Specification
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Front Drag Racing Coil Springs
What Are Front Drag Racing Coil Springs?
Front drag racing coil springs are taller than OEM springs and use softer rates to give a car the correct ride height while providing more stored energy for instant weight transfer to the rear tires during launch. This helps to improve traction and contribute to more consistent 60-foot and quarter-mile performance.
Landrum Performance drag racing coil springs are produced with superior materials and manufacturing techniques to deliver the performance, reliability, and consistency you need to win.
For What Vehicles Are Landrum Front Drag Racing Coil Springs Available?
Landrum drag race springs are available for the front suspension of GM vehicles and are offered in configurations to fit OEM A-Arms and Aftermarket A-Arms with no modifications required. Springs with a 5” outer diameter and 18” length are available for 1964-1972 GM vehicles, and springs with a 5.5” outer diameter and 18” length are offered for 1973 and newer models.
All front springs are closed and ground on one end to provide proper contact with the frame. The opposite end is either open to properly fit into the lower control arm of OEM A-Arms or closed for Aftermarket A-Arms.
How Do Front Drag Racing Coil Springs Work?
A taller, lower-rate front spring compresses farther under the vehicle’s weight than a shorter, higher-rate spring while maintaining the desired ride height. This increased compression stores more energy in the spring and provides additional extension travel.
During launch, acceleration unloads the front suspension, allowing the spring to release its stored energy and extend. As the front suspension rises, the chassis rotates rearward, helping transfer load to the rear tires. This increases available rear-tire traction and helps the car put power to the track more effectively.
Spring rate, spring length, available suspension travel, and shock settings work together to control how quickly and how far the front suspension extends during launch.
What Are the Benefits of Drag Racing Coil Springs for the Front Suspension?
When used in the front suspension, drag racing coil springs can provide several performance advantages:
- Improved weight transfer: Helps shift load toward the rear tires during acceleration.
- Better rear-tire traction: Increased rear-tire loading can help improve traction during launch.
- Greater suspension travel: Provides the extension travel needed for effective front suspension movement.
- More controlled launches: Helps manage front-end movement during the initial portion of the run.
- Improved consistency: Helps make suspension movement and weight transfer more repeatable from pass to pass.
- Ride-height control: Maintains the desired static ride height while providing usable suspension travel.
What Metal is Best for Drag Racing Coil Springs?
Landrum uses high-tensile chrome-silicon alloy steel for drag race coil springs as it provides the strength, resilience, and fatigue resistance required for demanding drag racing applications while helping the spring maintain consistent rate and free height over repeated compression cycles.
How are Front Drag Racing Coil Springs Manufactured?
- Springs are powder coated and not plated, which avoids hydrogen embrittlement, a condition that can be caused by electroplating and can weaken metal.
- Every Landrum front drag racing coil spring is tested to verify that it is within 2% of its specified rate. A dyno sheet showing the test results is included with each spring.
- The drag racing springs are designed with the correct pitch and height ratio to ensure a consistent rate throughout the entire compression cycle.
What Front Drag Racing Coil Spring Rates are Available?
Our Front Drag Racing Coil Springs are available in a range of rates:
- 150 lbs./in.
- 165 lbs./in.
- 180 lbs./in.
- 200 lbs./in.
- 225 lbs./in.
- 250 lbs./in.
The appropriate spring rate depends on factors such as vehicle weight, front-end weight, suspension configuration, and intended application.
Frequently Asked Questions About Front Drag Racing Coil Springs
What is the Difference Between Drag Racing Coil Springs and OEM Springs?
Front drag racing coil springs are typically taller and have softer spring rates than OEM springs. Their greater free height allows them to compress farther under vehicle weight while maintaining the required ride height, providing greater stored energy and more available suspension extension.
What Is Stored Energy in a Drag Racing Spring?
