egads (she/her)
Hi all, I am confused as to how to set these up to get them right as the dual spring thing is doing my head in. I have coilovers in the rear of the 360 with 85 lb springs along with the stock leaf springs. I am confused as to how they interact and thus which way I should adjust the coilovers to get what.
Nosi
hi. i'm no expert, but it probably depends on what you want out of the suspension, ie, why do you want to increase the spring rate ? I would suggest lowest spring setting to start, with a mid damper and high rebound, then adjust from there after testing.
AshDVS
Do we know the rate of the existing leaf springs?
Other than knowing that a 360 has very good weight distribution out of the box, I don't know which direction id tune one in.
what you plan on doing with it should help you determine rates.
Nosi
Ash, I see from you profile ( and pic) you are a karter. What is with these guys who need springs anyway ?
egads (she/her)
Just looking for balanced street fun. Mostly, I am confused about how a coilover interacts with a leaf spring from a more theoretical point of view so I can get it right in my head to fiddle easier and skip loooooots of adjusting.
Spac
Is the standard leaf spring a single leaf or a multiple leaf pack?
Single leaf is roughly linear rate, leaf packs are progressive (which is why they are still popular in commercial vehicles).
Short version is that for springs in parallel, you simply add the two rates together.
In your case:
If you want to leave the car at the standard height, you will need to unwind the spring seats until the coil springs are just seated at ride height;
If you want to lower the car, you will need to work out a way to lower it on the leaf springs (lowering blocks?!), and then use the adjustment on the coil springs to set the height. You will probably need to lower it excessively on the leafs, and then raise it back up on the coils;
If you want to raise the car(?!?), then bolt it in and away you go.