The original 289 Cobra
used transverse leaf springs, front and back, using "legacy" uprights
with
trunions at the top and bottom, not ball joints, not to mention solid
brake
rotors. The net result was poor geometry and a very stiff ride.
All
this was OK for the track where you can compensate for such things, at
least
partially. The 427 suspension was completely redesigned, with
coil-overs
and ball joints. The E.R.A. 289FIA follows that tradition of
improvement.
The geometry of the E.R.A. front suspension gives good
anti-dive, excellent
camber control, and near-zero
bump steer
over
the entire generous wheel travel. The roll center height is
designed
to complement the rear suspension,
giving
handling characterists that are predictable and safe, or as safe as any
car
with this much power and a 90" wheelbase! |
Our Front
Suspension
|
*Bump
steer is the toe-in change that
the front
or rear tire takes as it travels up or down. With poor bump-steer
characteristics, a car will dart from side to side over bumpy roads and
have
potentially dangerous transient reactions. Through careful design of
the
E.R.A. 427SC geometry, bump-steer
is
near 0 over the full range of the wheel travel.
(More
details on the Longacre web site)
And our wheel travel is extremely generous:
3"+, in both jounce and rebound.
You go where you point, even under
poor
road conditions. |
The modified Flaming River rack and pinion steering
gear has 3.1 turns lock-to-lock, with a 34 foot turning circle.. Effort, even without power
assist
is fairly light, and the steering has plenty of feel. Custom
fabricated
tie rods and lower steering column are
also supplied with the kit. The optional E.R.A. steering column
and
wood steering wheel are visual duplicates of the original parts. E.R.A.
makes
the upper and lower control arms, and we supply a lightweight steering knuckle
for quicker response.
| This (427 chassis) shows the optional
anti-sway bar and
double-adjustable
coil-over-damper. Yes, even
damping
can be changed with a screwdriver without removing the unit.On the FIA,
we
have duplicated the original car's leaf spring tower to support the
original-style radiator expansion tank, but changed the original
suspension
fundamentally.
Front coil-over shocks are
mounted
to the X just like the original Cobra. We recommend our custom made
Spax
units with external adjustments for both damping and height, but you
can
use any brand that meets the proper specifications. Modified GM
uprights,
new upper control arm cross-shafts, ball-joints, bushings and fasteners
are all included. They are ready to
accept
very large vented brakes on stock or optional pin drive hubs. A
large
anti-sway bar is optional. |
Details of the uppper control arm mount and spring perch.
The tower is braced to the central structure too. |
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Return to the
289FIA home page! |