DIY spring Stiffener

[tigershark1976]

Anyone know how to DIY a spring stiffener? It is used in between the spring to make it more stiff... to improve braking and handling. I know splitfire is selling but too ex.... around S$80/pair.

For me, I wan to use it so that when going over a hump, my lowered ride wont hit the undercarriage so easily....

 

[ndselvam]

DIY spring Stiffener


Dude, i had smae problem my spring abit low so always hit undercariage

Wat i did was

1. I bought 1 meter of rubber hose RM 7 -The Good one got double layer with threads all like the gas hose type-Heat resistant to certain level

2 Slot it in on the lower part of spring for about 5-7 " until u can push max.Use some rubber grease to ease the process

3. Fit the spring back - go for ride and see whether stiff enuff or not- if still not enough do the same to upper part of the spring too

4.If u do this too all four - u ll have less squeking noise and wat i see is car slightly higher and handling still as good as it was.

I user iswara- wat car u use ?

 

[ken12292703]

Hi bro, adding rubber hoses won't stiffen the spring. It acts as a cussion only.

To stiffen the spring, you have to cut it or buy a new set. External reinforcement of spring will tend to offset the characteristics of the spring which is dangerous.

The cheapest way i can think of is, get top and bottom cussion from spare part shop or cut the spring 1/2 coil or both.

 

[ndselvam]

Cutting the spring goin to make it worst ,Try sloting rubber hose if its cushion properly then it will be hard ..Cutting is the worst idea - instead or buying new one might as well slot rubber the whole spring

up to u to try it - just my idea worked for me

 

[unknown1x]

cut spring = stiffen? where u learn that dude! cut spring = shorten. but not stiffen.. -_- common sense goes wrong !

 

[ndselvam]

spring stiffener

nicely said - unknownx1

hahahah

 

[xavier]

Cut spring = Stiffen suspension? Hmmms...

cut spring = stiffen? where u learn that dude! cut spring = shorten. but not stiffen.. -_- common sense goes wrong !

I totally agree! Shortening the spring = Stiffening??? Alamak! More like your ride will be like a boat in the middle of a rough sea! Hahaha! :confused_smile:

 

[cheewooi]

How to slot the rubber host in? I am driving Wira, do we need to dismantle the suspension and slot it in? Or we can just do by jack up the car and remove the tires?

 

[tigershark1976]

I think the gas hose is a good idea... cutting the spring?? I agree with most bros here... it'll do nothing but risk your life only!

 

[ndselvam]

Im not sure how is suspension system is configured either independant or like separate.anyway here how to do it-

1-JAck up the car
2- Remove the absorber ,take out the springs.
3- Put some rubber grease on the spring -Slot in the rubber for about 5-10 inch as much as you can
4-Fit everything back - Do alignment again
5-If you do no how to do - PM me ill intro my mechanic to u - he is good and this stuff and - reasonable price for me he charged RM 30 including the hose about 1 hour plus job -

 

[NoMercy]

I totally agree! Shortening the spring = Stiffening??? Alamak! More like your ride will be like a boat in the middle of a rough sea! Hahaha! :confused_smile:

according to physic theory, shorten a spring will actually increase the cuted spring rate, so is = stiffening. Can refer to form4 physic on that.

about the proble of 'middle of rough sea' actually alot of ppl din notice dat after change to a shorter spring or cut spring will reduce ur shock travelling distance, meaning to say that the gap ur car can play taking the bump stop(rubber thing that slot into the shock rod) into account is actually lesser than original and too little until u hit the bump stop every time ur shock start to travel.

if dare to cut the bump stop, the ride will be better, but ready for a hit under carriage or fender if u carry lot of ppl in ur car as ur car got a lower ride bottom height limit d.

back to the question of this thread, rubber hose will help if is on a progresive type of spring, but it will eventually contra with ur main aim of lowering ur car, now u r permanently putting it up a little again. anyway jus my 2cent input, no offence to anyone.

