are there any pros/cons to running different length springs? i'm looking to get a set of 400/450 lb gc's for my civic but i'm unsure if i should specify a particular length or not. is one length more advantageous than another? i wanted to keep them equal length so that i could experiment and rotate them front to rear to see what i preferred out of the handling.. are any of you guys picky about the spring lengths or do you just go with the standard 7" spring?

and yes, this is for my daily driver/lapping/auto-x car.. i'm poor so this car needs to do it all! thanks..

 

Generally, a shorter spring is less weight, which is desirable. Having a spring that's too short or tall will limit your ability to adjust the car height though.

 

I'm going to suggest using 8" springs up front, so that you can retain enough shock travel. This, of course, would depend on the shocks you will be using. If they are the garden variety off the shelf Koni, KYB, or Tokico you will probably run into problems with bottoming your shock without you even realizing it. A shock with a shortened rod would be the better choice for a 7" spring.

Also, I have noticed that shock travel isn't a problem at all in the rear on a Civic, so 7" springs should be fine out back.


[Modified by Mike P., 7:23 PM 10/30/2002]

 

they'll be paired with a set of neumann (neuspeed) konis.. from what i've heard/read the neuspeed konis are shortened (as well as having 2 extra perch mounting positions).. are they shortened enough to use a 7" spring in the front or no? i'd rather not bottom out the shock if i can help it! =P can an 8" spring be used in the rear or is that too long and will keep the civic in 4x4 mode?

 

you are limited by a wonderful thing called coil bind. stick with 8" all around and you'll be fine. you don't save enough weight for it to really matter. go to http://www.ground-control.com and see their tech section. they have all the stats of variuos lenght springs and rates.

nate

 

i'm running 8in springs on matrix coilover sleeves......they are as low as it goes....and i'm still not as low as i'd like!!

 

What's the consensus for the rear lengths? 8" rears would be nice if you are going to pair it with 8" fronts for interchangability.

What is everyone using with OTS Koni's, OTS ect...?

 

Actually you can (as I am) run 7" on all 4 corners IF you do not plan to have a ride height below 5". Measure this where you would put the jack on all 4 corners. The SCCA rule is 5" to the lowest point on the rocker panel itself if that is of any use to you.
My Civic is yet to bottom out the Koni shocks and it is as low as we can reasonably go on the Skunk2 sleeves and Eibach ERS springs. The CRX rides on the same basic setup using 400lb front/500lb rear springs and the official ride height plus 1/2". This setup is no where near the bottom of the sleeves and no coil bind has happened either.
Enjoy your ride.


[Modified by jc836, 3:32 PM 10/31/2002]

 

Run as long of spring as you can. The longer spring you have, the more it can compress (travel) before it binds.