Help Front View Side View Top View No View D Dynamic Diep Ag p E sep E This i a top view top of screen is Gain based on 1 Dye Toe ln Garn 04 Rall Center Ht 2 56 Rall Center Right 2 65 Toe In Gain 09 Camber Gain 1 53 Caster Gain 12 Caster Gain 26 Camber Gain 1 65 17 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions R Caster Gain is the amount of change in Right and Left caster in degrees for a set amount of suspension movement The default suspension movement when you get the program is set to 1 inch of dive but you can set this to some other combination of Dive and Roll in the Preferences menu See Section 2 2 Preferences Toe In Gain is the amount of change in Right and Left toe in in degrees for a set amount of suspension movement The default suspension movement when you get the program is set to 1 inch of dive but you can set this to some other combination of Dive and Roll in the Preferences menu See Section 2 2 Preferences Roll Center Height is the height of the roll center for the current amount of Dive Roll and Steering If Dynamics is not checked then this would be the static roll center height in inches above the ground R
175. n 1 5 Example to Get You Going e Section 2 1 Main Screen Inputs e Section 2 3 Other Specs This example demonstrates the basic steps to measure out the front end of a Pitman Arm steering suspension Pitman arm suspension is more complex than a Rack and Pinion steering and that is why it is chosen Print a Worksheet Figure 4 1 Steps in Printing a Worksheet 1 Open a Suspension File which will be close to the suspension you are going to measure 2 Click on Other Specs to set up critical required measurements It also bef intina th kenel maksa goodi heck hecets specs before printing the worksheet ensure you make all 3 Current Suspension File on which worksheet is based You can print a worksheet which has blanks for recording all the measurements ES Suspension Analyzer v1 0 Performance Trends 4fCSAHMPLE The worksheet will only show File Egit Graphs Reports Dther Specs Adjust Optimize Animate Preferen inputs required for particular Ng start new AUEDensiIOn F iew Dinamit TIYE 4 Save AS lets suspension types For example if you save any you don t say there is a Roll Bar pen from af saved suspensions Chi 0 ar right side of screenis Changes you no Roll Bar mounting points will be shown in the worksheet Therefore you should pick a Open from Floppy Drive amp 4 Drive suspension file which 1s close to Save to Floppy Drive 4 4 Drive the suspension to be measured to Save Chl S Gain based on 1 Dive make to the
176. n 3 link Added a Preference so user can enter in dimensions as low as 100 inches This allows for components normally on one side of the car s centerline to actually be mounted on the other side of the car For example normally the LEFT lower A arm mount on the frame is mounted to the LEFT of the car s centerline If you set this preference you can now mount it say 20 inches so it s actually attached to the frame 20 inches to the RIGHT of the car s centerline Added a Preference to be able to display Jacking Component at CG in the results This shows the vertical jacking component of the force vector at the location of the Center of Gravity As this component increases there is more jacking force on the vehicle from that particular tire This is very much related to Roll Center Height Fig A 6 26 Added several new Graph features e Added new Graph option to show the Graph Legend labels on right side in Larger and Largest size fonts found under the Format menu on the Graph Screen Fig A 6 27 e Added new Graph option to show the Dive Roll on the Y axis found under the Format menu on the Graph Screen This will make graphs similar to that found in other suspension programs Note The cursor will NOT work with this graph setting Fig A 6 27 e Added new Restore Defaults under Format on Graph Screen to quickly put graph settings back to those used by most users Fig A 6 27 Added a Preference for Show Neutral Line for Anti Squat An
177. n Analyzer v7 0 Performance Trends Susp_An Compare File Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Melis Zoom Annate Prete This brings up screen below Front View Sie Wine m l Noyi Optimize Balance FLLD Optimize Other Parameter This i a view from the rear of carn nique side or screens actually rig w Find Optinum Settings Adjust from Current Position Motion to Check to Obtain V2 0 has new conditions you can optimize for Move Left Upper Ball Joint Dive 2 Dive to 2 Rise Max Distance Aight Roll No change in Roll V 2 0 has new items you To Obtain This Result Help can adjust like Ball Joints i Maint Spec AC Ht 4 times more important For alias of these ft new conditions Vertical Location you can specify a Max Distance Back depth Horz Location left is neg vertical and or horizontal location Max Distance Forward to optimize for like a Dee BE Sd Roll Center 25 4inch I Semn E3 iseation Hotes H Motions bs On Lett side choose what suspension point to Adjust and the range of Adjustment to allow On Hote Proposed changes just meet the Right side choose what suspension mation to citena set above and may NOT produce check and what you want to obtain p xx optimum handling or safety The changes proposed may produce unwanted side effects making the car UNSAFE to drive If you accept a proposed change you must Help Cancel Print check all other suspen
178. n Animate mode using a data logger file This Full Vehicle w Data Logger Location Type PtStaice PtDynamiy PtChange Lt Static feature allows you to watch the AntiDive g Output h 1 3 6 T Roll Center and Roll Axis change dynamically and also draws the 3 l l l CG Center of Gravity location 7 7 da dynamically This feature was 75 used in this illustration ONLY Side View Swing Am Length in Output 0 1930 3 s because it drew inthe CG E location to illustrate the definition Total Fall Stiffness ftibs deg Output 1414 Front RollCouple FLLD Outpt 76 11 ee eee 161 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Fig A 6 27 New Graph Features Classic Font amp Suspension Analyzer v 4 Shock Sensors Front and Rear EW F Back File amie view Graph Type Add Suspension Help Size A Eje emee Ee Favie 7 Data To Graph graph typet Line Style Camber vs Roll degrees shock sensorsfrant a Back Color Sy i eee sens Panes cone eee 3 Camber Lt Y Axis is Dive Foll i i Camber Rt Legend graph line labels ow Classic View smaller Return to Defaults Larger view Largest view Standard Y axis layout with Roll or Dive or Steer on X axis Graph has been turned on its side so the Roll axis in this case is the vertical axis and Camber is on the X axis Suspension Analyzer v2 4 Shock Sensors Front and Rear Eg f B
179. n is actually left side of car Gain based Click on a point on the suspension layout drawing with your mouse l CE Front Suspension Rear Suspension Toe ln Gain 00 Roll Center Ht 3 29 Turn Radius Nore Roll Center Left 8 30 Toe ln Gain 24 and the Camber Gain 1 20 Caster Gaim 05 Caster Gain 13 Camber Gain 1 58 measurements for puspension Data Location Pe houk SCR tben ioak He LtDepthi that point will be Doea rg 2 18625 22 85 182 a highlighted in the grid 14 812 16 062 oe 15 15 15 562 4 457 h h EE SE E Se 4 92 15 812 6 343 15 0625 15 125 E as Shown nere 25 5 7 25 0 25 712 6 625 0 Lower Frame Pivot Front in Input 8 04 6 125 437 10 125 23 Lower Frame Pivot Rear in Input 8 125 6 20 75 10 125 Tie Aod on Rack in Input 815 6 611 4 25 10 1875 Note This features works best if the suspension is drawn at static ride height Dynamics is turned Off 158 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Fig A 6 24 New View Options on Main Screen iS Suspens on Analyzer v2 4 Performance Trends watts pivot on frame File Edit Fron iew Side View Top View No View Dynamic raphs Reports Yehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences Help e IE e This ie a view from the front of ear right side of screen is actually left side of car y Don t Draw Extension Lines on Front view ain based on 1 Dive Draw Extension Lines on Front view
180. n not contain certain characters like gt lt The program will warn you if you use an illegal character Suspension files are saved to folders directories you have created in the 3D DATA folder directory in the SUPSANZR folder directory under PERFTRNS PTI folder directory You can copy Suspension Analyzer files from programs on other 83 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output computers to this folder directory and they will be found by the program The Suspension Analyzer will read files produced with Performance Trends Roll Center Calculator and Circle Track Analyzer and BTS Software s Double Wishbone Suspension Analysis Software tm Just copy them into a folder under the 3D DATA folder other than the Examples folder The Save to Floppy and Open From Floppy commands discussed on page 29 are an alternate perhaps easier way to copy files from one computer to another Advance Open or Save Screen If you click on the Advanced button in either the Open or Save As screen you will obtain the screen shown in Figure 3 20 From here you can access most and file on the computer on most any disk drive Figure 3 20 Advanced Open or Save Screen Look in E Mew Al ce a base steer a LIMITED LATE Kihokih a LIMITED LATE Tips to Advanced isa Kibaki i LIMITED LATE Users Kihakih2 Limited Late M Kihakihg LIMITED LATE If you have a file from another computer kihgk
181. n the outside of the tire On the car camber adjustements are made by shimming the upper A Arm You can do the same type of shim adjustments in the program Click on Adjust at the top of the Main Screen then Shim Right Upper Arm In Out You will obtain the screen shown in Figure 4 24 Figure 4 24 Shimming Screen Note that this section says that removing shims moves the arm Out If most cars you work with are different change this feature in the Preferences menu New Camber is reduced about w bhim Aight Side Upper Arm In Out 1 2 degree and Shim Thickness Removed 1250 Shim Thickness Removed 1250 Caster stays l about the Shims Removed Rear Shims Removed Front same after Add Remove Remove Shims Add Remove Remove Shims removing two Shim Type Used o ype Used Standard Shims 2 1 16 shims Standard Shims Shim Type Used Standard Shims from the front 1716 Shims 2 7 1716 Shims x and rear frame it 1 8 Shims OS Custom Thickness Removed Click here to move Notes the frame pivots This menu assumes that REMOVING shins and change caster Estimated Hew moves the Frame Pivot farther OUT from the car reducing negative camber increasing positive and camber to C urent 55 camber If most Suspensions pou work with are these new settings different change the Adding Shims option in the at the Main Screen Preferences menu by clicking on Preferences at Use Calc Yalue Help Cancel
182. n these buttons _ Don t show this again 36 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions For Full Vehicle version this is called Vehicle Specs Check Appendices at back of book for these new features 2 3 Other Specs Other Specs are used to describe aspects of the suspension which can not broken down to the Left or Right side Many of these specs are quite critical for what inputs can be entered at the Main Screen For example if you set Roll Bar to None no Roll Bar measurements are asked for at the Main Screen See Figure 2 22 Figure 2 22 Other Specs Menu There are 2 basic ways to enter or change specs in this menu 1 You can click on a spec value and change the current setting or type in anew one If your entry is outside the typical range a message is given showing the limits and the setting is switched back to its original value 2 Some specs are picked from a list called a Combo Box An example would be Roll Bar where there are 2 choices either None or Yes Click on these specs or the down arrow button to the right of the specs to be presented with the list then click on your choice from the list Some Combo Boxes like Customer and Chassis let you pick from a list or type in a new entry If you type in a new entry like a new customer it will be added to the list Height of C G inches Height of the vehicle s Center of Gravity This measurem
183. nalyzer 1 0 Performance Tre File Edit Graphs Reports OtherSpecs Adjust Of Open from all saved suspensions l New start new suspension Ctrl M This option presents the Open Suspension File menu discussed in l ie Open from all saved suspensions Crl O Section 3 5 Suspension Libraries From there you have several options to open a previously saved suspension file from any place in Save Ctrl s the Suspension Library or from most any place on the computer save As Cirl a including the floppy disk drive Upen from Floppy Drive Aa Orive Save to Floppy Drive 4 4 Orive Print Main Screen Print Blank Worksheet Save Windows Printer Setup Unlock Program Options Select Save if you want to save the current suspension and any recent Transter Program to Another Computer changes to the same name as you are currently working with This is the file name shown in square bracket at the top of the Main Screen Exit Program Ctrl Save As Select Save As if you want to save the current suspension and any recent changes to a new name or new folder You will be presented with the menu discussed in Section 3 5 where you can change the suspension name change the folder you are saving it to or add a new folder name Open from Floppy Drive Save to Floppy Drive The Open command provides a simple 1 click command to open a standard Windows File Open menu displaying the contents of the disk in the Floppy Drive The Save comman
184. nc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Figure 2 20 Screen for Customizing Graph Line Colors aP rapa Colors General Color Choices Click on the Set Graph Use User Specified Colors Yes Colors button to open a Background Color screen for setting the Eli Ell LE ae Rik Ell EE aa Color Codes for Individual Graph Lines ee of the graph Lined g Line Bg F L 5 F L 5 F Line 2 10 Line 1419 R L 0 O R L E F Line 3 11 E Line 15 10 L g R L g Restart Line 4 12 Line 16 11 L 10 L g R Showing Help Line 5 13 Line 17 12 L L Tips Line amp 14 Line 18 13 L L 11 Click on the Restart ie 4 L z Line ty 14 z L ia L H Showing Help Tips Line B 2O Line 20 1 L L button to start showing the Help Tips which Line J 3 OR Line A jo R L 1 L appear in the program Line 1 4 Line 22 3 L 20O L 1 These Tips usually appear only once each Line ii js F Line 23 4 F L 3 FR L gt time you run the Line 12 6 Line 24 5 L 4 F L 3 program unless you click on the Don t Show This Again box in the lower left corner of the tip See Figure 2 21 OF Cancel Help Load Default Colors Figure 2 21 Typical Help Tip Tip The Arrow buttons like the one you just clicked on let you Shift or oom the graph left right up or down If you want to zoom or Shift at a faster rate hold down the shitt key while clicking o
