Best Springs for Handling?

[Steve Knight]

Then you should see how road and rally cars ( modern or not ) are modified. Spherical top mounts / helper springs / lowered springs / different shocks / coolers / four pot callipers / vented discs / aeroquip hoses / metal suspension joints / spacers / wide alloy offset wheels / semi slick tyres / alloy tanks / full cages / not to mention serious engine mods or changes. As long as its declared for insurance with a valid MOT then in England its perfectly legal. As to Australian rules ? who knows.

[Alec]

Hello Steve,

that is the point, David is in Australia and if that is their rules then any suggestion has to take that into account?

Alec

[Mike Stevens]

does anyone know if the rear springs on a 2000 are different to a 2500

All else being equal, yes they are the same. As Alec said, there were some rear spring changes, but they happened in time, and were applied across the model range.

I hope that helps!

Cheers,
Mike.

[murcod]

Yes, thanks for all the info. I've ordered some local springs and have gone for "2000" rear springs which (in this case) are 10% lighter rate and 20mm lower (than their uprated stock height 2500 rear springs.) I'll then need to get their stock height (heavier rate) front springs reset to suit my different weight engine and match the rear height. It will mean a bit of swapping bits around, but end product should be worth it.

[murcod]

Then you should see how road and rally cars ( modern or not ) are modified. Spherical top mounts / helper springs / lowered springs / different shocks / coolers / four pot callipers / vented discs / aeroquip hoses / metal suspension joints / spacers / wide alloy offset wheels / semi slick tyres / alloy tanks / full cages / not to mention serious engine mods or changes. As long as its declared for insurance with a valid MOT then in England its perfectly legal. As to Australian rules ? who knows.

Hi Steve, the "legalities" of mods differ state by state here in Australia. Where I live there is no yearly "MOT" or roadworthy inspection - I was actually able to buy my 2500 (which had been off the road for 3 years and is over 40yrs old) pay some cash to the officials to register it in my name and then start driving it legally on the road! It was far from roadworthy but I've fixed all those issues up now. Where I live they rely on the Police randomly pulling vehicles over for inspections, the reality is that rarely happens. Your insurance company puts the onus back on the owner with every policy having a wording along the lines of "for this policy to be valid the vehicle must be maintained in a roadworthy condition".

[murcod]

Okay, my spring order has gone very "pear shaped", I'll be happy just to get my money refunded . I had posted more details to warn other overseas buyers to be careful, but the post (which was factual) generated complaints and has been deleted.

So.... what other options are there for purchasing springs?

Below is the outcome from PayPal intervening :

Hello David *********,

We have concluded our investigation into your Buyer Claim.


Seller's Name: *******
Seller's Email: ********
Seller's Transaction ID: 7X955682J40636035

Transaction Date: 7 Mar 2012
Transaction Amount: -109.25 GBP
Your Transaction ID: 4C041755E9949140A
Case Number: PP-001-727-310-851

Buyer's Transaction ID: 4C041755E9949140A



You have received a refund via PayPal in the amount of 109.25 GBP.





Yours sincerely,

Protection Services Department

At no stage did ******* respond to PayPal's requests for information. He "promised" me a refund, it never materialised. Lesson learnt for me- deal with large reputable companies that will honour their freight quotes.

I'm just glad I paid via PayPal, otherwise I would be out of pocket 110 pounds.

My refunded money can now be spent at Rimmers on new carpets, which just happen to be on special at the moment.

[murcod]

I see I've been edited again It's actually very sad to see how "protected" he is on here.

I'm quite happy to post all the Emails on here, word for word.... I've got nothing to hide the business practices of this individual should be aired to prevent other overseas buyers losing their money. I may not be the first (or last) case.

He broke his written Email quote on freight for the parts. Try dealing with him from overseas and you will have a different view. Think about how you would feel if it was your money!!! He chose to keep my money and had absolutely no plans to supply me any goods- I'm not a rich person who can afford to lose that sort of money.

The only reason I have my money is because PayPal refunded it - not because he had a change of heart and decided to honour his word giving me the refund he promised.

[murcod]

Fitted the King Springs on the weekend (I purchased the 2000 rears and 2500 fronts- so the rears are supposedly 20mm lower and 10% less rate compared to their "proper" 2500 rears.) Both front and rear are increased rate.

The rear is slightly higher than it previously sat I can tell because the exhaust pipe only just touches on my driveway with a full tank of fuel- previously it sounded like I was going to leave the exhaust system behind.... The front appears to be sitting lower than previous.

There is a lot less roll in corners.

[murcod]

A couple more days driving and I'm liking them. The front is sitting lower than it previously did and now doesn't look too much out of place compared to the rear (I used new polyurethane spring seat insulators in the rear, but stuck with the thinner stock rubber seat insulators on the front.) Once the ride height settles I'll decide if I need to either get the front springs reset lower- or order the thicker rear spring insulator to raise the rear slightly.

The amount of body roll is now minimal and there isn't the "pitching" when cornering at moderate speeds. The ride (of course) is a bit harsher, but far from being annoyingly hard.

I also change the worn out rear sway bar D bushes tonight which should help a bit with turn in (which has moderated with the reduction in body roll). The rubber bushes were so worn that the bar was slopping around in them. I'm also going to be improving the (somewhat dodgy) end links to reduce play further.

Damping wise, the rear Konis on their softest setting feel near perfect; the fronts could perhaps have the rebound adjusted a bit higher to control the body movement.

[murcod]

I'm happy, the rear sway bar D bushes have improved turn in and "flattened" the rear end at faster cornering speeds.

I'll post a pic of the ride height soon (if anyone is interested?)

Suspension sorted, now onto the other areas....