CONFUSED BY SPRING RATES!!
Discussion
Hi all.
As a relative newcomer to "S" ownership I have become confused by spring rates and what constitutes a "standard" setup.
The front of my car seems a little on the low side to me after comparing it to a few others, thanks Rob, and I am considering new springs and possibly shocks also.
If I go the latter route then I will get GAZ GOLD I think as budget would not allow anything more fancy and the car will no doubt only get road use, I doubt I'm brave enough for a track day!
I have read the suspension wiki and the comments in Steve Heath's book and it seems most of you are running springs far harder than the original fitment.
My question is simply, what would be the best spring rates to specify when ordering?
Apologies if this has been asked many times and I guess ride and handling is a subjective matter anyway, but I am confused!
Reagards Chris.
As a relative newcomer to "S" ownership I have become confused by spring rates and what constitutes a "standard" setup.
The front of my car seems a little on the low side to me after comparing it to a few others, thanks Rob, and I am considering new springs and possibly shocks also.
If I go the latter route then I will get GAZ GOLD I think as budget would not allow anything more fancy and the car will no doubt only get road use, I doubt I'm brave enough for a track day!
I have read the suspension wiki and the comments in Steve Heath's book and it seems most of you are running springs far harder than the original fitment.
My question is simply, what would be the best spring rates to specify when ordering?
Apologies if this has been asked many times and I guess ride and handling is a subjective matter anyway, but I am confused!
Reagards Chris.
Have a look data the Suspension Wiki at the top of the forum. There's a lot of good info there on different setups. I found by upgrading the dampers I could fit harder springs and still get a good ride. Adjustability means they can be hardened for track days. I went stiffer still but may have gone too far - the jury is still out on that one
Hi Chris,
The Gaz Golds arrived this week, much sooner than promised. (Corby people)
Fitted them the same day and followed the wiki guidelines for setting up.
Really pleased with the feel of it so far.
That said, the old ones were the originals and worn out.
375 and 450 were the numbers suggested so I went with that.
The one thing I wasn't sure about was how far to tighten the preload so I just brought them up to take in the backlash.
I'm also uncertain about how much to yard on the lock rings and the consequences of not having this correctly set up.
Maybe someone on here can put me straight on this?
Cheers Alan
The Gaz Golds arrived this week, much sooner than promised. (Corby people)
Fitted them the same day and followed the wiki guidelines for setting up.
Really pleased with the feel of it so far.
That said, the old ones were the originals and worn out.
375 and 450 were the numbers suggested so I went with that.
The one thing I wasn't sure about was how far to tighten the preload so I just brought them up to take in the backlash.
I'm also uncertain about how much to yard on the lock rings and the consequences of not having this correctly set up.
Maybe someone on here can put me straight on this?
Cheers Alan
s3c chris said:
Hi all.
As a relative newcomer to "S" ownership I have become confused by spring rates and what constitutes a "standard" setup.
The front of my car seems a little on the low side to me after comparing it to a few others, thanks Rob, and I am considering new springs and possibly shocks also.
If I go the latter route then I will get GAZ GOLD I think as budget would not allow anything more fancy and the car will no doubt only get road use, I doubt I'm brave enough for a track day!
I have read the suspension wiki and the comments in Steve Heath's book and it seems most of you are running springs far harder than the original fitment.
My question is simply, what would be the best spring rates to specify when ordering?
Apologies if this has been asked many times and I guess ride and handling is a subjective matter anyway, but I am confused!
Reagards Chris.
The first thing to appreciate is that spring rate and ride height are not directly related. Whatever the spring rate, the ride height is simply governed by the length of the spring under the static load. Gaz etc have adjustable spring seats so you can set whatever ride height you want (within reason) regardless of spring rate.As a relative newcomer to "S" ownership I have become confused by spring rates and what constitutes a "standard" setup.
The front of my car seems a little on the low side to me after comparing it to a few others, thanks Rob, and I am considering new springs and possibly shocks also.
