[flash]

nope - not a flowery tale of a season's changing - well, sort of....



time once again to revisit the suspension for the season, and tweak it a bit more



what i had in the car was konis up front with porsche motorsport eibach/tech art progressive springs - these calculate to a linear rate of 160/250 - given the angle of the strut, and some load tests, that gives an effective rate of 144/225, though loaded it was more like 190/225 when driving because the first 2.5 coils were almost always compressed



what i had in the rear were torsion delete with carrera shocks valved for this car, with eibach 2.5" dia x 10" long 250# linear springs - given my modified rear mounting geometry, and reduced rear weight, this equated to an effective rate of 187.5



this provided a VERY nice ride under moderate conditions - the front had nice give to it, accommodating bumps well, and the rear wasn't bouncing me around - but, start throwing the car around, and it was really depending on the alignment geometry and the tires to stick - it really felt too soft, especially in the rear - at initial set, the car was very balanced - remember, that my intial rate was 190 or so, and the rear was 187.5 - nice balance - then it would load and get stiffer in the front, making the rear seem like it was dragging aroung a bit



also keep in mind that the stock rates are 160f/175r



my thought is to change my rear rate to 300 and the front to 250 - that would give me an effective front of 225 or so and rear of also 225 - the idea here is to firm up the rear, while not losing the front loaded rate, and try to balance the car without making the ride too harsh for street (yes, i know this is a nearly impossible compromise goal)



i realize that the racers out there would spring the car a lot heavier - i would too for a race car - that is not the goal here - this is to remain a street car, but i am looking for better tuning - i also realize that the first instinct is to spring the front more than the rear, by an increase of 10-20% - that is also what i have always done in the past - i was also dealing with a car that was generally 52/48



i know the math works - it's just a bit counter-intuitive, based on experience



here's the question - who else has played around with this? i am looking for input from somebody who has also corner balanced the car - i am working hard to get an even distribution of weight and spring reaction, increase handling and cornering, while not losing ride comfort in a street car



working on the presumption that i have moved the weight around sufficiently to achieve a 50/50 balance at 1/2 tank and including driver, i'm doing this today to see where i am, but i have a couple of days before i can get it back in for it's next alignment (lol - ugh - 9th now in 2 years i think)



thoughts? (besides that i am nuts and should just leave the car alone)

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

ok - update time



i did the 250 frnt 300 rear thing - was still too soft



what was going on was the shocks and struts were cranked up so high to try to settle the car down in the corners that every bump was transmitting a lot more jitter through the chassis than i wanted



so, i just installed 300# springs up front and 350# in the rear - woohoo



i was able to back the struts off 3/4 turn, and the shocks off 2 clicks - the car is amazingly stable and smooth now, with almost no cowl shake at all - i am just stunned at the change (ron, even you might approve)



a quick ride height adjustment tomorrow, and i think i am finally done with my suspension



gee, it was only 2 years, 7 sets of springs, and 9 alignments - what's the big deal?

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[josephsc]

I've noticed that springs are a funny thing. The acceptable rate for the driver seems to increase over time, whereas the acceptable rate for the passenger seems to decrease over time. What has Ayn said lately? <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

actually, i expect she wil like it more - it is a lot smoother than before - the shock and strut settings are the key here - i had to set them too firm before, making the ride rougher



she'll go for a ride in it in the next few days

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.