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When it comes to suspension tuning, understanding what your suspension is doing under load is an incredibly important metric. Data logging this information can ultimately convey pertinent details about suspension travel, your downforce, and if there are any sudden impacts that the dampers or springs are not equipped to handle with their current settings.
Suspension potentiometers are commonly referred to as damper pots, shock pots, or LVDT (linear variable displacement transducer) sensors, however not to be confused with damper/shock blow-off valves. These sensors can measure readings at variable rates. The faster the sample rate, the more data you can accumulate. This is an important factor to consider since you’ll want to cover as much wheel travel as possible to get the most accurate data needed to make adjustments.
There are two types of potentiometers to choose from and it will depend on the application and space available to you as to which one is right for you. A linear potentiometer measures changes that happen in a singular path, in this instance, typically straight up and down. Then there’s a rotary potentiometer that measures changes in angles. Understanding the relationship between the items installed on your vehicle can give you more precise data to extrapolate from. For instance, assuming your mounting points are rigid (solid or heim joints), then you can focus on the data you’re collecting more straightforwardly. Whereas with polyurethane or rubber bushings, deflection in the control arms, trailing arms, etc., need to be taken into account when you make decisions about suspension tuning from the data collected.
Data logging this information can be done through various software suites, such as Race Studio, and opens up an opportunity to finely tune suspension parameters in more specific and scientific ways, instead of simply adjusting based upon the feel and feedback the driver experiences. Data can help win races but nothing will replace experience. Combining both facets will help push both the car and the driver to new limits and will hopefully result in maximizing both within a given class or set of rules.
