Detecting worn dampers and coil springs
Discussion
Do damper and springs either work properly and give obvious signs of failure when they don't?
Besides the old push down a corner and rebound test, and looking for seal leaks or broken coils, uneven ride height, are there any other ways to tell if these items are past their best?
To put my question in context, I just sold my 1992 TVR Griffith, and it appeared to be on its original, (NLA) Koni dampers and probably original springs. The car drove fine and seemed to handle smoothly etc. But those dampers were 27 years old.
Likewise I have a 1984 Lotus Esprit, and again the car seems to handle well, with no signs of deterioration of the components.
Admittedly I have never driven other examples of these cars as a comparison and I am not a track day driving god, so my "seat-of-the-pants-o-mometer" may not be properly calibrated.
I think with my particular Esprit, original spec springs and dampers are NLA too, so aftermarket is the only way. I have heard some of these aren't that great, and with Lotus being renowned for good handling, it seems a shame to have to compromise.
Happy to be educated by those in the know.
Besides the old push down a corner and rebound test, and looking for seal leaks or broken coils, uneven ride height, are there any other ways to tell if these items are past their best?
To put my question in context, I just sold my 1992 TVR Griffith, and it appeared to be on its original, (NLA) Koni dampers and probably original springs. The car drove fine and seemed to handle smoothly etc. But those dampers were 27 years old.
Likewise I have a 1984 Lotus Esprit, and again the car seems to handle well, with no signs of deterioration of the components.
Admittedly I have never driven other examples of these cars as a comparison and I am not a track day driving god, so my "seat-of-the-pants-o-mometer" may not be properly calibrated.
I think with my particular Esprit, original spec springs and dampers are NLA too, so aftermarket is the only way. I have heard some of these aren't that great, and with Lotus being renowned for good handling, it seems a shame to have to compromise.
Happy to be educated by those in the know.
geeman237 said:
Do damper and springs either work properly and give obvious signs of failure when they don't?
Besides the old push down a corner and rebound test, and looking for seal leaks or broken coils, uneven ride height, are there any other ways to tell if these items are past their best?
To put my question in context, I just sold my 1992 TVR Griffith, and it appeared to be on its original, (NLA) Koni dampers and probably original springs. The car drove fine and seemed to handle smoothly etc. But those dampers were 27 years old.
Likewise I have a 1984 Lotus Esprit, and again the car seems to handle well, with no signs of deterioration of the components.
Admittedly I have never driven other examples of these cars as a comparison and I am not a track day driving god, so my "seat-of-the-pants-o-mometer" may not be properly calibrated.
I think with my particular Esprit, original spec springs and dampers are NLA too, so aftermarket is the only way. I have heard some of these aren't that great, and with Lotus being renowned for good handling, it seems a shame to have to compromise.
Happy to be educated by those in the know.
I took a damper off my merc, twas obviously knackered, the bounce test doesn't work with stiff suspension. Besides the old push down a corner and rebound test, and looking for seal leaks or broken coils, uneven ride height, are there any other ways to tell if these items are past their best?
To put my question in context, I just sold my 1992 TVR Griffith, and it appeared to be on its original, (NLA) Koni dampers and probably original springs. The car drove fine and seemed to handle smoothly etc. But those dampers were 27 years old.
Likewise I have a 1984 Lotus Esprit, and again the car seems to handle well, with no signs of deterioration of the components.
Admittedly I have never driven other examples of these cars as a comparison and I am not a track day driving god, so my "seat-of-the-pants-o-mometer" may not be properly calibrated.
I think with my particular Esprit, original spec springs and dampers are NLA too, so aftermarket is the only way. I have heard some of these aren't that great, and with Lotus being renowned for good handling, it seems a shame to have to compromise.
Happy to be educated by those in the know.
New dampers transformed the ride.
Pushing down on a corner will only detect severe problems. Dampers and bushes degrade over time. It's very likely that a damper that old would benefit from refurbishing even if it is still working. But if the body control and handling is OK and the ride is also OK then you might decide to let it be.
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