SPL Parts Suspension Upgrade on the Devine Force Racing VA STi

The next big upgrade in the rear was SPL’s adjustable Rear Lower Camber Arms. These also help eliminate bushing deflection due to their spherical bearings and allow for easy camber adjustments. Camber is the inward or outward angle of the wheel when viewed from the front of the car. Camber angle is what allows proper tire wear, better handling, and speed when aligned correctly. Since we’re racing and we have the car lowered, unwanted negative camber can occur, and our camber arms will allow us to adjust how much negative or positive we want for our application.

The last but not least upgrade we did in the rear is SPL’s PRO Rear Sway bar end links. Sway bars work to keep the tires in contact with the track by decreasing weight transfer. Sometimes one will need to lower the car to help the car handle better and be more aerodynamic or corner balancing which then changes the suspension geometry. To ensure the angle of the sway bar is correct when doing so, SPL’s adjustable rear sway bar end links can be shortened or extended to ensure a proper angle of attack and eliminate unwanted preload. These end links are made with 2-piece Teflon lined FK 1/2″ bearings to ensure they can handle the load from stiffer sway bars.

For the front upgrades we kept it simple and replaced our weaker outer front tie rod with SPL’s Front Tie Rod Ends that are Bump steer Adjustable – these beefed-up tie rod ends consist of, machined heat treated nickel plated 4140 chromoly steel shanks with 304 stainless steel bump steer spacers, 2024-T351 aluminum turnbuckles paired with the low-friction PTFE-lined FK rod ends. Having these built to handle racing abuse is essential especially given that these will directly affect the ability to steer the car. Tie Rods are what connect the steering rack to the steering knuckle and in this case, the outer tie rod is what connects to the steering knuckle and turns the front wheels. SPL’s adjustable front tie rod ends allow us to change the length of the tie rod which will adjust the toe. When we make the tie rod longer it pushes the back of the wheel away from the center of the car, which pushes the front side of the wheel towards the center creating toe-in. Much like the rear traction arm we mentioned earlier the front tie rods have adjustments that allow us to tune out unwanted bump steer in the front but, also have spacers that pivot the tie rod to lower or raises the steering angle in 1/8”-1/4” increments to help correct for bump steer.