Rear Springs and Shocks

[HowardB]

I replaced the springs and shocks on the TR7 a couple of years back with special offer standard replacements from Rimmers. As Beans spotted on the 10CR a few days ago, the rear springs and shocks do not like the heavy loads of tools and spares I carry in the boot and have partially collapsed under the load.

I was planning to fit adjustable gas shocks and uprated, standard length, rear springs, but in the Rimmer's catalog they warn against fitting uprated springs at the rear without also replacing the front springs.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Howard

[Marko]

with everything else standard...rear stiffer springs you will reduce traction on the rear end.

rear siffer springs with good adjustable shocks will reduce the effect of traction loss but you will still lose traction.

if you want stiffnes of suspension use good shocks , spring only carry the weight of the car.

all of those diffrences will be noticed when driving on the limit, for regular everyday use( obeying the law [:D] ) you wont even notice the diffrence.

[busheytrader]

Hi Howard,

If you want both ends of the car to behave as they should together then I suppose that sounds right. I ran around for a week in suburbia with uprated front spring and shox before I changed over the back. The front felt like an unsprung kart, the back wallowed around after it. As I wasn't driving above 30mph I wasn't too worried but I was glad to change the back asap. (The front took much longer to change than I first thought) If I remember rightly I changed the front from std 96 to 200lb and the rear from std 160 to 200lb

I bought a replacement set of front Spax from Robsport not long ago. I took them the struts and they removed the old inserts and replaced them with the new in about 5 minutes at no extra charge. That had been the hardest part for me previously and it's a nice drive up there and back from south west Herts.

Adam



TR7 V8 DHC Jaguar Solent Blue. 9.35cr Range Rover V8, Holley 390cfm, JWR Dual Port, 214 Cam, Lumention, Tubular Manifolds, Single Pipe Exh, 3.08 Rear, 200lb Spax & PolyBushes, Anti- Dive, Capri Vented Discs & Calipers, Braided Hoses, 4 Speed Rear Cylinders, Uprated Master Cylinder & Servo, AT 5 Spokes and Cruise Lights. No Door Stickers. Mine since July 1986, V8 from 1991

[Beans]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Marko</i>

with everything else standard...rear stiffer springs you will reduce traction on the rear end...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I'd rather call it lessening understeer, or changing the balance of the car.
Heavier springs <i><b><font color="red">IN GENERAL</font id="red"></b></i> increase grip.
But you have to consider the whole picture of the suspension (including the handling) of the car.
So not just graft some heavier springs on the car and all will be fine

Stiffening up dempers won't help you with a heavy loaded car, it will still sit low.
Ride height depends on the springs alone (length and/or strength of them).
Dempers "just" are there to keep everything under control.

Problem or challenge is to find a compromise that suits your car and your driving style ...

<center>
<font color="blue"><i>1981 TR7 FHC Sprint (better known as 't Kreng)
1980 TR7 DHC (my first car currently being restored)
In parts a 1980 TR7 PI DHC, 1981 TR7 DHC, 1981 TR7 FHC</font id="blue">
<font color="red">http://tr7beans.blogspot.com/</i></font id="red"></center>

[HowardB]

I forgot to mention that the car is polybushed all round and has the anti dive kit fitted so handling has been fine for me - a passenger who has a 7 thought from the quality of the ride that I had already uprated the suspension.

[PeterTR7V8]

As I understand it, and I'm on to my 4th guinness, shocks only change the speed at which the springs work. They obviously dampen the bounce too but if a full boot/trunk is too much for your springs then you either need to adjust the spring rate or increase the ride height. As others have said, stiffening the rear will reduce the rear grip but you have to tailor the suspension for your needs. If you spend money on an adjustable set up are you really going to be winding it up or down depending on how many bodies you are lugging about in the boot?

Its better to set it up for best compromise so either get a taller spring if your shocks can cope with it or get a stiffer spring. I'd go for the 1st option cos it is easier to get clamps to squish them down if you need to reduce the ride height than stretch them up to raise the rear. And when you are just cruising I can't see that an extra inch or 2 will make much difference.


Never say die. At least not while you're still breathing.

[Hasbeen]

Howard, for heavens sake, FIX THE CAR, [SMILE], or develop some
trust in the thing.

Then you can get rid of the heavy loads of tools, & spares you cart
around.

It doesn't matter what you do to the suspension, your car will never
handle worth a damn, with a load of weight out the back.

It's a good thing you don't own a Lotus. To start with the tools
would probably fall through the bottom of a Lotus, & poor Collin
Chapamn would be spinning in his grave, at the thought of someone
treating one of his creations as a mobile tool box.

Besides, it's about time all those people, who have come to depend
on you for help, every time they have trouble, CARRIED THEIR OWN
DAMN TOOLS.

I suffered from the same syndrome, when I spent some years sailing
around the pacific islands. I could never bring my self to throw
out, something that might come in handy. The yacht would get to
resemble a submarine after a while, with all the excess weight.

My solution was to enter a race, somewhere. All that weight would
have to come off, to help the speed.

When it came to putting junk back on the boat, particularly if I was
doing it by the dingy load, it was much easier to leave it off, than
it ever was to throw it out, once onboard.

You should come up with a plan to wean your self off this fetish.
Your Triumph will thank you.

Oh, & yes, stick in some stiff springs. The cars are much more fun
with a waggy tail, & with all that weight out back, yours should
spin like a top. Great fun,....for the spectators.

Hasbeen

[busheytrader]

Due to previous 2.0L water pump issues, I always carry a couple of litres of water in the boot if travelling in the UK or mainland Europe.



Both my wife and I have to drive some distance to different workplaces in opposite directions, so I let these guys carry my toolboxes.[:)]

Adam

[jclay (RIP 2018)]

Get some of the air bags that go in the middle of the springs. You can pump them up to help support the load and as you lose tools from loaning them out, you can lower the air pressure.

jclay

[url="http://web.mac.com/jclaythompson/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html"]My Triumph Site[/url], [url="http://web.mac.com/jclaythompson/iWeb/Technical/Intro.html"]Technical Stuff[/url], [url="http://homepage.mac.com/WebObjects/FileSharing.woa/53/wo/HJMTK8gsojtwKleP.1/0.2.1.2.26.31.97.0.35.0.1.1.1?user=jclaythompson&fpath=Triumph_Articles&templatefn=FileSharing4.html"]Download Page[/url]