185. nd and is usually produced from negative caster angles Toe In deg Toe In is the angle of the wheel when viewed from the top in degrees Positive Toe In means the front of the wheel is tilted in toward the center of the car 72 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output Toe In inches Toe In inches is the distance the front of the wheel is tilted in toward the center of the car In the Preferences section you can select to have this based on the tire circumference you ve entered for this suspension Lt Rt or some standard tire radius Selecting a standard tire radius lets you compare this number across any suspension independent on the tires used for each Ackrmn Error deg Ackerman Error is the difference in degrees between the Toe In degrees and the Ideal Ackerman degrees above The change in Track width due to Dive or Roll motion This is listed as the change in Dynamic vs Static Track in the Suspension Data grid at the Main Screen Roll Center Height The Roll Center is an imaginary point at the intersection of imaginary lines connecting the tire contact patches and the Instant Centers The car tends to roll about the Roll Center Roll Center Height is the height of the Roll Center above ground If this is negative it means the Roll Center is below ground Roll Center Right or The Roll Center is an imaginary point at the intersection of imaginary lines connecting the tire Left contact p
186. neutral handling The book Race Car Vehicle Dynamics by Milliken and Milliken with assistance by Terry Satchell discusses this concept in detail This concept is similar to the idea of balancing the front and rear roll angles presented in recent magazine articles Figure A 6 2 shows the program displaying the FLLD for the current vehicle currently 44 which would tend to have Moderate Oversteer during the transition between releasing the brakes and going to the throttle at the apex of the turn transistion between braking and power During braking and under acceleration the weight transfer is much more complicated and the FLLD concept can not be as easily applied 134 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Figure A 6 2 FLLD and RLLD Displayed in Results with Roll Couple Total Roll Stiffness RHbs deg Output 194 3 84 61 15 39 Foll Axis to CG Moment Arm in Output 711 Level Ground Roll Rate deg G Output 0 74 Oversteer Oversteer Moderate oderate FLLD and RLLD shown in results along with Handling Rating Figure A6 3 is displayed if you click on the Find button shown in Figure A6 2 This Find FLLD screen lets you find a certain Front Lateral Load Distribution FLLD which can be a good indication of how the car will handle at the apex or transistion of the turn no power no braking Pick the Adjust factor to tell the program what vehicle component s you want to adj
187. nly used if you want to send a graph in the faster smaller file size of 16 bit color 163 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Fig A 6 30 Emailing from Main Screen is Suspension Analyzer v2 4 PerfOtmance trenus snuc At Main Screen click on File and 2 Email options are listed Email Suspension File will email the saved version of the file you are aG Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Spec Adjust Optimize Zoom i J i i cat aiae alas om Prem currently working on This file is really only useful to some who Open from all saved suspensions Ctrl o ae mes also owns the Suspension Analyzer Save As Ctrl 4 Import Suspension File gt Email Main Screen will send a picture of the Main Screen with suspension layout drawing If there are some calculations of particular interest you want to show scroll down to those calculations in the grid before sending this email Open from Floppy Drive 4 Drive Save to Floppy Drive 4 Drive Backup Suspension File Restore From Backyp d Print Main Screen wth Suspension Layout Print Main Screen Data Only Print Blank Worksheet Windows Print r Setup 3 D Suspension Analyzer Email Suspefision File Email Main Screen with Suspension Layout as PDF Unlock Program Options Exit Program Ctrl x This info screen only appears if you are sending the Layout as a PDF file As it says in the next screen to lower left simpl
188. nt View Layout only Printer Fonts Choose which basic type of font to use for printouts You may not get your choice if your printer does not support that particular font Printed Graph Width of Page Due to the endless combinations of computers Windows setups and printers some printed graphs may not fill the page some may extend off the page to the right This option lets you expand greater than 100 or shrink less than 100 the printed graph to better fit the page Always Autoscale New Graph Choose Yes for Always Autoscale New Graph and each time you do a new graph the graph is autoscaled program picks the scales to show all data This is usually the best for beginners Choose No and any manual scales you have set will be maintained for each new graph until you quit the program Suspension Folder Name The Suspension Analyzer saves suspension files under different folders directories under the main folder 3D DATA Some users may prefer to have the Folder be called ChassisType or Customer depending how they choose to organize their suspensions Your entry here of most any text is what the program will use to call the different folders where suspension files are stored Adding Shims In the Adjust Feature of Shimming the Upper A Arms Adding Shims can either move the arms farther out or farther in Select the action which Adding Shims will produce on most the cars you work on 35 C Performance Trends I
189. nts like Roll Bar measurements if your suspension has a roll bar 2 The program draws your suspension layout on the screen including calculated dimensions like King Pin Angle Instant Centers and the Roll Center in the Suspension Layout drawing 3 Once all measurements are entered you can force the suspension into various amounts of Dive Roll and Steer by selecting the Dynamic option at the top of the Main Screen As the suspension is redrawn with various amounts of Dive Roll and Steer the new Roll Center Camber Spring Length compression etc are displayed 4 Watching Shock Length change is useful for matching the actual vehicle motion you see on the track Dive and Roll so the shocks go through the range of motion indicated by your shock travel indicators 5 More in depth analysis is then available through Graphs Reports Adjust and other options listed at the top of the Main Screen on the Menu Bar 13 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Figure 2 3 Explanation of Sections of Typical Menu Other Specs menu shown here Names of component specs Click on them for a description in the Help frame in the lower left corner Standard text entry box where you can type in a number for a spec Drop down combo box For some specs like Chassis and Customer you can either type something in the box or click on the arrow button to select a pre programmed selection For most others you c
190. nts are known at this time 4 One difficult measurement to understand and make concerns the idler arm and steering box What is required here is not so much some exact points but the axis about which the idler arm shaft and steering arm shaft pivot Any 2 points on this line are called Steering Swivel Axis points in the worksheet For the steering box shown in Figure 4 3 the top and bottom of the steering box shaft can clearly be determined The length of the steering box shaft is also fairly long Therefore you can use these points as the Upper and Lower points on the left side Steering Swivel Axis with good accuracy For the right side idler arm you can also clearly see the top and bottom of the idler arm shaft The problem comes from measuring these points accurately enough to determine the idler arm axis See Figure 4 4 If you assume you can only measure points accurate to 0 1 inch then you need a large distance between the ends of the shaft to accurately determine the angle of the axis See Figure 4 5 This is a case where it is much more accurate to use the alternate measurement method described in Section 2 8 5 This method involves measuring the angles of the idler arm or steering box shaft and length and angle of the idler arm or Pitman Arm These angle and length measurements are all made referenced from the end of the arm that attaches to the center link This also makes it easy to make these measurements at most any time in the
191. nu to make Bump Steer Graph Select Data Type to Select Side to Graph here Graph in this section w Graph Settings Output Caster deg Camber deg Roll Cntr LtsAt Graph Type Pick Data from List FI Side Left and Right Settings Primary Type Starting From Several features are available at the top of the Main Screen in the Menu Bar Click on the Graph menu command to open up the graph options menu shown in Figure 1 5 The graph settings shown in Figure 1 5 are for Left and Right Toe In deg versus Dive which would be a typical Bump Steer graph Ackirmn Err deg Caster Trail Anti Dive Going To Step Size Preview e Data Points for Dive ak 32 Hald Aall At Hold Steer At 0 Secondary Type Starting From Going To Click on the Make Graph button to 21 Data Points for 13 Graph Lines is Step Size produce the graph shown in Figure the Maximum possible Hold Roll At Hold Steer At 1 6 At the graph screen you have several other options available for changing the graph These options are available by clicking on the commands in the menu bar or on the buttons at the top of the screen including the Help command The Help command at this screen and most screens provide a good background on what the various options are For now just click on Back at the upper left to return to the Main Screen Many of the input measurements you see on the Main Screen Figure 1 4 may not be familiar
192. o estimate what one of your input values will be it may be loaded As shown in Figure 2 39 the Wheelbase is already available based on its setting in the Other Specs menu and this value is loaded into the Calculation Menu You are free to change them to any other value Once enough specs have been entered the calculated value s at the top of the menu will be displayed This calculated value s will now be updated each time you change a spec If you want to use this calculated value click on Use Calc Value If the calculated value is within expected limits it will be loaded into the original menu If you click on Cancel you will be returned to the original menu with the original value unchanged If you click on Help you will be given a general explanation of calculation menus and a page in this section for more info about the particular menu you are using Use Calc Value Figure 2 36 Typical Calculation Menu w Calc C G Height in Calc C G Height in Level Vehicle Measurements Ww heelbase T otal ehicle Weight Ibs 500 Total Front Weight Ibs 1300 Raed YVehicle Measurements Raise Front or Rear Rear Hote See diagram and procedure in Section 2 r4 in manual page 76 Cancel Print The input values or calculated values in any calculation menu have NO affect on calculated performance unless you load the Calculated value into the original menu If you already know a spec in the form required by the pr
193. ocation of the Attachment Point for the Steering Sensor for a data logger on the frame Upper Spring Pad The location of the center of the spring pad at the top of the spring on the frame Lower Spring Pad The location of the center of the spring pad at the bottom of the spring on the A Arm or Wishbone Upper Shock Mount The location of the center of the top shock mount on the frame Lower Shock Mount The location of the center of the bottom shock mount on the A Arm or Wishbone Upper Sensor Mount The location of the center of the spring travel sensor for a data logger at the top on the frame Lower Sensor Mount The location of the center of the spring travel sensor for a data logger at the bottom on the A Arm or Wishbone Bellcrank Axis Front A real or imaginary point which locates the FRONT of the axis imaginary line about which the spring s Bellcrank or Rocker Arm rotates about This spec is not used in this version 22 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Bellcrank Axis Front A real or imaginary point which locates the Back of the axis imaginary line about which the spring s Bellcrank or Rocker Arm rotates about This spec is not used in this version Pushrod Mount on Arm The location of the center of the spring s Pushrod as it mounts to the A Arm or Wishbone This spec is not used in this version Pushrod Mount on Bellcrank The location of the center of t
194. ode This Unlocking Code will be for either EJ Unlock Form the Basic version or the Full Vehicle Version ee ee ee ee whichever you have purchased Computer Hardware 842897 Before you call Performance Trends you should get your registered code number and computer Cancel hardware number These are available by Registered Code 14666 clicking on file in the upper left hand corner of the Main Screen then clicking on Unlocking enter o macna EE S Po salle Program Options A screen will appear as shown in Figure 1 2 Click on Help for more info on how you use this screen to unlock this program Registered Name Joe Smith Performance trends will provide you with an unlocking code number Type in the unlocking code number and click on OK If you typed in a number correctly you will be given a message that the program is permanently unlocked to either the Basic or Pro mode The program will only run on this one computer If you want to run the program on another computer you must install it obtain the computer hardware number and registered code number as shown in Figure 1 2 and call Performance Trends for a new Unlocking Code for that computer There may be a charge for additional computers C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 1 Introduction 1 5 Example to Get You Going To start the Suspension Analyzer click on Start then Programs then Performance Trends and then Suspension Analyzer or click on the Sus
195. of flexibility for suspension tuning The bird cage is the term for the brackets for the control arm links What s unique about these bird cage brackets is the axle housing is Decoupled Control arm bracket is free to rotate on the free to rotate within the Bird Cage axle housing via bearings This bracket and bracket Therefore thecontrol g bearing is called a bird cage arms do not affect anti squat Anti squat is completely controlled by the torque beam Due to its complexity typically VA only circle track race cars use this type of suspension Lower arm can go back as shown here or forward Uy Driveshaft typically goes along side torque beam Torque Beam attachment to frame To front via spring damper or other means of vehicle Bird Cage Rear w Brackets is an example File Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences Help 4 Link file su pplied with prog ram Front View Side View Top View No View 7 Dynamic B o g for you to evaluate This is a view from the right side right side of screen is front of car Gain based on 1 Dive is Suspension Analyzer v2 4 Performance Trends Bird Cage Rear w Brackets Side view of Decoupled Bird Cage Rear Front Suspension Toe In Gain 01 Roll Center Ht 9 57 Turn Radius None Roll Center Left 1 78 Toe In Gain 01 Anti Squat Static 225 3 Dyn 225 3 Anti Squat Static 225 3 Dyn 22
