shocks coilovers lowering kits? whaaaat

[PhillipM]

My thoughts are you assume the majority of the suspension travel on a road car is to absorb cornering forces. Generally you'll find the vast majority of it is there for heave, unless it's already on something fairly low and sports orientated. Not to mention the roll centre changes.

Your damping is a coefficient which is tied to your ride frequency, and hence your springs rates, so in order to effect the same damping effect, softer springs require softer dampers, and vice versa.

Edited by PhillipM on Sunday 24th May 01:18

[hygt2]

PhillipM said:

My thoughts are you assume the majority of the suspension travel on a road car is to absorb cornering forces. Generally you'll find the vast majority of it is there for heave, unless it's already on something fairly low and sports orientated. Not to mention the roll centre changes.

Your damping is a coefficient which is tied to your ride frequency, and hence your springs rates, so in order to effect the same damping effect, softer springs require softer dampers, and vice versa.

I see - good points and thanks I learn something every day !!!

As a non-professional, I have only measured sports car in the past (mainly 911s on torsion bar or coil spring and a MX5 and SW20 MR2). The only non-sports car I have measured is a Skoda Octavia Estate which has 300mm of suspension travel so when that was lowered, lowering spring rate did not end up with grounding out.

So is the http://www.knowyourparts.com/technical-articles/sp... wrong then?

Edited by hygt2 on Sunday 24th May 15:04

[PhillipM]

Quite a lot of that article is misleading or wrong to be honest, it's more a general overview for those with no knowledge.

[Mr2Mike]

hygt2 said:

The only non-sports car I have measured is a Skoda Octavia Estate which has 300mm of suspension travel so when that was lowered, lowering spring rate did not end up with grounding out.

My wife's Ocatvia Estate grounds out pretty easily with standard springs, the engine cover got ripped off ages ago from grounding on something. They have very little clearance even as standard.

[hygt2]

Mr2Mike said:

hygt2 said:

The only non-sports car I have measured is a Skoda Octavia Estate which has 300mm of suspension travel so when that was lowered, lowering spring rate did not end up with grounding out.

My wife's Ocatvia Estate grounds out pretty easily with standard springs, the engine cover got ripped off ages ago from grounding on something. They have very little clearance even as standard.

Is your wife's one the current model? If your wife's one is the 98-06 model then I cannot comment as the one I measured was the one before the new model ( 06- onwards one ).

[PaulKemp]

The Challenger tank uses a hydro lactic type suspension
No springs

[Mr2Mike]

hygt2 said:

Is your wife's one the current model? If your wife's one is the 98-06 model then I cannot comment as the one I measured was the one before the new model ( 06- onwards one ).

It's an old 2.0L Estate, 2000 I think. It's a great car which I never regret having to spend money on as it's just such a versatile load lugger for tip trips and holidays etc. It even returns 40 odd mpg on long runs if you don't thrash it. However, it's slightly challenged in the ground clearance department for a standard, non-sporty estate, though a new set of springs helped a little.

[hygt2]

Mr2Mike said:

hygt2 said:

Is your wife's one the current model? If your wife's one is the 98-06 model then I cannot comment as the one I measured was the one before the new model ( 06- onwards one ).

It's an old 2.0L Estate, 2000 I think. It's a great car which I never regret having to spend money on as it's just such a versatile load lugger for tip trips and holidays etc. It even returns 40 odd mpg on long runs if you don't thrash it. However, it's slightly challenged in the ground clearance department for a standard, non-sporty estate, though a new set of springs helped a little.

I see, your wife's one is not the model I measured. I think VAG have fixed the grounding problem in the newer model as I did some high-speed jumps over crest and over very deep but short undulations in Cambridgeshire/Norfolk and the estate didn't ground on landing / compression on stock springs and dampers setting.