Coil spring question

[baer19d]

I have a 3 inch Calmini lift on my Tracker with heavy duty springs. The ride is extremely rough even on pavement. I'm thinking if I swapped the heavy duty springs with a set of stock springs with 3 inch spacers I should get the same lift and a softer ride right?

[loosenut]

3 in coil spacer lift will cause problems with the cv joints in that the drive angle will be too acute. 1.75 is what I got with my 2in lift and it is at the limit.

[razor02097]

In theory yes the ride will be softer. However that is only if the harshness of the ride is because of the coil springs and not the limitations of the suspension components.

[baer19d]

But I already have a 3 inch lift on it. Wouldn't the height and therefore the angle of the CV axles be the same?

Originally Posted by loosenut

3 in coil spacer lift will cause problems with the cv joints in that the drive angle will be too acute. 1.75 is what I got with my 2in lift and it is at the limit.

[baer19d]

What other components other than the springs could cause a stiff ride?

Originally Posted by razor02097

In theory yes the ride will be softer. However that is only if the harshness of the ride is because of the coil springs and not the limitations of the suspension components.

[razor02097]

It isn't only compression that you need to think about. Once the suspension compresses it needs to rebound. When that happens the momentum of the body upward will cause the suspension to travel down further than it did before the compression action. If the suspension is lifted with no compensation it could in effect hit the limit on the rebound causing the entire body to stop moving in that direction.

To try to explain better check out this video... Although it is a very extreme example imagine if you will the tire could not droop down to follow the terrain due to the suspension being at it's limit. The body would have to move instead. The body movement will translate to you which you would perceive as a harsh ride.

Crazy Wheel Travel! Toyota Prado 95 Series Suspension Test - YouTube

Crazy Wheel Travel! Toyota Prado 95 Series Suspension Test - YouTube

Like you said it could be because of the high spring rate but if it isn't because of the spring rate the OEM springs and spacers will still give you a harsh ride.

[baer19d]

What you're saying makes sense but in my case the rough ride is on pavement not just off road. It feels like the suspension doesn't compress at all almost like the vehicle is too light for the springs. If I lower the tire pressure all the way down to 10 PSI it really improves the ride off road but of course I can't drive it on the road at 10 PSI. I figure if I can find a set of spring cheap it's worth a shot.

Originally Posted by razor02097

It isn't only compression that you need to think about. Once the suspension compresses it needs to rebound. When that happens the momentum of the body upward will cause the suspension to travel down further than it did before the compression action. If the suspension is lifted with no compensation it could in effect hit the limit on the rebound causing the entire body to stop moving in that direction.

To try to explain better check out this video... Although it is a very extreme example imagine if you will the tire could not droop down to follow the terrain due to the suspension being at it's limit. The body would have to move instead. The body movement will translate to you which you would perceive as a harsh ride.

Crazy Wheel Travel! Toyota Prado 95 Series Suspension Test - YouTube


Like you said it could be because of the high spring rate but if it isn't because of the spring rate the OEM springs and spacers will still give you a harsh ride.

[rapoM]

i know exactly what your saying. i have the calmini 2'' lift AND another 2'' spacer lift. the front springs are W-A-Y to stiff. period. no questions about it. so stiff that mine just sitting still the front is raised all the way to to the limit of the shock, if i place a jack under the frame and lift the car, the wheels instantly leave the ground the second i start to pump the jack. just today i put another 1/2 inch spacer on the front shock hoping it would give me some leway, nope still maxed out. if i (im a big dude) press down on the front bumper and keep pressing like to bounce the front end. i can get the front tires off the ground by bouncing it. im not sure why the front springs are so stiff.. there must be a reason. but they suck. they would be to stiff on an 18 wheeler. if it only had 1 spring for the entire truck!

[baer19d]

Finally! someone who feels my pain. I called Calmini and asked if something was wrong and they said no, that's how it's supposed to be. The guy on the phone didn't give a reason why they were so stiff but he did tell me that about 4 years ago (I think) they replased the springs with a lighter one to make the ride better. I have no idea how old my lift is since it was already on the vehicle when I bought it. How old is yours?

Originally Posted by rapoM

i know exactly what your saying. i have the calmini 2'' lift AND another 2'' spacer lift. the front springs are W-A-Y to stiff. period. no questions about it. so stiff that mine just sitting still the front is raised all the way to to the limit of the shock, if i place a jack under the frame and lift the car, the wheels instantly leave the ground the second i start to pump the jack. just today i put another 1/2 inch spacer on the front shock hoping it would give me some leway, nope still maxed out. if i (im a big dude) press down on the front bumper and keep pressing like to bounce the front end. i can get the front tires off the ground by bouncing it. im not sure why the front springs are so stiff.. there must be a reason. but they suck. they would be to stiff on an 18 wheeler. if it only had 1 spring for the entire truck!

[rapoM]

Same here. It was on when I bought it. Thinking pretty old. Kind of rusty and missing lots of paint