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Spring or damper for soft/hard ride

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Old 09 July 2006 | 07:07 PM
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Default Spring or damper for soft/hard ride

well, in my case, coilovers.

Basically, its as hard as hell,now i know it aint gonna be a soft ride,but its gotta be softa then this, on looking, it seems the spring has been wound right up, the adjusters under the spring have about 2" if not more of thread i can lower them too hence making the spring longer therefore softer,have more bounce, is that right ?

the damper just dampens the spring doesnt it, so its the spring that determines the ride, right ?

cheers.........
Old 09 July 2006 | 07:17 PM
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Coilovers are ****e and wholly unsuitable for road use; I dont understand why people fit them (now you know why you see so many for sale though...). Its hard enough setting up a bike with a single set of bump/rebound and spring seat settings, but four is a nightmare even when you really know what youre doing!

Simon
Old 09 July 2006 | 07:45 PM
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yup, they are hard, but i dont mind when the missus is in the car, boing boing boing LOL,but i should be looking at the road !!

if i just unwind what i belive to be the adjusters all the way to the bottom of their thread,(basically,it looks like the ones on bikes, with the little notches missing every 2" or so, i guess to tap them round, and there are 2 of them, presume the top one is a lock one to stop the other moving), so the spring is longer i should be o.k,shouldnt i, as all 4 will be at their softest ?

i dont mind a soft ride LOL, dont cain it round bends much !

cheers......
Old 09 July 2006 | 07:54 PM
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By adjusting the spring seat, you increase/decrease the pre-load on the sping. This does a number of things: it affects the ride height and the vehicles corner weights, both of which affect handling. You also stiffen (where you 'wind up') the ride by partially compressing the softer part of the spring. Twatting about with the spring seat is childs-play: you wait until youre trying to set the bump and rebound damping!

Simon
Old 09 July 2006 | 08:16 PM
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I've got Tein Flex coilovers on my bugeye and I find them superb on the road. Yes if I put them on full hard I definatly need a harness to keep me in the seat but the settings I have as normal, does give a comfortable ride. I took the oppurtunity to fit the EDFC damping control system that allows me to adjust on the move if required. So fine adjustments can be made to cope with any changes in road conditions. Hope you get the ride quality you require. Steve
Old 09 July 2006 | 08:55 PM
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cheers guys, but i dont see anything to adjust bump/rebound, all it has is allen keys on the strut mount for camber and the adjusters under the spring.

unless im missing something, i havent actually removed wheel yet so there might be more under there, all i can see is the thread part under the spring and the adjusters under them, and the springs are wound right up as tight as they can go !!
Old 09 July 2006 | 09:14 PM
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Id have to say then, that if you cant alter bump and rebound, or at the very least the rebound; then they arent worth messing about with. If you wind down the spring seats (remove the pre-load) then the ride should soften.

Simon
Old 10 July 2006 | 12:26 AM
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Look at bump a rebound in addition to springs, as it all plays part in the characteristics as a whole. You need to soften the bump to compensate for road irregularities and help remove "jigglyness". Rebound (if adjustable) should be adjusted in proportion to. Although care must be taken that the rebound isn't too stiff (in proportion to the bump) as the suspension will jack down on bumpy roads making the ride even worse as teh spring will be under more compression.

I had a set of nasty coilovers on the rear of a Jag once that had completely incorrect rebound charteristics (Bump too soft, Rebound far too stiff). Conseqentally, the rear end spent most of its time hitting the bumpstops and riding with the spring half compessed (and thus even stiffer - making it even more jiggly)
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