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550 450 spring rates to stiff for street?

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Old 08-01-02, 05:49 PM
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550 450 spring rates to stiff for street?

I was looking into buying M2's spring set but I am not sure if that setting is to high for street use? Does anyone has an idea? Thanks
Old 08-01-02, 06:12 PM
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I run 550/400 and it is a bit stiff, but I can deal with it. The real key here are the shocks. I run Koni single adjustables and have them set to almost the softest. Halfway to full hard and you will need some new kidneys in week!

But on the track its great!
Old 08-01-02, 06:48 PM
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Re: 550 450 spring rates to stiff for street?

Originally posted by RX-8
I was looking into buying M2's spring set but I am not sure if that setting is to high for street use? Does anyone has an idea? Thanks
Depends on what your tolerance for comfort is, what you want to do with your car, and the condition of the roads where you live.

I've been using 650 front and 450 rear for about six months and 550 (F)/450(R) for a year prior. When I lived in Atlanta (where roads are very smooth) it only sucked a moderate amount . Now that I moved to Seattle, it sucks big time. Streets really suck here!

Yes, you can tolerate it and yes it will handle nicely with minimal or no body roll. However, after 20 minutes of driving or so (even on relatively smooth streets) it begins to wear on me and I tend to get irritable. My wife hates it as well. The extreme pounding also takes its toll on the car.

After owning/riding in softer sprung cars that handle nearly as well and are much nicer on the derrier, I'd say it's a waste of money unless you're seriously into road racing/track events. Unfortunately, I fall into the latter category.

Good luck,

Gene
www.purplemantis.com
Old 08-02-02, 12:02 AM
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Its depends on the streets where you drive and what you can tolerate.

I run the 550/450 combo with the M2/Advanced Design shocks where the streets are horrible. 550/450 is tolerable by me and rides more comfortably than the Tokicos with RB springs.

If I were to use the car everyday, I'd go with M2's other suggested set-up of 450/375.

Jack
Old 08-02-02, 12:37 AM
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I've got the same shocks as Trout, but I run 550/425. Let me tell you, it's a world of difference using the 425s instead of the 450s...

Okay, that's a joke, but you've got a few variables to consider here:

- spring rates
- roll bars (are yours adjustable?)
- damping rates (are yours adjustable?)
- tires (how is the profile?)
- local road conditions
- how sensitive your butt is

If you're looking at M2's Sport/Track spring set, they say that it's progressive. That should take the edge off in the initial compression of the spring.

My advice is to find someone running springs at least as stiff as the M2 set, and drive or ride in their car for a 20 minutes to a half-hour.

And in the end, this isn't a lifetime decision. You can always change springs again if it's too stiff.
Old 08-02-02, 01:16 AM
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great input guys, my car will spend most of its time street racing on moderate to poor roads and some drag racing. i'll probably use bilstein shocks.

Last edited by RX-8; 08-02-02 at 01:21 AM.
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