Telling if the struts are too soft or too hard?

[mykwikcoupe]

I posted the other day I had alot of extra weight in my hatch and it rode so nice. I am currently running koni reds and sprint springs. I love the way it sits and thought i enjoyed the ride. With all that extra weight I real;ized that was the type of an experience i wanted. I am wondering if my rears are maybe set too soft. How can I make the car ride the same without riding around with a ton of weight in the back. I currently have the konis set to 3/4 term from full soft.

[MessyHonda]

if i remember right the hatches and coupes have lighter rears than sedans. on my coupe i had my konis to full stiff and i had ST sway bars with out any strut bars and it was a perfect handling. you may want to check on your camber in the rear because i knew that my car would like to squat in the rear into the corners because i had no camber correction

[cygnus x-1]

I posted the other day I had alot of extra weight in my hatch and it rode so nice. I am currently running koni reds and sprint springs. I love the way it sits and thought i enjoyed the ride. With all that extra weight I real;ized that was the type of an experience i wanted. I am wondering if my rears are maybe set too soft. How can I make the car ride the same without riding around with a ton of weight in the back. I currently have the konis set to 3/4 term from full soft.

To get a softer ride you need softer springs. Adding weight essentially does the same thing as decreasing the spring rate. The dampers should be set so that the springs move in a controlled manner, specifically that there is no extra bouncing when they undergo a compress and rebound cycle. If you've ever watched a ghetto lowrider going down the road, bouncing like crazy every time it hits a bump, that's a case where the springs are too stiff for the shocks.

If the dampers are too stiff for the springs, the ride will be harsh because the springs aren't able to react to the force of a bump fast enough so some of that energy is transmitted to the chassis.


You can try setting the shocks softer and see that helps, but I suspect it won't.


C|

[mykwikcoupe]

I have spc camber adjustable rear upper control arms. Its set within spec or as close as schwabs can get it with there bonehead techs. So your saying the best setup would be softer springs? Wouldnt that also allow the rear to squat easier as weight is added? I do sometimes haul heavy loads so softer isnt what i really want. I will try moving the dampeners to softer and firmer to see if any effect is had. Thanks for the help.

[AZmike]

To get a softer ride you need softer springs. Adding weight essentially does the same thing as decreasing the spring rate.

[Strugglebucket]

Try setting them full soft. If you do get softer springs and are worried about the car sitting too low when the trunk's loaded up, move the spring perch on the konis up to the second groove. I think a slight rake looks good anyway.

As a side note, I found that those supposedely 225# sprints felt harsher on bumps than 350# linear eibachs.

[carotman]

If the konis are too soft, the rebound damper will throw back the car to it's riding height too fast after a bump. This will make a bouncy ride.

When you've got weight in the back, you're preventing the car to go back as quickly, to it's makes a softer ride.

I say your struts are set too soft.

[mykwikcoupe]

Ok thanks Jean Ill try to firm them up another 1/4 turn see if that helps. I rebuilt the entire suspension this year with all new bushings, joints, arms and everything. It rides on rails, feels great and this would just make it ever so nice.

[carotman]

Cool

Remember that only the rebound damping is adjustable on the Konis. The compression can't be adjusted.

Stiffer springs will need a stiffer rebound damping. Stiffer springs will not compress much but will return too quickly to their height if not properly dampened.

I had that exact same problem the 1st time I got my konis.