If I go the latter route then I will get GAZ GOLD I think as budget would not allow anything more fancy and the car will no doubt only get road use, I doubt I'm brave enough for a track day!
I have read the suspension wiki and the comments in Steve Heath's book and it seems most of you are running springs far harder than the original fitment.
My question is simply, what would be the best spring rates to specify when ordering?
Apologies if this has been asked many times and I guess ride and handling is a subjective matter anyway, but I am confused!
Reagards Chris.
Choice of spring rate is down to you. As a simple guide, soft springs work better and are more comfortable on bumpy roads. Hard springs work better on smooth roads. If you're going rallying you would want softer springs than if you were going on trackdays. I run 450F and 375R on my V8S and with decent dampers they cope well with minor roads without getting soggy on faster A roads, so they suit me.
Have fun,
Graham
Alan461 said:
Hi Chris,
The one thing I wasn't sure about was how far to tighten the preload so I just brought them up to take in the backlash.
I'm also uncertain about how much to yard on the lock rings and the consequences of not having this correctly set up.
Cheers Alan
Preload?The one thing I wasn't sure about was how far to tighten the preload so I just brought them up to take in the backlash.
I'm also uncertain about how much to yard on the lock rings and the consequences of not having this correctly set up.
Cheers Alan
Backlash??
Yard on ???
What's that all about?
Graham
Ragtop said:
Alan461 said:
Hi Chris,
The one thing I wasn't sure about was how far to tighten the preload so I just brought them up to take in the backlash.
I'm also uncertain about how much to yard on the lock rings and the consequences of not having this correctly set up.
Cheers Alan
Preload?The one thing I wasn't sure about was how far to tighten the preload so I just brought them up to take in the backlash.
I'm also uncertain about how much to yard on the lock rings and the consequences of not having this correctly set up.
Cheers Alan
Backlash??
Yard on ???
What's that all about?
Graham
The backlash meant the free play before the rings meet the spring (with the car on stands)
Maybe more a term used in engineering.
To "yard" is a colloquial term meaning to pull hard ie. yard on a spanner.
I wasn't sure how to set this stuff up and couldn't find any more info on the wiki post so I just did what looked right,
I'm a bit of a rookie with regard to suspension tuning etc so if I'm talking rubbish or have missed the point I could do with finding out how it needs to be set up.
Cheers Alan
Alan461 said:
Ragtop said:
Alan461 said:
Hi Chris,
The one thing I wasn't sure about was how far to tighten the preload so I just brought them up to take in the backlash.
I'm also uncertain about how much to yard on the lock rings and the consequences of not having this correctly set up.
Cheers Alan
Preload?The one thing I wasn't sure about was how far to tighten the preload so I just brought them up to take in the backlash.
I'm also uncertain about how much to yard on the lock rings and the consequences of not having this correctly set up.
Cheers Alan
Backlash??
Yard on ???
What's that all about?
Graham
The backlash meant the free play before the rings meet the spring (with the car on stands)
Maybe more a term used in engineering.
To "yard" is a colloquial term meaning to pull hard ie. yard on a spanner.
I wasn't sure how to set this stuff up and couldn't find any more info on the wiki post so I just did what looked right,
I'm a bit of a rookie with regard to suspension tuning etc so if I'm talking rubbish or have missed the point I could do with finding out how it needs to be set up.
Cheers Alan
Your term 'backlash' that will change (even disappear) as you alter the 'preload' and is also determined by the length and poundage of the springs and the length of the (unloaded) shockabsorber.
Hi Alan.
I'm glad to hear that you are pleased with your shocks and springs so far.
It is the setting up that I too would be a novice at, I built a Westfield years ago but never really played around with the settings.
Thanks for the replies so far. It was only after seeing other cars that I began to feel my car was low.
I realise that the height can be adjusted ( I already have GAZ nickel's on the car) but the springs seem very compressed which makes me think they are weak. I have no idea on their original spec.
I wouldn't expect a limousine ride from a TVR but was just a little concerned as to where to start!