Stored energy in a drag racing spring is the potential energy created when the spring compresses under the vehicle’s weight. The amount of stored energy depends primarily on spring rate and how far the spring is compressed from its free height. A longer, softer spring stores more energy than a shorter, stiffer spring under the same load because it compresses farther while maintaining a similar installed ride height.
Do Front Drag Racing Coil Springs Change Ride Height?
Front drag racing coil springs can maintain the desired ride height despite being taller than OEM springs. Their softer spring rates allow greater compression under vehicle weight, resulting in the intended installed height.
How are Front Drag Racing Coil Springs Kept from Bowing?
Landrum drag race springs are cold wound, not hot wound. Each is properly heat treated and stress relieved to ensure the sides of the spring remain parallel during installation.
See our drag racing spring technical information for additional technical and application information.
Spring Compressor for 18-Inch Front Drag Racing Coil Springs
Landrum’s spring compressor is designed to make installation of its 18-inch Front Drag Racing Coil Springs easier.
This Spring Compressor makes it easy to install our 18” Front Drag Racing Coil Springs. Standard spring compressors just aren’t long enough to properly compress 18” springs, but our spring compressor is. The spring compressor is inserted through the top shock absorber opening and a long length threaded rod allows the compressor fingers to reach down to the bottom of the spring. A position adjustable bearing located toward the top of the rod seats on the top of the shock opening so the threaded rod turns freely when the spring compressor is tensioned or loosened.
Retail Price: $169.00
To purchase a spring compressor:
- Add a spring compressor to your Front Drag Racing Coil Springs order.
- Or purchase a spring compressor separately.
See Spring Compressor Instructions
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What are Progressive Coil Springs?
Progressive coil springs have a variable spring rate that increases as the springs compress, providing a softer initial response and progressively greater resistance as suspension load and travel increase.
How do Progressive Coil Springs Work?
Progressive coil springs use varying coil spacing to control how the spring responds throughout its travel. As the spring compresses, the closely spaced coils contact each other and become inactive, a process known as coil bind. With fewer active coils carrying the load, the spring rate increases progressively through compression.
What Are the Benefits of Progressive Coil Springs?
Progressive coil springs can improve traction, weight transfer, suspension control, and handling by providing different spring characteristics throughout suspension travel. Thereby improving performance in areas such as corner entry stability, mid-corner control, forward bite, and corner-exit traction.
- Improved traction: The softer initial portion of the spring can help the tire maintain contact with the track.
- Better weight transfer: Initial spring movement allows weight to transfer more readily during acceleration, braking, and cornering.
- Increased support under load: As the spring compresses, the increasing rate provides additional resistance to suspension movement.
- Better control through travel: The changing rate can provide compliance early in travel while adding support deeper into compression.
- Reduced bottoming: The higher rate later in travel can help prevent excessive suspension compression.
- More tuning flexibility: Racers can use the changing rate to influence handling at different stages of suspension travel rather than relying on one fixed spring rate.
- Improved performance on changing track conditions: The broader operating range can help the chassis remain more adaptable as grip levels and loads change.
We worked closely with racers to develop Landrum Progressive Coil Springs, ensuring they deliver the performance, durability, and long-term consistency you need.
What is the Difference Between Progressive Coil Springs and Constant Rate Coil Springs?
While constant rate coil springs are wound to have equal spacing between the coils, coil spacing of progressive springs varies with narrow spacing at one end of the spring, and wider spacing at the other.
- Constant rate coil springs compress at a linear rate, meaning rate of force needed to compress the spring a certain amount remains the same. For example, a spring with a 300 pound-per-inch linear rate (also known as the rate of deflection) will compress one inch when 300 lbs. of compression force are applied. The spring will compress another inch if an additional 300 lbs. of force is added, and so on.
- With Progressive rate coil springs, the rate of deflection increases as the as the spring is compressed. The spring has a softer rate at the beginning of its range of travel. So, it can cushion small compression forces and shock loads. As compression forces increase the spring progresses to a higher rate to handle larger compression forces.
