Koni's and springs - clearance problems

[AlunJ]

Hi all, I wonder if anyone out there can help me. A couple of years back I had a set of Koni's and matched 40mm lowering springs (purchased as a full set) fitted by my local spannerkillers (back before I knew about things like this). I've always had problems with the ride quality and alignment, but now I look to be having problems with the actual springs. Or rather, the useless flat coils of metal where there should be springyness.

A couple of pics for ya

Spring with front of car jacked (notice rust where coils have been hitting each other)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/paff/Cars%20n%20bikes/CIMG0329.jpg

A couple of shots of the spring with the car lowered back down

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/paff/Cars%20n%20bikes/CIMG0331.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/paff/Cars%20n%20bikes/CIMG0330.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/paff/Cars%20n%20bikes/DSC03282.jpg

Something doesn't look right to me, but neither me or Paff can work out what's causing the springs to sit to low. Unless they're just not up to the job of holding up the front of the car. There's about one coil of movement when the cars sat on all four feet. We've compared them against another set of new springs and they just don't look right....

Suggestions, inspiration, wild mad ideas etc gratefully accepted. :banghead:

Cheers

Alun

[adamh]

well, the springs look a tad fooked to me alun. id be inclined to invest in a new set. what people have done with new springs even... is to encase the first couple of spring coils in polyuretane tubing to stop it knocking and rubbing. they are keprlunked tho..

[Paff]

Hey again. alun here (at paffs). Yup, thought they looked messed up, the shame is I think they've been pretty much like that since installed. The orignals will be going back on the front on Saturday (or tomorrow if it's not raining) while I wait for payday...

Baaah. Oh well, will take the opportunity to find some better matched springs I think, these ones were too low anyway.

Cheers

Alun

[Marksman]

Hi Alun.

I have a second hand set of Jamex springs that seem to suffer from the same coil inimacy problem, so I'd say it might be best to avoid those too. I've not heard of similar problems on the Fensport ones though...

Good luck.

Cheers,

Owen.

[AlunJ]

Hi Owen,

I wish it was a case of these being someone elses springs, but these're actually from a Koni sports kit for the mk1 (the whole kits been on the car about 2 years from brand new). The springs for the kit are made by Apex iirc. Shame, as I would have thought Koni would have put a bit of thought into the springs they're selling as part of their boxed kits [:( Might just have to have a look for a set of those ground control coilovers instead, keep my Koni's as the inserts :)

For every down there is an up :hehe:

Cheers again

Alun

[lodgeman]

paul and i have the same lowering springs, 30mm drop if i remember correctly, and paul had a similar problem with the springs already compressed when on the ground . so i have used plastic tubing as a spring assist. not too difficult to do when fitting and will help the spring and aleviate any spring clangs!
http://www.twobrutal.co.uk/forum/images/recovered/2006/01/45.jpg


as you can see i have gone for neutral colours lol lol

[Paff]

Lodge, they do look good. I've just got my new springss (thanks to Schooleydo's ebay auction) and will be rebuilding a full set of shocks off the car before fitting them so I can get it as good as possible (also advantage being if I don't get on with a 35mm drop on the 17's I can just swap the old shocks back over until there is another solution). just wondering so my springs stand more of a chance of not receiving the same fate as Aluns have what tube did you use.

Oh also is there any particular kind of paint you used for the shocks as I do like the way they look when painted up nicely.

Ingenious method of using a motorcross style strut protector :-)

[lodgeman]

its just clear plastic pipe from any hardware store 18mm outside dia and 12mm inside dia . i have put around 3.5-4.0ft per coil.spray some wd40 or similar on the inside and it will slide easier. shocks are just hammerite paint. get most colours now. although i sprayed those with cellulose as i had the paint! lol the shock protectors come from a moster truck guy off ebay. purplenasty i think.

[AlunJ]

Nice one, cheers Lodge. I'll give the plastic tube idea a shot once I sort out some new springs, the original springs should only be on there for a couple of weeks. Hopefully the car should be coming off the road at the end of the month for a bit of a refit so I can give the struts a nice clean up too (you've got me thinking colours again now).

[OlberJ]

So what did you do in the end Alun?

[lodgeman]

not sure what alun did but i found that the springs were useless and took them off and fitted fensport progressive wound springs!

see thread !
http://forums.twobrutal.com/showthread.php?t=4541

[AlunJ]

I had to throw the originals back on the front for now. Much smoother ride than I had on the collapsed apex jobbies. The slight difference in ride height front to back doesn't seem to cause any handling problems but I'm going to drop it on the alignment gear in college just to tidy everything up. I haven't been able to replace the springs yet, the whole semi-unplanned drop back into college screwed cashflow up a bit :doh:But worth it :)

Hopefully something'll crop up on the job front soonish and I'll be able to sort out the springs and (very few) other bits and pieces I need to get the lump in there :boogie:

[Marksman]

but I'm going to drop it on the alignment gear in college just to tidy everything up.

Are you open to blatent bribery? Miss Owen has a MK1 in dire need of alignment and we're only a few miles up the road... :pray:

All the best,

Owen.