Will new springs settle?

[F22HB]

I think it's has more to do with the struts compressing all the way maybe? Kinda like a break-in period.

And yes, even on a stock car, when you raise the car for an extended period of time and then you lower it, it will sit higher for a bit until you drive it around for the struts to "break-in".

It took my suspension a few months to be where it's at right now. It dropped about 1/2" since the installation date.

Ya, it honestly could be that they need to be alitle broken in. I'll wait till I start actualy driving the car and I won't do any messin with the springs till I've driven it a while and seen what happens. Seems like the more I sit there with it in the shop and bounce it up and down the better it looks so who knows?

[Bcozzi71]

from what i have been told it takes over a month for the spring to settle down......


O and NEVER Cut springs

[F22HB]

O and NEVER Cut springs

Why?
Thanks.

[Bcozzi71]

well from research i have done and from what i have heard its is a terrible ride aswell as uneven spring rates ...

[F22HB]

well from research i have done and from what i have heard its is a terrible ride aswell as uneven spring rates ...

You know I'm not talking about oem springs right? Oh well, I doubt I'd cut them anyways and if I did I would make sure and do it right.

[4CYLPOWER92]

My neuspeed sports never settled, at least not noticibly. And I've been running them over 2 years.

[johnl]

See, and the spring is still tight. Removing alitle from the top coils shouldn't affect it much. When sitting on the wheels the coils are touching.

If the closely spaced coils are touching each other at ride height then the touching coils are 'coil bound' and therefore are 'dead' coils at ride height (and in further compression), but increasingly become 'live' coils as the suspension droops and the spring unloads. By the look of it I'd say the spring acts as a linear rate spring in compression, and the coil bound dead coils contribute nothing to the spring rate in compression. However, in droop (rebound, extension) the spring will behave increasingly as a progressive spring as it unloads. Be warned that I'm only speculating based on what appears likely to be the case judging from the photo.

If I'm correct then cutting a dead coil off will affect ride height (lowering ride height by the thickness of the wire, or close to it but not exactly because the actual drop will be affected by the angle from vertical of the strut), and won't affect the compressive linear spring rate, but will affect the extensive progressive rate, i.e. when the spring is unloading it will become softer in rate more quickly.

Just how this might affect handling I'm not sure, but my guess is that whatever affect(s) it might have are probably going to be slight and likely to be not easily noticable (but I could be wrong!). My best bet is that once the inside spring unloads (in roll) to the point at which it starts moving into it's now softer progressive range (which will happen sooner if cut) then the rate (speed) of weight transfer from the inside rear to the outside rear will slow down. This will tend to mean an increase in rear grip nearer the limit of adhesion (i.e. raise the limit of rear adhesion nearer the limit) and might mean increasing understeer toward the limit of adhesion, perhaps.

Keep in mind that cutting a dead coil off the spring will bring the top of the damper closer to the bump stop, and the suspension will be at least slightly more prone to bottoming out.

[starchland]

My neuspeed sports never settled, at least not noticibly. And I've been running them over 2 years.

what shock are ya runnin?

[Gemini]

I cut 1 dead coil from the top of my front springs to get the drop I really wanted in the front. As far as I know, me removin 1 dead coil from each front spring didnt affect my ride noticeably for me to recognize.

[F22HB]

I cut 1 dead coil from the top of my front springs to get the drop I really wanted in the front. As far as I know, me removin 1 dead coil from each front spring didnt affect my ride noticeably for me to recognize.

sweet. The coils I would be cutting wouls also be dead.

[JohnD1079]

yes they should settle. Even my used ones setettled.

Neuspeed race w/Adjustables.

Before i drive it around i could fit my hydrolic jack under the left points easily with at least of not more then 1/2" clearance room. I went out and drove it for a little but(10 miles) for the first time. Came back, and the jack didnt clear the lift points anymore and i had to use another jack to lift it for my hydrolic one. After i lowered it back down, the hydrolic car could clear the lift points once again.

[johnl]

yes they should settle. Even my used ones setettled.

Neuspeed race w/Adjustables.

Before i drive it around i could fit my hydrolic jack under the left points easily with at least of not more then 1/2" clearance room. I went out and drove it for a little but(10 miles) for the first time. Came back, and the jack didnt clear the lift points anymore and i had to use another jack to lift it for my hydrolic one. After i lowered it back down, the hydrolic car could clear the lift points once again.

Well it's nothing to do with 'settling' of the springs in this case. What's happening is that when you lift the wheels off the ground the suspension goes to full droop, and because the suspension has a 'camber curve' (i.e. gains camber with bump and rebound), the pos camber increases. This causes the bottoms of the tyres to move significantly closer together, so when you lower the car to the ground they contact the ground in this closer together position.

Because the tyres have grip, they 'refuse' to move farther apart as weight increases at the contact patches (or at least 'refuse' to go all the way back to full static track width), and a lateral 'tension' develops in the suspension linkages (it's actually a compressive force in the lower linkage and a lesser tensile force in the upper linkage) in such a manner that the car cannot lower any further. The lower suspension linkages are now angled upward to some degree and carrying a % of the car's weight, taking some load of the springs and as a result the chassis sits higher.

When you drive or roll the car this 'tension' in the suspension is able to quickly 'roll out' as the wheels rotate, and the car 'settles' to it's static height.

This effect also works in reverse, i.e. if you have say substantial toe-in, then as the car rolls forward the tyres are trying to travel toward each other as they both 'aim' at a common point in the distance. The lateral grip of the contact patches then 'pushes' against the suspension linkages and causes the chassis to rise to some degree.

Even if you have zero toe, then this basic affect still exists when you steer into a corner, i.e. Ackerman affect causes a very substantial increase in steered toe-out, and this causes the front of the chassis to lower as you steer. You can sometimes see this affect at work on a car that's reversing at a tight steering angle, i.e. Ackerman causes steered toe-out, but the car is going backwasrd so the front of the chassis visibly (edit) rises (edit) very slightly. Next time you're in a parking lot watch some cars reversing out of parking spots, I'll bet you can see it, sometimes.

[4CYLPOWER92]

what shock are ya runnin?

New OEM. Well, not new anymore. They are still holding up BTW.

[trixxy_cb7]

Sell them and spend the money for coilovers. that way you can adjust them to the height that you want.

[F22HB]

Sell them and spend the money for coilovers. that way you can adjust them to the height that you want.

Coilovers aren't fun for long trips. Way to bumpy.