This is a computer generated map of our pull bar angles. The pull bar is the device on the car that gives us forward drive and allows us to get traction on dirt. We were on the blue line and were pulling the front end off the ground like this
this last weekend we moved it forward to the green line trying to get it to stop pushing through the front end . We ended up with the front end looking more like this .
Just look at that poor steem logo all beat up back there.
With the new setup we are changing to a tie down shock on the right front that keeps it rolled over and helps it turn through the corner then adds drive on corner exit when we are pointed straight. So we are using the shock as a timing device. We do this by putting it on our shock dyno at our shop and we can time how long it should take to go from fully compressed to fully extended and simulate the corner by using our lap times and dividing out the track into sections.
Here is a video of a pull bar doing its thing. It is the top link that has the spring. It gives us traction in mud I guess you could say. lol.
The funny part is that that spring is a 1200 psi spring and with a 2500 pound car we can produce enough grip through the tires to compress that spring 3 inches. So somehow we are generating 3600 pounds of force through the contact patch of the tires. That is amazing to me and to be honest it should be physically impossible but we do it all the time.
Here is a view from the other side of the car with a different kind of bar. This one has bushings instead of a spring.