Spring rates too high?
 

I am replacing my stock suspension this winter, and have decided to go with tokico hp struts, and re-speed springs. However, I have done some searching, and everyone seems to run a lower rate in the rear suspension, around 150-175# depending on driving applications. This car is a daily driver in nice weather at least, and will not be autocrossed. On the re-speed website, none of the spring rates go below 200#. Is this too high for my application? The tie rods, ball joints and wheel bearings have all recently been replaced, so I am ready to get going on the shocks and struts, any wisdom is greatly appreciated.

The springs you see on the site are for font application. We can do lower springs fro the front if your like - most do not go that low on the front. The rear springs are listed only with the rear coil over kits, you will see a pull down list of available rates.

-billy

I'm running 275 front and 150 back. Comfortable enough for daily driving (which I do), yet firm enough autocrossing with the right swaybars.

If you're looking for a comfy ride, spend the extra for the Tokico Illuminas. They are awesome for autocrossing, but on their lowest setting they ride like a Cadilac. A nice option to have, and well worth the extra money in my opinion.



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Okay thanks, I didn't realize at first that the coilover kits came with springs.

The rear kits do the front kits do not.

-billy

i was talking with a friend who races his miata and fd at willow and some other race tracks in Cali, told him i'm getting the respeed kit with 275 / 150 springs. his reaction was that that was really soft. the car probably wont be scca'd but most definately autocrossed. trying to set it up to compete with my friend's mr2(aw11 4age), and my other friend's 78 arrow(this car's suspension is killer, but he currently has electrical issues).

hey billy, i ordered the crossmember stage 1 kit as well, will the other parts come before it or do i wait? i'm fine with waiting, was just wondering. and thanks for the support with the previous problem with shipping

alex

Never saw a mr2 or arrow at auto-x here. Imo, 275/150 is too soft to be competitive around the sf region, but some will tell you otherwise.

oh the mr2 guy blew his motor so he's rebuilding right now... and the arrow is not working because of the electrical.. he's looking for an evo motor to put in it... =.=

PS where do you autox?

just got my rear springs today from respeed!

You can't really compare a 1st gen to a Miata or 3rd gen. Totally different animal.

275/150 is what I'm running, and I am very happy with it. You have to remember that the stiffer the springs are, the more you'll tend to "skip" over a rough surface (like a parking lot). In my opinion, you should only go as stiff as you need to, and no more. The real key is swaybars.

I haven't had time to put together any videos this year, but I've got some great footage from this summer. With the 225/13 Hoosier tires on, and the suspension dropped down into race mode, I only have about 1/4 inch clearance between the tire and the fender lip. In the video, you can see that the gap never changes, even in the hardest slaloms and corners.

My arch nemesis (very nice guy), who I have only beaten on a couple of occasions, runs spring rates on the front of 450 Lbs. He has admitted that he regrets this decision, and the car cannot be driven on the roads. It is trailered to each event. And although he usually beats me, its not by a whole lot, and it was always with him on race rubber and me on Sumitomos. I have not yet had a chance to meet him on equal rubber. Plus the fact that he's running an SE with a 13b doesn't help much. :)

So, don't be afraid to stick with 275/150, I bet you'll be very happy with that range. But make sure that you don't neglect to get some nice swaybars if you get serious about autocrossing. They make a very, very big difference.


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yes i'm planning on getting the respeed swaybars up front and stock in back... i don't have my stock one in right now... i can go a lot faster with stock front and no rear

you cant compare JUST the spring rate, the FB, miata and FD have different suspension geometry, and layouts. if you looked at the suspension goemetry, you could come up with a wheel rate, or the spring rate AT the wheel.

that being said 275/150 should be really nice street and track

i am just starting to learn about suspensions, the class just started last week. i have some experience from some friends and many hours on simulated racing games. i learned a lot about suspension from kentetsu and quite a bit from family and friends. some people told me to build up my engine first, but i really think that suspension and brakes should be done way b4 that

No problem. Seems they saw an open box and simply routed it back to us.
Normally the entire order ships at the same time. Since the cross member is in the build process is will be a few weeks unless you want to cover the shipping for the other parts to come first. We can certainly do that.

-billy

I've been using Racing Beat's street springs and Tokico blues for several years on my street driven car. They're tight and responsive. Ride's stiff but with 195/60-14" tires, it's definitely acceptable. They're 145 lb/in and 112 lb/in F/R.

http://racingbeat.com/resultset.asp?PartNumber=14080

that's fine.. you wouldn't suggest putting the rear suspension on before the front, would you? :D
kidding. i don't want to drive a car with a stiffer rear suspension than front suspension.

We used this book in one of my college classes many moons ago. It's really great at describing the physical fundamentals behind what's going on with your car. If your serious about understanding vehicle dynamics, this is an excellent book.

http://product.half.ebay.com/Fundame...04175QQtgZinfo

This book is supposed to excellent for Rx-7s in specific.

http://www.gforceengineering.net/products.htm

Do some reading and putting it into practice and you'll be teaching instead of learning.

Your right, you don't. When doing any sort of mod with the suspension/braking you need to be sure to do all four corners at the same time. Doing only one end will emphasize the improvements on that end, but also emphasize the negatives of the other. It's all about BALANCE, especially with an auto-x or circuit car.