4 Corner Weights

corner weight/(Unladen spring length - laden spring length) = spring rate in lb/in

Edit: was backwards

CORover said:

So just like "what is the airspeed of an unladen swallow?"

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African or European?

Do you mean "find the spring rates of your current springs", or "find the springs rates of the springs you would need for a given amount of lift" ?

CORover said:

"How do you know so much about swallows?"

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A few guys on this board swallow..

i mean...just buy some vehicle specific lift springs from a company with a good reputation. Why reinvent the wheel. #swallows

You have to know these things when you're a king, you know.

If you're doing coilovers, you need curb weights to get in the ball park for spring rates...if memory serves me correct, we found that most of the lift springs were way to generic and thats why some truck handle well and other are like driving a dump truck...

I've done corner balance/ride height adjustments on vehicles with coil-over suspensions...but I'd have no idea how a person would do this on the coil spring Dl or Dll...especiallly, once you consider loading the vehicle with extra gear.

Not really sure what you're after here?

Brian.

CORover said:

I have heard, maybe in racing circles that that if you know the corner weights of your vehicle you can determine spring rates. If I could find a set of 4 corner scales, they are harder to find than hen's teeth and more expensive, what would that tell me and how would I use that info?

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20 years ago there were 3 or 4 main suppliers producing wheel scales for the racing market. We produced so many that most every local circle track race team here in the US had a set themselves or were at their disposal. We seven sold them to gocart and quarter midget racers and it became a staple of equipment that any team would have on hand. Most dirt track teams would not head out to the track without have them packed with their tools and gear.

Knowing how to use them was key and knowing how to properly set them up was very important. I can not tell you how many times I would go to the track and find a team using them with the 4 pads just laid out on the ground to take measurements. They need to be perfectly level with each other and this was often overlooked. I would get calls that readings were different at the track than in the shop and operators wanting to know why; when the car was only transported from one location to another with nothing touched.

Anyway: what I am trying to say is if you want corner weights, you need to find a race team and maybe take some beer to their shop and ask for a little help with setup.

i say just lift each corner with your own strength and give your best estimate. I think that is what the ole "Blue Blue" spring company did and we see how that ended up!

While you are at it, use stock lug nuts with steel wheels and make sure to make a post about what CDL means....