i have a set of focuz coilovers on my car and they have dual springs. when i go over certain bumps, the front suspension feels like its bottoming out. its not though because the coilovers are adjusted all the way up, my car is pretty close to stock height. a friend thinks that when i hit a bump, the secondary springs flex all the way to the point of bottoming out against the primary springs. so what i want to do is remove the secondary springs all together. anyone ever done this before? will it lower the car even if i leave the coilovers adjusted all the way up? is it safe to run dual spring coilovers with only the primary spring? if i do it, i know it will right stiffer but that doesnt bother me, i just want to get rid of the "bottoming out" feeling.

 

You sure it's not just the helper spring??? With like the OBX full coil-over/shock suspension I just take them out... I just love slamming the **** out of a car.... j/k.. No i really do it because they totally compress down when you drop the car on them so i don't really see any point in them...


[Modified by JDMspecEG6, 9:46 AM 11/27/2002]

 

i have weapon*R dual spring coilovers too... its hits bumps harder than usual coilovers.. but the ride is pretty smooth.

 

Your friend is right, but also wrong. The secondary spring is a helper spring, which has a lower rate than the primary and hence softens hits on smaller bumps by lowering the overall rate (until it reaches coil bind). Once coil bind occurs on the helper spring, the stiffer main spring takes effect and, well, you know the rest. If your suspension feels too stiff over bumps, removing the helper spring will only make matters worse by INCREASING overall spring rate. The best method for softening the ride over bumps is to run a taller tire (read: softer sidewall), beyond that, if the spring rate is the problem, your only real option is to get softer springs. There's no magic bullet for curing improperly chosen spring rates, especially when they are too stiff.


[Modified by texan, 2:04 AM 11/27/2002]

 

thx for the good reply, what you say makes total sense. but the stiff ride isnt what bothers me, its the binding of the helper spring that i dont like. after what youve said, i may reconsider because if i do remove the helper spring, that will get rid of the binding problem but it will probably make the ride totally unbearable.