 

[xtorm]

ever check out tose taiwan meg? they hav tis rubber to slot in between spring....

i bought 4 spring cushion, duno how u call it, rm8 each, its round and 1" high, they hav few sizes tho, so buy depend on the distance between each round of ur spring.

its O shade, cut it so u break the O shape and slot it between ur spring rounding....

did it on my car, it feels stiffer when pressing it down and take corner better,,,,but feels the road better also :P, hates tose little holes!!! but can take it out anytime

will try to snap a pic so u guys can understand wat im trying to say

nomercy...wow little ppl knows abt the bump stop trick :) muz b a player :P

 

[autopimp]

How long those rubber hose last?? sure got wear.. anyway, good idea and concept.. anyway, agree on the cut springs stiffen the springs but can lead to integrity/safety issues in long term..

 

[ygjau]

F=kx
F= force(N), k= spring rate (N/mm), x=distance(mm)
k is constant, so when x reduce when u cut it, F will increase (means harder to press)

 

[arsenalboi]

selvam any pics? btw good yasui jack usually how much? we all not so loaded to buy workshop car hydraulic raiser lah :)

 

[feudalklippe]

that day saw spring stiffeners at brothers kelana jaya..looks ok though

 

[kenken]

ygyau..i believe not all cars have constant spring rate..

 

[ndselvam]

spring stiffener

got pics i dono how to upload -----


HEHEHEH

 

[ygjau]

ygyau..i believe not all cars have constant spring rate..

just like those adjustable 1, when u lower the car height, the car will ride harder. same thing from the formula.

 

[am_izham]

cut spring = stiffen? where u learn that dude! cut spring = shorten. but not stiffen.. -_- common sense goes wrong !

bro, please do some research and get the facts right before flaming others. cutting springs does indeed increase the spring rates (stiffens it).

Basically, Spring Rate is the amount of weight needed to compress a spring a certain . Springs are rated in LB/in (in metric system kg/mm), or specifically, how many pounds of weight are required to depress the spring by one inch. To convert LB/in to kg/mm international, you must divide divide figure by 56. Consider you have 2 springs having different spring rates: One with 345 g/mm and the other with 480 g/mm. So what does it mean? It means the 1st spring will compress 1 mm if you put a load of 345 grams, while the 2nd one will not. The 2nd one will need a 480 g. load to compress 1 mm. According to this, we can say that the 2nd spring is harder than the 1st one, or we can state that: Springs that have a low Spring Rate are soft, while springs that have a high Spring Rate are stiffer. If there are 2 different values listed, it means that the spring starts at one rate, and ends at another rate under full compression. For example: a 10lb to 25lb progressive spring will need 10lb to compress it the first inch, then 13lb the next inch, and so on, until the end of the travel; it will take 25lb to compress it the last inch. The benefit of this is that the spring can be soft enough at the start of the travel to offer a soft ride yet be stiff enough at the end of the travel to performance well during hard braking and turning. What Affects the Spring Rate? There are 3 things that affect the spring rate: 1. Diameter of the wire: Diameter of the wire itself affects the spring rate because when diameter of the wire increases it gets stronger, meaning a wire which is harder to compress. So, if we know that a wire becomes harder when its diameter increases, we can say that: When wire diameter increases, spring rate increases. 2. Diameter of the spring: That is in fact `the mean diameter of the spring`, achieved by subtracting the diameter of the wire from diameter of the spring: The overall outside diameter of the spring (mm) - diameter of the wire (mm) When diameter of the spring increases, the spring rate decreases. 3. Number of Active Coils (length/height of the spring): Determination of the number of active coils varies according to spring design. Count the total coils minus two for springs with both ends closed. Count the total coils minus one for springs with one end closed and one end open. As the number of active coils decreases, the spring rate increases. Normal Springs has a fixed spring rate. Step Linear Springs are springs which have 2 different spring rates. Progressive Springs have a variable spring rate.

info taken at Tuning Car for Find Out What is Spring Rate