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Handling & Braking

• Driveshaft Science

  What do hot rodders, customized car builders, race shops and automobile restorers have in common? They all need to build custom-length driveshafts from time to time. Many project-car builders need... Read More

• Install Adjustable Camber Plates

  Most passenger car suspensions are built with comfort and quiet, no-surprises operation in mind. Engineers weigh road handling and performance against acceptable tire wear when they design... Read More

• Strut Tower Brace

  The best kinds of performance modifications are those that are simple and inexpensive. While it's easy to get lost on the costly road to squeezing more horsepower out of an engine, another and often... Read More

• Better Braking

  Performance brakes might sound like an oxymoron—like jumbo shrimp, pretty ugly or happy Monday. "Performance" conjures up images of impressive forward motion, the ability to go from 0 -60 in... Read More

• Affordable Mods You Can Make

  If you're a car guy or gal you may already have the very common yet unfortunately incurable performance affliction. Be it new or old, big or small, car, truck, minivan, or even an SUV, you can't... Read More

• Rear Brace Installation

  There are many ways to improve the handling characteristics of your car. Unfortunately, most of those ways involve very complicated suspension work. Tools like spring compressors, air wrenches and a... Read More

• Air Springs Install

  An air spring suspension on a chassis can serve a wide variety of purposes, depending on the type of system. Some of the first air spring suspensions were developed about 50 years ago as an insert... Read More

• High-Rise Construction

  Setting up a vehicle for going off-road is like playing with dominoes. Tip over one, and suddenly you've got a whole lineup of things to handle. Going to bigger tires is a good example. When you... Read More

• The Double-Flared Brake Line

  The double-flare hydraulic-line fitting is undoubtedly the most common type of connection used in automobile braking systems today, followed by the bubble flare found on many European vehicles.... Read More

• Bracket-Racer Frontend Upgrade

  Owners of the current-generation Camaros/Firebirds know that these vehicles are corner-burners par excellence. But for those whose passions lean toward the straight and narrow, we researched how to... Read More

• Choosing Rod Ends

  In a companion article, we outline the various types of rod ends (a.k.a. spherical bearings). These bearings are used for a variety of industrial and aircraft applications as well as for certain... Read More

• Rod End Designs

  Rod ends are common components in vehicles that are modified for performance. These ends are found on four-link suspension setups and ladder bars as well as on track locators, carburetor linkages,... Read More

• Landrunner Jeep Conversion

  Every Jeep Wrangler owner knows the problem of upgrading to larger-than-stock off-road tires. Not only do they throw a lot of mud on the sides and into the cabin—even if you gain fender... Read More

• Suspension Mods

  Whether you're trying to raise or lower your vehicle's suspension, the basic idea is simple, but how you accomplish it is not. Changing the ride height covers everything from springs to shocks to... Read More

• Hi-Po Front End Rebuild

  As a vehicle's bushings, balljoints and other frontend components wear, wheel alignment becomes increasingly sketchier. Refurbishing these parts offers several advantages: For one, alignment can be... Read More

• Big Brake Upgrade

  Out of all the upgrades and accessories on the market, one of the most practical items is one that you can't readily see—a front brake upgrade. Okay, maybe it won't turn heads like a new grille... Read More

• ABS and Stability Control

  If only vehicles had a time machine and a credit card reader.... Read More

• The Downlow of Handling

  Many think that the keys to good handling are super-low profile tires, stiff springs, rock-hard shocks, wrist-thick "sway" bars, and slammed-to-the-ground suspensions. "Many" are mistaken. Done... Read More

• Steps to Improve Handling

  The first step toward improving your car's handling is to honestly assess where and how you'll be driving it. A car modified to whip through a tight autocross course will likely attempt to spin out... Read More

• Brake Boost

  To achieve big power, it's basically a given that high-performance cars run a radical camshaft. Trouble is, many hot rodders think more about the go rather than the slow. So when they're ramming... Read More

• 4WD Hub Swap

  A few of the great reasons to own a 4x4 truck, SUV or Jeep-type vehicle are practicality, a sense of self-sufficiency and the confidence to explore remote roads or venture outdoors in inclement... Read More