gooney
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 posted on 10/1/05 at 07:05 PM |
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help needed re:shocks/springs
Can anybody suggest the best shocks/springs etc.. for a live axel standard chassis locost.
Some people suggest 12" on the front and 14" at the rear, other people suggest 14" allround as for the springs I've heard a
range from as low as 150lbs to 350lbs, once i've got this sorted where's the best source four them?.
Please help
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Ian Pearson
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| posted on 10/1/05 at 07:18 PM |
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I've got 14" shocks on the rear, but 12" are too short for the front, so I shall be ordering a set of 14" for the front. Not
sure on the springs yet. It really depends on which engine you decide on. Have a search on here for shocks, and you'll get more advice than
you'll know what to do with!
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DavidM
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| posted on 10/1/05 at 07:42 PM |
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The man at GAZ told me that the car should be put together so that it resembles the approx finshed weight, with correct wheels/tyres and set to the
correct ride height using "wooden shocks".
Measure between the bracket centres and use this measurement as the centre point of the shock travel.
So a shock 12" long extended and 9" long compressed will be correct for 10.5" bracket centres. Worked for me.
I've got 12/9.5" on the front and 13/10" on the rear.
I used the spring rates he advised but I've not driven it yet so I don't know if they are good or not. They can be changed relatively
cheaply if needed, but shock length cannot.
Hope this helps.
David
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Stu16v
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| posted on 10/1/05 at 08:12 PM |
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Good advice David, the only things I would add is that as long assuspension and wheels are on, the lengths can be sorted without worrying what weight
is in the vehicle, the chassi height from the ground is the most important thing. There is also *some* flexibility on where the damper travel is. My
advice would be to aim for between half/half, and one thrid compressed at chosen ride height (so there is two thirds travel left).
Dont just build it.....make it!
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Marcus
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| posted on 10/1/05 at 09:37 PM |
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My book Locost has 13/10s all round and I've yet to hit either the bumpstops or full rebound on the road. Spring rates are 225 front and 150
rear. I wouldn't go much harder than that or it becomes uncomfortable to drive. People have comented how smooth the car is on the road.
It's a lot better than our Smart car (proper jiggly!!)
Marcus
Marcus
Because kits are for girls!!
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DarrenW
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| posted on 11/1/05 at 02:00 PM |
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I saw a thread on winter handling recently whereby someone commented on fitting springs that were too hard etc.
Before doing the se7en i was into Golfs. One of the mods people were doing was to fit softer rather than harder shocks and springs then control
bodyroll etc with uprated bushes and roll bars etc. The idea being was to maintain a good contact patch with the road at all times even on the bumpy
areas. My Golf had adjustable dampers, as an experiment we tried to see what would happen if you set them hard - result = almost no steering in the
damp on roundabouts. Proved a point.
This also goes for ride height. Ive lost count of the number of E30 BMW's seen where they are dropped 3 or 4 inches and the back wheels are
leaning in - look daft in my oppinion but also wreck the handling, shred tyres and damage the bushes.
Im no suspension expert but the experts seem to favour slightly softer rather than harder rates. This works in my humble experience.
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