Built for Strength, Durability, and Consistent Spring Rates
Landrum Progressive Coil Springs are produced from the highest-quality, US-made High Tensile Chrome Silicon Alloy Steel, providing superior strength, reliability, and consistent performance without losing free height, even after repeated coil bind.
Produced using cutting-edge design and manufacturing technology to deliver proven durability and the most consistent spring rates in the industry.
Every spring includes a dyno sheet showing it meets Landrum’s strict ±2% rate specification.
What Progressive Coil Spring Sizes and Rates Are Available?
Landrum Progressive Coil Springs are available in a 5-inch OD, 13-inch length, with four progressive spring rate options.
Diameter: 5” OD
Length: 13”
Rates:
- 125-300 lb./in.
- 150-350 lb./in.
- 175-400 lb./in.
- 200-450 lb./in.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the two numbers in a progressive coil spring rate mean?
A rate such as 125–300 lb./in. indicates the spring operates through a range of spring rates. It begins at a lower rate and progresses toward a higher rate as the spring is compressed.
Can Landrum Progressive Coil Springs be compressed to coil bind?
Landrum Progressive Coil Springs are engineered to withstand repeated compression to coil bind without losing free height or performance. Their High Tensile Chrome Silicon Alloy Steel and manufacturing processes help the springs resist permanent deformation.
What does ±2% spring rate tolerance mean?
A ±2% rate specification means the tested spring rate is held within 2% of its specified rate. Landrum tests its springs and provides a dyno sheet documenting spring performance.
Why is a dyno sheet included with each Landrum spring?
The dyno sheet provides measured performance data for the individual spring, allowing racers to verify its characteristics rather than relying only on a theoretical spring rate. Landrum’s technical documentation says its dyno sheets provide load data throughout spring displacement.
See how progressive coil springs work.
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Landrum Elite Series racing coil springs are Landrum’s premium line of conventional racing springs, developed for racers who demand exceptional consistency and repeatable performance from their suspension. Designed with IMCA and UMP dirt track competition in mind, Elite Series springs provide precise, dependable spring performance for demanding circle track racing applications.
Elite Series springs are manufactured from high-tensile chrome-silicon steel and preset to solid height to help maintain their free height and spring rate through repeated use. Each spring is individually rate tested to a ±2% tolerance and includes a dyno sheet documenting its tested rate, providing racers with verified spring performance they can rely on when setting up and maintaining their race car.
What Makes Elite Series Racing Coil Springs Different?
High-Tensile Chrome-Silicon Steel
Elite Series racing coil springs are made from USA-made high-tensile chrome-silicon alloy steel chosen for its strength, durability and ability to maintain consistent spring characteristics under the repeated compression and extension of racing use.
Spring Engineering and Design
Advanced spring-design software and proven engineering principles are used to develop Elite Series springs with precise, repeatable performance throughout their working range. Landrum also draws on input from racers and chassis builders to develop spring designs that address the requirements of competitive dirt track applications, including IMCA and UMP racing.
Preset to Solid Height
Elite Series springs are preset to solid height during manufacturing to help stabilize the spring and minimize changes in free height during use. This additional manufacturing step helps the spring maintain consistent dimensions and performance through repeated racing cycles.
Individually Rate Tested
Every Elite Series racing coil spring is individually tested to confirm its actual spring rate. Each spring is supplied with a dyno sheet documenting its measured performance, providing racers with verification of the spring they are installing on the car.
How Are Elite Series Racing Coil Springs Tested?
Each Elite Series spring is compressed through its working range to measure load in relation to spring travel and verify its actual rate. The spring must test within ±2% of its specified rate, helping ensure consistent, repeatable performance from one Elite Series spring to another.
Which IMCA and UMP Race Cars Use Elite Series Racing Coil Springs?
