JIC coilovers do need to be preloaded
#101
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Originally posted by gfacter
I still maintain Kevin is a DWEEB!!
I still maintain Kevin is a DWEEB!!
#104
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Regarding the "preloading increasing spring stiffness" that some people reported (apparently flying in the face of common wisdom):
I was taking my OEM shock apart today to reuse the top mounts on the Pss9 bilstein and noticed that the stock springs may reduce the number of free coils with not a lot of increased preload. This would increase stiffness quite apparently.
I suppose JIC may be immune to this. It all depends on how far apart the top and bottom coils sit from the adjoining coils.
I was taking my OEM shock apart today to reuse the top mounts on the Pss9 bilstein and noticed that the stock springs may reduce the number of free coils with not a lot of increased preload. This would increase stiffness quite apparently.
I suppose JIC may be immune to this. It all depends on how far apart the top and bottom coils sit from the adjoining coils.
#105
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Even if preloading the springs did reduce the number of free coils, it wouldn't change the spring rate unless the spring didn't compress even further with the weight of the car on them.
#106
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Luis
[B]Regarding the "preloading increasing spring stiffness" that some people reported (apparently flying in the face of common wisdom):
I was taking my OEM shock apart today to reuse the top mounts on the Pss9 bilstein and noticed that the stock springs may reduce the number of free coils with not a lot of increased preload. This would increase stiffness quite apparently.
[B]Regarding the "preloading increasing spring stiffness" that some people reported (apparently flying in the face of common wisdom):
I was taking my OEM shock apart today to reuse the top mounts on the Pss9 bilstein and noticed that the stock springs may reduce the number of free coils with not a lot of increased preload. This would increase stiffness quite apparently.
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Originally posted by RT
If the spring is carrying 700 lbs it's going to be at a specific length ........ preloaded or not ..... period.
If the spring is carrying 700 lbs it's going to be at a specific length ........ preloaded or not ..... period.
Get a piece of undulating tarmac under that spring at speed, throw in some lateral Gs to complicate things and you may see load anywhere from over a 1000lb down to 0... There it *could* make a difference.
Anyway I was just pointing out that the coils at the spring extremeties are closer together than the rest of the spring. Which could account for some of the feeling differences reported by others.