196. of motion you can apply to the suspension Roll Dive and Steer In the Primary and Secondary specs above you can specify what 1 or 2 of these motions are and the settings for each But that leaves 1 or 2 motions unspecified These Hold At specs let you specify these 1 or 2 unspecified motions For example in the example above Dive and Roll are specified Then the 2nd Hold At spec will be disabled The first Hold At spec lets you specify the Steer setting You could Hold Steer At 0 or straight ahead for the different Dive and Roll settings You could also Hold Steer at some other setting like 1 to the left and see what Dive and Roll produce with this steer setting Table 3 2 Data Types for Graphs Data Type Definition also see Section 2 1 for illustrations Camber Camber is the degrees of tilt of the wheel with respect to the ground as viewed from the front in degrees Negative camber means the top of the wheel tilts in towards the car Caster Caster is calculated as the angle between vertical and a line connecting the two ball joints when viewed from the side in degrees It is about the same as King Pin Angle except viewed from the side Negative caster means the top ball joint is ahead of the lower ball joint Caster Trail Caster Trail is the distance between the center of the tire contact patch and where the Caster Angle line hits the ground Negative Caster Trail means the tire is ahead of where the Caster Line hits the grou
197. ogram then you have no need to use the calculation menu For example if you know the Spring Rate is 950 Ibs inch then you have no need to use a calculation menu to calculate Spring Rate from Wire Diameter Coil Diameter and Number of Coils 2 8 1 Calc C G Height This menu is available by clicking on the C G Height Cle button in the Other Specs menu The procedure to determine C G height requires one end of the car to be raised while accurately measuring the wheel weights on the other end of the car before and after the car is raised The suspension must be blocked so the springs do not compress during the process This can be done by replacing the shocks with solid links that maintain the vehicle s free standing height Raising a typical car about 20 inches quite a lot will only show a weight increase of 30 60 lbs for most cars Therefore this process requires very precise weight measurements Some tips to improve the accuracy of the procedure include 51 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions e Wiggle the car slightly on the scale to ensure it always returns to the Figure 2 37 Calc C G Height same weight both when level and when one end lifted Cale CG Heicht j e The higher you raise the car the more weight difference you will see soa ite and the more accurate results Cale C G Height in e The test should be run with the driver and all fluid levels at race conditions Level Vehicle Mea
198. older Name here if you select Add New Folder as the Folder Name Click here to bring up standard Windows File Save screen to let you save a file in most any folder directory and disk drive and to most any file name Note that files saved this way are not found in the standard Test Library To save a Suspension File you will be presented with the Save screen as shown above The program suggests a new suspension name which is the same as the current suspension name shown at the top of the Main Screen If you want to save your changes to the same name simply click on OK This will update the current suspension file with your latest changes If you want to save the current set of suspension specs with your changes to a new name and leave the current suspension file in the Library unchanged then click on the suggested file name and modify it as you want For example in the window shown above you may want to add 2 to the current name CAMBERTEST to create CAMBERTEST 2 to indicate this is the 2nd revision of CAMBERTEST This is the safest way to make changes because you can always return to an earlier version and see what you had done Because the Suspension Analyzer is a 32 bit program not compatible with the older Windows 3 1 it can use most any type of file name The names can be up to 50 characters long and can include spaces and upper case and lower case letters However there are certain limitations for file names as they ca
199. oll Center Left Right is the distance the roll center is right or left of center for the current amount of Dive Roll and Steering If Dynamics is not checked then this would be the static roll center distance left or right of center Turn Radius ft is the turning radius in feet for the current amount of Steer based on the current wheelbase in the Other Specs menu If Dynamics are turned off or Steer is set to 0 this parameter is not displayed Turn Toe In is the Toe In in inches for the current amount of Steer based on the current wheelbase in the Other Specs menu This is the same as total Ackerman Error Left and Right combined except it is expressed in inches and not degrees These inches are based on either the current tire diameters in the Suspension Data section or some standard tire diameter which can be specified in the Preferences menu See Section 2 2 Preferences If Dynamics are turned off or Steer is set to 0 this parameter is not displayed 2 1 4 Suspension Data Grid Measurements are entered into the Suspension Data Grid at the bottom of the Main Screen Some of the boxes in this grid are for inputting measurements and some are for displaying calculated results The left column shows the name of the data for that row and the 2nd left column Type shows if the data is an input or a calculated output Some inputs are marked Input clc where the clc stands for Calculate If you click on Input clc in the Type column
200. ompare 2 suspensions Click on Graphs and you will obtain the Graphs menu shown in Figure 4 20 From this menu you will pick what calculated results to display at what combinations of Dive Roll and Steer motion See Section 3 3 on Graphs Click on the Make Graph button on Figure 4 20 to produce the graph of Figure 4 21 It shows Left and Right side Toe In for Figure 4 20 Graph Menu Toe lt Camb Susp Locat Uppe Uppe Uppe Lowe Lowe mannar Creare Daik One Tiassa ak Front ka Graph Settings Output G raph Type Pick Data fror List Side Left and Right Settings Starting From Going To 3 i Starting From SSS HoldSteerAt fo Step Size Secondary Type None Make Graph Help Cancel Print 140710 7 oR z Suspension Anziyzer 1 0 Performance Trends CSAMPLE File Edit Grafs Reporte OtherSpecs Adjust Optimize Animate Preferences Help Roll Cntr Lt Rt Roll Cntr Height Toe In in Tie Scrub Ackrmn Err deg Caster Trail Antr Dive Preview T Data Points for Dive at Se ell aula Hold Roll At 0 Phs Steer At 0 21 Data Points for 13 Graph Lines iz the Maximum possible 171Ch7 Figure 4 21 Graph form Figure 4 20 for Left amp Right Toe In bump steer vs Dive w Suspension Analyzer v1 1 WCSAMPLE Back File Format View Graph Type AddSuspengion Help dd E Lt amp Rt Toelf I I I I T 1 hf ee ee l l I l l I r 4 7 4
201. on DO 1 i NOT try to copy this file exactly for you Cam Selective Open wile a a ee This com bo box lets you Sus Folders 7a Suspension to Open Front 7 BothFrontRear Tip Click on a choose where to put the i different Fold i Upp Use Suspension on Fiont 7 lt a collate Fe 4 suspension on the current p t th i i file you are working with Upp Open Advanced camay picie ppa y g Example Corvette Folder N a older Name 2 paR Help Delete four link z Tie fodi on Hack ETE 1 i 375 129 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Version 1 1 C 017 Feb 4 2002 added a new type of rear suspension type the IRS with lower H arm typical of that used in the IRS Ford Thunderbirds in 1987 and the Cobra Mustangs See Figures 7 and 8 below Figure 7 Independent Rear Suspension IRS with Lower H Arm Right Rear Suspension Single upper arm controls camber Front of Vehicle Solid H arm mounts at 2 locations on frame and 2 locations on spindle This controls both toe in and caster Figure 8 Data Input Screen for IRS Rear Suspension Type Suspension Analyzer 1 1 Performance Trends IRS Temp File Edit Graphs Heports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize oom Animate Preferences Help Front View Side View Top View No View Dynamic Squat E p E This ts a view from the rear of car right side of screen is actually right side of car Gain based on 1 Dive Front
202. on on a graph Click on Graph at the top of the Main Screen then select the special Graph Type at the upper left corner of the Graph Menu called Roll Center Motion Then select the suspension Figure 4 26 Graph Screen ia Graph Settings Output G raph Type roll Center Motion When all combinations have been tried the program will will summarize the results and let you decide if you want to keep the proposed change Select special Graph Type Roll Center Motion r Side Left and Right Settings Primary Type oing To tep Size Secondary Type None tarting From oing To tep Size old Roll At Hold Steer At Make Graph Help Cancel Print Caster deg Camber deg Roll Cntr Lt At Roll Cntr Height Other graph Data Types are disabled Ackimn Err deg Caster Trail Anti Dive 4 Preview Roll Center Height and movement Left Right will be graphed for the Settings selected to the lett To check the effect of the optimization graph the same motion for which you optimized 3 to 3 inches of Dive for no change in Roll 109 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples E ee a motion range which was optimized for 3 to 3 inches of Dive with no Roll You will notice that all the data types are disabled on the left side because this special graph type dictates that the data graphed is Roll Center Height and Left Right movement together Click on the Ma
203. ore it will Roll when going into a Left turn For this reason many asphalt circle track left turning cars locate the Roll Center to the right of center less Roll and dirt cars locate the Roll Center to the Left of center more Roll and hopefully better bite at the right front However the car is more predictable all around if the Roll Center is kept close to the car s centerline Higher circle track banking 20 degrees or more usually requires a lower Roll Center in the 2 3 inch range The more mass in the front of the car heavier engine or engine more forward the higher the Roll Center should be Some circle track authorities believe a lower Roll Center works better on dirt because the higher body roll produces more side bite from the tires Lower Roll Centers require stiffer springs to control Roll However stiff springs hurt traction on bumpy tracks The less the Roll Center moves during Dive and Roll the more predictable the car s handling Most authorities agree that holding the Roll Center position as constant as practical during Dive and Roll is optimum Camber Camber Gain For Circle Track cars turning left reasonable Static Camber values before any Dive or Roll are Left Side 1 degree Right Side 2 to 3 degrees Wider and or stiffer sidewall tires require less Static Camber Camber Gain should be in the range of 1 75 for a flat track 1 25 for a medium banked track 10 15 degrees and down to 1 for hig
204. ot Compus ESAE m day demo In rows marked Input you can click on most any measurement and type in a new input The suspension layout above and all calculated specs are immediately updated for this change Rows with Input clc are ones where if you click on Input clc you will be presented with a calculation menu where you can calculate the input from other specs See Figure 1 9 for an example C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 1 Introduction E a 1 2 This is for the last suspension file the program was working with when the program was last shut down If you just got your program this would be an example suspension which was loaded at the factory The name of the suspension is shown at the top in square brackets LIMITED LATE MODEL shown in Figure 1 3 A suspension file is made up of basically 2 parts 1 Suspension Data measurements as listed on the Suspension Data grid on the Main Screen 2 Other Specs which describe the type of suspension and what Suspension Data measurements are needed From this Main Screen you can e Enter or edit any Input type measurement by clicking on it in the Suspension Data grid All calculated Static results are immediately updated to show you the results e Edit or review settings or comments for the file you are currently working with by clicking on Other Specs e Click on Dynamic so you can apply different motions to the suspen
205. ow Active Bar Length Torsion Bar Length in Is the length of the bar which is designed to twist which is usually the Detailed Side View of Arm Length thinnest part of the bar See Figure 2 42 Lever Arm Length in Is the distance from the bar to where the bar attaches or rests on the axle See Figure 2 42 For the Front Suspension this is usually the Arm Length length of the lower A Arm from the center of the torsion bar to the a ball joint Axle Housing Bar Inside Diameter In Is the inside diameter of the torsion bar if you have selected a Hollow Torsion Bar in inches Figure 2 43 Calc Roll Bar Rate 2 8 4 Calc Roll Bar Rate Calc Roll Bar Rate p Inputs Type of Bar Solid Bar Type of Bar Bar Outside Diameter in Click on this combo box to select from the following 3 types of roll bars E ar inside ameleta e No Roll Bar Active Bar Length in e Solid Bar Arm Length SOS Length Hollow Bar This Calculation menu is available by clicking on the Roll Bar Rate Clc button in the Other Specs menu Hote Bar Outside Diameter IN Active Bar Length is the lenght of the bar that is designed to twist which usually has smaller Is the outside diameter of the section of the bar which is designed to twist in than the rest of the bar Arm Length is the distance from the bar mounts on the frame back to where the bar mounts on the suspension Use Calc Value Help Cancel Print inches Take this measurement
206. pacer Width Rim Offset backspacing Mote This screen shows the change in Track by bes l changing various Wheel specs IF you are like The distance from the inside of the wheel rim to the wheel s mounting Sack a E ine Sp sears lace surface sometimes called backspacing This 1s usually measured by laying it blank or set it to 0 the wheel face up on the floor and measuring from the floor to the mounting Use Calc Yalue Help Cancel Print surface Rim Width Width of the wheel rim from inside bead to bead in inches This measurement is usually about 1 Figure 2 32A Illustration of Wheel Measurements less than measuring from outside edge to outside l edge Tire Bead goes here Wheel Mounting 1 e Face of Hub Wheel Spacer Width Some racers user spacers between the hub and the wheel Enter the width of any spacer you are l using or leave the spacer spec blank or set to 0 if Wheel Spacers if you are not using spacers Rim Offset any go here between backspacing hub and wheel The New Track for the appropriate side on the Main Screen is not updated until you click on Use Calc Value The calculation assumes the rim lip thickness is the same for both the current L and new wheel which is a safe assumption in most Rim Width gt Rim lip thickness cases 46 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions 2 6 Optimize Options Chec