450 front and 375 rear does seem to be a popular choice yet Steve Heath's book talks about 300ish as standard so it is a big difference for a novice to understand. I gather then that better shocks will take harder springs whilst still maintaining a decent ride?
Thanks for all your help so far.
Regards Chris.
I'm glad to hear that you are pleased with your shocks and springs so far.
It is the setting up that I too would be a novice at, I built a Westfield years ago but never really played around with the settings.
Thanks for the replies so far. It was only after seeing other cars that I began to feel my car was low.
I realise that the height can be adjusted ( I already have GAZ nickel's on the car) but the springs seem very compressed which makes me think they are weak. I have no idea on their original spec.
I wouldn't expect a limousine ride from a TVR but was just a little concerned as to where to start!
450 front and 375 rear does seem to be a popular choice yet Steve Heath's book talks about 300ish as standard so it is a big difference for a novice to understand. I gather then that better shocks will take harder springs whilst still maintaining a decent ride?
Thanks for all your help so far.
Regards Chris.
I've added this to the WIKI
Top Gear TVR said:
Front spring rate increase:
More under steer; increase in proportional weight transfer to the front when rear wheel rate is not increased; reduces front traction when rear rate is not changed.
Usable adjustment: 150-600 lbs/in
Symptoms of too much adjustment: terminal under steer; front of car hops in corners; excessive wheel spin on inside front tire on FF cars.
Front spring rate decrease:
Less under steer; decreases proportional weight transfer to the front when rear wheel rate is not increased; increases front traction when rear rate is not changed.
Usable adjustment: 150-600 lbs/in
Symptoms of to much adjustment: Too much over steer; over steer then under steer if spring is so soft that the car bottoms out on lean, car bottoms out excessively with a jolting ride.
Rear spring rate increase:
More over steer; increase in proportional weight transfer to the rear when front wheel rate is not increased; increases rear traction when front rate is not changed.
Usable range: 100-600 lbs/in
Symptoms of too much adjustment: too much over steer; sidestep hop in corners; twitchy; pretty scary.
Rear spring rate decrease:
Less over steer: decreases proportional weight transfer to the rear when front wheel rate is not changed; increases rear traction when front rate is not changed
Usable range: 100-600 lbs/in
Symptoms of too much adjustment: car under steers; if way to soft car under steers then over steers as car bottoms out on lean; car bottoms out excessively with a jolting ride.
Front anti-roll bar stiffer: more under steer
Usable range: none to 1.25 inches in diameter
Symptoms of to much adjustment: terminal under steer; lifts inside front tire off the ground witch can cause massive wheel spin on FF cars; also not good for most effective tire usage as inside tire is now doing nothing.
Front anti-roll bar softer: less under steer
Usable range: none to 1.25 inches in diameter
Symptoms of to much adjustment: overstate scary; more like fun
Rear anti-roll bar stiffer: more over steer
Usable range: none to 1 inch in diameter
Symptoms of too much adjustment: Big-time over steer. Can cause inside rear tire to lift off the ground.
Rear anti-roll bar softer: less over steer
Usable range: none to 1 inch in diameter
Symptoms of to much adjustment: under steer; slow and boring
Front tire pressure higher: less under steer by reducing slip angels on most tires
Usable adjustment: up to 55psi hot
Symptoms of too much adjustment: no traction- tire crowned so more under steer; adds wheel spin in FF cars; jarring ride; center of tire wears out
Front tire pressure lower: more under steer by increasing slip angles on most tires
Usable adjustment: not less then 20psi
Symptoms of too much adjustment: edges of tire wear quickly because tire is folding over; feels mushy; tires chunk because low pressure means heat build up.
Rear tire pressure higher: less over steer by reducing slip angles on most tires
Usable range: up to 45psi hot
Symptoms of too much adjustment: no traction—tire is crowned so more over steer; bad wheel spin on FR cars; jarring ride; center of tire wears out.
Rear tire pressure lower: more over steer by incresing slip angles on most tires.
