Keith;
The key to keeping your rear tires in contact with the ground (salt,
asphalt, concrete, dirt, wahatever...) is to reduce unsprung weight as much
as possible. The more weight the wheel has below the spring, the harder it
is to keep the tire in contact; it bounces around and, even with good shock
damping, you lose traction to some degree.
One of the disadvantages of a solid rear axle is that the weight of the
axles, housing, & differential are added unsprung weight. There are lots of
good, practical reasons to stick with a solid rear end, though. Loook for
ways to minimize weight such as lightweight wheels, minimal brake rotors,
lightweight race tires, etc.
An independent rear suspension is more complex and more expensive but
starting with components from a late-model Corvette might be a way to go if
you decide to make a big change.
Having no suspension at all means that the whole car is unsprung weight.
Actually, the tires themselves provide a little "spring" but not much. On a
billiard table-smooth surface it has no problems.
Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
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