207. pea dung a poset rey etapa oe 406 analyze the different aE ends of the car 0 126 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices To graph or report data for a particular end of the car you must have chosen to view that end of the car on the main screen by clicking on the appropriate button at the lower right of the layout screen The Rear Suspension Types supported at this time include are given below Double A Arm McPhearson Strut Three Link w panhard bar Four Link angled links like Chevelle or 5 0L Mustang Four Link w panhard bar Ladder Bars trailing arms NASCAR Truck Arms C3 Corvette 63 82 coming soon uaa ian Click on the Rear Suspension tab to be able to Back ok Fie Help choose the Rear Suspension Type from this list Vehicle Specs Front Suspension Rear Suspension General Specs e Da ogger Sensors Suspension Type Susp Travel Sensor None 4 Link with lateral locator lea E E ETEN Note that springs can be attached either to UR AES Lt Side From Copiere 2 the lower arms or the axle housing itself This Ladder Bar with lateral locator P ap a pea Lt Side B hind Wheel Center m Can have a large affect on Spring Motion 96 Corvette Rear MSHE FOA Conteris Ratio Roll Stiffness and Front to Rear Roll Rt Side Behind Wheel Center is C Springs Coil Over outboard Help oup e mona None E a You c
208. pear 157 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Fig A 6 22 New Spring Mounts m Vehicle Specs Back toki File Help Vehicle Specs Front Suspension Rear Suspension General Specs Data Logger Senzofs You can now locate the spring on the upper arm for 4 Suspension Type Susp Travel S nsor es link including bird cage type Decoupled Live Axle Bird Cage rear suspensions Also if a Bird Cage you can also Lateral Locating Linkage AideHeight Measurements select to mount on the Bird Watts Link center link attaches to Frame t Side From Centerline Cage bracket itself the most Include Driveshaft U Joints No Lt Side Behind Wheel Center common method for Bird A Springs Attach To Aste Housing Rt Side From Centerline Cage suspensions Rt Side Behind Wheel Center Axle Housing Springs Coil Dyer PPer Arr D Fel Hel Roll Bar Bird Cage Bracket EER the down arrow kep to choose where the springs and shocks are attached both are assumed to attache to the same suspension component p xx Symetric Chassis Lt same as At jy Fig A 6 23 Highlighting Cell from Clicking on Layout Drawing Ea Suspension Analyzer v2 4 Performance Trends watts pivot on frame Fie Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences Help Front View Side View Top Yiew No View Dynamic oul a5 o I fo g This is a view from the front of car right tide of scree
209. pen at the Main Screen to Lin 02 creen See Figure 4 11 As the Tip n Figure Camber Gaw 1 27 ee a better Suspension on which to base this New in 1 51 z uspension 4 11 says it is usually easiest to start with S ETE Location C Don t show this again Rt Heic a Suspension file that is as close as ama is possible to the suspension you will i oo oS Once a New Test is started you can easily erase or modify any of the specs listed above 16 92 4 g icaechal ce Any specs not selected to Keep will be mostly blank when you start the New Test 8 6293 create This lets us avoid having to make Tae eee ne eae as a are major changes to suspension information like the Other Specs Comments etc There are two critical specs listed Figure 4 12 New Suspension Screen separately at the top 2 Critical specs for the new suspension are listed here at the top See Fig 4 12 These must be filled out Click here to start a New Suspension based on these settings before you can start w Starting a Hew Suspension the new suspension The program usually Start New Suspension Cancel don t start new suspension Help fills them in with File Name for Hew Folder Hame for Add default values based Suspension Hew Suspension on the current JIM S BUSCH MONT My Tests hd suspension Pick Specs to Keep based on current JIM S BUSCH MONTE Click here to 1 File Name for add a new Other Specs Summary of Select
210. pension Analyzer icon on your desktop During startup of the program you will be given some introductory tips It will also ask if you want to load the last suspension you or the program was working with To get familiar with the program answer Yes Then an example suspension file will be loaded Figure 1 2 For Learning answer Yes to this first question Load Last Suspension Es After these brief introduction screens and questions you will be left at the Do pou want to load the Suspension which you were running when you last shut down the program Main Screen shown in Figure 1 3 Notice that there is already a suspension file loaded and displayed if you answered Yes to the question of Figure Figure 1 3 Main Screen Click on Dynamic to enable these dynamic movement specs to apply certain motions on the suspension You will see calculated output specs being updated based on the type of motion Menu Commands like Graph Name of suspension File you are working ce Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends LIMITED LATE MODEL File Edit Graphs Reports OtherSpece Adjust Optimize Preferences Suspension New start new suspension Ctrl Ba motion and Open from all saved suspensions Chrl O layout are Save Ctrl s Gain based on 1 Dive a a drawn here so l you can check Open from Floppy Drive A 4 Drive Save to Floppy Orive Ac Drive your Inputs and results Print Ma
211. pension characteristics making the car unsafe to drive If you accept some proposed change you must check all other suspension characteristics to ensure safe vehicle handling The Suspension Analyzer has the Optimize feature which directs the program to do this automatically You basically tell the program 3 things 1 What suspension points you want to adjust how far and in what size steps 2 What type of motion to apply to the suspension like dive roll or both and how far and in what direction 3 What type of suspension performance characteristic you are looking for Click on Optimize at the top of the Main Screen to produce the screen shown in Figure 4 25 In this example we want to adjust shim the left and right upper arm pivots to find a roll center height which stays close to 3 inches as the suspension goes through 3 to 3 inches of dive The optimize menu only lets us do 1 side at a time so we will have to optimize twice first the left side and then the right side We have set up the optimize screen to allow 1 inch of adjustment up down left and right Once the specs are set as shown in Figure 4 25 click on the Optimize button to start the process 108 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Figure 4 25 Optimize Screen w Find Optimum Settings Adjust from Current Position Shim Aight Upper 4 Arn M Max Distance Aight i Max Distance Left i Ww hat Motion to Cheet Dee H ax Distance Up oo Max Distance Down IE
212. pes of motion and then enter the final extent of the motion for the first through fourth segment When you have entered info for the Fourth Motion Dive number of segments you want click on the Animate button to start the Ending Position aoo process You will be returned to the Main Screen with the Suspension Layout drawing going through the motions specified The individual specs Note of this screen are defined below 000 This screen directs the suspension to move The starting and ending position iz always 0 Dive Roll and Steer First Motion Select the type of motion for the first segment either Dive Roll or Steer Figure 2 35 Main Screen in Animation Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends LIMITED LATE MODEL File Edit Graphs Reports OtherSpecs Adjust Optimize Animas Preferences Help This is a view from the rear of car right side of screen is actually nh side of car Gain based on 1 Dive Click here to bring up Animate menu shown in Figure 2 34 Animate COf Click here to stop the Animation process Toe ln Gaim 04 Roll Center Ht 2 46 Camber Gain 1 53 Caster Garn 12 Roll Center Right 4 49 Toe ln Gain 09 Caster Bain 26 Camber Gain 1 65 2 385 7 037 18 300 15 260 17 420 15 340 3 24 382 l 6 370 0 8 560 7 000 14 960 5 380 5 E 22 375 11 7 85 E 5 7 85 7 680 4 5 7 85 ee eee AStart FA FE k Ai Be MyMa iE By Explor fa Susp
213. phs This is a Location of Test Library Files Main screen View From Rear ood place for your business Always Autoscale New C 8 P y Use Alternate Location for Files No lways Autoscale New Graph Ne name or your personal name You can change these entries Path to Files e pfafiles Suspension Folder Name as often as you wish Tip This is typically used only for Network systems dding Shims Moyes Frame Pivots In OF Cancel Set Graph Colors Restart Showing Help Tips Help Specs for Calculating Camber Gain Each time you make a change to a Suspension Data input the program checks how that change affects static calculations like spring length roll center position etc It also moves the suspension through some standard movement like 1 inch of dive to see the effect on 3 critical specs Camber Caster and Toe In This change is called gain and 1s labeled in the suspension layout as Camber Gain Caster Gain and Toe In Gain often called Bump Steer The program s default standard movement is 1 inch of dive However you are able to change this to some combination of dive and or roll These Gain numbers make for handy quick checks on the impact of a certain modification For example if you move a ball joint and Toe In Gain increases you know immediately that this change will increase Bump Steer If you change the standard movement from 1 Dive to 1 2 dive then the Gain numbers reported will drop by approximately half
214. rail is the distance between the center of the tire contact patch and where the Caster Angle line hits the ground Negative Caster Trail means the tire is ahead of where the Caster Line hits the ground and is usually produced from negative caster angles means the front of the wheel is tilted in toward the center of the car Toe In inches Toe In inches is the distance the front of the wheel is tilted in toward the center of the car In the Preferences section you can select to have this based on the tire circumference you ve entered for this suspension Lt Rt or some standard tire radius Selecting a standard tire radius lets you compare this number across any suspension independent on the tires used for each Ackrmn Error deg Ackerman Error is the difference in degrees between the Toe In degrees and the Ideal Ackerman degrees above 65 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output The change in Track width due to Dive or Roll motion This is listed as the change in Dynamic vs Static Track in the Suspension Data grid at the Main Screen Roll Center Height The Roll Center is an imaginary point at the intersection of imaginary lines connecting the tire contact patches and the Instant Centers The car tends to roll about the Roll Center Roll Center Height is the height of the Roll Center above ground If this is negative it means the Roll Center is below ground Roll Center Right or The Roll Cen
215. ram automatically try several suspension modifications through various amounts of suspension motion to find some desired suspension characteristic e The Roll Center Motion graph is a special graph type that lets you track RC Movement through some set amount of suspension motion 110 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples IUU ens 111 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices EUU a ee aaa 112 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Appendix 1 Accuracy and Assumptions The Suspension Analyzer can do its calculations extremely accurately based on the assumption that there is no compliance compression or deformation or clearance in any bushings tires joints or suspension members In reality everything has compliance Therefore the Suspension Analyzer s calculations will calculate results assuming aperfectly stiff suspension A major limitation on accuracy will be your ability to accurately measure the exact center of different points like ball joints and frame mount pivots See Section 2 1 and Example 4 1 A major advantage of the Suspension Analyzer over other simpler programs like Performance Trends own Roll Center Calculator and Circle Track Analyzer is the 3 dimensional inputs Doing all calculations in 3 dimensions greatly improves accuracy and will give different and improved results compared to 2 dimensional programs Calculated motion ra
216. rawn with a longer line to simulate it is closer to the viewer The 2 front shocks are connected with a shorter blue line This section is good to visualizing general trends but much more detailed results are available with the other Animate features Engine RPM MPH This section shows relative engine RPM on the Tach Gauge and relative vehicle speed on the bar graph 144 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Figure A 6 12 Track Mapping Options w Track Mapping Options Ed Z Options blas Gs on Friction Circle E J Steering Movement Adjust Steering Yes Steering Factor Reverse Lat Gs for Map Veg l Compression is Shock Direction eS Hote These settings change how the Track Map Friction Circle etc are presented Keep Settings Help Cancel Print Import Dimensions Suspension Analyzer Appendices Increase this number if the friction circle data lateral and longitudinal Gs goes off the screen If the wheels are turning the wrong way when being steered change this setting The Suspension Analyzer wants steering sensor movement to be in inches Many data loggers put this out in degrees Set Adjust Steering to Yes and then enter a number here to do the conversion from your data loggers steering units to inches or cm of steering sensor movement If the vehicle seems to be going the wrong way around the track map or it seems to be drawn in a mirror image of what it should change thi
217. rent suspension to Preview it or close this window and return to the Main Screen without choosing a new suspension file If you are sure of the suspension you want to open you can simply double click on it from the Suspension List This opens the suspension without a preview and closes this menu Save a Suspension File Before you discuss saving a suspension file it is important for you to understand how the program opens and uses suspension files When you open a suspension from the Suspension Library you are only using a copy of the suspension The original suspension file is kept in the library As you make changes to the suspension they are only made to this copy The original file is not changed If you want to delete your changes you can simply open a fresh unchanged copy of the original suspension file from the Library If you want to keep your changes you must save them This can be done by clicking on File then Save You are also asked if you want to save your changes whenever you open a new suspension and the program has detected you have made changes to the current file 82 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output Figure 3 19 Saving Suspension File Options New name to save suspension data to Leave unchanged and click OK to save to the current suspension name This would be the same as clicking on File then Save Click on the name in the box to change it then click OK to save it to the new
