spring rates

[Gilly]

i am setting up my ke70 for drift but it is still a street driven car. i am prepared to sacrifice comfort for overall performance. iam curious to see what people are running as i am soon to get custom springs made i was thinking 7kg fronts and 6kg rears,

i am using koni adjustabe shocks is anyone else using these? what should i set them at? my old sprinter used the same shocks but with lovells superlows which was alright for street use and sat plenty low enough but rates weren't ideal for drift any help greatly appreciated http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/emoticons/laugh.gif

[Daniel-AE86]

i could tell you my spring rates, but it might feel different depending on what schocks your running

You must remember that although the springs make up the actual AMOUNT of movement and suspension travel per given force, shocks control the SPEED of that motion.

For example, a very stiff compression shock, combined with a very soft 2.8 kg/mm OEM front spring, can feel VERY harsh...and at the same time, an 8.0 kg/mm spring coupled with a decently soft compression (high rebound) shock can feel supple and comfortable...
It's all a balance.

Japanese performance shocks in general have high compression valving and makes any spring feel hard. Tokico and KYB both generally fall into this category. KONI and many European sourced shocks will have softer compression valve with a high rebound valving in general. The former allows high speed stability and supple ride qualities while the latter is suited to making fast, stable attitude changes. Most people will find that former is easier to stay consistent, while latter is sometimes preferred by advanced drivers who can control a more pronounced attitude change of the car.

Great suspension though is never made by general assumption and it can vary by a million different factors and driver tastes. And the best way to figure this out is to compete if you want to be fast, and becoming ultra-sensitive to inputs and feedback, if you want to be a testing engineer. A little of both with experience and help along the way will make you a good set right for your needs.

[slydar]

i really doubt your koni's will control 7kg springs, unless theyve been revalved to control something that hard, or close to it.

[Sprinterboy]

how stiff are people using for their street cars, id like stiff suspension but i want to grip the road to a point aswell, rather that skipping over bumps. im looking at 6kg for the front and 4-5kg for the rear. anyone comment? recommended shocks for this setup?

much appreciated

[.wolfwood]

so much to choose from, i want some coil overs but i dont even know were to start, decisions decisions.

brett waht do you use and waht do people like josh in the ink ae use?

i got the money but dont jnow what to get.....

[decoyslikecurves]

brett and josh's cars are flat out drift cars, meaning they sacrifice all comfort. If you are building a road car I recommend 6kg front and 4.7 rear.

I had this on my old car and it was excellent, but needed slightly larger swaybars front and rear to cancel a bit of roll. That is a good setup, especialy for street.

CHeers

[rthy]

Daniel-AE86: I have to ask, this info you talk about, where did u learn it? is it from experience?


BTW: I am using 5.9kg fronts and the backs are about 3kg roughly, I will be changing to 5.0s for the front shortly. It's a nice combination for me, i would like slightly softer at the back though for the time being.

[blu 86]

im runing 7kg rear kyb short sharft and trd coillies with 5kg spring and its pretty stiff