Suspension plan- opinions needed

[Ron Sutton]

Hi Brian,

What your describing will be more a function of spring rate, sway bar rate & shock valving, so make those your priority.

Most of the rear suspension designs available ... 3-link, 4-link, triangulated 4-bar, torque arm, leaf spring, etc ... can achieve this ... with the correct spring rate, sway bar rate & shock valving.

I suggest going with the largest oem shape 1-piece sway bars available for your application (front & rear) combined with moderate spring rates and high quality adjustable shocks. this will produce a responsive handling car without riding like a 1-ton truck.

Someone with more street ride quality experience than me should suggest rates, but I'm thinking in the 500-550# range in the front and the rear rate ... 175-225# will depend a lot on where the springs end up mounted from the car's centerline (motion ratio).

I would suggest you go away from the leaf spring set-up if you can afford to. If you're not competing with it, you probably don't need it to be adjustable, so a torque arm or triangulated 4-bar set-up may fit your needs and keep the suspension simple.

Best wishes !