218. ring based on the steering inputs Track and Wheelbase See Figure 2 13 Ackrmn Error deg Ackerman Error is the difference in degrees between the Toe In degrees and the Ideal Ackerman degrees above See Figure 2 14 King Pin Angle deg King Pin Angle or King Pin Inclination Angle 1s calculated as the angle between vertical and a line called King Pin Axis connecting the two ball joints when viewed from the front in degrees It is about the same as Caster Angle except viewed from the front Negative King Pin Angle means the top ball joint is farther out from center than the lower ball joint See Figure 2 11 Scrub Radius Scrub Radius is the distance from where the king pin axis hits the ground and the center of the tire patch See Figure 2 11 King Pin Angle deg The king pin axis 1s the line intersecting the upper and lower ball joints See Figure 2 11 Spindle Angle deg Spindle Angle is the angle between the King Pin Angle and Camber Angle in degrees As you change measurements but you do not change the spindles this angle should stay constant See Figure 2 11 Instant Center Height The Instant Center is an imaginary point at the intersection of extension lines from the upper and lower A Arms or Wishbones The wheel moves up and down as if it were attached to a swing arm attached at this imaginary Instant Center Instant Center Height is the height of the Instant Center above ground If this is negative it means t
219. rm and R 5 Toe ln Gaim 00 Rall Center Ht 12 50 Turn Radius Hone Roll Center Right O0 Toe ln Gap 00 ili dal lower control Arti Squat Static 139 1 Dyn 139 1 Anti Squat Static 139 1 Dy 139 1 arms suspension Data S Locair ___TType hubs eHe _ Rt Depth l pedo _JLt Hetghtv _ L Depth 2 _ age mF I E 24 d 28 24 9 28 25 7 0 25 7 0 20 13 8 20 12 8 151 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Fig A6 16 Trail Arm Semi Trailing Arm Independent Rear Suspension The Trailing Arm style of independent rear Suspension has a control arm for each rear wheel which hinges on 2 attachment points on the frame For the special case of Trailing Arm the F hinge axis is perpendicular to the car s centerline and parallel to the M ground For the Semi Trailing Arm gf these hinge points can be angled 2 with respect to the car s centerline wie and the ground Trailing Arm Rotation axis is parallel to axle line in top and To front Noaha front view Semi Trailing Arm Rotation axis is NOT parallel to axle line in X either top or front view To front of vehicle Semi Trailing Arm Rear is an is Suspension Analyzer v2 4 Performance Trends Semi Trailing Arm Rear example file supplied with File Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences Help prog ram for you to evaluate Front Vie
220. rsion and is discussed below See Fig A 6 13 e The program can now read freeform ASCII files of data logger data We ve tried to make the Suspension Analyzer smart enough to be able to recognize data from various data loggers like Motec Pi and AIM In addition you no longer have to provide track map data as the Suspension Analyzer can generate this info itself from distance velocity and lateral Gs data This feature is only in the Full Vehicle w Data Logger Option version and is discussed below See Fig A 6 12 e Anew Preference lets you select to either have Toe Gain Caster Gain and Camber Gain be displayed in the suspension layout drawing or more simply Toe Caster and Camber The Gains are the amount of change in these parameters for a given amount of suspension movement See Fig A 6 1 and A 6 8 e New Preference for choosing to have the Rear Suspension either to be Draw Centered Between Tires or Centered on x 0 Dimension See Fig A 6 1 e Program now remembers the printer orientation portrait landscape you re using and restores it when you restart e The program now draws the transmission angle in front of the driveshaft You may not see this unless you use the Zoom options to slide the side of the rear suspension to one side See Fig A 6 6 e The locking algorithm now uses a computer hardware number which is more stable This means that you will be less likely to get a new unlocking code when you make c
221. ry to be extremely accurate You have got to keep in the back of your mind that the entire suspension is not perfectly rigid Bushings compress arms and struts bend tire sidewalls deflect In most cases accuracy within 0 1 one tenth is usually sufficient It is unrealistic to expect that you can measure things more accurately than this however professional race teams with the best tools can do better There are tools and fixtures available to help the measurement process Most involve some type of surface plate with a grid laid out a 1 or 1 2 intervals some type of height measurement calipers plumb bobs etc The method we will show here involves using an inexpensive piece of Sheetrock drywall as our grid plate Drywall works well since it stays relatively flat use 1 2 thick drywall is big enough for the entire front suspension and tires and is easy to write on 1 Drive the front tires of the car on the drywall sheet which has been laid on a flat level floor Be sure all measured points are within the edges of the sheet the drywall has l daed aa a a if Figure 4 3 Measuring Steering Box with Relatively Long you want to be extremely precise you may Shaft Steering Swivel Axis want to put another equal thickness of drywall or other spacers under the rear tires as well to keep the car exactly level Usually this is not required Left Side Steering Swivel Left Side 2 Drop the plumb bob from the center of the C
222. s Sway Bar Rate Ibin EZA Symetric Chassis Lt same az Rt No Click on Calc buttons for Calculation Menus to calculate an input from other details See Figure 1 9 Enter most any comments or notes about the suspension here These are handy reminders of what this suspension was and what you were doing Comments Sample Data for BT S200 Suspension Software Identification Chassis it Customer Data Logger Sensors Click on most any spec or spec name and a brief Help description is given here in the Help Frame with a page in this manual for additional info Scquisition system iF any four choice will determine inputs are required to describe the mounting points of sensors at the Main Screen p xx Susp Travel S nsor None Steering Sensor None C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 1 Introduction Figure 1 9 Typical Calculation Menu Once you feel comfortable changing specifications in the various menus w Calc C G Height in and making various graphs and reports read Section 3 5 of this manual called Suspension Libraries to learn how to save suspensions or recall Calc C G Height in suspensions which have been previously saved Then you will know all the basic commands to operate the program For a more in depth knowledge of using these commands and an explanation of the results read this entire manual Level Vehicle Measurements Ww heelbase T otal Veh
223. s As measurements are entered the program draws your suspension layout on the screen including calculated dimensions like King Pin Angle Instant Centers and the Roll Center You can click on the Front Side and Top tabs at the top of the screen to view the suspension from different angles The drawings can help you spot errors you have made in your measurements or in entering the data You can also select No View to see only the table which is useful for watching several numbers change Before we define the inputs in this section lets take a minute to describe how you will make these measurements Taking Suspension Measurements Park the car on a Figure 2 8 Finding Car Centerline and Measuring Front Suspension Points typical Out and Height measurement shown for Lower Frame Pivot flat level surface First we must decide on what you will call the car s Car Centerline centerline for measuring the Out measurements Out Many people use a distance half way between the left and right tire patches One disadvantage a of this method is if V Height you change rim WS Ore Half the distance between offsets your et ee the lower arm mounts change This can be used as centerline means all your Out measurements have now changed also Therefore we Alternate Car Centerlines usually recommend a distance half way between the frame Engine center can also be Half the Track Width rails or the frame used as
224. s 139 145 Include Suspension Comments 80 Increment 63 70 Installation 6 4 Instant Center 1 13 19 26 27 35 66 73 148 Instant Center Height 26 Instant Center Left 26 Instant Centers 1 13 19 27 35 66 73 167 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Jacking Component 148 Jacking on Spring 45 Jacking Screws 45 147 148 JPG 148 KG 133 King Pin Angle 13 19 24 26 65 72 King Pin Angle deg 26 Layout 35 99 Leaf Springs 54 55 133 138 Length 13 23 27 57 Letter Tire Size 53 Lever Arm Length 56 library 12 82 104 123 Library 81 82 83 121 Location 54 136 Logger 141 Lower Arm Len True Frnt Rr 27 Lower Arm Length 27 Lower Ball Joint 21 Lower Frame Pivot 19 21 Lower Frame Pivot Front 21 Lower Frame Pivot Rear 21 Lower Sensor Mount 22 Lower Shock Mount 22 Lower Spring Pad 22 Lt Side Behind Wheel Center 39 Main Menu 28 43 Metric 53 133 134 Milliken 119 134 135 Motion Ratio 24 33 113 Move Points 41 Network 34 Neutral Line 148 New Track 46 Number of Active Coils 55 Offset 43 46 Open 7 12 13 28 34 59 81 82 84 99 123 128 optimize 108 110 optimum 1 3 30 47 48 108 115 116 Other Specs 6 7 9 12 13 14 18 20 29 30 37 45 51 56 59 79 89 90 92 94 95 Out 18 19 20 34 89 93 107 116 136 Output 6 61 63 70 79 99 125 P Metric 53 PDF 148 P
225. s Link Pivot Bar on Axle in 47 OF Gale IF Input z watts Link Pivot Bar Pivot in 1 12 137 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Leaf Springs Zoom Features and Transmission Angle Figure A 6 6 shows some additional new features in v2 0 Notes for leaf springs e Only the Height Measurement is needed for the Spring Mount on the Axle The program will assume this is on a straight line between the front and rear mounting points e For the Rear Mount use the location where the shackle mounts to the frame not where the shackle mounts to the leaf spring The program will assume approximately a 2 shackle that is vertical at ride height The rear end of the spring is not as critical as exactly where the shackle mounts to the frame e Because leaf springs are flat they resist roll more that coil springs do at equal spacing Most authorities say they have about 25 higher roll stiffness than the same suspension with coil springs or torsion bars Figure A 6 1 shows where you can change this percentage based on your own experience Figure A 6 6 Showing New Rear Suspension Type leaf springs Zoom Features and drawn Click here for Zoom options Transmission Angle i Suspension Analyzer v2 0 Performance Trends 1964 Mustang Fie Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences Help Front View Side View Top View No iew x Dynamic sqa Fal b a oom Irn Gain based on
226. s setting If the shocks seem to be moving in the opposite direction front end rising when the brakes are applied chanae this settina Some users use CAD programs for designing their suspensions and needed an easy way to input several measurements quickly to the Suspension Analyzer program Figure A 6 2 shows the command to import these dimensions from an ASCII file Figure A 6 13 below shows how to do this by copying the data from a program like Excel using the Ctrl C command Then you will paste it into the Suspension Analyzer s Import Dimensions screen by clicking on the Import window then using the Ctrl V command press and release the letter V key while holding down the Ctrl key 145 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices SSS SSS SSS R Figure A 6 13 Importing Dimensions by Direct Copying from Another Program iS Suspension Analyzer v2 0 Performance Trends File ase Graphs Reports Yehicle Specs Adjust Optimize zZ Sas aon See Click here to start the Import Process Copy Left Side to Right Side Copy Right Side to Left Side Flip Z Direction Front to back on ayPoints Left side X distance out from center Y height and then Z depth Move Groups of Measurements Convert Measurements to M tri Right side X distance out from center Y height and Convert Measurements t i then Z deoth File Edit Graphs i ptimize zoom Animate Preferences Help Front View Sid i i i L JE rig
227. sion D4 2 Microso 2 VisualB ZJ License File EN amp JW fo 10 38 AM Fie Edit Graphs Reports Vehicle Specs Adjust Optimize Zoom Animate Preferences Help Front View Side View Top View No View Dynamic Cb B Je This is a view from the front of car right side of screen is actually left side of car Gain based on 1 Dive L e Toe In Gain 00 Turn Radius None Camber Gain 1 20 Roll Center Ht 3 29 Caster Gain 05 pusbension Data 18 625 16 062 15 812 7 25 6 125 22 85 15 15 15 0625 25 712 10 125 10 125 10 1875 2AF 19 25 15 562 15 125 6 625 5 875 5 875 Upp Bal Jon rg Upper Frame Pivot Front in Input 14 812 Upper Frame Pivot Rear in Input___ 14 562 Lower Ball Joint in Input cle 25 5 Lower Frame Pivot Frontin Input 8 04 Lower Frame Pivot Rear in Input 8 125 Tie Redon Rack in__lingut_ 8 815 S 4 Window W Inbox Out fam 2 Window 3 Interne A MainData t Roll Center Left 8 30 Caster Gain 13 Bore Calcul Layout drawn to Biggest Size Front Suspension Rear Suspension Toe In Gain 24 Camber Gain 1 58 Rt Height Y Bibs Z Lt Out LtHeight Y Lt Depth Z C4 2 Microso i 2 VisualB g License File EN amp JO fo 10 38 AM 159 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Fig A 6 25 Ball Joint Wizard This is the center of the ball joint s rotation the nu
228. sion characteristics to ensure safe vehicle handling Max Distance Down To Obtain This Result Choose what result you want to obtain like to maintain a certain Roll Center Location Left or Right or Roll Center Height Bump Steer which is Toe In Out or Camber If Roll Center Height or L R are not mentioned then you are asking both to be kept stable maintained Some options let you try to match a Specified Roll Center Vertical or Horizontal location If you select this option then the Vertical and Horizontal data entry boxes become enabled for you to enter values Note To specify a Horizontal Location LEFT of center enter a negative number Roll Center Height typically has a larger impact on handling than location Left or Right so some of these options let you concentrate say 4 times more on maintaining height constant than horizontal motion This means that a 1 inch change in height will be considered as important as a 4 inch horizontal change See Section 2 6 page 47 in this manual for more explanation of this Optimize Screen 136 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Watts Link Lateral Locator V2 0 lets you select a Watts Link with the center pivot mounted to the axle or a Panhard Bar as the lateral locating device for solid axle suspensions Figure A 6 5 shows some major options with this feature Figure A6 5 Watts Link Features m Watts Link Calculation Menu to generate all
