Car stance for desert sand
Posted by AdvancedRemove2718@reddit | Battlecars | View on Reddit | 19 comments
Hello, im looking to start putting together a wasteland/battlecar. I live in florida so we dont have deep dry desert sand, ive seen many of these cars jacked up in the rear (the gigahorse is an exaggerated example) does this help with driving through sand or does it just look cool? Anything i should keep in mind to make sure i dont get stuck?
TheSixSpeed@reddit
No it’s a secret third thing: Raising the back a little bit more allows you to carry gear without the car sagging. This is the same reason stock pickup trucks have that raked look to them, and why leveling kits exist.
hankhillsucks@reddit
But it also puts more weight on the front
AdvancedRemove2718@reddit (OP)
yes well all of these cars remain jacked up in the back all the time
TheSixSpeed@reddit
In that case I’d say it’s just a style thing. What car are you doing your build with?
AdvancedRemove2718@reddit (OP)
whatever i find but i hope my base will be something like a squarebody chevy or the 99-01 silverados. 4x4. 350sbc stroked to 383 and cannibalize some cars to do a new bed and new fenders/hood. i think cab will remain relatively untouched.
SarangLegacy@reddit
Those are trucks, not cars.
offroad-subaru@reddit
Don’t do it. It’s just a silly look thing.
Raising the rear end lightens the load on the rear axle. Unless you want to spin in sand, it’s terrible to use it.
It will put extra pressure on the front suspension and weight which will limit your suspension travel.
Ideally you want a balanced suspension unless it’s for a special application.
AdvancedRemove2718@reddit (OP)
except under acceleration but i dont see me hooking into sand like a prepped surface
offroad-subaru@reddit
Even under acceleration. The weight on the rear matters. Especially with 2wd vehicles like in the Max movies.
If you look at drag racing with prepared surfaces. They use imbalanced sized tires but they are not jacking up the rear way above the rear tires.
They want it lower so more weight is on those bigger tires. They compensate by having shocks in the front release upwards easier than standard shocks to get more weight transfer.
Besides traction the lower the center of gravity is will make your vehicle more stable and less tippy.
Lower tire pressure is also key. You’d be surprised the difference between 10 psi, 18psi, and 24 psi on sand. The slower you plan on driving the lower the better.
Higher is terrible. Especially with softer sand.
Just go out and experiment and see it first hand. Good luck with your adventure. 😃
AdvancedRemove2718@reddit (OP)
a lot of drag cars are a little higher in the back as their suspensions pushes the rears down. but yes 99% of the time its no good
Comrade_Compadre@reddit
What?
Deinonychus-sapiens@reddit
The raked forward look is cool, and has a few practical reasons too. Ideally you want more ground clearance front and rear so when you start to sink in or go over uneven terrain you aren’t dragging the car body across or into stuff. Look up approach, departure, and break over angles and it will help understanding this a bit. The reason a lot of these cars end up looking like this is because older 60’s to 80’s rear wheel drive cars had a solid rear axle and independent front suspension. It is a lot easier to lift solid axle suspension than independent. Also the only way to get more ground clearance on a solid axle is to fit taller tyres which will improve the clearance between the differential and the ground. To do that you need more space for the wheels, which the lift provides, potentially bodywork mods too depending on vehicle and tyres. This is a very basic overview, happy to discuss further.
AdvancedRemove2718@reddit (OP)
im familiar with the those angles. jacking the rear kills your approach angle though. my car wont be doing any real offroading i just want to make sure im making it through deep sand. will be avoiding steep dunes as im not an a-rab
Deinonychus-sapiens@reddit
Yeah so ideally you want to raise the front too or you will just be burying its nose in the sand. Did I see you are starting with a truck? If so this will likely be easier, and lots of parts available to modify. Bigger tyres and maybe beadlocks so you can air down. Are you likely to be rock crawling too?
AdvancedRemove2718@reddit (OP)
yeah. its going to be lifted front and rear. no rock crawling for me. more of a funtional showpiece than an actual offroad rig.
Deinonychus-sapiens@reddit
Cool, sounds like a prerunner truck would be about right then?
AdvancedRemove2718@reddit (OP)
although that would be cool a trophy trunk 4 link and tube chassis isnt in the budget. question was more for how to prevent getting stuck. how much tire surface area do you need depending on weight etc
Deinonychus-sapiens@reddit
Deinonychus-sapiens@reddit
Something like this if you also want that rat rod mad max look? Based on a 1982 Chevy C10