Higher Rear Spring Rates - Bad?

[yumcha33]

Hi,

I've got a R32 gtst and my front coilovers are ont he way out and I'm about to buy some new ones.

I was wondering how bad softer spring rates on the front would be?

Right now I have 8kg rates int he back and the coilovers I want for the front are 6 or 7kg's.

Is this a terrible idea? It would be mainly for street driving and drifting once a month.

Thanks!

[zebra]

Can you say "Pole, Backwards, hit, just"

[eightsixboy]

If you want mass oversteer then yeah. I would just go 8kg all round.

[blind_elk]

Heavy front springs will increase understeer tendencies.

[Kinks]

Can you say "Pole, Backwards, hit, just"

in soviet russia, pole drifts into you!

[nisskid]

not terrible, but unwise, depending on your ARB rates, and at a long shot, ur RC heights.

inducing huge oversteer doesnt really help anything, circuit it just makes the car shit to drive, auto/motokhana it makes the car shit to launch, and drift it makes the car lack any ability to hold high angle (although making it easy to an amateur to initiate)

[GTS4WD]

I dont think the differences will be massivly drastic.

And its not a bad idea.

You may have to adjust the way you drive a little and prepare to catch the car when your giving it a poke.

Softer springs in the front will increase complience in the front and decrease understeer, making it want to oversteer.

You can tune out some of the oversteer if your THAT worried about it by running 1-2mm of toe in on each wheel at the rear and getting the camber settings right at the rear. Also, you can run lower tyre pressures in the rear. If you can, soften the dampers at the rear and soften swaybar if you can adjust it.

[Dan_J]

well soft springs...say king springs will make the car comfortable but handle like shit as you do want some amount of hardness. the usual spring rate is 8 front 6rear for s13 sr/ca but for a r32/a31/s13 with a rb in it 10 front 6 rear

Edited December 11, 2010 by Dan_J

[mystery_kid]

sounds like a lot more hassle than it's worth. Just buy a full set of coilovers

[GTS4WD]

sounds like a lot more hassle than it's worth. Just buy a full set of coilovers

I think were making too big of a deal out of it.

Do it.

And see how you feel about it

[hrd-hr30]

6 or 7kg front and 8kg rear will be nasty to drive and you'd really want to be on-the-ball if it ever rained. Trust me. I actually play around with different spring rates on my track car, not just make a guess and say "I doubt it will be a big deal". Even 25lb/in increments (half a kg/mm) make big differences.

"Softening shocks" will not change the mid corner balance, that's all down to spring rate. Shocks affect transient behaviours - change of directions, bumps etc.

The sensible thing to do is put the current 8kg rear springs on the front coilovers, get the 6kg springs with the new coilovers and fit them on the rears. 7kg would still be taily with 8kg fronts.

What's the current front spring rate?

[yumcha33]

My old Tanabe's up front, just a shock spring combo, so probs about 6kg. Then my 8kg int he back.

Got 8kg all round now and feels great. See how I go at Archy in a few weeks.

[Rolls]

8kg is absolutely stupid, not even v8 super cars run spring rates that high.