Steeda Progressive Spring review

[evo8904]

Can't remember the exact number but it's gotta be 80-100 lbs

It might be less after you factor in the weight of the parts that you remove "intake manifold".

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[Five0GT]

Anyone have rubbing with their rear springs?

 

[Jmeo]

Anyone have rubbing with their rear springs?

Negative for me

 

[Budnr22]

Lots of good discussion here.

The tightening of the end links never did anything for me as they were always plenty tight when I checked them.

I cannot say for certain whether progressive springs should touch or not. I have to leave that to the experts who have engineers on staff. However, it makes perfect sense to me that they would have to touch so they next spring rate could be engaged. I believe the tight coils are the softer rate and when they compress the firmer rate takes over. Again, I am no way an engineer, but this seems reasonable to me.

If Steeda says they are acting as designed and we can quiet them down with the spring silencers, I am a happy camper. I have to trust the engineers would not let us do otherwise.

Summary: Steeda confirms they are OK to touch and the quick fix works, I am all in.

 

[Norm Peterson]

I cannot say for certain whether progressive springs should touch or not. I have to leave that to the experts who have engineers on staff. However, it makes perfect sense to me that they would have to touch so they next spring rate could be engaged. I believe the tight coils are the softer rate and when they compress the firmer rate takes over. Again, I am no way an engineer, but this seems reasonable to me.

Getting there . . . the wide-spaced coils work for both the firm rate and the soft rate, but the closely-spaced coils only work to make the soft rate soft.

Suppose you have a coil spring with six active turns. 'Active' means that they are free to deflect under load (here, that would be compression due to the car's corner weight). Say it's 200 lb/in when all six turns are active, and each coil deflects 0.167" (1" divided by 6 coils is close enough for purposes here).

Now let two of those coils become 'inactive', or no longer capable of deflecting. Now that 200 lbs that used to compress the spring a whole inch with all six coils compressing will only compress the spring 4 x 0.167" for a new total of 0.67". But since it still took 200 lbs to do that, the new rate has become 200/0.67 or 300 lb/in.

Progressive and dual-rate springs intentionally force at least some of the closely spaced coils to touch at some point, making them inactive - stopping those coils from compressing any further. You'd get the same effect if you jammed solid spacers between adjacent coils. And the spring rate math by active coil count would be the same if you simply hacked the same number of coils off the spring entirely (although then you'd lose the soft rate part of the spring's compression and some ride height along with it).


Norm

 

[Excelerater]

Getting there . . . the wide-spaced coils work for both the firm rate and the soft rate, but the closely-spaced coils only work to make the soft rate soft.

Suppose you have a coil spring with six active turns. 'Active' means that they are free to deflect under load (here, that would be compression due to the car's corner weight). Say it's 200 lb/in when all six turns are active, and each coil deflects 0.167" (1" divided by 6 coils is close enough for purposes here).

Now let two of those coils become 'inactive', or no longer capable of deflecting. Now that 200 lbs that used to compress the spring a whole inch with all six coils compressing will only compress the spring 4 x 0.167" for a new total of 0.67". But since it still took 200 lbs to do that, the new rate has become 200/0.67 or 300 lb/in.

Progressive and dual-rate springs intentionally force at least some of the closely spaced coils to touch at some point, making them inactive - stopping those coils from compressing any further. You'd get the same effect if you jammed solid spacers between adjacent coils. And the spring rate math by active coil count would be the same if you simply hacked the same number of coils off the spring entirely (although then you'd lose the soft rate part of the spring's compression and some ride height along with it).


Norm

N O R M !!! Wanna beer?

It may be somewhat normal for coils to touch w a progressive application
but for myself and many others,clunking front ends on your brand new
hotrod is just a no go for us. Honestly I thought progressive springs were
for old 1970s stationwagons and called Cargo Coils back in the day ..

 

[ScottsGT]

Norm is the Alton Brown of springs!

(Yes, that is a compliment!)

 

[Norm Peterson]

N O R M !!! Wanna beer?

