[Ron Sutton]

Hey Guys! Thanks for the kind words.

This was a fun project for me & the results turned out excellent. The first goal was make it perform mean on the track with no side effects on the street. This was one of the easier goals. In addition to the new geometry providing full tire contact patch for performance handling when autocrossing or tracking the vehicle, the higher 7.0° caster & low static camber actually makes the street manners tamer & the tire wear less. Frankly, this new package is safer on the street if you need to make evasive maneuvers.

The upper control arms are slugged with precision, laser etched slugs marked 7°, 8° & 9° ... allowing you to make easy, simple & confident caster changes if desired.

The tough goal ... which no other factory or aftermarket front subframe or full chassis I have measurements on achieves ... is putting the dynamic roll center in the optimum spot for all of the common suspension strategies. The new Speedtech chassis & front subframes have an excellent 3" static roll center at ride height & achieves the optimum roll center with any of the three common suspension strategies.
#1 For conventional suspension set-ups with low front end travel during dive (1" ±) & higher roll angle during cornering (3° ±) ... the dynamic roll center is an optimum 2".

#2 For modern suspension set-ups with high front end travel during dive (3" ±) & lower roll angle during cornering (1° ±) ... the dynamic roll center is an optimum 0".

#3 For suspension set-ups with moderate front end travel during dive (2" ±) & moderate roll angle (2° ±) ... the dynamic roll center is an optimum 1".

This required a change to the ATS spindle & Speedtech stepped up and got'er done. This "Next Gen ATS" spindle & new framework allowed me to achieve the optimum roll centers, camber gain, caster gain ... with low angle upper control arms for reduced "jacking effect". That means the car runs flatter than other set-ups with the same spring & sway bar rates.

The bump steer for typical travel ranges is practically zero (.005"). For serious competitors, Speedtech performance is offering a bump steer kit, making it easy to add some "bump out" to fine tune the slip angle of the inside tire ... to the optimum degree for the tires you choose to run. All the serious competitors know the BFG Rival & Falken RT615 have different sidewall construction, and therefore different slip angles provide maximum grip. In years to come, other tires will be introduced that vary from these. All these new Speedtech chassis & front subframes will need for maximum grip is a little bump steer fine tuning.

I use the term "fine tuning" for a very key reason. We worked at this & worked at this. And by we, I mean Speedtech & I both worked to make this happen. We achieved 100% Ackerman ... with a rack & pinion. At this point all the other chassis designers jaws just dropped, because that is challenging to achieve with any steering system & extremely challenging with a R&P.

What that means to the car owner is:
* Absolute better grip from the inside front tire
* Increased total front grip
* Higher corner speed capability for autocross & track days
* Closer side to side tire temps
* Improved tire wear
* Better street manners
* No squealing from inside tire on tight parking lot turns

I know Speedtech said 95% Ackerman in their original posting. They are being conservative & legally correct. If a person runs no toe-out, it has 95% Ackerman. But the suggested set-up (by me) is 1/16" toe out on each side (1/8" total toe out) ... which makes the Ackerman 100% when turned. The 100% Ackerman & zero bump steer required a new design steering arm. Again, Speedtech showed their commitment to making this the best package & created new steering arms to go with their new ATS spindles. The standard package runs a traditional tapered tie rod end. The optional "bump steer kit" allows owners to fine tune their bump steer for optimum front tire grip & turn in responsiveness.

Other key features are:
* The lower 7.45° KPI
* Low scrub radius (exact amount depends on wheels)
* Longer front shock mounting for higher travel capacity
* Higher .76 motion ratio
* 3-Piece splined Speedway Engineering sway bar standard

The higher motion ratio doesn't provide a performance gain as far as springs are concerned. You end up ordering softer spring rates to get to the same target wheel rate, so there is no performance gain there. The grip gain is because the shocks respond quicker with a higher motion ratio. This provides more control of the tire & wheel ... keeping it in contact with the road/track surface better ... providing more grip. This is not a "theory." This provides a measurable increase in grip. A .76 motion ratio provides over 50% better response time than the typical .50 motion ratio in most production cars. How much more grip this provides is track surface dependent. If the track surface is glass smooth, there could be zero gain in grip. If the track is typical with small rolling undulations, the grip increase can be in the 10-30% range. If the track is rough ... or portions of the track are rough ... in those areas the grip difference is huge because the shock & suspension are responding quicker ... keeping the tire contact patch on the track more.

Love the 3-piece splined bar. Kudos for Speedtech using the top supplier in the industry, Speedway Engineering ... and it's standard. Now you can choose whatever size bar & rates you desire ... and change it quickly (and inexpensively) if you want a different rate.

In my experience, this is the best suspension & steering geometry available today in full chassis and front subframes.