Was in the garage tonight trying to sort out my poor handling. The car is going for a full geo set-up soon but wanted to try and dial it in a bit cause even the drive to get the geo done won't be much fun.

The car is a westfield megablade that according to the plate weights 420kgs. I have set the ride hight tonight that was miles out according to the set-up sheet from westfield, 114mm front and 133mm rear. I set this wiith me weight in the car. I proceded to set the dampers to factory clicks, 8 front 6 rear from softest setting.

My new problem, the front feels lots better and even the rear untill I hit a slight dip then lift on the road the rear shocks top out and give a huge knock. After taking it back home turns out I can top out the rear shocks just by rocking the roll over bar!

Any ideas of the problem or cure? Would hate to wait for my slot for the geo just to find out I need new shocks or springs ect.

Cheers.

Additional info, I have no idea of the make of shocks, guessing gaz or something and the front springs are black whilst the rears are blue and that's about all I know of them.

If it's at the correct ride height and bottoms or tops out you are wasting your time on a full geo, they cannot correct physics.

Time to measure up and get some longer replacements or modify the mountings.

Got to be the wrong length shocks as above?

Get pics up if possible

That's what I was thinking but don't know why this is the case if the kit was all supplied by westfield and the car has 4000m on it thought it would still be original and correct shocks.

I will go to the garage tomorrow and get some pics.
Cheers.

Another thought I had was, if the knob at the bottom of body of the shock might control rebound also so I might have them set to soft?

When I got the car it was set at around 20+ clicks and was rock solid so I put it to standard clicks and have plenty downwards travel, more clicks maybe?

Your 100% sure they are the shocks supplied/specced by westfield?

I dont think you have the right shocks. Maybe front and rears are back to front if your 100% thatthey were part of a kit.

Also they were probably set to mega bonkers hard because they b bottom out too easily!!!

Can't be 100% as am not the first owner/builder. The for sale thread was on here for it tho and am guessing with the limited mileage it would be the original shocks.

IDONTBELEVEIT was they guy that sold it if it helps.

Do you mean the car is hitting the bump stops ?

The danger is if you fit shorter bodied dampers the tyres will hit the body work.

Longer springs won't make any difference if you set the car to the same ride height.

Westies are generally regarded as having springs at the rear that are too soft. so fitting harder springs and setting to the same ride height is probably the best answer.

However if you fit harder springs to the rear only it will increase the cars tendency to oversteer, to bring it back into balance the front end requires to be stiffened by fitting harder front springs or a skinny ant-roll bar.



ISTR a figure of 180 lb/inch has been quoted in the past for Westie rear spring rates.

What I mean is the damper is fully stroked out to full length and knocking.

If I fit stronger springs surely this would make the problem worse?

You need a set of shocks with a longer top eye.

For example protech shocks sell these: http://www.protechshocks.co.uk/spares/extended-top-eye-bearing-107

That will allow you to run the spring lower and give you more extension.

Would fitting a torsion bar help like in the tv program Race car is born ?
Jacko

So what you mean the car is you are running out of droop travel.

The amount of droop travel is limited by the chassis on most 7 style chassis, as a result they use short travel dampers with considerable compression pre-loaded on the springs
With soft spring and only short damper travel much more pre-load will still be held on the spring at full droop, harder springs need less pre-load.

To give a rough and ready example, a car weighing 1400lbs exerts 400 pounds on each rear spring, the damper travel is 4" at specified ride height this is -- 3" bump and 1" droop.

With 150lbs/in springs to maintain normal static ride height the spring must be compressed 2.66" of which 1.66" must be pre-loaded giving a pre-load of 250lbs.

With 300lbs/in springs to maintain normal static ride height the spring must be compressed 1.33" of which only 0.33" must be pre-loaded giving a pre-load of 100lbs.


[Edited on 26/5/14 by britishtrident]

Wow, lost now Britishtrident!

I think Whatley idea of longer top eyes is what I need.

Really don't know how to word it better but when I pull up on my roll over bar my dampers hit the top of there stroke.

Cheers again.

BTW according to a invoice the springs fitted are 200lbs on the rear and the car is 420kgs.