Spring length

[David H]

What sort of spring length are people running?

I'm about to buy some AVOs to have a play with. I think I need 9inch fronts but i'm unsure about the rears.

Any help would be appreciated :)

[wheeljack888]

Hello Dave

Hope the rebuilds going well. I'm running 9" springs all-round (300 at the front 250 at the rear).

Cheers Phil

[Hoover33]

have a chat with this chap......

he will give a better product GAZ at very competitive rate as well as advise on springs etc

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?h=0&memberId=36887

[bugsy]

Yep
Its always 9" springs all the way round, at least that's what I fit.As for shocks, its take your pick time, loads of people have no complaints about Avo.

There are however some good alternatives around at a good price.

[wheeljack888]

I've got AVO's and I've had no issues so far. Although I probably drive like an old fart!

[GreenV8S]

I've had some experience with AVOs, and if I was looking for dampers in that price range I'd talk to Joolz (Joospeed) or Bugsy (Gaz). (Was that tactfull enough Ted?)

[David H]

The AVO/GAZ debate is a difficult one to settle, some people rate one over the other. I'm more swayed towards AVO at the moment but I have an open mind on this

Thanks for the advice anyway, so 9inchers all round it is then.

Phil, how's it going mate? The rebuild is going well, I got my diff and gearbox back today from comp transmissions (the gearbox turned out to be quite bad and needed a full recon unit). The chassis will hopefully be going back together with the body on the weekend

[bugsy]

I'd love to comment on the Gaz/Avo debate but I can't, its up to people to look carefully at both offers and make up their own mind.

[wheeljack888]

David H said:

Phil, how's it going mate? The rebuild is going well, I got my diff and gearbox back today from comp transmissions (the gearbox turned out to be quite bad and needed a full recon unit). The chassis will hopefully be going back together with the body on the weekend

Not too bad, engine's having a top-end rebuild (was a bit too much oil leaking from the head gaskets for my liking, also gives a good chance to look at things) Nearly 50000 miles and actually doesn't look too bad. Cams a bit worn but still some fair amount of hardening left so good for a while yet. Such fantastically simple and robust engines.

Bad news about the gearbox, although I dare say that the 5 litres do give'em a hammering with all that torque. Good luck with the chassis fit, did you go for the zinc-coating in the end? Also decided what you going to do to the engine?

[David H]

wheeljack888 said:

Also decided what you going to do to the engine?

I'm going to give it a complete rebuild (bearings, rings etc), but the only internal upgrade will be the cam. I'm quite happy with the power tbh!

Are you planning any upgrades during your build? or it that a silly question?

[19560]

David H said:

Thanks for the advice anyway, so 9inchers all round it is then.

Hmmm, maybe if you're not bothered about the strength of the spring, harshness of ride, etc. but shouldn't you decide on the spring rates and ride height required then the pre-load will determine the spring length as opposed to a one length fits all answer?

[joospeed]

speccing springs is easy ..

you need to determine the rate that fits your criteria, from lots of road and track testing,

plus you need a spring that won't come loose on full droop (this is related more to damper open length though in relity)

plus on full compression the fully closed damper shouldn't make the spring go coil bound,

plus allow for some extra length lost during the expected life of the spring as it sags with age and you need to raise the platforms to compensate.

also you need enough wire length to run the spring always outside it's elastic limit (spring specs available from the manufacturer).

let us know how you get on

[GreenV8S]

19560 said:

the pre-load will determine the spring length as opposed to a one length fits all answer?

True, but these dampers have fairly generous travel on the spring seat adjusters so as long as you are in the right ball park you don't need to change the spring length to cope with small variations in spring rate. However, it's worth noting that different makes/types of damper have the spring seats in different places so require different length springs. The 'right' length for Spax probably won't be right for AVOs, for example (not that you would want to run either of these brands, just making an example).

[19560]

joospeed said:

Enough wire length to run the spring always outside it's elastic limit

Great answer but surely that's a typing error. Mind you it would be interesting to say the least to run springs in the plastic zone.

[joospeed]

19560 said:

joospeed said: Enough wire length to run the spring always outside it's elastic limit Great answer but surely that's a typing error. Mind you it would be interesting to say the least to run springs in the plastic zone.

lol yeh well spotted. silly bugger aren't i?