229. sion for Dive Roll and or Steer All calculated Dynamic results are immediately updated to show you the results e Choose different tabs to view the suspension drawing from Front Top or Side e Open or save a file of suspension results and specs by clicking on File in the upper left corner and then the Open or Save commands e Graph or report the suspension for the file you are currently working with e Change the Preferences options to somewhat customize the program for your needs e Click on File then Unlock Program Options to obtain codes to give to Performance Trends to permanently unlock the program take out of the 10 day demo mode See Section 1 2 page 2 e Get HELP to explain these options by clicking on Help e Quit the program by clicking on File then Exit All these options are explained in detail in Chapters 2 and 3 To check out how the program works try applying dynamics to the suspension by clicking on Dynamics at the top of the Figure 1 4 Main Screen with Vehicle Dynamics Click on Dynamic Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends LIMITED LATE MODEL to enable Dive File Edit Graphs Reporte OtherSpecs Adjust Optimize Prepefences Help Roll and Steer Front View Side View Top View No View X Dynamic Divehi E Roll hs E Steer E Then type IN OF click on arrow buttons to apply various amounts of motion l i Pl Suspension is o A This ts a view from the front of car right side of screen
230. ster Gain 12 Camber Gain 1 53 4 S Suspension Data USpension kessi ee It IR ei In ep AL Ie ibep 2 e Data or Upper BallJoint Input 22 097 27 870 0 715 22 514 22 305 0 310 15 260 17 999 oat 15 020 18 300 3 820 measurements 15 340 17 059 5 990 14 850 17 420 5 230 24 302 0 140 23 449 q 0 140 8 560 6 725 0 050 8 180 6 370 0 020 14 960 7 820 12 160 14 260 7 000 12 430 8 500 6 386 5 7 500 5 980 5 22 375 E 6 875 21 375 G 5 505 7 85 10 400 14 540 7 850 10 14 540 7 85 7 980 5 240 7 850 7 980 5 240 7 85 7 680 12 790 7 850 7 680 12 790 ee 2 1 1 Tabs Click on the tabs at the top of the screen to see the different views of the suspension Front Side and Top Selecting No View fills the entire screen with just the table You will notice at the top of the Suspension Layout a Note This is a view from the Front of Car right side of screen is actually left side of car There is a Preference called Main Screen View which lets you modify these views For example Front view could be viewed from the front of the car or from the rear of the car the driver s perspective This Preference affects the Front and Top views only See Section 2 2 Preferences 15 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions 2 1 2 Dynamic Motion Specs You must first select click on Dynamic to enable these 3 specs to be used Once they are enabled you can type in most any setting within reasonable limi
231. surements e Do the entire test more than once and average the C G height results Ww heelbase T otal Yehicle Weight Ibs Total Front Weight Ibs This procedure can be dangerous if not done with care and using good equipment Take the proper precautions especially if you raise the car significantly Raised Yehicle Measurements Seelam Front Tire Radius in Wheelbase in New Total Front Weight Ibs Wheelbase of the car in inches the distance from the front wheel center or Mote _ See diagram and procedure in Section 2 8 4 in manual page eee front axle line to the rear wheel center or rear axle line Total Vehicle Weig ht Ibs Help Cancel Print The total weight of the vehicle ideally with the driver and all fluid levels at race conditions Total Front Rear Weight Ibs The weight on the front tires or rear tires if the front of the car is raised on level ground in pounds before the car is raised Raise Front or Rear Choose which end of the car is raised for this test usually the rear Front Rear Tire Radius in Figure 2 38 Procedure to Measure C G Height The radius of the front tire or rear tire if the front of the Block suspension so springs can not be compressed car 1S raised Raise one end of car a significant distance Distance Raised in The distance the one end of the car is raised in inches Weighing Scale New Total Front Rear Weight Ibs showing weight
232. suspension Analyzer V2 4 for Windows Users Manual Performance Trends Inc Box 530164 Livonia MI 48153 248 473 9230 Fax 248 442 7750 Website www performancetrends com Email feedback performancetrends com Performance Trends Inc PO Box 530164 Livonia MI 48153 Tech Assistance for Registered Owners 248 473 9230 Fax 248 442 7750 Email feedback performancetrends com Website tips correspond with other users download demos update schedule etc www performancetrends com Copyright Notice Copyright C 2011 PERFORMANCE TRENDS INC All Rights Reserved These software programs and user s manual are reserved by PERFORMANCE TRENDS INC and are intended for the use of the original owner only Copying or duplicating these products except for the personal use of the original owner is a violation of U S Copyright Law and is hereby expressly forbidden Portions Copyright C Microsoft Corp 1987 2011 All Rights Reserved Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp DISCLAIMER Of WARRANTIES THE SOFTWARE PROVIDED HEREUNDER IS LICENSED AS IS WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTIES FOR MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE NO ORAL OR WRITTEN STATEMENTS REPRESENTATIONS OR OTHER AFFIRMATION Of FACT INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO STATEMENTS REGARDING CAPABILITY CAPACITY SUITABILITY FOR USE OR PERFORMANCE Of SOFTWARE SHALL BE RELIED UPON BY USER OR BE DEEMED TO BE
233. t View Side View Top View Change Left Upper Arm Change Right Upper Arm This is a view from Ride Height Left Wheel Tire Offset Right Wheel Tire Offset Cross weight is adjusted by turning on Jacking Rear Axle Corner Weights virtual scales Suspension Analyzer y2 4 Corner Jacking Screen Bird Cage Rear w Brackets Static New Tire to Change Right Front i es bee eft What to Change i Circumference v 53 90 Cross Current Tire Circumference New Tire Circumference 237 Help Definition Enter the number of threads per inch for the jacking screw on this corner of the car Important The estimates made in this screen are based on several assumptions two of the most important being the chassis is perfectly stiff and the tires are perfectly stiff Suspension Analyzer y2 4 Back Back keep changes Print Help Current Vehicle Weight New Yehicle Weight Move Weight Corner Jacking Screen Bird Cage Rear w Brackets Static New 48 76 4968 Rear 56 21 53 66 Left 53 27 61 31 Cross Weight Change Move Weig Current Location Ahead Behind v of Rear Axle Distance Left Right of X Centerline pen Distance Weight to Move New Location Ahead Behind Ahead of Rear Axle Distance 2s Left Right of Right X Centerline Distance Help Definition Pick whether the weight is ahead or behind the rear axle or a line connecting the center of
234. t lbs deg is the amount of torque in ft lbs required to roll the car 1 degree This assumes the only compliance in the car is from the suspension s springs and roll bar and everything else tires bushings etc are perfectly stiff Anti Dive Anti Dive is the amount of resistance to dive from braking produced by the suspension geometry Theoretically a car with 100 anti dive will not dive at all during deceleration See Appendix 5 page 131 Upper Arm Len True Frnt Rr Upper Arm Length in front and rear is the distance from the center of the upper ball joint to the center of the upper front and rear arm mount This is calculated from other inputs and is shown here only to help you check and visualize these other inputs The true length is the length from the ball joint perpendicular to the axis of imaginary line connecting the front and rear frame pivots This is also the closest distance to this axis See Figure 2 14A Figure 2 14 A Illustration of Arm Lengths Lower Arm Len True Frnt Rr Arm Length TENG Lower Arm Length in front and rear is the distance from the Front of Car center of the lower ball joint to the center of the lower front and rear arm mount This is calculated from other inputs and 1s shown here only to help you check and visualize these other inputs The true length is the length from the ball joint perpendicular to the axis of imaginary line connecting the front and rear frame pivots This is also the closest
235. tarting From 3 Going To 2 Step Size 5 A graph would be created for whatever data you selected at the following conditions Roll degrees 3 2 5 2 1 5 1 5 0 5 1 1 5 2 The bottom horizontal X axis would start at 2 and extend to 3 on the right side secondary Type Select the secondary motion you want to see in the graph e None e Roll e Dive e Steer If you select a Secondary Type other than None then for each Primary motion setting you would get each Secondary motion setting 71 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output starting From Going To Step Size These are the same as for the Primary motion specs described above and are best explained with an example If you selected Primary Type Roll Secondary Type Dive Starting From 3 Starting From 1 Going To 2 Going To 1 Step Size 5 Step Size 1 A graph would be created for whatever data you selected at the following conditions Roll degrees 3 2 5 2 1 5 1 5 0 5 1 1 5 2 11 settings Then at each setting of Roll 3 different Dive conditions would be set Dive inches 1 O 1 3 settings creating 3 graph lines for each side of the suspension you chose to graph If you chose to do Left and Right sides the total combinations for this graph would then be 11 data points on 3 Right Side graph lines and 3 Left Side graph lines 6 graph lines total Hold At Hold At There are 3 types
236. ter usually A This is the disk drive which will be first opened when using the Save to Floppy Disk or Open from Floppy Disk File commands at the Main Screen XYZ Axis to Use for Measurements To be consistent with our smaller Roll Center Calculator and Circle Track Analyzer programs we have adopted the notation that Out from the car s centerline is an X measurement and Height up from the ground is a Y measurement Then the last measurement of Depth is a Z measurement However some users are used to other coordinate systems where Depth is X Out 34 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions a E is Y and Height is Z You can choose either notation with this spec This only changes the labels on the columns in the Suspension Data grid on the Main Screen Tire Size Used for Toe In inches Toe In in degrees is an absolute measurement and does not depend on tire size However Toe In in inches does depend on tire size or the tire size assumed by the Toe In Gauge you are using Therefore you have options here to assume different standard tire sizes or use the tire size based on the Circumference you enter in the Suspension Data grid on the Main Screen Draw Front View Extension Lines Choose Yes to draw extension lines on the Suspension Layout to better illustrate how the Instant Centers and Roll Center locations are calculated Choose No to avoid clutter on the screen Extension Lines are drawn on the Fro
237. ter is an imaginary point at the intersection of imaginary lines connecting the tire Left contact patches and the Instant Centers The car tends to roll about the Roll Center Roll Center Left and Right is the distance the Roll Center is left or right of the car s centerline Anti Dive Anti Dive is the amount of resistance to dive from braking produced by the suspension geometry Theoretically a car with 100 anti dive will not dive at all during deceleration Figure 3 3 Pick Individual Items Report from settings in Figure 3 2 Click here or here to Print see Section 3 4 Summary Description of this Suspension iS Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends LIMITED LATE MODEL MEJ Ei B Bgck Print Report Types File Help F1 s a x Std Conds Camber Caster Toeln Track Roll Cater Report Conditions Comments Right 3 ema A 41 440 Ht 1 42 Hold Steer 000 Left a5 1 93 5 29 980 Right 17 34 Toeln deg Toeln deg Caster Caster Camber Camber gt Lt Dive 1 Rt Dive 1 Lt Dive 1 Rt Dive Lt Dive 1 Rt Dive 1 264 116 2 054 3 169 4 837 139 993 3 170 420 4 756 166 340 3 163 561 4 695 196 896 3 147 B87 4 654 229 899 3 123 fo 4 634 266 831 3 090 891 4 633 307 810 3 048 369 4 653 391 fo 2 957 1 031 4 693 400 fae 2 937 1 075 4 793 453 1 795 2 669 1 103 4 832 911 1 805 29l 1 113 4 930 DE e Gw f OI GTI Fiu P e d Toeln deg Toeln deg Caster Caster Camber Camber Lt
238. tering steering so the wheel returns to straight ahead automatically In most situations where cars turn both left and right you want left and right caster the same In circle track racing right side caster is generally 1 5 2 5 degrees more than the left with more caster being used with power steering and dirt racing As another rule of thumb generally the caster angle should be about 1 2 of the King Pin Axis Inclination Angle when viewed from the front See Figure 2 11 page 24 Caster Gain Anti Dive Most suspensions have positive Caster Gain which is also an indication of Anti Dive being present in the suspension geometry Anti Dive means the suspension resists diving during the application of the brakes Race cars with lower center of gravity and stiffer springs usually don t require as much Caster Gain Anti Dive as production cars Negative Caster Gain means the car will dive more than normal during braking and generally should be avoided Caster Trail Caster Trail is positive if the tire patch is behind the point where the caster angle hits the ground This is typical of most cars because most cars run positive caster Caster Trail can be changed by changing tire diameter spindle or the caster angle Caster is similar to Scrub Radius except viewed from the side instead of the front Increasing Caster Trail will increase steering wheel effort especially when cornering hard scrub Radius Most race cars have positive Scr
