Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Picked up a new 2011 chassis and I noticed there are two different jacobs ladder pickup points on the frame, a set in line with the framerail, and a set on the outside of the tubing.

I am just wondering what these are, what size ladder to run, when should i adjust them..etc

thanks everyone!!

Call the Chassis maker. That would have been step one.

I don't aim to please.
I aim to hit the target.

Are there dual mounts on top...or both top and bottom? Either way, using the outside mounts will make the car tighter.

Ladder movement is not linear to the chassis. The ladder tip (where the w-link attaches to the bird cage) creates an "arc" as the ladder moves up and down. The arc motion moves the rear end to the left in relation to the chassis. When the rear end moves left, so does the torque tube and ball (remember the tube and ball are an extension of the rear end) and eventually the ladder movement creates a bind between the ball and the housing. This suspension bind plants the right rear and makes the car "tighter".

Moving just the upper ladder straps to the outside position will advance the arc and will make the suspension bind quicker, thus making the chassis tighter.

Moving both the upper and lower ladder straps to the outside position may require the use of a shorter w-link. A shorter ladder moves in a tighter arc and will create a suspension bind quicker, thus making the chassis tighter.

If you're just starting out, I would recommend using the frame-rail mounts, with a 14" ladder (measured from the center of the strap holes to the center of the heim hole), with 7" straps (measured from the center of the hole to center of the hole). Note: Most ladder straps are 7", but the rear sway bar (or ladder) lengths do frequently vary.

Then as your setup understanding grows you can start to experiment with different ladder settings.