coilover guys, chime in

[rbonella]

I was thinking about buying a set of coilovers front and rear.
my knowledge on spring rates is limited
my car is a street car with limited drag use so I do not know what spring rate front and rear to get.
I have seen 350lb,300lb,250lb, 175lb, 150lb spring rates front and rear but I do not know which rates would be good for a street car
What manufacturers are you guys running, what spring rates, any problems with install, any complaints?
Any advice on this matter will be greatly appreciated, thanks

 

[Shaolin Crane]

well do you like the car to handle better on the street and rarely go to the grad strip, is that what you're getting at? for a street car that isnt a DD i would recomend a 350lb front rate with a 250lb rear rate, that way you have a very stout setup that wont require you to change anything if you say go to a torque arm or watts link, as im sure you know im running all MM stuff with bilstein shocks/struts with a 500lb/375lb setup, its not my DD so i dont care it jares a little when i go over bumps cause it handles well on the track

 

[rbonella]

hey thanks shaolin, yeah I know you threw the parts book at your set up lol
I think Im a little more street worthy than your car, but I just didn't know what spring rate would be good. 350 front/250 rear? Plus I have no basis of comparison so I didn't know what would drive me nuts on the street, and what rate I could live with. Don't get me wrong...I like a stiffer than stock ride, but not jarring where my fillings are falling out if I drive over a penny lol
So...yeah, that's where Iam at

 

[faststang90]

look here. u need to go off what the car is used for and is it full wieght car. i would start at 150 on the front if its a street car i had 175 and the front of the car did not want to move at all.

BaselineSuspensions.com.........Launching A Drag Car

 

[347HO]

Here's the real facts.

Springs are supposed to deliver a rate.

Say you have a 12" spring with a rate of 200lbs. That is 200lbs per inch of compression per side.
So, if your front weighs 2000#, that's 1000# per side.
If your strut travel = 6", then you need the spring to compress 3" at ride height.
This means you'll need a spring with a rate of 330# or so. (don't forget you have a roll bar helping too)
The last item you need to address is where you want your ride height to be. That will determine what length spring you will use.

You will have to weigh your front at the tires.
When you know that, you can make a better choice with springs. From experience... all the math looks good on paper, but when you have it on the car, you may have to change them if you don't like the way they feel.

My example is using a single rate spring, not progressive or dual setups.

 

[Shaolin Crane]

Here's the real facts.

Springs are supposed to deliver a rate.

Say you have a 12" spring with a rate of 200lbs. That is 200lbs per inch of compression per side.
So, if your front weighs 2000#, that's 1000# per side.
If your strut travel = 6", then you need the spring to compress 3" at ride height.
This means you'll need a spring with a rate of 330# or so. (don't forget you have a roll bar helping too)
The last item you need to address is where you want your ride height to be. That will determine what length spring you will use.

You will have to weigh your front at the tires.
When you know that, you can make a better choice with springs. From experience... all the math looks good on paper, but when you have it on the car, you may have to change them if you don't like the way they feel.

My example is using a single rate spring, not progressive or dual setups.

its a good thing that MM doesnt offer a progressive coil over spring, so i stand behind my 350/250lb rate should be nicely stout for a street car that will handle nicely, i dunno maybe it me, but it really doesnt feel that bad when i drive with the 500/375 setup, then again i DD a f350 dually so im used to a stiff ride, but theres nothing like having any car try and lose you in the twisties and you pass him on the outside of a turn and just keep goin

 

[Sicarius428]

I have 300lbs springs in my front setup. Rear I don't have coilovers... no money and an aweful lot of stress on the rear shock tower area...
Kevin