I have an EF hatch, and if i spin the spring perch and lock ring all the way down to the mount lock on the front coilovers, ill be at the height i want (no wheel gap). but i am cautious to do this because i dont want the shocks to blow. the shocks would be compressed about 1.5 inches more than normal if i change the preload...


For those of you that have changed the preload on your function forms to get lower, how are your shocks holding up?

 

Shocks normally don't blow to pre-load. Your shocks are most likely gonna blow because they aren't valved right or the sub-par materials use will give out.

 

well the shocks are valved to match the spring rate, and the spring rate is unchanged with this setup.

 

Wouldn't these things be able to handle whatever you do to them? I mean that's the reason everyone buys these right?

 

of course not.

do you have any valuable information that pertains to my question? I suppose you have no personal experience with these coilovers.

I am looking for an answer to my question. not more questions that are rhetorical.

 

I'm glad you were there during the build and dyno so you should have the utmost confidence that it will handle anything you do to them. I on the other would say other wise, but what do I know. Here you go pal.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/showth...2845505&page=2

 

I have seen that link multiple times. It doesnt answer my question.

I never said I was at the build or dyno, nor did I say they can handle anything you do to them. There is a reason I am concerned and asking for personal experience.

 

But the likelihood of these blowing is not related to the drop. OP as long as you have it preloaded correctly it will function as it was designed to at whatever ride height you chose. Just make sure you get extended top hats if you drop so low that you compromise shock travel.

 

Thats the thing though, I messed with the preload on the fronts to get it low enough. the shock compresses 1.5 inches farther than with factory preload, then the spring starts to compress. So essentially, the whole shock body is 1.5 inches shorter.

In general, does more shock compression lead to shorter shock life?

 

Actually extended hats wouldn't be much help since the shock body is so short.

 

No, pre-load has nothing to do with shock life. It will just take more force to compress the shock the more you add.

 

I removed preload.

So with 1.5 inches of shock "droop" (shock compresses 1.5 inches before spring seats) and all other factors set aside, this has no effect on shock life compared to no shock droop? My UCA's will hit the frame before the shocks will bottom out, so I'm not too worried about that.

 

Spring force doesn't increase with compression. Won't the force needed to compress the spring a given distance be the same regardless of preload?

 

I wonder why you don't contact F&F directly about their product and see if what you're doing is operating outside of spec. That's what I'm wondering.
http://www.f2autolife.com/contact-us

 

yes, thats true. but the stroke of the shock is now 1.5 inches shorter. I want to know if that affects shock life.
I emailed them on friday night. It is the weekend, should get a reply tomorrow

 

 

your pre-loading taiwan coilovers to get lower??

yes. you will blow your shitty coilovers in the parking lot of mcdonalds, right at the last long right hander..

be warry of the apex near the dumpster =\

 

I was under the impression that if you preload 100lb. Spring 1" it takes 200lbs. Of force to compress that spring.

 

 

As I understand it, for a 100 lb spring every inch of compression requires an additional 100 lbs. So regardless of whether it's preloaded 1" or 2" to get it to compress another inch takes 100 lb.

 

So this is your personal experience?

And no, i am not preloading them. The opposite actually. Try to re-read my original post, maybe sounding out the words will help.

Correct

 

STOP FLAMING.

if you have nothing productive to say, gtfo.

 

Thank you, I'm just trying to gain some knowledge about shocks in general.

I will try to simply further for the seemingly illiterate users:


With the same spring rate, does a shock that is compressed 1.5 inches farther than normal at all times wear out more quickly? or does the compression and stroke length of the shock not affect shock life, as long as the spring rate remains the same, and there is no bottoming out?

This is a general question that you hotshots should be able to answer. It now has nothing to do with the brand of coilovers.

 

You are right about the additional 100lbs. But wrong about the 2nd inch. The first 100lbs. the shock wouldn't move since you already preloaded, it will take another 100lbs. to move another inch.