I am thinking of picking up some new coilovers to replace my Progress Technology coilovers (old version). There is nothing wrong with my progress setup there just old and i would like to try something new. Overall ive been super happy with the way they handle well but arent ridiculously stiff, especially compared to my friends DA with TEIN SS on his car which is like riding a horse lol.

So basically im looking for some advice on how you determine spring rates for a certain setup. Is there a general area for specific applications or is it really dependent on too many factors to generalize? My setup is basically daily driving with the intent of attending drag and lapping days in the future but first and foremost the car is daily driven. The car is a 1998 DX coupe and weighs a bit more than what a stock one would.

Some other info id like to read up on his whether its prefered to have neutral handling or if you'd rather have a little oversteer or understeer. I am sure thats dependent on each person but generally i would think it would be ideal to bring the cornering to as neutral as possible.

I am personally thinking of running 10K front and 8K rear if I can as i see most coilover kits out there offer this for street application but i think this may be too stiff for everyday use.

 

I daily drive 7k rates (400 lbs / in) just fine. Of course, this is in a 2800 lbs GSR.

To get a streetable ride, even with stiff springs, just make certian of a few key things:
1) You have adequate suspension travel. Riding the bumpstops sucks. Period. So does slamming the UCAs into the fender, ask me how I know.
2) You have good shocks that can correctly control the stiffer rate springs, adn can handle the lowered ride height. Otherwise, can we say bounce, bounce, bounce.

And there is no magic rate for everyone to use. Its all dependent on car, weight, height, road conditions, driver preference, alignment settings, tires, etc...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TunerN00b &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I daily drive 7k rates (400 lbs / in) just fine. Of course, this is in a 2800 lbs GSR.

To get a streetable ride, even with stiff springs, just make certian of a few key things:
1) You have adequate suspension travel. Riding the bumpstops sucks. Period. So does slamming the UCAs into the fender, ask me how I know.
2) You have good shocks that can correctly control the stiffer rate springs, adn can handle the lowered ride height. Otherwise, can we say bounce, bounce, bounce.

And there is no magic rate for everyone to use. Its all dependent on car, weight, height, road conditions, driver preference, alignment settings, tires, etc...</TD></TR></TABLE>

how is the ride with 7K rates? My civic probably weighs in the area of your GSR due to a sound system etc. The spring rates are going on full coilovers so the spring and shock will be matched. I will not be slamming my car due to the c-west kit on the car that makes it low enough as is.

So do you think 10K F and 8K R is too high? I am thinking maybe 8 and 6 or 9 and 7?

 

I'd start at 400in/lbs front and rear. Not too stiff for me daily matched with koni yellow shocks. i am planning on going a bit stiffer, 450 in front, and 475 rear.

 

Why do some prefer higher spring rates in the front and lower in the rear and some setup there car with lower in the front and higher in the rear?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Stealth1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Why do some prefer higher spring rates in the front and lower in the rear and some setup there car with lower in the front and higher in the rear?</TD></TR></TABLE>

IIRC most companies do that to induce understeer rather than oversteer for noob drivers.

Personally I run 10k/6k slammed in a del sol and I like it a lot, but it was much better when I was running a rear sway bar.

 

A higher front spring rate will lend itself to more comfortable suspension frequencies, generally. And that will result in more ride comfort.

A higher rear rate will allow the car to rotate more easily, but there's nothing that says you can't make it work the other way around. A case can be made for both types of setups, its ultimately up to the driver and the rest of the setup.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PIC Performance &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">A higher front spring rate will lend itself to more comfortable suspension frequencies, generally. And that will result in more ride comfort.

A higher rear rate will allow the car to rotate more easily, but there's nothing that says you can't make it work the other way around. A case can be made for both types of setups, its ultimately up to the driver and the rest of the setup. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I appreciate the input from someone who puts out high quality suspension kits. I have noticed that for PIC the normal offerings are higher front than rear for most applications but for the track cars that ive seen with them i think the norm is 12K front and 14K rear.

So basically for the street you use a lower spring rate in the rear so the rear doesnt turn/breakout as quickly when cornering which is easier for most drivers. But in an application where cornering speed is the main goal you set it up for the rear to turn quicker.

I think I have a bit better of an understanding now but obviously testing different spring rates and different valving of shocks is the only way to know whats right for me.

 

While the focus is always placed on performance above all else, we recognize that the majority of users will be using our products on daily driven cars. In which case, some concessions in performance were made in order to maintain a certain level of streetability (such as the higher front rate), but not so much that they become a "street" coilover.

Safety is a factor as well, however the biggest determinant in how safe a car is is the driver of course.

 

do you think 10F/8R is maybe too stiff for a daily application? I am thinking of either going 8F/6R or 9F/7R for a compromise between the 10/8 and 8/6. Is there gonna be a marginal difference in feel between these setups?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Stealth1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">do you think 10F/8R is maybe too stiff for a daily application? </TD></TR></TABLE>

I run 10/6 on my dd

 

The differences between 1kg/mm of spring is very noticeable. In my own opinion, the P2's (10k/8k) are very tolerable for street use - the roads I frequent can get pretty bumpy too. But thats just me. For any sort of track-use beyond the occasional weekend auto-x or HPDE, I'd recommend the more aggressive rates like the P3.