What is front spring rate and length?
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The car is a standard S4.
After the rebuild the front is riding too high, so time for some dampers and springs......
I'll use Gaz dampers as they give adjustable ride height and damping, are a good price and they will rebuild them at a reasonable cost.
So what is the "standard" spring rate (I want to use tha standard rate - nothing "uprated") and what is the normal free length (this doesn't really matter so much as I can adjust the ride height with the platform) but I need a starting point.
Thanks
Bruce
After the rebuild the front is riding too high, so time for some dampers and springs......
I'll use Gaz dampers as they give adjustable ride height and damping, are a good price and they will rebuild them at a reasonable cost.
So what is the "standard" spring rate (I want to use tha standard rate - nothing "uprated") and what is the normal free length (this doesn't really matter so much as I can adjust the ride height with the platform) but I need a starting point.
Thanks
Bruce
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Bruce Crowthorne - Third Gear
- Posts: 270
- Joined: 30 Aug 2005
Bruce,
I replaced the springs and inserts on my S2, 3 months ago with a pair from Dave Bean. Perfect ride height, great handling, they even compressed the springs and mounted them on the struts for me.
Rob
I replaced the springs and inserts on my S2, 3 months ago with a pair from Dave Bean. Perfect ride height, great handling, they even compressed the springs and mounted them on the struts for me.
Rob
- RobL7/Elan
- Second Gear
- Posts: 50
- Joined: 21 Nov 2006
Thanks cabc26, 75 lbs/in sounds really light. I guess it must run loads of pre load.
For comparison, the front of an Elise runs 142 lb/in and it is mid engined! I geuss the newer cars run much stiffer!
When you say you run 8 or 9 inch springs that seems a lot shorter than the standard 16.75 inch! Are you running much stiffer springs?
For comparison, the front of an Elise runs 142 lb/in and it is mid engined! I geuss the newer cars run much stiffer!
When you say you run 8 or 9 inch springs that seems a lot shorter than the standard 16.75 inch! Are you running much stiffer springs?
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Bruce Crowthorne - Third Gear
- Posts: 270
- Joined: 30 Aug 2005
Bruce Crowthorne wrote:Thanks cabc26, 75 lbs/in sounds really light. I guess it must run loads of pre load.
For comparison, the front of an Elise runs 142 lb/in and it is mid engined! I geuss the newer cars run much stiffer!
Bruce,
It's not just the spring rate that determines the stiffness, it's also how it's mounted, that is, the ratio of wheel travel to spring movement. Comparing the Elan to another car based on spring rates is comparing apples to oranges.
Andrew Bodge
'66 Elan S2 26/4869
I love the sound of a torque wrench in the morning. Sounds like... progress.
'66 Elan S2 26/4869
I love the sound of a torque wrench in the morning. Sounds like... progress.
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RotoFlexible - Fourth Gear
- Posts: 679
- Joined: 01 Sep 2005
Andy,
Good point. There are other factors.
Bruce -
My cars are lowered and are fitted with tires (tyres) that are wider than the 145-13 bias plys that came with the car originally. I also run a stiffer ( thicker) bar, LSD, solid shafts with the diff moved up . So yes I run stiffer and shorter springs makes sense for what i do with the car.
In the past I have run stock springs with a stock anti-roll-bar and 155/80/13 radials on 13x5 panasports. Makes for a nice ride, leans and slides like you would expect. it will also touch down if you are hustleing the card down the secondary roads ( especialy if you have two or more undulations). There was also more dive than I like under hard braking.
By preference and or chioice , I don't ever see my self running the stock set up. Your set up should be tailored to what you want or have in/out of the car.
Good point. There are other factors.
Bruce -
My cars are lowered and are fitted with tires (tyres) that are wider than the 145-13 bias plys that came with the car originally. I also run a stiffer ( thicker) bar, LSD, solid shafts with the diff moved up . So yes I run stiffer and shorter springs makes sense for what i do with the car.
In the past I have run stock springs with a stock anti-roll-bar and 155/80/13 radials on 13x5 panasports. Makes for a nice ride, leans and slides like you would expect. it will also touch down if you are hustleing the card down the secondary roads ( especialy if you have two or more undulations). There was also more dive than I like under hard braking.
By preference and or chioice , I don't ever see my self running the stock set up. Your set up should be tailored to what you want or have in/out of the car.
- cabc26b
- Fourth Gear
- Posts: 958
- Joined: 21 Sep 2003
Thanks cabc, so what spring rates and free lengths are you running?
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Bruce Crowthorne - Third Gear
- Posts: 270
- Joined: 30 Aug 2005
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