Usable range: not less then 20psi
Symptoms of too much adjustment: edges of tire wear quickly because tire is folding over; feels mushy; tires chunk because low pressure means heat build up
More negative camber front: less under steer because of better lateral traction as tread is flatter on the ground under side load.
Usable range: up to 3.5 degrees negative
Symptoms of too much adjustment: poor braking; car is road crown sensitive; twitchy; front tires wear on inside edge
More negative camber rear: less over steer because of better lateral traction as tread is flatter on the ground under side load. More rear grip
Usable range: up to 2.5 degrees negative
Symptoms of too much adjustment: more over steer; car feels twitchy in back; tires wear out on inside edge; less breakaway warning when limit is exceeded.
Ride height to low (typical beginner mistake): car is twitchy with unpredictable dynamics. Bump steer make you life miserable.
Usable range: usually 1.5-2.0 inches lower then stock unless car has been modified to go lower.
Symptoms of too much adjustment: everything that could possibly go wrong: sudden over/under steer; twitchy due to bump steer; very harsh ride; premature tire wear.
Toe in – front: car is stable going straight. Turn in is average
Usable range: 0-1/8th inch
Symptoms of too much adjustment: car has slow twitchiness under braking; feels odd; kills outside edge of tires
Toe out – front: Car turns in well; works pretty well on FF car as they tend to toe-in under load.
Usable range: 0-1/4 inch
Symptoms of too much adjustment: Car is really twitchy under braking; car wanders on straight road; kills inside edge of tire
Toe in – rear: car is less likely to over steer when the throttle is lifted
Usable range: 0-1/8th inch
Symptoms of too much adjustment: weird, slow, rocking movement in back; feels slow but still unstable; wears outside edge of tires.
Toe out – rear: Helps car rotate useful in low speed and slalom courses; very common on FF pro rally cars.
Usable range: 0-1/8th inch
Symptoms of too much adjustment: not to good for street driving; causes lift throttle over steer; makes violent side to side rocking motions in the rear; tie wears on inside more.
Positive front caster: helps stability; suspension will get more negative camber when turning; reducing positive caster reduces steering effort. (Negative caster is not usable)
Usable range: 4-9 degrees positive
Symptoms of too much adjustment: can increase under steer especially in cars with wide low-profile tires. Can increase steering effort.
Single adjustable shock stiffer: Better turn in; better transient response; causes slower onset of over/under steer by slowing weight transfer depending on what end of the car is adjusted.
Symptoms of too much adjustment: suspension becomes unresponsive; ride gets harsh; car skips over bumps, loosing traction; Causes a big delay in weight transfer resulting in strange handling like under steer then late corner stage over steer.
Single adjustable shock softer: slower transient response; quicker onset of over/under steer
Symptoms of too much adjustment: car oscillates due to under dampened spring motion, like a boat. Car gets twitchy in turns. Feels unstable.
More under steer; increase in proportional weight transfer to the front when rear wheel rate is not increased; reduces front traction when rear rate is not changed.
Usable adjustment: 150-600 lbs/in
Symptoms of too much adjustment: terminal under steer; front of car hops in corners; excessive wheel spin on inside front tire on FF cars.
Front spring rate decrease:
Less under steer; decreases proportional weight transfer to the front when rear wheel rate is not increased; increases front traction when rear rate is not changed.
Usable adjustment: 150-600 lbs/in
Symptoms of to much adjustment: Too much over steer; over steer then under steer if spring is so soft that the car bottoms out on lean, car bottoms out excessively with a jolting ride.
Rear spring rate increase:
More over steer; increase in proportional weight transfer to the rear when front wheel rate is not increased; increases rear traction when front rate is not changed.
Usable range: 100-600 lbs/in
Symptoms of too much adjustment: too much over steer; sidestep hop in corners; twitchy; pretty scary.
