Another good one.
I'd appreciate a simple summary of the various kinds of rear spring available, with some coments on their applications.
I have seen;
"standard" - saloon and estate identical?
"estate"
"heavy duty" - estate or saloon ?
It seems to me with springs there are various factors, not readliy comparable:
ride height when lightly loaded
ride height when heavily loaded (ie the ability to cope with loads without grounding)
comfort or "springiness".
As an aside, I recently replaced the original rear springs on my 1964 Triumph 2000. They were clearly worn out, and the exhaust and rear of the car bottomed all too easily. I was advised by an expert what kind to get for a "standard" ride - ie not lowered, reasonable comfort, not competitive etc.
I was surprised to find that the extended length was 2 " shorter than my sagged ones, yet the car rode 1" higher normally, and still rode higher then formerly even when loaded.
Books often recommend comparing uncompressed length when assessing springs, but this experience suggests that it is much more complicated than that, because a shorter spring can actually have more resistance than a longer one.
Could you give us a run down on the theory of springs please Mike, and which to get for different circumstances?
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