239. the centerline the distance between mounts on the th t f the ti lower arms These e center O e tre locations usually patches can also be will stay in one used as the centerline place In symmetric cars where the left and right side are identical the centerline can also be the center of the engine and can be marked by dropping a plumb bob pointed weight on a string down from the center of the crank pulley Track Width Once you decide on a centerline for a particular car you must make all measurements from this same centerline Once all measurements are taken you can recenter the car using the Edit feature Section 2 4 19 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions MR Once you ve decided on the centerline method you will use use a tape measure to mark a point on the floor which is halfway between the your references or drop a plumb bob from the center of the engine crankshaft This will now be your car s centerline and is 0 in the Out horizontal direction in the Suspension Data Grid Then with the plumb bob place the string on the center of a new suspension point to be measured and drop the bob until it just touches the floor Measure the distance from the car s centerline to where the plumb bob points on the floor This is the Out distance for that particular suspension point Height measurements are measured as you would expect the distance up to the particular
240. ti Dive under the Main Screen Tab An Instant Center which falls on this line is considered to have 100 AntiSquat or 100 AntiDive Fig A 6 28 Added several new features for Emailing suspension files and results e Added Emailing Preference tab with several inputs to allow easy emailing of files graphs and printouts to other people Fig A 6 29 e Added new Email option under File at main screen to allow user to email a Suspension File to another user of the Suspension Analyzer Fig A 6 30 e Added new Email option under File at main screen to allow user to email a PDF printout of the main screen with suspension layout Fig A 6 30 e Added new Email option under Print on the Report screen to allow user to email a PDF printout of the Report Fig A 6 31 e Added two new Email options under File on the Graph screen to allow user to email a JPG graph One option 1s for 256 color which creates a higher quality larger file which takes more time to send and receive The other option 1s for a 16 color graph which is smaller and faster however it requires the program to work with the MS Paint program on your computer Fig A 6 31 Program now has a Help Screen which shows the X Y and Z measurements for the front and rear suspension This is available by clicking on Help at top of main screen or the first time you click on the data input grid on the main screen for help on an input definition Fig A 6 32 148 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 S
241. tios are based on the ratio of movement of the mount points to the movement of the wheel for some standard amount of vehicle movement called Specs for Calculating Camber Gain See Section 2 2 Preferences During this standard movement the program also checks on how much the springs and shocks and roll bar if any compress twist in the case of the roll bar for this standard movement Knowing how far the spring compresses for a given amount of wheel movement is the precise way the program calculates the spring and shock and roll bar if any Motion Ratio Note however that if the standard movement is very small Motion Ratio accuracy will not be good For example say the standard motion is 1 2 Dive and 2 deg Roll The left side wheel may go through a 1 of travel but the right side may go only through 05 travel The right side Motion Ratio will not be accurate Therefore for accurate Motion Ratio calculations we recommend you use the default standard motion of 1 Dive or at least avoid Roll as a standard motion Many other software packages use much simpler calculations with the assumptions the wheel moves just as much as the lower ball joint This is often a wrong assumption and is the reason the Suspension Analyzer s motion ratio calculations will not match that of other programs Please read Appendix 2 to see how that exact accuracy may not be that critical 113 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices E
242. to you For a brief definition of the inputs simply click on the specification name in the first column A definition will appear in the with a page in this manual for more info Pek File aa View Gih Type Add rex Help leo Js ed Lede beled st ruiview setscad n limited late model Toeln deg Lt Toeln deg Rt Some specs have a Type of Input clc One example is Spring Rate The clc stands for calculate For example if you want to calculate the spring rate from wire diameter number of coils etc simply click on the Input clc name in the Type column The program will display a new menu listing the inputs and the Calc Spring Rage 8 Click on Help for an overview of your options for this screen Click on Back to return to the Main Screen Graphs showing Toe In changing with Dive or Bump Steer right side has much more than left C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 1 Introduction from these inputs Figure 1 7 Help at Main Screen For further Click on Other Specs for more Suspension Specs see Figure 1 8 explanation click A Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Preformance Trends LIMITED LATE MODEL on the Help File Edit Graphs Reports OtherSpecs Adjust Optimize Preferences Help Roll is E Steer E buttons in these Front View Side View Top View No View Dynamic Divef11 menus To use the This is a view from the front of car r
243. top next to Front View Side View Top View tabs you can display more of the table by eliminating the Suspension Layout drawing You can also click on File then Print to print the entire table with all input and calculated output rows The Suspension Layout drawing also shows several gain calculations Gain means increase in a calculated number for a standard amount of suspension movement The standard amount of suspension movement is set to 1 inch of dive when you first get the program and is identified at the top of the Layout Drawing This standard suspension movement for calculating gains can be changed in the Preferences menu See Section 2 2 For example the Left Camber Gain shown in Figure 4 16 of 1 27 degrees means the left camber decreases goes more negative by 1 27 degrees with 1 inch of dive Negative Camber Gain is desirable in a race car suspension so the tire camber goes more negative in corners during dive and roll See Appendix 2 99 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 4 Examples Bump Steer is a critical suspension characteristic Most racers and chassis builders want 0 bump steer or do not want tire Toe In to change as the suspension goes through dive and roll Toe In Gain gives you some idea of the amount of bump steer If Toe In gain is zero or very low then bump steer will also be very low at least through the standard suspension movement Figure 4 16 Static Analysis at Main Screen
244. ts Note that if you enter too high a number errors will be encountered in the calculations and an Error Warning will appear at the top of the Suspension Layout Dive The amount the car s front end drops compared to its static standing still height To simulate the front end rising enter a negative number Roll The amount the car s front end rolls leans due to cornering forces compared to its static standing still angle A positive angle means the car is leaning to the Right typical of Left turns Use a negative number to lean Left Right turns Steer The amount the rack moves to the right for Figure 2 5 Error Message from Entering Too Extreme a Dynamic Motion 3 D Suspension Analyzer Es Binding conditions were encountered at the following conditionslocations Right Steering Tie Rod Steering Linkage Binding occurs where links must stretch for example when a 10 Tie Aod must be 11 long to stay connected to the spindle at some severe steering angle Calculations resulting from Binding conditions are NOT ACCURATE iS Suspension Analyzer 1 0 Performance Trends LIMITED LATE MODEL File Edit Graphs Reporte OtherSpece Adjust Optimize Preferences Help Front View Side View Top iew No View Pe Dynamic Dive E Fall o Steels E This ts a view from the front o Binding Occured is actually left side of car Mesults Hot Accurate Error Message displayed in Suspension La
245. u what is wrong Earlier in this example we used the Save As command to save the current Suspension file to a new name JIM S BUSCH MONTE This is the name shown here except the E in MONTE has been turned into a 1 You can click on the file name and change this 1 back to an E For this example the name used will be JIM S BUSCH MONTE for this Busch suspension 2 Folder Name for New Suspension is the folder in the 3D DATA folder where the suspension will be saved The program may not be using the name folder for spec but whatever word you have assigned in the Preferences menu The folder name Examples is reserved for Performance Trends example suspensions supplied with the program and can not be used for your tests By clicking on the Add button you could enter a new folder of BUSCH See Fig 4 12 This folder will be used for you will use for all of your suspensions used on the Busch cars Since most all the measurements for this new suspension will be different than the current suspension the one we printed the worksheet from you will uncheck the Pick boxes in the New Suspension screen except Other Specs This will produce a completely blank Main Screen for entering measurements as shown in Figure 4 13 Based on the numbers recorded on the worksheet start typing in your measurements When enough measurements have been entered the suspension layout drawing will be constructed Figure 4 13 Entering Measurements on Main Screen Data Grid Susp
246. ub Radius which provides feedback to the driver of when either tire is loosing traction Three to 5 inches is normal is circle track racing Unequal amounts a Scrub Radius left and right will cause the car to pull to one side under braking Generally you want to keep the Scrub Radius equal or at least with in 1 4 inch from side to side Street Performance On the street you usually want a suspension which is stable This means the car tracks true down the road and is not upset by minor changes in the road It also means that during extreme or emergency situations the suspension is very forgiving This is generally what the auto makers do for production vehicles Fred Puhn s How to Make Your Car Handle contains production specs for several cars These specs are rather dated but give the suspension tuner and builder a good overview of typical production settings Roll Center Keep the roll center centered and fairly low from 1 to 3 above the ground 117 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices a ee aa Camber Camber Gain Adjust camber to the manufacturer s recommended specs if they are available If you have a custom suspension keep camber close to 0 for daily driving You can go to 0 5 degrees camber for better extreme cornering but you will increase tire wear Camber Gain should be kept low usually between 0 to 5 degrees per inch of dive Toe In Toe In Gain bump steer Adjust Toe
247. urn on the computer Then try running the program following the guidelines in 1 4 Getting Started and 1 5 Example to Get You Going When you feel a little familiar with the program take time to read this entire manual It will show you all the things you can do with this powerful tool Be sure to check Appendix 6 and Appendix 7 for new features introduced in v2 0 and v2 4 since the original writing of this manual C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 1 Introduction 1 2 Before You Start What you will need e Computer with Windows 98 NT 2000 XP Vista or Windows 7 Many terms used by the Suspension Analyzer and this user s manual are similar to terms used by other publications i e Camber Gain Bump Steer etc However these terms may have different definitions Therefore read Chapter 2 to see what these terms mean to the Suspension Analyzer Occasionally it will be necessary to identify typos in the manual known bugs and their fixes etc which were not known at the time of first publication These will be identified in a file called README DOC in the Suspension Analyzer directory or folder This file can be displayed right in the Suspension Analyzer by clicking on Help at the Main Screen then clicking on Display Readme doc File You can also read it using utilities like NotePad or WordPad Unlocking Program Options The Suspension Analyzer is equipped with copy protection This ensures the legiti
248. uspension Analyzer Appendices TEE ee eS i Ss Fig A6 14A Picking New Rear Suspension Types from Vehicle Specs Screen Click on Vehicle Specs to open the Vehicle Specs screen shown here Then click on Rear Suspension tab at top Fl Suspension Analyzer v2 4_ Link Rear w Watts Link and Bracket Holes i Vehicle Specs Back tok File Help General Specs Rear Suspension Data Logger Sensors This drop down list now includes 5 more choices for Rear Suspension Suspension Type Susp Travel Sensor None 4 Link Live Axle with lateral locator Truck Arms Live Axle Gen Ill 53 82 Corvette IRS IRS w Lower H Arm T Bird Mustang Cobra etc Solid Live Asle w Leaf Springs Torque Arm Live Aste w Lower Control Arms Torque Tube Live Axle Decoupled Live Axle Bird Cage Trailing Arm Semi Trailing Arn Independant Springs Coil Over outboard x Ride Height Measurements Lt Side From Centerline Lt Side Behind Wheel Center Rt Side From Centerline Rt Side Behind Wheel Center 29 types the 4 bottom choices here are all new The 5 Link is not shown but is higher in the list the third choice in the list Hel Eee on the down arrow key to select the type of suspension to analyze four choice here will determine what inputs are available at the Main Screen Pp XE Roll Bar Mone Symetric Chassis Lt same as Al No 149 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices
249. ust Enter your desired For This FLLD then click on the Find Now button For perfect theoretical Balance the FLLD should be 50 However from experience Milliken suggests a target starting point FLLD value of 5 percentage points higher than the percent weight on the front tires 100 Rear Wt Front Wt By default the program will load in this value but you can change it to anything else you want Higher FLLDs tend to make the car tighter with more understeer Lower FLLDs tend to make the car looser with more oversteer There are several ways to obtain a certain Front Lateral Load Distrbution percentage To reduce the possibility of using very strange settings the program will calculate the average front and rear natural frequencies for the springs If these frequencies are significantly different than those typically used the program will warn you Typically the front natural frequency will be in the range of 1 4 to 2 0 and the rear will be 1 to 5 points lower than the front For many vehicle combinations the program can not find settings to match your requirements Many times this is due to the Front or especially the Rear roll centers being too high High roll centers transfer more weight laterally through the suspension linkages and less through the springs making the springs and roll bar have less effect 3 Click here to have program find new settings 1 Pick what to Adjust 2 Select the
