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Replacement Springs fro Protech Dampers
bassett - 24/4/11 at 06:48 PM

Hi,
I've been thinking about trying some slightly lighter springs as the front of my car feels just too tightly sprung. As far as i am aware these are 175lb but i cant be certain also whats this figure based on? I recently weighted the car at 450kg excl driver if this makes a difference. I tried Protech and apparently they dont make the springs for their coilovers but can get them for £25+vat a spring. Does anyone know who makes these or equivalents?
Cheers
Adam

[Edited on 24/4/11 by bassett]

INDY BIRD - 24/4/11 at 08:02 PM

mnr can supply them have you asked?

if not other kit manufacturers can supply i am sure,

matt_gsxr - 24/4/11 at 08:19 PM

faulkner http://www.dfaulknersprings.com/ make them, whatever you want, all good quality.

Rallydesign are probably cheaper, but if I remember their 1.9inch springs come in yellow (faulkner are black)!

phelpsa - 25/4/11 at 10:00 AM

Merlin Motorsport sell Faulkner springs. I bought mine there.

phelpsa - 25/4/11 at 10:07 AM

P.S.

Are you sure its the springs that are too stiff and not the damping? Have you tried turning the dampers down a notch at a time?

Frosty - 26/4/11 at 08:25 PM

D Faulkner springs are the way to go if you do need to replace them.

If you are not sure about the spring rate them remove a damper from the car and the rate and length will be written on the top of the spring. You will need to remove it from the damper. It's a long way round, but ensures you buy the right spring.

A couple of things to check though:

1) Are your front tyre pressures sensible? 18PSI is a good starting point.
2) Have you tried backing off the front damping? This will essentially reduce the front "rate" when damping is reduced. Back them off and see what happens.

and most importantly:

3) Check your wishbone bushes. 99% of harsh riding on the cheaper kit cars is down to the wishbone bushes.

If your bushes are too tight, then changing the spring only side-steps the problem and doesn't fix it. You need to disconnect the damper (or pushrod if you're inboard), remove the wheel, and then see if you can easily move the wishbones up and down by hand. If they are stiff, you really need to address this. It takes a while to address, but the results are amazing.

I spent a whole 2 days on an MK Indy with a friend and the end results are incredible. Does your car squeak when going over speed bumps etc?

bassett - 27/4/11 at 08:23 AM

Cheers for the info guys, turns out there isnt much in the price like i was hoping between Protech,MNR and D Faukners.

Everything else on the car has been gone over except checking the spring markings, both front/rear are easy to see a nice amount of movement in.

The ride is not bad for most roads but the worst make the car not as enjoyable hence the look for a change.

phelpsa - 27/4/11 at 09:01 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Frosty

and most importantly:

3) Check your wishbone bushes. 99% of harsh riding on the cheaper kit cars is down to the wishbone bushes.

If your bushes are too tight, then changing the spring only side-steps the problem and doesn't fix it. You need to disconnect the damper (or pushrod if you're inboard), remove the wheel, and then see if you can easily move the wishbones up and down by hand. If they are stiff, you really need to address this. It takes a while to address, but the results are amazing.

I spent a whole 2 days on an MK Indy with a friend and the end results are incredible. Does your car squeak when going over speed bumps etc?


Can't emphasise this enough. I spent 2 days on mine going through each bush with a reamer and replacing the crush tubes with slightly longer stainless ones until they all moved without friction. A well respected member of this forum (who makes a living from these things) once told me 'better to have a bit of play than a lot of friction'.

[Edited on 27-4-11 by phelpsa]

Frosty - 27/4/11 at 12:23 PM

quote:
Originally posted by phelpsa
Can't emphasise this enough. I spent 2 days on mine going through each bush with a reamer and replacing the crush tubes with slightly longer stainless ones until they all moved without friction. A well respected member of this forum (who makes a living from these things) once told me 'better to have a bit of play than a lot of friction'.

Indeed. I'm still amazed that such a simple thing just doesn't get addressed by the majority of builders. I too spent the time on mine and made sure of a perfect fit. I left the crush tubes as they were, and machined down the bushes with a lathe instead. I ended up with the wishbones just about falling under their own weight (no uprights attached) when fully torque tightened. The suspension responds to the road so well.

mrwibble - 27/4/11 at 05:28 PM

quote:
Originally posted by bassett
Hi,
I've been thinking about trying some slightly lighter springs as the front of my car feels just too tightly sprung. As far as i am aware these are 175lb but i cant be certain also whats this figure based on? I recently weighted the car at 450kg excl driver if this makes a difference. I tried Protech and apparently they dont make the springs for their coilovers but can get them for £25+vat a spring. Does anyone know who makes these or equivalents?
Cheers
Adam

[Edited on 24/4/11 by bassett]


just had some protechs through procomp. aparently the springs are made by faulkner (sp?) from them. apparently there are 2 ID of springs aswell either 1.9" or 2.25", so worth checking that.