Part of the purpose of reloading RedZed was to have an in house test bed for our new
ExtReme products. If you're not familiar with the Extreme subframe and suspension,
Click Here for more info. Together with Ron Sutton our design team really dug in to develop a suspension that provides you guys with geometry that has moved ahead of all other Pro Touring suspension systems currently on the market, no holds were barred. We also got sick of hearing Mary whining about skinny front tires ( jab-jab :naughty
and designed this subframe to manage 315s up front on a 1st gen and the 2nd gen version can swallow a 335 up front! RedZed's previous combination had "little bitty" 275s up front so this was a welcome change. Let's get on with the photos, and I'll interject some thoughts in between here and there...
Here are some of the parts that make this suspension the leader of the pack. Note the ultra high clearance control arms that allow 30+ degrees of steering angle with a 315 tire. They also also help optimize things like Caster and camber settings. The new, redesigned exclusively for this suspension system, forged ATS AFX
ExtReme aluminum spindle provides better geometry than any other spindle on the market, including Corvette and Corvette based copies. This is a really cool piece, read more about our achieved geometry on the link above. The Sweet race influenced rack and pinion not only has valving specific to our (and your) needs, it can handle the abuse of running that large a tire in track day situations that other off the shelf OEM replacement style racks can't handle. The LS platform is the standard mill choice for this set up and stands that locate the engine for optimum clearance and driveline angle are included.
The center portion of the subframe is the same as what's in our C10 chassis and the 2nd gen Camaro subframe, and is currently underway getting incorporated into a full chassis for 64-72 Chevelles. the front and rear frame rails are designed so that this is a true easy bolt in situation with all factory bracket holes are right where you need them. Note also the front crossmember tube helps strengthen the front frame rails while providing the housing for the standard equipment 3 piece adjustable splined sway bar.
The frame is a box type construction that is internally gusseted and braced for superior strength and reducing flex under hard load. Frame rails are narrowed where needed for extra tire clearance.
Now things are starting to look good! Note the .77 motion ratio of the shock. The closer the shock mount is to the ball joint the faster the shock can react to road surface conditions and the better it can keep the largest contact patch of the tires planted. Efficiency here allows for more control, better response, a better feel and better ride when comparing to similar systems.