250. uttons The Cursor Button second from the left turns the cursor Off w Suspension Analyzer v1 1 WCSARPLE x Th Back File Format View Graph Type Gushension Help e t CBE EE ee ee a Lt amp Rt Toeln deg vs Dive inches cursor H wtsample 1 ToeIndeglt 031 line are Toein deg Rt 107 displayed here limited late model Toeln deg Lt 46 Toeln deg Rt oF You can click ona graph line near a data point to i produce Se I I I I I I I I I I I I L 1 I I I I I I I I I I I L L 4 I I I I I I I I I I I I F 4 I I I I I I I I I I the cursor line 4 j 45 ee ee ee E 0 l L l L l l l L l L l l l l l L l T l l l l l L L l l l l L L l L l l l L Meo ai tae ae genet a kKFe rF Le ee ee ee es Note that the current suspension settings are compared to some saved suspension file If you want to make a comparison graph of a suspension with several different modifications you must save each modification as a separate file For example say you want to compare the original suspension file called WCSample to WCSample with the steering rack raised 1 inch If the current file is a copy of the WCSample with the 1 modification then you would graph the current suspension copy of WCSample with the rack raised 1 and add the original WCSample Simple enough But if you want to graph WCSample with the rack raised
251. ver the standard version the most significant is analyzing various types of rear suspensions and combining front and rear suspensions together for full vehicle analysis A list of the Full Vehicle version s features includes The Full Vehicle Version lets you graph or report these additional types of data Anti Squat see App 5 Sprng Ang Frt Sprng Ang Side Sprng Mtn Ratio Shock Mtn Ratio RollBar Mtn Rto Front Swing Arm Side Swing Arm Axle Side Angle Rear Axle Lead Binding Error These data types are added to the bottom of the Data List in the Graph and Report menu Figure 1 Output Report Type Pick Data from List c Side Left Right Side by Side 2 Settings Primary Type Diye New Data Starting From Types are e aibe Step 5i 1 O Preview S Sy Graphs and S econdary Type None 9 Data Points for Dive at 2 1 1 s 2 Reports menus Starting From Hold Rot Gongo Doo Hold Steer At 0 Step Size aooo 4 Columns of Data Hold Roll At 21 Data Points for 13 Graph Lines is B the Maxinurn possible Hold Steer At Boo These data are displayed on the Main Screen in the Data Grid For a complete listing of these inputs and calculated outputs click on Help at the top of the Main Screen then List Definitions for Main Screen Input Output 125 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices The Full Vehicle Version lets you specify Push Rod w Rocker Arm and Pul
252. vot down 2 remount left upper frame pivot down 1 4 raise nde height on left side 1 8 Result roll center is now 3 2 high and 1 1 left which moves approx nce a Ng Test is started you can easily erase or modity any of the specs listed above ny pec not selected to Keep will be mostly blank when you start the New Test i Checking any of these iy categories will copy the measurements and entries from the current pattern suspension to the new suspension Unchecking any of these will blank out these measurements and entries in the new suspension Uncheck all 4 These are the comments which you can modify Uncheck Test Comments to start with blank comments for the New Suspension A summary of the current settings is given here Click on thise button to see the current Other Specs and you will start with a _ Click here to Check or Uncheck these options Checking means completely blank suspension you want to keep these specs for the new suspension Once the new suspension is started you can then make modifications to If you want to check the Other these specs if you want Specs or want to modify some Other Specs from the previous 59 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions a a a suspension click on the See Specs buttons for Other Specs Click on Help in the Other Specs menu for more info on how to enter these specs When you close out this menu you are brought b
253. w Ho View Front View Side View Top View Ho View Front View Side View Top View Ho View l This is a view from the rear of car right This ts a view from the rear of car right This is a view from the rear of car right si Gain baser Gain base Gain basec fo i Toe ln Gain 01 Foll Center Ht 2 56 Toe ln Gain 01 Roll Center Ht 4 11 Toe In Gain 03 Roll Center Ht Camber Gain 1 53 Caster Gain 12 Camber Gain 1 53 Caster Garr 12 Camber Gain 6 Caster Gajr fl m m m Bid m n All points simply move up camber does not change Camber and Caster which can not be seen here change as would happen with the actual suspension Lengths of all Arms and Spindle stays the same Only Upper Frame Pivot points move up both front and rear were selected to move The entries and suspension layout on the Main Screen are not updated until you click on Use Calc Value Important This menu can either assume that Adding shims or Removing shims moves the Frame Pivot either farther out from the car s centerline The Notes section of Figure 4 28 shows it is currently set to Removing shims to move the arm out Depending on the type of suspensions you most often work on you can select the default action at the Preferences menu See Section 2 2 If your chassis is opposite to the current Preference setting select Remove Shims if you are actually adding shims or Ad
254. w Side View Top View No View F Dynamic B Zoom In Gain based on 1 Dive Zoom Out Zoom Of Top view of Semi Trailing Arm suspension Program needs location of Rear Suspension ps 5 Toe In Gain 03 Roll Center Ht 14 Turn Radius None Roll Center Right 00 Toe In Gain 09 the 2 hinge points for both Camber Gain 53 Caster Gain 3 68 Caster Gain 3 68 Camber Gain x arms Suspension Data Rt Out x Rt Height Y RtDepth Z Lt Out Lt Height Y LtDepth Outer Attachment of Frame in 22 10 3 15 22 10 3 15 Inner Attachment of Frame in 8 9 13 8 9 13 Lianne ea Upper Spring Pad in Input 18 16 2 18 16 2 Lower Spring Pad in Input 18 6 5 2 18 6 5 2 Inner Shark Mount in Innut 2N 1A 4 vn 1A 4 152 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Fig A6 17 5 Link Independent Rear Suspension The 5 Link style of ra independent rear suspension has 5 links with ball joints on each end One end of each link attaches to the frame and the other attaches to the Tie rod link typically goes toward wheel spindle This type of vehicle centerline to control toe in suspension provides lots of flexibility for designing in E desired tuning characteristics However it e can produce bind in not done correctly The program 7 will estimate the amount of bind so you can watch for this 5 Link 2 links typically go toward vehicle centerline to control camber and
255. xcel latemodel csv which could be a location to analyze the data with a spreadsheet program There are certain limitations for file names as they can not contain certain characters like gt lt The program will warn you if you use an illegal character See Section 3 5 for more details on file names 67 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output 68 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output 3 3 Graphs Graphs are obtained by clicking on the Graph menu command at the top of the Main Screen Figure 3 5 shows a typical graph and a descriptions of some of the basic graph screen items See Examples 4 2 and 4 3 for using graphs for analysis Figure 3 5 Primary Graph Screen Items Command buttons Some commands can only be done through these buttons some of these buttons just provide a graphical button for performing action of some menu items Menu bar provides for several graph commands and options Graph Title Name of current Test File containing all suspension data and specs Graph Legend which i Suspension Anclyzer v1 1 LIMITED LATE MODEL z describes the data ao Fie Flat View GiapnTse Removeten Hee graphed This includes W T Eeke ee eee o Name of the Suspension Lt amp Rt Toeln deg vs Dive inches limited lat model file Type of Data when SE ee es ee ee T eee oe a peee a ee s a data goes with which file oeln
256. y click on the Save button to proceed For both Email to and CC to click on the drop down to choose from emails you have already used or type in a new email address You do NOT have to choose a CC to address In that case leave it blank Save PDF File As 5 in Desk E eran E Deskton Type in email address or pick from list below My Computer Email to techiiperformancetrends cam tmy Network Places My Aes 9 Advantig OneClick v2 The file name 3 D Documents microsoft visual Basic pdf Suspension CL to kevin performancetrends com 4 Sea Shortcut to Printers and Faxes Analyzer pdf should Desktop already be filled in and it Message to send should be directed to Gary Pr save it to the desktop pie ee You should only have to click on the Save button _ w Email To This shows the anti dive for the new suspension My Network Places File name 3 0 Suspension Analyzer od x Save as type PDF files FOF Cancel Enter a message for the email recipient Then click on Send NOTE It may take 3 D Suspension Analyzer x 1 2 minutes to send especially a 256 m color graph on a large screen Message sent If everything worked well you will get this message Otherwise you will get an error message 164 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Fig A 6 31 Emailing from Report Screen and Graph Screen S74 From Report S
257. y clicking on any or all of the Option boxes All options and buttons are discussed in this section Figure 3 15 Printer Button and Print Menu Command Options Report Screen e Datakite Data Analyzer 2 0 Performance T Click on Print or the Printer button Geran lanes alle Hebi shown hidden here for the Printout Options menu shown to the right Print Results Ctrl This options lets you choose the 2Anidows Printer Setup printer or printer driver being used by Windows and also page orientation gt Check or uncheck these Rema PO Dane A options then click on this button to print the i Hisar aa eee SUG Tey current report with these options x Inclye est Comments p y w Print Reports Options lp N Close see page 747 in manual for more info Suspension Results Report Options Include Suspension Measurements Include Other Specs Select these options if you want all the specs from these menus printed with the report This will add 1 2 pages to the printed report 79 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 3 Output Include Suspension Comments Select this option if you want all the comments for the Suspension File printed with the results Request Report Comment Select this option if you want to be asked for a comment for each particular report you send to the printer These report comments are useful to identify important points for future reference like engine modifications
258. y the contents of the PERFTRNS PTI folder You should now see the SUSPANZR folder Click on the sign to the left of it to display the contents of the SUSPANZR folder You should now see the 3D DATA folder Right click on the yellow 3D DATA folder icon to display the menu of options Click on Copy to copy this entire folder all suspension files in the standard Suspension File Library Note In v2 0 PERFTRNS PTI is now the Performance Trends folder in the Program Files folder and the SUSPANZR folder is now SuspAnzr20 folder 121 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Appendices Figure A4 2 Copying Files with Windows 95 98 or NT Windows Explorer Find the SuspAnzr folder under the PERFTRNS PTI folder usually on the C drive Click on the box to the left of a folder to show its contents folders a OF Ei File Edit vie Go Favorites Tools Help ene Click and drag the slide bar button to move Delete up and down the list of the list a The contents H i al 12 17 00 11 12 of the open A Fol 12 11200 11 17 clicked on File Fol 12 11200 11 17 folder on the 2a File Fol 12 11 00 11 18 left is shown id pti 1KE PTIFie 12 11 00 11 22 here including A 3dconfig pti 14KB PTIFie 12 11 00 11 22 bee Adeurdat PTI IKRA PTI File 1271100 1122 both folders i H and files Right click with the right mouse button on the 3D 7 File Edt Wi
259. yout Binding means some impossible motion has been requested like a steering position which requires the tie rods to stretch Rack and Pinion systems For Pitman Arm steering box steering systems this is the amount the steering Pitman Arm s attachment on the center link moves to the right To move the rack or Pitman Arm to the left enter a negative number 2 1 3 Suspension Layout Figure 2 6 shows the suspension layout of the Main Screen all 3 views The layout and data for the different sides 1s drawn in different colors Left side Red Right Side Blue Common to Both Black roll bar in green If you are doing dynamics then the starting position of the chassis is drawn in gray for comparison The layout screen includes some critical calculated parameters which include Camber Gain is the amount of change in Right and Left camber in degrees for a set amount of suspension movement The default suspension movement when you get the program is set to 1 inch of dive but you can set this to some other combination of Dive and Roll in the Preferences menu See Section 2 2 Preferences 16 C Performance Trends Inc 2000 Suspension Analyzer Chapter 2 Definitions Figure 2 6 Suspension Layout Camber Gain and the motion on which it is based is given in this line Steering System Pitman Arm amp Idler Arm and centerlink Currently viewed from Rear ES Suspension Analyzer v1 0 Performance frends LIMITED
260. yzer Chapter 1 Introduction 1 3 A Word of Caution The Suspension Analyzer is a comprehensive software package which estimates a suspension s motion based on limited user input These estimates can be used for suspension analysis and tuning However a suspension is a very complex system which makes exact calculations of all details impossible Therefore several simplifying assumptions are made to reduce the calculations to a manageable level The user must recognize The software can not predict the safety of a suspension modification or driving situation Done correctly with the proper quality parts and safety precautions extreme racing conditions can be safe Done by inexperienced racers with standard or low quality parts a race car can be a disaster waiting to happen Please read and follow any Safety Notes as highlighted in this manual The software like any computer model can NOT make exact predictions because e Much of the input data to the software is estimated e Even if the input data were exactly correct the simplifying assumptions within the program will limit the accuracy These assumptions include that there 1s no flex in the suspension arms or bushings e Tire characteristics driver performance track conditions etc are rarely constant and repeatable The software should be used as a guide to e Help you understand how a suspension works what parameters are important how parameters interact what are the tradeo

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