purpose of spring and dampers

[EK4R]

hey all
just got a question regarding the role in which spring and dampers have during cornering/handling.

would i be able to get the same affect of handling if my spring was softer but with same damper setting?

cheers

[newmski]

hey all
just got a question regarding the role in which spring and dampers have during cornering/handling.

would i be able to get the same affect of handling if my spring was softer but with same damper setting?

cheers
softer spring you would have more roll and more 'squating' when braking and accelerating.

[EK4R]

and wat do damper do during the conering?

[Eclipsor]

The springs take the load of the car and react to changes in the road surface to help absorb some of the shock. In conjuction with the tyres etc.

The dampers are there to keep the springs under control. Without them the springs would keep bouncing once you hit a bump. They help dissipate the energy from the spring as heat.

edit: what he said ^^

[ekslut]

As been mentioned the shocks dont control body roll, thats the spring/swaybars jobs. Shocks are there to control the compression/decompression of the springs.

[EK4R]

thx for the reply ppl.

when ppl say they feel better cornering when their damper is harder, how does that work?

i know harder damper improves response, but how does it help the car grip the road more when its harder? is it because the car now bounce less due to the damper absorbing it, any other factors?

[ONE600]

thx for the reply ppl.

when ppl say they feel better cornering when their damper is harder, how does that work?

i know harder damper improves response, but how does it help the car grip the road more when its harder? is it because the car now bounce less due to the damper absorbing it, any other factors?

Stiffer car on smooth road's will always "feel better" doesnt mean you handle better nor have better grip.

[ekslut]

thx for the reply ppl.

when ppl say they feel better cornering when their damper is harder, how does that work?

i know harder damper improves response, but how does it help the car grip the road more when its harder? is it because the car now bounce less due to the damper absorbing it, any other factors?

when you set it to 'harder' all your doing is limiting how quickly the piston in the shock can move through the oil in the shock body. Therefore it feels like its harder, coz it does not move as much. The opposite for softer, it allows the piston to move quicker.

So what happens is the stiffer you set the shock, the slower it moves. This is better for smoother surfaces which dont need much movement in the suspension. The softer you have it, it means that the shock will move quicker for bumpier surfaces. But this will also cause the ride to feel bouncier.

So you really need to work out whats best for the majority of the surfaces you drive on (your never going to get one thats perfect on all) and whats going to suit your springs. No need for a soft bouncy setting on a hard spring, coz there wont be enough movement to justify it. And the same with a hard setting on a soft spring. The spring will be moving too much & quickly for the shock to keep up, as it is pulling the piston through the shock body a lot slower.

[EK4R]

cheers trav ++!

ok i cant be bothered starting another thread. last qns. how much do height affect cornering? cos i know it affects the spring travel.

on my tein HAs, the lower i go, the more my spring expands, and vice versa. so does this mean the lower i go the more spring travel or less?

[ONE600]

less coz theres less total shock travel to the bump stops

[ekslut]

less coz theres less total shock travel to the bump stops

correct :thumbsup:

And when you lower your car you also have the problem that if you do it too much it will stuff up your geometry. I think from memory you dont want to lower your car so much that the rear LCA's are on a angle down like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/z3lda/suspension.jpg

what you want are for them to be going up a bit or at a even height similar to this:
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/8615/lcaaw3.jpg (http://imageshack.us/)

*picks taken from appearance gallery