My new-to-me gen 3-Big 5 has an odd ride height. It really squats in the rear. I've tried messing with the air pressure per Grant's suggestions and I've found that the car works much better at 38 - 40 in the rear with 2 - 3 people in the car. With 5 people in the car it runs much better at about 42 - 44. If I get up around 46 - 48 the back end kicks on whoops and has an overall harsh ride.

I'd like the car to ride even but in order to do that it the ride is way to harsh and just doesn't work right.

I already have triple bi-passes on the car and I'm wondering what I should do. This might sound crazy, but I'm thinking of a spacer under the rear bags. You guys got any answers?

By the way the car performed extremely well this weekend at Dumont. Unfortunately I had the terrible honor of taking back the owner of the Bud Lite Big 5 to his trailer. I think he made moosh out of his trans on a step-up jump. Got him on the intercom and he told me that he had only been there a couple of hours.

That SUCKS!

I've always used the airbags to set the ride height of the car only. Use your bypass adjustments to tune the suspension one the desired ride height is acheived with the air bags. I would back out the compression and rebound all the way, make some runs and slowly adjust them in until it feels good.

Justin from Revenge made a really good post about suspension tuning here.

Suspension tuning

Yep need to match rebound and compression dampening with bag pressure, also if you haven't recently, get your shocks serviced it is cheap and often overlooked during routine maint..

I'm not sure where to start on the shocks.... What I think are triple b-passes, may in fact be double... if there is such a thing.

Shock has a big tube with a resi on it. at the end of the resi, there is a shrader valve. I'm sure for nitrogen pressure. The other tubes are about the same length and pointed in opposite directions - and one is labeled "Compression". The other tube is not marked nor does it have a sticker like the compression tube.

I would have thought that the other would say rebound, but I'm not real familiar with King Shocks. I also haven't checked my pressure either. I'm finding that I'm going through the car a little by little and putting some personal touches to it. That said, I'm learning a great deal about it as well.

Guess this is what it's going to be like, a lot of questions and lots of wrenching (until I know it in and out - and I will soon).

thanks for the help guys.

I run 47 in the rear bags and 42 in the front, but I have a Hustler IV with a V8...If you are still at Dumont, I think the Funco crew are there this weekend, near #5. You might run by there and see what's what.....

crap, I didn't know and I'm already back. DAMN!!!!!

I had it up at 46-48 and it was WAY to much. Rode really rough and hopped over whoops. Grant told me that the pressure would overtake the shocks at some point, and they sure did.

Former owner told me that I should get smaller front tires, but I'm thinking that I have what is recommended.

DAMN! wish I would have known that the funco crew was at Dumont. DAMN! DAMN! DAMN!

What engine is in your car? Weight will affect how much air you'll need.

What do you mean "ride even"? Are you saying it's always too low in the rear, or just when taking off? How much air are you running in the front? Don't expect your car to ride real high off the ground like other cars. The secret to the handling in a Funco is having the correct ride height to keep the center of gravity low. They are designed to ride at a certain height. The bottom of the floor is generally even with the axle centers with your passengers. Swatting upon take off is normal, but you may have too much air in the front. I run 36 in the front, 38 in the back, with a 2.5L Subaru with just myself in the car.

I've been running 40 in the front, which may be too much. I've really been concerned so much with the back that the front has been the "control group" at a constant 40. I have the Honda 3.5 in the car that is turbo charged and has an intercooler and power steering.

The ride height of the rear of the car that the pivot point of the trailing arm is 16.5inches.

The front is at 19. These are static weights and the car is equiped with exactly what Funco is recommending. Heck, I talked to Grant and got the exact tires he suggested. Front are standard issue 5 rib implements.

It very well could be too stout in the front (bags I mean). I ran wasn't watching the pressure to well last Saturday and it got down to 36-37... things seem to run just fine. I'm not a jumper with the exception of an occasional 1 - 2 footer in the air.

The darn thing just sits nose high... I've included a pic or two for your viewing.... Kind of hard to tell but you have the dimensions as back up.

Thanks for the help guys.

If the back end kicks up U have to stiffen the rebound adjustment on the shock. Also if U havent checked the nitrogen pressure in the shocks thats a must do. If thats low that changes ride height also. Shock nitro pres, should be 180 to 200 pnds at full droop.

I run 50 psi in the rear and 35-40 psi in the front air bags. My car has an LS1 and runs Great.

It is a Gen IV though I hope this helps...

Scott...

I've got the 3.5 honda but no turbo and no bypasses. I run 38 in the front bags and about 48 in the back. Everything runs fine for me but I don't hammer through the whoops.

I run 55-60 in the rear and 48-50 up front. We have an LS6 V8. That is with a full car of 5. By myself and a friend I run 46-48 front and 50-52 rear. We also do some jumping and running through the whoops. It took a full season to finally dial in the bypass shocks. Run compression loose and rebound fairly tight. That seems to work great for us. Hope that this helps.

We had a friend out with us this weekend with an Alumicraft, that just got new coils installed on his shocks. He kept saying that the rearend was bouncing all over the place. We checked the nitrogen levels in his shocks and one was perfect and the other was EMPTY. We charged it up and went for a run and he said the car handled perfectly. Check your nitrogen. By the looks of you pics you don't have triple bypass, it looks like single in the rear, which would mean you couldn't adjust your rebound. Like raspado said, you definitely have to match rebound and compression adjustment with your airbag pressure. The short compression tube is your g-out adjustment.