Rear Springs - very stiff and high....

[Marc-M]

Rear springs

Just trial fitting the rear end on the car – so there is no weight in the car it’s just a shell… the engine with suspension and their rear sub frame fully built up only….

I know the car is light but its sits very very high and I have put the smallest (I think 10mm) rubber spring seat bushes on….
It looks like a 4x4
But the rear is so stiff – that stiff with me and my painter sitting on the rear wings bouncing up and down the suspension does not move…. we took out the shock absorbers and they articulate fine – and with them off, the suspension does move up and down but not very much – may be 2 inches at most and I would guess both of us are 400ilbs!
And even with us both sitting on the wings the car still looks like a 4x4!


Is that normal? – or could it be an issue with the reproduction springs I got? Or once I build the car up the weight will all balance it out and sit right???
Thanks

Marc

 

[bavbob]

Do you know how the springs match up to the OEM springs, height and spring rate? Just a lot of variables here like shell vs full weight, trailing arm alignment/bushings/torque to spec. Do you have a third person to observe what is going on below while you two are pushing from above?

 

[JFENG]

It would be helpful to know what type of springs you purchased: from whom, what brand, sport or normal.

Also, if you can provide the OD of the spring wire, OD of the coil and number of coils, you can calculate the approx spring rate and check it against what the car should have. Or take it down to a local tuner garage and have them directly measure the height and spring rate. Then compare to stock specs.

I have no problems bouncing my e9 rear a total of 1” without sitting on it (I have aftermarket sport springs and Bilstein shocks).

John

 

[Cornishman]

Marc,
Not sure if I am missing point here, so sorry if I am. Don’t you need to roll it forward and backward with a load on it to allow the tyres to move in and out as the suspension contracts and expands? If you take a car and jack it up, then put it down it will sit higher until you move it.
Also, could it be the damper than controls the bounce and the springs the height?
Just a thought
Ps, mine runs on Jaymic springs and Bilsteins, so if you want to compare then it’s WatsAp video again.
Regards CB

 

[teahead]

Sounds like wrong springs were ordered. Got the old ones to compare to?

 

[Marc-M]

Thanks for the reply’s…
I kept the old original springs and compared new ones before fitting, they were the same height although they are meant to be 30mm lower – but I guessed that could be in the way they sit when they have weight on them – did not measure up the thickness of the spring coil. I will.

I got the springs from Jaymic –
https://www.jaymic.com/lower-uprated-spring-set-30mm-cs-csi.html

The wheels are quite negative camber at mow – so this may be why they will not move – I could have made a school boy error and not rolled the car sufficiently to get the wheel to a more natural caster…??? Doh!!
I will try again…
Thanks to all

Marc

 

[tmh]

I have always remembered this experience.....Years ago (1990), when I was having my 73 CS repainted/restored, I ordered a set of factory replacement springs from Maximillian. This was a bit of a lesson in "if it isn't broken, don't try to fix it". There wasn't an issue with my existing springs, but I figured while the car was being taken apart why not freshen up the suspension. The springs were the correct part number and color markings, but they were way too long. I returned them with no issue and ended up going with a set of Suspension Techniques springs and sway bars. Going from at least an inch plus too high to about one inch lowered was dramatic. I have always thought the change in stance was perfect so I guess the end result was positive. There are numerous similar stories as that experience!

 

[autokunst]

To my eye, the photos on Jaymic's website for these springs look a little 4x4 - especially at the front. Maybe I am just used to seeing "modified" E9s with a more aggressive, lower stance.