These are my general guidelines for setting up a drag car's front suspension based on the surface you run — a slick no-prep or street surface, a prepped bracket surface, or a radial-prep surface. The job up front is controlling how the front end rises and how weight transfers to the rear tires on the launch.

Think of these as starting points to get you in the ballpark. Every car and combination is different, which is why I recommend documenting your full setup with my Suspension Tuning Questionnaire before making big changes. Prefer the at-a-glance chart? Download it at the bottom of the page.

No Prep / Street

• Front end travel: the max — example 8" or more
• Rebound clicks: softest possible, fewer (+) clicks
• Compression clicks: tighter — more (+) clicks to keep the shock extended and the front end up
• Springs: longer & softer to promote lift
• Shock installed height: as much extension travel as possible, but keep some compression travel
• Rear shocks: consider a little less compression to let the rear chassis apply more weight over the rear

Bracket Prep

• Front end travel: average — example 3"–5"
• Rebound clicks: more (+) clicks to slow down the rise
• Compression clicks: enough (+) clicks to support the springs/car
• Springs: average / normal recommended
• Shock installed height: more toward the middle of the shock, but err toward more extension travel
• Rear shocks: normal compression settings

Radial Prep

• Front end travel: very least — example 1"–3"
• Rebound clicks: most (+) clicks to nearly stop the rise
• Compression clicks: enough (+) clicks to support the springs/car
• Springs: shorter & stronger if needed
• Shock installed height: middle of the shock — the front end is likely pretty tight for radial prep, so make sure you have compression travel
• Rear shocks: with slicks, a softer compression setting to let the slicks come up on top of the tire sooner and avoid shake

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Download the printable guidelines chart (JPG)

Here is my video discussing this very topic 👇

Want help applying this to your exact car?

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• In-Shop Chassis Setup​