Hi All,
I've always known my car to be a a hard ride.But as I'm getting more used to driving it and gaining confidence, I am suffering with the
British roads. The constant banging and bumping of the road unsettled the car to the point of scary.
So I want to soften the ride a little to help soak up the bumps better. Currently the car is fitted with spax adjustable coil overs. With adjusters
set to 3 clicks from the softest. Would changing the springs have the desired effect or should I be looking elsewhere?
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Building: enthusiasm for getting my car back on the road!
posted on 20/6/17 at 10:16 AM
What suspension system do you have on the rear?
I have a live-axle which is always going to be more of a challenge for ride comfort!
Fitting softer springs is an option. Make sure to buy longer springs than you currently have so you can get the same pre-load and achieve the same
ride height.
I also believe that most dampers have a damping range designed for much heavier cars than our kit cars. I run my AVO's on the lowest damper
setting and it's still a stiff ride!
If I was looking to improve the ride and handling I'd investigate finding dampers more tuned/suited to a very light car. ProComp Motorsport are
able to tune the dampers to suit light weight kit cars so I'd probably approach them.
That's my plan for the AVO's that I currently have on my 565 kg car
[Edited on 20/6/17 by JAG]
Justin
Who is this super hero? Sarge? ...No.
Rosemary, the telephone operator? ...No.
Penry, the mild-mannered janitor? ...Could be!
What tyre profiles and brand?
A taller profile (if it can be accommodated under arches), or a reduction in rim size combined with profile increase.
make sure you dont have XL (extraload) tyres fitted as they will have firmer walls.
As above I'd start with rims and tyres to soften the ride. I'd also be looking at tyre pressures as well. I think a lot of people run
their tyres at too high a pressure, which will make the ride more harsh. I know on my MK Indy some years back reducing the tyre pressures to around
16-18 psi improved the ride and also the handling.
quote:
What suspension system do you have on the rear?
Live Rear (English) and typical double wishbone front.
quote:
What tyre profiles and brand?
[/quote
195/50/15 Michelin Ps3
quote:
As above I'd start with rims and tyres to soften the ride
Currently running 18psi all round
Ill try knocking the shocks right down, and take some measurments of exisiting. Ive found an interesting youtube video explaining means to calculate
spring rates without a proper test jig.
Try some uniroyal RS3s, much softer side walls to the point that Tintop users complain they are too soft when used in anger, should suit a lightweight
car as a road tyre, and will be great if you get caught in rain.
Is the car jumping around or does it try and veer sideways when you go over a bump? If it is the second option have a look at the bumpsteer.
When I first built mine it tried to find a ditch on every bump. When I checked the bumpsteer it was miles out. I did the check quite simply, take the
shock out and support the car with a trolley jack under the wheel. Then get a spirit level with a laser line in the end and strap it to the side of
the wheel. On the garage wall put a piece of paper and mark a vertical line that starts at the dot on the wheel. Now jack the wheel up and the dot
should follow as straight a line as possible, if not then raise the steering rack with shims and repeat. Keep going until you are as good as you will
get. Unlikely to be perfect but mine went from +35mm change across the travel to 4mm and transformed the car. Repeat on the other side and job done.
Good explanation... and yes, notwithstanding that you need relatively firm springs due to the limited ground clearance on our type of cars,
there is a trend for people to fit suspension that is much too stiff for optimum road use 'because race car'. All too often, it actually
makes you slower on the road, because the car is skipping around with limited firm contact with the ground.
The one thing you don't appear to have told us is what spring rates you're running at the moment, which is obviously pretty crucial if
anyone is going to suggest whether they're too stiff or not!
You need to measure the spring rates and leverages to calculate the wheel rate, and that will give you a benchmark for comparison.
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