Suspension settings

[AJ9939]

Wonder if anyone can shed some light on Springs and Damper settings please....

My car has spax shocks all round. I have no idea what spring rate I have, and am unsure what settings the dampers are on ( very helpfull I know ?! )

The car has a 1700 x/flow engine and has been weighed at 500kg ( no screen, heaters etc - foam squab seats ).

My question is really where should I start to get better handling and grip ? Should I wind the damper screws right out and then go for a certain amount of clicks on the front and a different amount on the back ? If so what would you recommend? It's worth noting that the springs have been wound up fairly high too by the previous owner - is this right or wrong ?

The handling is definately not where I expect it to be even with 195x14x40 TOYO Proxes tyres. My usage is 90% road with a distant hope of a track day or two.

How much would new dampers/springs cost ( One rear damper appears to have a slight weep/leak ) if necessary. What about second hand cost ?

Thanks a lot

Adrian

[Blatman]

If you can stretch to it, you'll be needing a set of AVO dampers. With one shock leaking, (an MOT fail) it'll never handle right.....

When you do *anything* which alters a suspension setting, start from a known point, so you can go back there if things go wrong.

I would, as you suggest, back off the springs and dampers all the way, so the car is at it's softest. BEWARE though that the springs may have been wound up to gain some ride height, so pay attention to the height of the sump and stuff.......

With the shocks backed off, pick a route that you know well, and drive it. Come home, make a BIG change to the damper settings, IE, wind the damping up 6 clicks or something. Drive the same route, the same way. If there is a noticeable change (and there should be) decide if you like it or not. If you do, leave it. If not, change to go softer or harder depending on what you feel you want.

If there is NO change, the dampers are shot, and need to be repaced sooner rather than later....

ALSO, do not ignore tyre pressures. 18-20psi is all you'll need, but playing with those can make a marked difference too. Only alter one thing at a time though, don't change shocks and tyre settings at the same time, 'cos if you do find something, you won't know which adjustment made the biggest difference.

Keep notes.....

Oh yeah, how much for shocks? IIRC, steel AVO's for a Westfield come in at around 60-70 quid each, BUT, they are rebuildable, so if one leaks or breaks, repair is prety cheap. I had one of my AVO's completely refurbed, with the exception of the outer body, and it was under 30 quid, *including* postage, and it was turned around in about 5 days. Can't reccommend the AVO boys enough.....

[adhawkins]

I think the accepted method is to wind them right out, then set them in a certain number of clicks, as you say. However, I'm not sure what this 'certain number' is. The numbers '4' and '6' spring to mind, but I don't know if that's correct.

If you are upgrading shocks, the accepted wisdom appears to be that AVOs are about the best for a Westfield. Give CAT Motorsport a call, they seem to know pretty much all there is to know about Westfield suspension, so should be able to advise you if this is the way you choose to go.

Edit: Must type quicker

Andy

[Blatman]

the accepted wisdom appears to be that AVOs are about the best for a Westfield.

For the price. There are better, but you'd need to be pretty handy behind the wheel (and pretty good at set up) to be able to discern the differences between a set of AVO's and a set of high end Leda's or Nitrons, or the even more exotic (and expensive) Penske's, and even more handy with driving and set up analysis if they're proper double-adjustables...... *Always* have an eye on the laws of diminishing returns.....

[adhawkins]

Yeah, I guess I could have worded that better. For 'best' perhaps read 'most appropriate in most cases'.

Andy

[Thrustyjust]

got my front rose jointed shocks at Stoneleigh from AVO's for £40 each,they match the rear ones now and have transformed the ride after getting rid of the worn spax's.Ask them direct and see if they have ay more of them available.

[taffy]

Adrian,

My Spax are set at 5 clicks Front and 4 Rear.

The other guys are spot on with their advice.

Watch your tyre pressures they make a big difference.

A good guide for me was to feel how the car felt and the steering "Kicked back" or otherwise on crap road surfaces.

good luck

Rob

[stu999]

Just a small point to note, winding the spring platforms up/down will only raise/lower the ride height of the vehicle.

What I am trying to say is that if you are happy that the ride height is correct, it will be fruitless adjusting the platforms. If you want to make the springing softer/harder, new springs will be required

[Kevin Wood]

If as you say the previous owner wound the springs up too high this might not be doing you any favours either. Park on a flat surface and look at the angle the track rods make as they exit the steering rack. If they aren't parallel to the ground you'll end up with bump steer because the toe of the front wheels will change with excursions of the suspension.

If you're going to run it lower and / or softer check the sump clearance before giving it loads!

Kevin

[Ian Podmore]

If as you say the previous owner wound the springs up too high this might not be doing you any favours either

And move importantly, check angle of top wishbones to the ground.  If the ride height has been set too high, the top wishbones may be pointing downwards as you look from the centre of the car to the tyre.  This means that any negative camber will come off and may even go positive during suspension compression or roll.  My suspension used to be set like this, until I was pointed in the correct direction......