i know trucks really are not good for racing but its in my blood. anyone know of some great ways to make the truck handle better?? I have an 04 f150 heritage flareside with a 4.2 and a 5 speed. i know lowering it obvioulsy (which i plan on doing with a 2front/4rear drop kit) will help and bigger swaybars but what else???

 

Well you could look at the late model lightning for a start. There are many ways to address handling the toughest part is getting the right balance.

Things you can change: Tires, Wheels, Swaybars, Springs, ride height, shocks, alignment.

Things to remember: If you go with a stiff spring, don't use stiff shocks! The relationship of these two is inverse...if you run a stiff spring you want the shock to be responsive since you are combating dive/movement with spring pressure.

Sway bars only work in corners, they make no difference in a straight line.

The rear of a pickup is always way to stiff to handle well. You could easily pull 1 mid leaf out and handle better but you will lose your load handling capability.

Rear sway bars on pickups will be quite small compared to the front. There is so much less weight back there when combined with the springs made for load.

You can change alignment and drastically change the "turn in" of the pickup...problem being the trade off of tire wear to handling. If it is a race car you might run 5%+ degrees of chamber and as much caster as you can get in it. Problem....it will steer like a pig at low speeds and the tires will wear horribly. A trade off....run as much caster as you can, more caster gives you more chamber when the wheels are turned and the body will "drop" into the corners better. You will increase your steering effort, but you won't lose as much tire life. I would run the far end of the factory setting on Chamber (probably around 1.5 degrees).

Just thoughts off the top. Purchase a very old book called "How to Make Your Car Handle". It is old, but all the theories still apply.

Kenny

 

When changing springs, be carefull not to go to stiff. Stiffer does not always equal better when trying to improve handling. You must allow the suspension to work. Also pay close attention to the weight of your wheel and tire combo, a lighter set will be easier for the suspension to control.

 

yes i know the lighter the better but they also need to be strong enough to handle the weight of the truck. i have been talking to a couple of people and i am trying to get someone to start manufacturing a set of cobra R's that will fit the f150 and be able to handle the weight. i have seen a few people on here who have wanted these wheels also and i'm trying to make somethin happen.