I understand the premise behind the progressive-rate spring, but its relationship with the damper confounds me a little. Progressive-rate springs are designed to give a much lower spring-rate over smaller distances of travel right, ie. bumps in the road,etc? Those types of travel are typically high-velocity movements for the damper where it produces higher forces compared to low speed. So won't those situations where the lower rate of the spring is compressed be severely over-damped?

 

Btw, I understand that the high-rate section of the spring won't be entirely static, but in most applications, it's not going to travel much till the low-rate section is bound right?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by vinuneuro &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Btw, I understand that the high-rate section of the spring won't be entirely static, but in most applications, it's not going to travel much till the low-rate section is bound right?</TD></TR></TABLE>

That is how i've always understood there function.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by vinuneuro &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I understand the premise behind the progressive-rate spring, but its relationship with the damper confounds me a little. Progressive-rate springs are designed to give a much lower spring-rate over smaller distances of travel right, ie. bumps in the road,etc? Those types of travel are typically high-velocity movements for the damper where it produces higher forces compared to low speed. So won't those situations where the lower rate of the spring is compressed be severely over-damped? </TD></TR></TABLE>

That depends on your shocks low speed valving, right?

 

A damper has "high speed" (bumps, curbs, ect), and it has low speed (cornering loads, acceleration).

A progressive spring's rate increases as they compress. All with reason of course.


Koni's can handle a OEM or eibach pro kit spring and they can also handle a 500lbs/in linear spring.


Most dampers have a pretty good range of spring rates they can handle. It seems that only the "jdm" dampers have really narrow range for springs.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by slammed_93_hatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">A damper has "high speed" (bumps, curbs, ect), and it has low speed (cornering loads, acceleration).

A progressive spring's rate increases as they compress. All with reason of course.


Koni's can handle a OEM or eibach pro kit spring and they can also handle a 500lbs/in linear spring.


Most dampers have a pretty good range of spring rates they can handle. It seems that only the "jdm" dampers have really narrow range for springs.</TD></TR></TABLE>

You missed my question. Bumps,etc are usually small distances (lower rate) in the spring, and high-speed movements in the shock. Isn't this going to create an over-damp situation with those bumps,etc?

 

youd really have to have a quantitative number to associate with what you think high speed is.

also remember that after a certain frequency the tires do most of the damping. i think i remember 7 hz. so the tire damping comes into large effect with high speed road bumps
and if it was, then maybe shock overdamping is good for really small road bumps. that would mean that the chassis doesnt move much, and the tire can do it's work by damping everything at that point.

they work together in that situation by basically isolating the tire and making it do the work