RS Motorsport :: Classic Speed Restored

An interesting read this thread, time to bring it back from the dead.

I need new rear springs, only way to move forward with my setup at the moment. Have spoken to the aforementioned fellow at kings who is familiar with these springs and has done the numerous ones for some of you chaps. Seems everything he said mirrors the many opinions and anecdotal results found here.

Here's the problem though, to start with I have a mk1 as opposed to a mk2 (I intend on doing the minor mods to convert to the 60mm spring) which all their springs are made for and on which they base their known spring heights. And my setup is so far in another direction, VERY soft with longer shackles, tramp rods, and sway bar etc etc (both of which I want to eliminate, It's hard to know which way exactly to move forward in terms of rate and spring/ride height without taking a bit of a complete guess and starting from scratch, which given the cost of the custom springs is something I only really want to purchase once.

Sooo, Can anyone here share a bit of wisdom as to exactly how different (if at all) the ride height of a mk1 to a mk2 is all things being equal and is the 185ish pound rate that these springs hover around the way to go for the average sprint/hillclimb/tarmac car (yes I know more variables here). Or is it all secret squirrel business.

Any direction or direct advice either publically or in private from any of you gents who have actually been down this road would be greatly appreciated as always.

Cheers,
Llewellyn

If you have a MK1 with 50mm springs I would stick with them as they are lighter and I've had quite a few sets of them made as well
As far as rate goes it comes down to tyres and shocks as I would be going higher than 185 especially on the tyres that are available since 2008 as I know mine are up to 235-240 now

would there be no advantage in terms of the springs torsional stability with a 60mm spring? or do you reckon it's not worth the weight penalty Danny?

As far as rate goes, I know it's a bit of an experiment but i'll be using AO50's and have konis at the moment but am about to install mk2 style upright shock panel and have bilsteins to go on then. Either way, anything near 200 will be a good starting point and a hell of a lot better than what I'm running now.

Can anyone confirm weather a mk1 and mk2 have effectively the same ride height given the same spring? I assume given the overall similarities in the chassis that they are but does it translate in practice? Would be a help to know as it provides a much needed point of reference as Kings only do mk2 of the shelf and already have an idea of how their springs and ride heights relate, but they have no point of reference when it comes to mk1's. And getting my car there to sort it isn't really viable.

I'm running the Mk2 Kings (1/2 rebound leaf) in mine (no idea what rate they are). They could do with being reset 15-20mm lower as I'm running blocks currently. Reverse eye rear and mid-eye front, Mk2 rear hangers. Got the Mk2 bushes for the front and machined down the spacer tube and 4mm (if I recall) off each face of the front bush (Super Pro)

Putting Bilsteins on it transformed the car.

Cheers Scott, Exactly the sort of thing I wanted to hear. After a bit of research i'm thinking I want to aim for something in the order of 80mm lower than stock and close to 200lbs.

Still may need to develop that in the future but will certainly set me in a newer direction with a better outcome possible.

If anyone else has any more experience on Mk1 ride heights and this style of spring feel free to chime in. I'll be ordering something in the next day or so.

Llewellyn

Did all the measurements and King's have them as we set the MK1 sets up as low as possible without screwing up the geometry or needing to cut sections out of the rails for the bump stops or diff housing

Sorry to hijack the discussion in a way, but is similar to the above question..

Ive come across this forum after searching for where to buy some springs for my escort. Some great reading!
Im currently doing up a Mk1 and am building up a zetec engine for it (after seeing those BDA replica rocker covers).
I bought some 2 litre struts to use this week so I'm wondering what springs to buy for them?
Ive ordered some bilstien shocks all round going on their good reviews.
Id like to use some of the new grippy type of tyres if i can, and maybe do some track days after looking at some of the photos on this site. Looks like a lot of fun. Car will be rego'd hopefully but more a weekend/track type car.

Is there someone i speak to to buy these springs you guys talk so much of?
As above i think id be after some rear springs around 75mm lower than standard.

Have a look through my build thread here

and Mk2 strut build

Thanks Oztang. Some good reading and nice car.
So im thinking to go around 255lb front and 185lb rear as it will still be driven on road. Id rather not do coil over conversion if i can.

Where can i source the springs from? And what do i ask for for the rear springs?

1300GT,

One of the most popular manufacturers around and the one primarily in discussion here is King Springs. If it's not a dedicated race car they have front and rear springs at those rates off the shelf for a good price. The leafs they have on the shelf are good for 95% of applications. The "different" types eluded to in discussion here are custom made and quite expensive as they are designed for a specific purpose and to work with a pretty specific setup, so unless you know you require a custom rear setup to suit your application, which as others have mentioned can only be determined by considering many attributes about your car and it's exact use. your probably best off sticking with them for value for money.

Unfortunately, it's just not simple enough to ring them and "know what to ask for" as it's really a process of development that is not transferrable from one car to the next, rather than a "part" that you simply order and bolt on.

But certainly, give them a buzz and have a chat. It's a good place to start.

Llewellyn