Rear spring rate decrease:
Less over steer: decreases proportional weight transfer to the rear when front wheel rate is not changed; increases rear traction when front rate is not changed
Usable range: 100-600 lbs/in
Symptoms of too much adjustment: car under steers; if way to soft car under steers then over steers as car bottoms out on lean; car bottoms out excessively with a jolting ride.
Front anti-roll bar stiffer: more under steer
Usable range: none to 1.25 inches in diameter
Symptoms of to much adjustment: terminal under steer; lifts inside front tire off the ground witch can cause massive wheel spin on FF cars; also not good for most effective tire usage as inside tire is now doing nothing.
Front anti-roll bar softer: less under steer
Usable range: none to 1.25 inches in diameter
Symptoms of to much adjustment: overstate scary; more like fun
Rear anti-roll bar stiffer: more over steer
Usable range: none to 1 inch in diameter
Symptoms of too much adjustment: Big-time over steer. Can cause inside rear tire to lift off the ground.
Rear anti-roll bar softer: less over steer
Usable range: none to 1 inch in diameter
Symptoms of to much adjustment: under steer; slow and boring
Front tire pressure higher: less under steer by reducing slip angels on most tires
Usable adjustment: up to 55psi hot
Symptoms of too much adjustment: no traction- tire crowned so more under steer; adds wheel spin in FF cars; jarring ride; center of tire wears out
Front tire pressure lower: more under steer by increasing slip angles on most tires
Usable adjustment: not less then 20psi
Symptoms of too much adjustment: edges of tire wear quickly because tire is folding over; feels mushy; tires chunk because low pressure means heat build up.
Rear tire pressure higher: less over steer by reducing slip angles on most tires
Usable range: up to 45psi hot
Symptoms of too much adjustment: no traction—tire is crowned so more over steer; bad wheel spin on FR cars; jarring ride; center of tire wears out.
Rear tire pressure lower: more over steer by incresing slip angles on most tires.
Usable range: not less then 20psi
Symptoms of too much adjustment: edges of tire wear quickly because tire is folding over; feels mushy; tires chunk because low pressure means heat build up
More negative camber front: less under steer because of better lateral traction as tread is flatter on the ground under side load.
Usable range: up to 3.5 degrees negative
Symptoms of too much adjustment: poor braking; car is road crown sensitive; twitchy; front tires wear on inside edge
More negative camber rear: less over steer because of better lateral traction as tread is flatter on the ground under side load. More rear grip
Usable range: up to 2.5 degrees negative
Symptoms of too much adjustment: more over steer; car feels twitchy in back; tires wear out on inside edge; less breakaway warning when limit is exceeded.
Ride height to low (typical beginner mistake): car is twitchy with unpredictable dynamics. Bump steer make you life miserable.
Usable range: usually 1.5-2.0 inches lower then stock unless car has been modified to go lower.
Symptoms of too much adjustment: everything that could possibly go wrong: sudden over/under steer; twitchy due to bump steer; very harsh ride; premature tire wear.
Toe in – front: car is stable going straight. Turn in is average
Usable range: 0-1/8th inch
Symptoms of too much adjustment: car has slow twitchiness under braking; feels odd; kills outside edge of tires
Toe out – front: Car turns in well; works pretty well on FF car as they tend to toe-in under load.
Usable range: 0-1/4 inch
Symptoms of too much adjustment: Car is really twitchy under braking; car wanders on straight road; kills inside edge of tire
Toe in – rear: car is less likely to over steer when the throttle is lifted
Usable range: 0-1/8th inch
Symptoms of too much adjustment: weird, slow, rocking movement in back; feels slow but still unstable; wears outside edge of tires.
Toe out – rear: Helps car rotate useful in low speed and slalom courses; very common on FF pro rally cars.
Usable range: 0-1/8th inch
Symptoms of too much adjustment: not to good for street driving; causes lift throttle over steer; makes violent side to side rocking motions in the rear; tie wears on inside more.
Positive front caster: helps stability; suspension will get more negative camber when turning; reducing positive caster reduces steering effort. (Negative caster is not usable)
Usable range: 4-9 degrees positive
Symptoms of too much adjustment: can increase under steer especially in cars with wide low-profile tires. Can increase steering effort.
