Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Thanks nmauduit for clearing up the spring issue (100Lbs rate in my case). I did however know that adjustable dampers are nothing to do with ride height. I have certainly learnt a lot on this thread. Great stuff and thanks again.

The softer spring rates we use mean less sensitivity to corner weight differences. There are three elements:

Weight ratio Front to Rear

Weight difference Side to Side (ballast)

Cross weights - Right Front vs Left Rear & Left Front vs Right Rear

For braking stability it's very desirable to have equal weights in the front L/R
Weight dffierences side to side can be adjusted via moving the battery, spare etc.

Cross weights have a greater handling effect with cars with higher spring rates but does have some effect with road cars negotiating left vs right hand corners. A link to a good article that explains measurement, the effects and means to correct.

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/understanding-corner-weights/

Yeh i got it late, on my 980kg race car it has a totally different set up so my pre-load is super sensitive as my spring rates are much closer to my corner weights. I wouldn't dream of setting the ride height with the pre-load but then it must work on Elans.