when if spring rate to far off?15lb or what?

overbore · Mar 7, 2005

when is spring rate to far off?15lb or what?

I know that this is a little bit of a personal preference
as far as what one can put up with as far as handling,
but whats a good number that most suspension tuners
use to determine if you should buy new springs.
I looked at some calculations and it looks like for
every pound rider weight it moves spring rate about .1 kg,
any ideals
overbore

marcusgunby · Mar 7, 2005

you have to be careful with springs as even good ones vary by 5% and bad ones maybe 10% so you have no idea what you have let alone what you are buying-unless you are a long way out on weight(20lb) or it feels really bad i would not suggest new springs.

overbore · Mar 9, 2005

Thanks marcus for replying.I can always count on you to help and I appreciate it.I might not have
put my question exactly how I need to,but has anyone ever said that like .20 off from what the
calculater says you should have is when you really need to get springs.It looks to me that you
never are going to get exactly what you want.So how far is too much?
Thanks overbore

mtk · Mar 9, 2005

marcusgunby said:
you have to be careful with springs as even good ones vary by 5% and bad ones maybe 10% so you have no idea what you have let alone what you are buying-unless you are a long way out on weight(20lb) or it feels really bad i would not suggest new springs.

As I understand it, all of the springs Race Tech sells are tested for spring rate before they are sold.

ScottS · Mar 9, 2005

I have a nice digital spring tester ( forks and shocks) you have to test them first to know what you have.

mtk · Mar 9, 2005

Have you found Race Tech springs to not match the rate they claimed?

marcusgunby · Mar 9, 2005

they all have a tolerance-5% or what ever.You have to test each spring to know.

mtk · Mar 10, 2005

Do you know this for a fact with Race Tech springs?

The reason I ask is that they claim to test them and label them, i.e. the rate is right on.

From the Race Tech website:

A High Performance Spring has a high stiffness to mass ratio. In other words, it is light weight for a particular rate. This requires the finest materials. And, of course, you want the specific rate you’re paying for. Most manufacturers hold rates within +/-5%, this means a spring marked 5.0 kg/mm could be a 4.75 or even 5.25. (A spring marked 5.0 could be the same rate as one marked 5.4!) Race Tech Springs have extremely accurate rates because we 100% test our springs. Chrome silicon, high stiffness to mass ratio, shot peened, heat treated and pre-set (no sacking). These are the finest springs available, period!

steve125 · Mar 10, 2005

My experience so far with spring testing with a digital tester. And I have tested around 15 shock springs over the last 5 years. Is the OEM springs mainly from KYB's but also some Showas, have been real close to the factory rating. So far never more than a .1kg/mm difference. Seems the manufacturers have better quality control than in years past.

I will still continue to test springs before I use them, as one could easily slip through the cracks. I have tested a few Race Tech springs also, and one 5.0 comes to mind, it tested at almost a 5.2,.....5.150 to be exact. So even they can have some errors. I think the days of the huge spring rate variances are a thing of the past. So far most of the OEM springs I have tested, are real close to their advertised rate.

russ17 · Mar 10, 2005

I have also found there to be variences between spring testers. What someone might test on one spring tester might not be the same on another.

marcusgunby · Mar 10, 2005

that quote from rt doesnt state how close they are aim for?? oem is generally very close but some aftermarket are very much not.

when if spring rate to far off?15lb or what?

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