Front end soft, tends to 'bounce'.

[Leloby]

1992 Xflow. Front suspension feels soft on the road and has an extra bounce when pushed down and released. Also, changed from 185 to 195 tyres recently and tyres rub a bit on clam stays now (might be driving faster though).

 

>60mph, the front end seems to 'float' and front end handling isn't as precise as it should be maybe but then I haven't driven anything else.

 

Reckon the dampers and springs need changed or just the dampers? Or can something be beefed up otherwise - more cheaply maybe?

 

Cheers.

 

[Griff]

There are a set of Freestyle AVO shocks and springs listed for sale here. Might solve your problem?

 

 

[Leloby]

That would have been very nice but the car has deDion rear. The dampers don't leak but I think they have had it. Might go for the Avo kit though.

Cheers,

Derek.

[Willie.]

Definetly sounds like dampers. Try AVO or Protech for adjustables.

 

Tyres shouldn't make that big a difference, unless they're almost flat. Check the pressures just to be certain. If they're very soft, you can get bad damper like behavoir.

 

Springs can tire, but you can check them to see. Springs are rated in lbs/inch. So a certain weight (In lbs) compresses the spring an inch. So, to check a 150lb spring is still a 150lb spring, you would measure the open length of it, then set 150lb on it and see if it compresses an inch. If it compresses more than an inch...its tired, so take the measurement and work out what the new rate is. Obviously you don't need to put the full 150lbs on it, you could use 75lb and expect it to move 1/2".

 

Dampers can be confusing to get your head around, I'm still trying and know nothing. As a basic priniciple though, for your dampers, they should be set to work at the fitted spring rate. That means that as the spring takes the bump then tries to boing out, the damper should provide just the right amount of restriction/damping to calm the sping and let the car settle back to normal.

 

When you see boy racer cars that have been "slammed" on low super stiff springs, you often see them bouncing over things. That's because with the new springs, the old damper is no longer able to control the spring and the spring takes over and does its thing. Similarly, if your dampers are goosed, your springs are still springing, but your dampers aren't damping enough...so you get the bouncey feeling.

 

Ideally, you shouldn't have the damper controlling the spring, or the spring controlling the damper...they should both be working nicely together. It sounds like yours may have fallen out with each other.

 

Hope you get it sorted,

 

Willie

[Leloby]

Thanks for the reply Willie. I'll try a few things before splashing the cash. Pressures may have been a little low at 18psi so next time its dry I'll work on it.

Cheers.

 

[Willie.]

18psi sounds about right for the front of a Xflow in my opinion.

 

Willie