It may be somewhat normal for coils to touch w a progressive application
but for myself and many others,clunking front ends on your brand new
hotrod is just a no go for us. Honestly I thought progressive springs were
for old 1970s stationwagons and called Cargo Coils back in the day ..

The reasoning back then wasn't all that much different - you'd have hated to have to ride around empty on a single-rate spring whose rate was selected for full load, and with full load on a soft spring, well . . . the bump stops would still be hating you. Picking something somewhere near the middle of those extremes and nobody's really happy.

The only difference from Cargo Coils to progressives/dual rates in a performance scenario is that the spring compression that puts you into the firm rate is coming from body inertial movements - roll, dive, squat from cornering, braking, and accelerating - rather than from a big static weight. But the spring doesn't know this. Or care.

There's no harm in "borrowing" ideas and tweaking them a little to suit your own purposes (perhaps aka thinking out of your own activity's little box?) . . . and I'm not sure here which way the "borrowing" went first. Coilover setups that use a main spring and a tender spring look and behave like a dual-rate spring that's been cut at the junction between the close and wide coil spacing with the cut ends squared and ground so they fit up flat to the separator plate. This arrangement has been around for quite a while.


Sam Adams seasonal, if you've got it :cheers:


Norm

 

[Norm Peterson]

Norm is the Alton Brown of springs!

(Yes, that is a compliment!)

Thanks, but I don't know that I'd put myself at anywhere near that level. Just an old retired engineer.


Norm

 

[ScottsGT]

Thanks, but I don't know that I'd put myself at anywhere near that level. Just an old retired engineer.


Norm

And he's humble :cheers:

 

[Five0GT]

[MENTION=15333]Budnr22[/MENTION] did you get the silencers yet?

 

[Budnr22]

[MENTION=15333]Budnr22[/MENTION] did you get the silencers yet?

Not yet, but have been talking with the Steeda team to see if we can troubleshoot this without the silencers.

I gotta say, these folks stand behind their work. To be honest, I have enjoyed the conversation. The engineer is really helping me out.

 

[Todd15Fastback]

Not yet, but have been talking with the Steeda team to see if we can troubleshoot this without the silencers.

I gotta say, these folks stand behind their work. To be honest, I have enjoyed the conversation. The engineer is really helping me out.

I met some of them down in Valdosta for my first installation appointment. Top notch folks. Just solidified my purchase even more.

 

[ScottsGT]

I did a few checks Dave and Mike suggested. Last night I found that my top strut nut was not at factory spec. It was tight, I used an IR air Impact. But as Mike suggested, it won't get a good torque because the strut shaft spins. I used a strut socket to hold the nut and a 10mm on my torque wrench. This made a significant improvement in my knock back noise with only about 1/4 turn (or less) of the shaft.
As far as my lower spindle nuts that require 185 Ft. lbs, my 1/2" torque wrench only goes up to 150 ft lbs. Harbor Freight (their torque wrenches actually get rave reviews on garagejournal.com) sent me a friends and family 25% coupon yesterday. I can get the 3/4" that goes to 300 Ft lbs for $60. If anyone here wants the coupon, PM me your email and I can "forward to a friend" according to the email.
I figure since I removed the rear suspension cradle, I just need the damned torque wrench.

 

[Budnr22]

I did a few checks Dave and Mike suggested. Last night I found that my top strut nut was not at factory spec. It was tight, I used an IR air Impact. But as Mike suggested, it won't get a good torque because the strut shaft spins. I used a strut socket to hold the nut and a 10mm on my torque wrench. This made a significant improvement in my knock back noise with only about 1/4 turn (or less) of the shaft.
As far as my lower spindle nuts that require 185 Ft. lbs, my 1/2" torque wrench only goes up to 150 ft lbs. Harbor Freight (their torque wrenches actually get rave reviews on garagejournal.com) sent me a friends and family 25% coupon yesterday. I can get the 3/4" that goes to 300 Ft lbs for $60. If anyone here wants the coupon, PM me your email and I can "forward to a friend" according to the email.
I figure since I removed the rear suspension cradle, I just need the damned torque wrench.

Woo-hoo

I am going to do the same. Can you tell me more about this strut socket you used?

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