Single adjustable shock stiffer: Better turn in; better transient response; causes slower onset of over/under steer by slowing weight transfer depending on what end of the car is adjusted.
Symptoms of too much adjustment: suspension becomes unresponsive; ride gets harsh; car skips over bumps, loosing traction; Causes a big delay in weight transfer resulting in strange handling like under steer then late corner stage over steer.
Single adjustable shock softer: slower transient response; quicker onset of over/under steer
Symptoms of too much adjustment: car oscillates due to under dampened spring motion, like a boat. Car gets twitchy in turns. Feels unstable.
Strictly speaking the spring is the shock absorber.
The damper controls the rebound ie, using non-technical language, the bouncing up and down bit.
The theory is; an un-damped spring will rebound very quickly as it releases the energy from the compression. The damper controls this release. Take the spring out of your biro and play with compressing it then releasing it slowly and then quickly and see what happens. It’s the same principal.
Depending on how the damper is valved, it may offer some resistance on the compression stroke as well which will have the effect of making the spring feel stiffer. Some higher end dampers allow the compression and release resistances to be adjusted separately.
A hard spring will compress more slowly and will therefore release more slowly so the damping force will not need to be as great as it would have to be with a soft spring which will rebound more quickly.
The tricky bit is getting the best balance between shock absorption (the spring rate) and how quickly the spring is allowed to release (the damper setting) to achieve the best comprise which keeps the tyres on the road and your spine reasonably straight.
All this is theory which is why the practical experiance recorded in the WIKI is so helpful. If you haven't added your settings yet please take a few minutes to enter them. If you don't like the WIKI formatting, PM the info and I'll add it for you.
The damper controls the rebound ie, using non-technical language, the bouncing up and down bit.
The theory is; an un-damped spring will rebound very quickly as it releases the energy from the compression. The damper controls this release. Take the spring out of your biro and play with compressing it then releasing it slowly and then quickly and see what happens. It’s the same principal.
Depending on how the damper is valved, it may offer some resistance on the compression stroke as well which will have the effect of making the spring feel stiffer. Some higher end dampers allow the compression and release resistances to be adjusted separately.
A hard spring will compress more slowly and will therefore release more slowly so the damping force will not need to be as great as it would have to be with a soft spring which will rebound more quickly.
The tricky bit is getting the best balance between shock absorption (the spring rate) and how quickly the spring is allowed to release (the damper setting) to achieve the best comprise which keeps the tyres on the road and your spine reasonably straight.
All this is theory which is why the practical experiance recorded in the WIKI is so helpful. If you haven't added your settings yet please take a few minutes to enter them. If you don't like the WIKI formatting, PM the info and I'll add it for you.
Edited by v8s4me on Sunday 21st July 07:13
Hi again.
Just out of curiosity I have spoken to a very helpful gentleman at GAZ.
On the question of spring rates he has recommended 400 front and 325 rear for fast road use.
Anything higher than that he would only use on the track and in his opinion would be too hard for the road. These rates are apparently still much higher than O/E TVR springs, the rear of which were originally rising rate ones.
Seems sensible to me but just wondered what anyone else thought?
Regards Chris.
Just out of curiosity I have spoken to a very helpful gentleman at GAZ.
On the question of spring rates he has recommended 400 front and 325 rear for fast road use.
Anything higher than that he would only use on the track and in his opinion would be too hard for the road. These rates are apparently still much higher than O/E TVR springs, the rear of which were originally rising rate ones.
Seems sensible to me but just wondered what anyone else thought?
Regards Chris.
Just spotted this (pretty comprehensive) web article on suspension design. It's for 4x4's but covers the basics well.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/coilovers...
It does include some maths!
Have fun,
Gary
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/coilovers...
It does include some maths!
Have fun,
Gary
Edited by GadgeS3C on Tuesday 23 July 11:55
s3c chris said:
Hi again.
