You only need about an inch of thread engagement on the lower mounts for them to strong enough.


I'm not sure where you would put spacers.

 

I believe the ohlins I had used a small spacer on top of the top spring perch, then the rest of the assembly on top of that

 

Oh youre taking about that spacer. I thought you meant something like the rallyx guys use that spaces the top hat from the strut tower.

But yes adding a larger spacer there will move the shocks downward and will increase your ride height the width of that spacer.

 

got it, thanks - I was never quite sure exactly how much was needed. I'll definitely raise them up. the only thing that does is make the clickers harder to adjust in the front, which is no big deal. this may also be why the rear end gets so bent out of shape in transitions - I believe I'm also "losing" the travel of any preload I put on the spring, and I believe the one place a preloaded spring is stiffer is when it's at full droop and then comes down to the ground, it takes more force to compress the spring further than it already is. I think that's right, correct me if I'm wrong on that.

i'll make those adjustments and report back the next event.

as far as the noise, I'm almost certain it's the power steering line. I should get the car to the shop early next week and take care of it!

few other upgrades coming up:
jdm 9 mr headlights
grimmspeed brake brace
dba 5000 rotors front, 4000 rotors rear
carbotech ax6 pads

 

The spring doesn't get stiffer, it has the same rate. It's just that the load required to start it compressing is higher because it is pre-loaded, but once it has started compressing it has the same rate.


And yes, too much preload could make the car act weird.

 

I guess I'm a little confused on how a preloaded spring acts

When there's preload & considering a suspension up off the ground, the spring won't compress at all until you put on more force - ie., with a 500lb spring with no preload, if the wheel touches down with 250lbft of force, the spring will compress half an inch, and the suspension will work as it should - if you have an inch of preload, and the wheel touches down with 250lb, the spring won't compress at all, correct? Same concept as to why ride height goes up with more preload?

 

Yes. But the spring isn't actually stiffer. It is just pre loaded.


It's like torqueing a bolt at 80ftlbs vs 120ftlbs. One take more force to brake loose. But once loose, they both spin off with the same amount of force.

 

I agree that it isn't stiffer - I'm talking more about the behavior of the spring - in my scenario, what does 250lb of downforce do on a 500lb spring preloaded 1"? It shouldn't compress it or anything, so at that point is the behavior of the suspension essentially solid? It shouldn't be compressing at all under 250lbs of downforce

BTW, this analogy isn't totally far off. I've got a 550lb spring in the rear, 1" of preload, and corner weights around 600lbs each rear corner. on braking, you can be sure the rear is feeling less than 550lbs (unless we're at high enough speeds the wing comes into significant play)

 

If 500lb spring has 1" of preload, it takes 501lbs to start compressing it further. So, yes, you are inducing weird behavior with the preload. Like the weird oversteer you have is likely because the preload is cause the rear of the car to unload more than it should.


Set the preload to the Ohlin's recommended amount and set your ride height with the body adjustment and I think it will feel like a completely different car, again...lol

 

lol - will do. next event in the evo is 8/27, so it'll be a while but i'll report then how the car is handling

 

You should be able to tell the difference on the street. Just toss it around some right hand corners at intersections...

 

Bro, the spring rate never changes, BRO...

I feel like Im having dejavu over here. Weren't you yelling at me about this last week, lol!

And you aint nothing until you can hang the car sideways tokyo drift style. Step up your game son!

 

I'm pretty sure both of you were in on that...lol

 

Haha I never said I was innocent

 

lol I wasn't saying the spring rate changes, I was saying the spring won't compress until over 500lbs (in that scenario)!! If a spring doesn't compress, isn't that basically a solid suspension until 501lbs?