"Don't Get Jerked Around" by Factory (or Aftermarket) Suspensions - Ride Harmony Overview (1/6)

#suspension #RideHarmony #FCMElite #damping #tuning
If you want to save money, time, and headache you'll want to watch this Essential Concept for Ride Harmony video series. "Flat Ride" (or "Fast Settling") is the foundation. Understand how factory 'sport' suspensions are giving you some Flat Ride until the road gets rougher or you enter into a corner. Then, the suspension loses travel, gets harsher and more unpredictable. Not at all good for nice ride or excellent handling!

How do we fix it? Get the car using the main springs more, maintain the Flat Ride relationship, likely add a larger front sway bar BUT leave the rear sway bar alone (sometimes disconnect it). Use shorter, softer bump stops front and rear which actually are there to absorb BIG bumps (not always engage like the factory). For a driver who wants a tighter ride the Ride Harmony and Race Synergy approach will give consistency, predictable, and more smoothness than you'd ever expect including on broken roads. Your overall stopping ability and safety margins increase as well yielding benefits in multiple dimensions. Plus, especially when you select us as your suspension tuner, the Bilstein-based monotube dampers we use are long-lived and serviceable at very reasonable cost. You pay for the individually-tailored experience designed just for you, then enjoy a durable and harmonized ride and handling experience.

Want Ride Harmony? Reach out for FCM Elite Design and Consultation services:

Inquiry -
https://www.fatcatmotorsports.com/con...

Consultation form -
https://www.fatcatmotorsports.com/fcm...

Time stamps:
0:01 - Overview of Suspension Concepts
1:10 - Elements of Suspension Optimization
3:05 - Understanding Ride Quality and Compliance
5:23 - Flat Ride and Spring relationships
7:22 - Bump stops and their function
8:35 - The factory front bump stop is often TWICE the stiffness of the front spring!
9:30 - Flat Ride makes the car want to rotate, makes rear more playful.
10:04 - The factory front bump stop DOMINATES the vehicle's ride and handling response! Combined with a typically front strut or shock that is rebound-biased, you get PITCH and terminal understeer. Very uninspiring handling and choppy ride.
10:34 - Factory front dampers typically compress easily but extend slowly ('front jacks down')
12:55 - Factory suspension characteristics
13:10 - Bump stop contribute to overall spring rate
13:24 - Combined front bump stop plus front damper jacking down causes PITCH!
15:00 - Due to little front travel, the suspension changes into PITCH very quickly.
16:22 - Consulting services available, more info in following videos

Short - 1.6 seconds Faster a lap at Mugello on a Ferrari 575M using Rally style (compression-biased) vs. NASCAR circle track (rebound-biased) damping!    • 1.6 seconds a lap faster at Mugello on a F...  

"This Flat Ride stuff is crap!" Internet expert speaks out -
   • "This Flat Ride stuff is crap" - an intern...  

Envisioning the Perfect Ride - Creating a Scientific Framework (1/2) -
   • Envisioning the Perfect Ride - Creating a ...  

Envisioning the Perfect Ride Part 2 - Creating a Scientific Framework (2/2) -
   • Envisioning the Perfect Ride - Creating a ...  

The Evolution of FCM Elite shock tuning    • How Shocks Work - The Evolution of FCM Eli...  

How do you Handle a Raw Egg? Isolation and Control -    • How Shocks Work - How Do You Handle a Raw ...  

What is Flat Ride and Why Should You Care? (many good comments!)    • How Shocks Work - What is Flat Ride (or 'F...  

Why Flat Ride Matters - A Fascinating Road Test with NO Damping! (many good comments!)    • How Shocks Work - Why Flat Ride Matters, a...  

How do Bump Stops Work? Analogy to Walking -    • How Bump Stops Work - An Analogy to Walkin...  

How Shocks Work - Compression vs. Rebound - Jacking Down    • How Shocks Work - Jacking Down - Rebound v...  

How Shocks Work - "Playing with Knobs" - Do you need adjustable shocks? (1/2)
   • How Shocks Work - "Playing With Knobs" - D...  

How Shocks Work - "Playing with Knobs" - OEM and Aftermarketing Tuning Psychology (2/2)
   • How Shocks Work - "Playing with Knobs" - O...  

Got Flat Ride? Picking springs, sways, and bump stops to Harmonize your Ride
   • Got Flat Ride? Picking springs, sways, and...  

Andrew (Farkle)'s BMW M2 coupe suspension Deep Dive (part 2):    • BMW M2/M3/M4 (F8X) Suspension Deep Dive (P...  

Ripple Reducer (1/2) - Smoothing the impact of Rough Roads -    • How Shocks Work - "Ripple Reducer" Softens...  

Ripple Reducer (2/2) - A testimonial -    • How Shocks Work - Ripple Reducer Part 2 an...  

How Shocks Work - Street Class Tuning - Damping and Flat Ride (many good comments!)    • How Shocks Work - Street Class Tuning - Da...  

Transcript assistance provided by Otter.AI with edits by Shaikh ('cause electric sheep can't swim!)