Aftermarket strut rods

[Ken Miele]

I posted this question and poll for James Findell, div 5 stocker. He was having trouble posting the poll so here goes. These are his words....

"During recent conversations, NHRA Tech has stated that they believe the current use of aftermarket strut rods is extremely limited. Therefore, they believe by not allowing these parts, they will only affect a small amount of racers. Let's take a poll and see how this affects us...

Have you used aftermarket strut rods? yes / no
Do you believe aftermarket strut rods provide better stability / control thus promoting safety? yes / no
Would you utilize this product if ban was lifted? yes / no"

[afret]

Have you used aftermarket strut rods? YES

Do you believe aftermarket strut rods provide better stability/control thus promoting safety? YES

Would you utilize this product if ban was lifted? YES

[Mark Yacavone]

Question :
If the rubber bushings are the problem, why not just replace it with a spherical bushing and weld retainers in place? Why is it always aftermarket this ,that ?..Gotta have it


* I meant, why not allow you to fix the struts you already have....

[Mark Madison]

I have them on my car and like them. The reason I choose to use them is to stabilize the lower A- arm, along with a gusset across the two stamped sheetmetal halves. Nothing top secret here, trying to eliminate deflection in the front end.

Think about this for a second . What happens to the front wheels when the brakes are applied at 130 mph or the car comes down from a wheel stand with rubber bushings? Answer is, the stock rubber is compressed and the wheels are forced into a toe out position. Some more than others as rubber is not a solid connection. Then what happens with the solid mounted heim ? Zero stretch or deflection and a consistent stable alignment of the front tires.

What other type connection will allow the a-arm to articulate throughout the range of motion without deflection better than a heim or spherical bearing and a solid connection to the frame?


Fuel cells, Seats, 3" wide belts, ( A F-15 uses 2" with No re certification ever and they see a hell of lot more seat time, but that's a separate matter) wheelie bars, bell housings, four wheel disk brakes and a roll cage are all allowed or mandatory in the interest of safety. This seems to be a commonsense addition.

Mark Madison 7995

[Dyno]

A question for the people that voted against this, do you have a car that uses a strut rod and do you race a car in stock or superstock? If you do not, then explain why you would vote against it. This is a safety factor and nothing else. Try stepping on the brakes at 150 and keeping the car straight and under control. Not everyone who races a fast car has the necessary experience that is required to keep a race car under control. How many times have we witnessed a racer taking themselves into the wall and the racer next to them. Not to allow this would be stupid, selfish and unresponsible. NHRA is going to look at this, think about this before you voice an opinion. Dyno

[69Cobra]

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

Question :
If the rubber bushings are the problem, why not just replace it wish a spherical bushing and weld retainers in place?

Is there a difference between a spherical bushing and bearing? Either way they both are aftermarket and not factory or NHRA legal. Now do you see the problem?

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

Why is it always aftermarket this ,that ?..Gotta have it

Safety maybe?

[69Cobra]

I think you know which way I voted. I would also like to ask for those that vote against this to post their S/SS competition number and the car that they race that has a brake strut rod front suspension. Yeah I know that's not going to happen because they either don't have a S/SS competition number, or don't have a car with a brake strut rod front suspension. If NHRA doesn't pass this I'm going to propose that NHRA checks to make sure that every type of front suspension has all their factory rubber bushings at every pivot point. No more solid rollerized front bearings for anything, all rubber for everybody. Hey maybe they could get Trojan to sponsor that. "All rubber for everybody" LOL

Hey Ken,
Is there a way to see who voted for what? I know some polls are like that.

[Andrew Hill]

Originally Posted by Dyno

Not everyone who races a fast car has the necessary experience that is required to keep a race car under control.

Not even considering the strut rod issue, people who race fast cars should absolutely have the experience to keep them under control.

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by 69Cobra

Is there a difference between a spherical bushing and bearing? Either way they both are aftermarket and not factory or NHRA legal. Now do you see the problem?



Safety maybe?

I know that .That was not my point.
I couldn't vote because there was no option for being able to fix the struts a racer may already have.
I fixed the struts on the Tempest pictured in the other thread, for about 60 bucks.

[69Cobra]

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

I know that .That was not my point.
I couldn't vote because there was no option for being able to fix the struts a racer may already have.
I fixed the struts on the Tempest pictured in the other thread, for about 60 bucks.

I gotcha. Yeah the spherical bearing on the stock strut rod will fix the issue. Its doesn't have to be an aftermarket rod.