Elite Series racing coil springs are used across a range of IMCA and UMP dirt track classes. For racers looking for dirt modified springs, Elite Series applications include IMCA Modifieds and SportMods as well as UMP Modifieds. Elite Series springs are also used in IMCA Hobby Stocks, UMP Late Models, Sportsman, Super Stock, Street Stock, Factory Stock and other circle track classes with conventional coil spring suspension configurations.
What Sizes and Rates Are Available for Elite Series Racing Coil Springs?
Landrum Elite Series racing coil springs are available in multiple diameters, free lengths and spring rates for front and rear suspension applications. Available Elite Series configurations include:
Front Coil Springs (5″ and 5.5″ OD)
- 5″ OD x 9.5″ Length – Rates: 300 lb./in to 800 lb./in
- 5″ OD x 10.5″ Length – Rates: 300 lb./in to 450 lb./in
- 5.5″ OD x 9.5″ Length – Rates: 400 lb./in to 1200 lb./in
Rear Coil Springs (5″ OD)
- 5″ OD x 11″ Length – Rates: 125 lb./in to 350 lb./in
- 5″ OD x 12″ Length – Rates: 175 lb./in to 300 lb./in
- 5″ OD x 13″ Length – Rates: 50 lb./in to 350 lb./in
- 5″ OD x 16″ Length – Rates: 50 lb./in to 250 lb./in
- 5″ OD x 20″ Length – Rates: 50 lb./in to 75 lb./in
How Do You Find an Elite Series Racing Coil Spring?
Use the Landrum Parts Finder to view available Elite Series racing coil springs by diameter, length and spring rate, or contact Landrum for additional product information.
What Happens to Spring Rate When Racing Springs Are Stacked?
Stacking two racing coil springs creates a combined spring rate that is lower than the rate of either spring used individually. In this video, Landrum demonstrates the effect using a scale and load cell, then explains how to calculate the resulting spring rate when two springs are used together.
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This Spring Compressor makes it easy to install our 18” Front Drag Racing Coil Springs. Standard spring compressors just aren’t long enough to properly compress 18” springs, but our spring compressor is. The spring compressor is inserted through the top shock absorber opening and a long length threaded rod allows the compressor fingers to reach down to the bottom of the spring. A position adjustable bearing located toward the top of the rod seats on the top of the shock opening so the threaded rod turns freely when the spring compressor is tensioned or loosened.
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If you’re looking for durable and high-performance stock appearing front coil springs for racing, Landrum’s got you covered. Our Street Stock/Stock Appearing Front Coil Springs are designed for stock car, street stock, hobby stock, factory stock, and other racing classes that require stock appearing front springs—without the need for spacers or weight jacks.
What Makes Landrum Street Stock/Stock Appearing Front Coil Springs Durable and Reliable?
Landrum Street Stock/Stock Appearing Front Coil Springs are crafted from high-tensile chrome silicon alloy steel, cold-wound, heat-treated, and stress-relieved for maximum durability. This ensures the springs can handle repeated load cycles without losing free height or rate. In short, they’re built to race hard, stay consistent, and keep performing strong race after race.
How Did Landrum Design the Best Stock Appearing Springs?
At Landrum, we listened to racers to understand what they wanted in a spring, then designed Street Stock/Stock Appearing Front Coil Springs to deliver the performance they asked for. These springs are engineered at our Indiana facility, where they continue to be produced for unmatched quality and consistency.
How Does Landrum Ensure the Accuracy of Stock Appearing Front Coil Springs?
Landrum Street Stock/Stock Appearing Front Coil Springs are guaranteed to be within 2% of rate specification. To prove this, we provide a dyno sheet with each spring, ensuring you can have full confidence in its exact rate.
Street Stock/Stock Appearing Front Coil Springs Sizes
Our Street Stock/Stock Appearing Front Coil Springs come in a variety of diameters, free lengths, and spring rates to fit your specific racing application:
• 5.5” Outer Diameter
• 11” and 12” Free Lengths
• Rates of 100-1400 lbs. per inchAdditional Landrum Performance Springs technical information can be found here.