Free Downloads How To Make Your Muscle Car Handle: Revised Edition
When automotive manufacturers stuffed large V-8 engines into intermediate-size cars, the American muscle car was born. Built from 1964 on, the vast majority of these amazingly fast machines did not carry cutting-edge chassis and suspension systems, and now these cars are up to 50 years old. Today, owners do not have to settle for poor handling and ride quality.Muscle car and suspension expert Mark Savitske has built his business, Savitske Classic and Custom, on making muscle cars handle and ride at their best. With this updated edition, Savitske shows you what it takes to transform the handling of these high-horsepower machines. He explains the front and rear suspension geometry so you understand how it functions, and in turn, you realize how to get the most from a particular system. He also reveals the important aspects of spring rates, shock dampening, and ride height so you select the best spring and shock package for your car and application. He discusses popular high-performance tubular suspension arms and sway bars, so you can find the right combination of performance and adjustability. The suspension system has to operate as an integrated part of the car, so you're shown how to select best suspension package for a well-balanced and responsive car. He also discusses how to extract maximum performance from popular GM, Ford, and Mopar muscle cars.You can harness the performance potential of your muscle car and put much more power to the ground with critical chassis and suspension updates and products. A muscle car that carries modern suspension technology not only provides far better handling and ride comfort, but it is also much safer. How to Make Your Muscle Car Handle is the essential guide to unlocking the handling and performance potential of your muscle car. If you yearn for better handling, comfort, and performance for your muscle car, this is the book for you.
Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: CarTech; 2nd Revised ed. edition (May 5, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1613251750
ISBN-13: 978-1613251751
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.4 x 11 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #554,512 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #26 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Automotive > Repair & Maintenance > Suspension & Chassis #275 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Automotive > Customize #937 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Transportation > Owner's Manuals & Maintenance Guides
I was somewhat disappointed in this book. It is not quite detailed and comprehensive enough to be considered a reference for all the suspension modifications that are possible, or why you should choose one over the other. There is a decent discussion of basic concepts in suspension kinematics and how to relate those ideas to observable attributes of you car. There is a short section on tuning strategies that I wish was longer. And then there is a lot of space devoted to discussion of particular vendor's solutions; with a thinly disguised emphasis on the author's own company's products, and those of a few others; but, without a comprehensive index of everything that is available. To his credit, the author states explicitly that he has not set out to write that kind of book -- he just wants to write something the average car guy can access. His avoidance of engineering jargon is successful, but every time he gets close to making a general conclusion that might be useful and actually teach something to the average car guy, he backs off and invokes the I-am-a-suspension-guru-and-you-should-just-believe-me attitude so common in the popular automotive press. The result is an unsatisfying stew of inconsistently-justified, anecdotal solutions for particular cars (mostly GM) that adds little to the advertiser-driven product hype that can be found in any number of specialty magazines. Not a total waste of money... but that's mostly because it didn't cost that much.
I bought this book to use a reference while building my car. I was hoping that this would be an unbiased guide to help me choose a design that would best suit my driving style and the planned use of my car. I was pleasantly surprised that the book did not say I needed to fabricate or purchase a high end package to achieve what I wanted. The book detailed how I could tune the factory style of suspension and get better handling without breaking the bank. Before I had purchased the book, I had thought I would need to replace the factory rear leaf springs with a 4-link style of suspension to make my car handle, yet the book describes how you can retain leaf springs and still get desired handling. To understand the book, you do not need to be a suspension guru, or an engineer. It is written so that the shade-tree mechanic can work on suspension, which was reassuring to me when I went to start working on my car. It was very easy to understand how to make each change to the car, and what outcome i could expect from each change. I was truly afraid this book was going to be a guide to purchasing a series of products offered by specific companies, though I was pleasantly surprised that it was a how-to guide to make my car handle, not a buy-my-parts book as several guides likes these I have read. The book is well written and I would suggest it to anyone that has a muscle car, because just the tuning sections really changed how my car drove, before I spent any money on upgrades.
I was expecting just a little more "hands on" type explanation and instruction. Really didn't need a history lesson of all the people who came up with the different suspension designs over the last 100 years or so. That written dialogue space could have been used to show a dedicated project from start to finish and the real world results of the modifications. Most of the muscle cars of the 60's and early 70's had triangulated 4 link or leaf spring rear suspensions ... and as far as I know, most of the of muscle cars in that era had unequal length control arms of different configurations as a front suspension design. As far as I am concerned, that's all that should have been addressed in the book.The only real highlight of the book was the information on bumpsteer and the causes. But yet again, no clear path for the guy in his garage to know where to start to correct the problem without months of hit and miss.My impression of the book was there was too much listing of all the different suppliers of "updated suspension parts",with the statement that it's also buyer beware of who you purchase those parts from. Too much filler and not enough substance.
Good job explaining some basic rear suspension dynamics and terms, however I was disappointed in the somewhat spotty coverage of overall basic suspension theory. For example, early on "slip angle" is mentioned in passing but there is no explanation of what it is and how it affects how the car reacts. Was I supposed to know this already? Fine, but If I knew what a slip angle was, then I probably wouldn't need an explanation of suspension pivot points either, which was explained in basic terms geared toward a novice. I get the sense that a lot of technical jargon was there for the benefit of anyone who wants to parrot them to impress their fellow hot rodders on local cruise nights. I suppose if you just want to know what to get for your muscle car without all the theory behind it, you'll find this book is for you.
This book gives you ideas and improvements to make your muscle car handle well. Chassis and brakes upgrades a must for the old muscle cars, "AM" chassis designs now called Heritage platforms, like it said if you can go from old Am radios to working sound system, why not? Upgrades, let's be real the old cars weren't designed for performance and with poor suspensions. The suspension geometry design plays an important role in the muscles cars but found to be terribly lacking back then, so what do they do now, "upgrade." This book will explain how to tackle it, not bandage it up but fix it. Excellent read and easy to follow for the backyard mechanics. I received a free book that I had won through the LibraryThing giveaway.
Great book by a suspension master mind. Always have found him very helpful over the phone and takes the time to find out exactly what you need for your specific application
this is a very under examined part of this hobby. still reading but I have learned a lot of useful tips so far.
great book, full of good info. Wish I had it BEFORE I started buying parts...
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