spec me up some springs please?

[blackvtrt]

can anyone spec me u some shorter springs, for a GAZ GHA coilover kit?
Ill see if i can get some more info but there ID coil springs ("pigtail" if that makes a difference) 2.5"/65mm wide dont know the length yet (but need to be about 40-50mm lower), think gaz are hard springs about 180lbs?

cheers

[AlexB]

what lenght are you running atm
and how low does the car sit

your going to need helpers if you go shorter so have to consider those too

[blackvtrt]

dont know exact height coilovers are wound right down, around 70mm at a guess? Its 290mm from the wheel centre to the arch, 130mm from the side of the bumper to the floor and 100mm from the front of the bumper to the floor if that helprs any?
Will I need even shorter dampers aswell?

[AlexB]

no with helpers you wont need shorter dampers
i would guess (as most coilovers are) at a 9 inch spring
so dependent on how low you want you shorten the spring and fill the gap with a helper
so 8" needs a 1" helper
7 needs 2 ect ect
and then you just have to think about the helpers compressed height (how tall the spring is when its fully coilbound) and add that onto the origonal spring length and te central pan height (a pan between the 2 psrings to hold them together)

it gets pretty technical pretty fast lol

thats how i understand coilovers from the small amount i have played with them

[blackvtrt]

well I want to be able to adjust the suspension so if I go 1" I should be about right for the stance of the wheels, but if I need to go lower I'd have to buy another set again, could I buy 7" main springs with 2" helpers, meaning id prob be to low if I wound them threads fully down, could I wind them up abit?
Then taking into account the compressed space I've never seen a set of helpers personally, but have an idea on the size of the helper spring pan height as they (around 10mm?) so what u reckon 3/4" If that the case I doubt 8" springs would make much difference, would have to be 7's!

Also I dont understand how helpers will mean I dont need shorter dampers, the dampers surley will become fully compressed all the time if I drop much lower than there original intended use?

[AlexB]

helper height (when compressed gets into how hard they are and how many coils ect are on them
some can be a few mm some are nearly half in just themslevs
the pan is normally only a few mm in height

you can wind up if your too low yes (thats the point of coilovers not just to be sat on the bottom lol)

and the helper is there to stop the spring rattling and unseating whe the car is unweighted and thats why i say you dont need to shorten the damper
obviously if you go to low yes you will bottom out the damper but shortening it then means youll just hit the bumpstops ect and tbh then your looking at stiffer springs ect to limit the movement by being stiffer (which then stresses other things)

tbh having helped lee a bit with his car (the grey mark 2) i wouldnt wanna go below 70mm anyway unless the kit was designed too
hes going fully custom on his now and will be using a 200lb spring and tarmac group n pugsport dampers and thats basically replacign your whole setup

of you want to go low you will encounter a lot of problems and it will end up costing a fair amount
below about 80mm you really need to be relocating things likt the track rods so there inverted (which means custom track rod ends at least) and smoehow dropping the arb back down so its not against the shell ect
at the end of the day a low car soon becomes an undriveable car unless you jsut go fully custom on it and even then it ends up rather stiff for road use

[blackvtrt]

ye that what I was thinking tbh, All id be left with outta a coilover kit is the threaded colar and spring pans, might aswell bought the raceland gear or may aswell paid the extra and got the fk kit! ill get the offset sorted on the wider front wheels get them fitted and see how it looks, I recccond around 80mm might just do it tbh!
Personally think id prefer the idea of been able to adjust my suspension rather than just having it wound right down all the time, so even if I go for shorter springs and wind the lower spring pan up it maybe better!
what sorta lbs u recon for the helper then?

[AlexB]

you dont wanna end up having too shorrt a spring though as you will end up going coilbound all the time with it

helpers normally id say about 40-60 lb really but its down to preference and how heavy the car is (for example i have 80lb and they dont bottom when i put the car on the floor)

[blackvtrt]

ye ill prob only go to around 7" springs, so shouldn't go coilbound. One last question does the helper spring have any significant effect on the main spring lbs, Im guessing not if u get a low enough lbs helper as it will go coilbound when the cars on the ground, correct?
I.E:- i think the Gaz springs now are around 180lbs and they seem very stiff so i doubt Ill need to go harder, So would prob get some specced the same.

[AlexB]

the helper in no way effects how stiff the main spring is mate