Ride height is the distance between the bottom of the chassis and the surface. Ride height is usually changed by moving the spring limiter up and down on the shock (changing the pre-load.)
Front ride height
Lower front ride height
- Less chassis roll
- More responsive handling
- Worse handling in bumps / jumps
Higher front ride height
- More chassis roll
- Better handling in bumps
- Better jumping ability
Rear ride height
Lower rear ride height
- Less chassis roll
- More responsive handling
- Worse handling in bumps / jumps
Higher rear ride height
- More chassis roll
- Better handling in bumps
- Better jumping ability
Middle ride height
When racing pan cars, it is common to also measure the ride height in the middle of the car, at the front of the rear pod. Its impact on handling will be similar to that of the rear ride height.
Ride height differences
If one end of the car is lower than the other, that end will typically have more grip, but big differences in ride height between front and rear make the car less stable.
Changes to ride height will also change the car’s droop if no other adjustments are made.
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