helper springs?

[Tim.duncan]

hey guys im wanting to set my ae86 for grip, i have seen "helper springs" mentioned around the place for the front struts.

What are they and what is there purpose?

im looking at running 5 kg up front

[drift kid]

from what i have been told helper springs are simply there to just keep the main spring in place while the strut is extended, it keeps pressure on that spring so it wont move out of place. this can happen while cornering hard and you lift a wheel off of the ground.

[af300e]

With a coilover mac strut, sometimes the length of the damper shaft is such that the spring is not held captive (it is captive due to the damper but it should be captive of its own tension) for the desired ride height. The helper spring is a very soft spring that sits on top of the main spring and keeps it all under tension at max extension.

[s14seriesII]

only a problem when the car is airborn or jacked up.. lifting a wheel around corners wont be an issue as the sway bar will keep tension on the spring of the lifted wheel..

[svenmate]

Hey Tim
You are aware that helper springs are for coilovers only?
They sit as shown here (see pic) to keep the spring at tension for all heights and movements.

Also, 5kg does seem a bit soft for any track setup. Have you tried 5kg before?
But everyone has their own preferences and style

[Jonny Rochester]

I think if you have the expensive type coilovers that have adjustable stroke, you can screw the shock body into the main bit and adjust the total strut length, so your springs are captive at full droop. It probably takes a bit of stuffing around adjusting both the stroke and the height.

If you have the regular home-made coilovers, then the springs may not be captive when jacked up at desired ride height. In this case you may use the little helper springs.

I have a feeling that with a common setup, a 5kg spring will be captive at desired ride height, and the little springs won't be needed.

[af300e]

Depends on the damper stroke. From personal experience, sw20 dampers meant that on a ta22 with xt130 struts, 5kg springs and coilovers, the springs were only captive with monster truck ride height.

Probably just have to fit it all and see if you need them or not.

Also, just because the springs are kept captive at the desired doesn't mean that it's all good. Too little sag (ie. dampers too short) can be an issue for grip.

[Tim.duncan]

ok so these are only for adjustable height "coilovers"?
im running standard struts

the rear springs i am running are only 3.7kg so im trying to get a balanced grip set up for the street not so much track. i dont like the skaty feel harder springs give so im going to try a softer set up first

[Sam-Q]

as above, the tubes if adjustable should be adjusted to have the valve in the middle not to keep the springs captive, thats the job of the helper springs. Well in an ideal world anyway.

svenmate: well that depends on what car it's for, for all we know its for a Diahatsu mira!