BustaWrench › Answers › How do springs and ride height change how an iRacing car han
The short answer
Springs hold the car up and control how weight moves: softer means more movement, more mechanical grip over bumps and lazier weight transfer, stiffer means sharper response but less contact patch over kerbs. Ride height is how low the floor sits — lower brings downforce and the risk of bottoming — and rake, front lower than rear, helps the car rotate at speed but makes it twitchier under braking.
Forget stiff equals grippy. Springs do two jobs: they support the car's weight, and they control weight transfer.
A soft spring lets the chassis pitch, roll and squat more. That is more mechanical grip over bumps, but slower, lazier weight transfer. A stiff spring sharpens the response, and you skate over kerbs and lose contact patch on a rough track.
Ride height is the distance from the chassis floor to the track. Lower gives you more aero downforce, but you risk bottoming out. Rake is the difference between front and rear ride height: nose down and tail up gives you a wedge that helps rotate the car in fast corners.
More rake means more rear aero, but it can make the car twitchy under braking. Less rake is more stable, but you push wide on entry.
Soften the front springs and the nose dives more under braking — more front grip, and a rear light enough to snap loose. Stiffen the front and it turns in sharper but understeers on exit.
Soften the rear for traction off the corners, and the car squats and loses aero. Stiffen the rear and it rotates better, but it can spin up on throttle.
Change the front or the rear, run three laps, write down what you felt. If it understeers mid-corner, soften the front or stiffen the rear — pick one. Ride height comes after the springs are close, not before.
Spring rates that suit you depend on the car, the track and the current tyre model. If the car is not behaving the way this describes, ask a coach.
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