Just out of curiosity I have spoken to a very helpful gentleman at GAZ.
On the question of spring rates he has recommended 400 front and 325 rear for fast road use.
Anything higher than that he would only use on the track and in his opinion would be too hard for the road. These rates are apparently still much higher than O/E TVR springs, the rear of which were originally rising rate ones.
Seems sensible to me but just wondered what anyone else thought?
Regards Chris.
I think that is going to be about right, mine are Gaz nickels and are 375 front and 300 rear which I find are just on the soft side of ok for the road. Your welcome to pop around and give it a try if you want.Just out of curiosity I have spoken to a very helpful gentleman at GAZ.
On the question of spring rates he has recommended 400 front and 325 rear for fast road use.
Anything higher than that he would only use on the track and in his opinion would be too hard for the road. These rates are apparently still much higher than O/E TVR springs, the rear of which were originally rising rate ones.
Seems sensible to me but just wondered what anyone else thought?
Regards Chris.
Rob.
Thanks Rob, I may well do that, once I've sorted the electrics out!
What I don't want to do is make the car a "boneshaker" on the rubbish roads we have round here, and as I'm getting on a bit now a degree of comfort would be nice!
As you know, I too have GAZ nickels, no idea on spring rates, but the fronts are certainly too low, the coils almost touching each other which I'm sure is not right.
Regards Chris.
What I don't want to do is make the car a "boneshaker" on the rubbish roads we have round here, and as I'm getting on a bit now a degree of comfort would be nice!
As you know, I too have GAZ nickels, no idea on spring rates, but the fronts are certainly too low, the coils almost touching each other which I'm sure is not right.
Regards Chris.
s3c chris said:
Thanks Rob, I may well do that, once I've sorted the electrics out!
What I don't want to do is make the car a "boneshaker" on the rubbish roads we have round here, and as I'm getting on a bit now a degree of comfort would be nice!
As you know, I too have GAZ nickels, no idea on spring rates, but the fronts are certainly too low, the coils almost touching each other which I'm sure is not right.
Regards Chris.
Your springs definately looked knackered at Shelsley, do you know how old the shocks are? you could send them back for service and just buy new springs. I don't think the service costs much.What I don't want to do is make the car a "boneshaker" on the rubbish roads we have round here, and as I'm getting on a bit now a degree of comfort would be nice!
As you know, I too have GAZ nickels, no idea on spring rates, but the fronts are certainly too low, the coils almost touching each other which I'm sure is not right.
Regards Chris.
Rob.
s3c chris said:
Hi again.
Just out of curiosity I have spoken to a very helpful gentleman at GAZ.
On the question of spring rates he has recommended 400 front and 325 rear for fast road use.
Anything higher than that he would only use on the track and in his opinion would be too hard for the road. These rates are apparently still much higher than O/E TVR springs, the rear of which were originally rising rate ones.
Seems sensible to me but just wondered what anyone else thought?
Regards Chris.
Seems about right to me.. I have the 450/375 option at the moment and my 2 yo springs look terrible.. rusty rusty rusty.. am going to replace with some of the values you mention (probably Eibach so should wear a bit better..) but my current set up is just too hard for Yorkshire B roads.. also I want to lower the front a tad so will be adding preload to the already harsh ride.. hence wanting to go a little softer..Just out of curiosity I have spoken to a very helpful gentleman at GAZ.
On the question of spring rates he has recommended 400 front and 325 rear for fast road use.
Anything higher than that he would only use on the track and in his opinion would be too hard for the road. These rates are apparently still much higher than O/E TVR springs, the rear of which were originally rising rate ones.
Seems sensible to me but just wondered what anyone else thought?
Regards Chris.
Also on a side not one of my rear Gaz G Pros is squeaking lake a Mother Hubbard so looks like I should have the rears rebuilt too..
Wouldn't buy Gaz again tbh... pretty shoddy..
Cheers
Damian S3
Gassing Station | S Series | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff