Spring Rates Measurement

[6PAK72]

Does anyone in the club have a guaged spring rate measurement machine? I need to get rates off a set of springs.

Thanks!

[brucesallen]

go see Ric Hiland in Bow. He can gage your shocks too.

[6PAK72]

not in phone book. do you have a company name?

thanks!

[Mark Swinehart]

Try Ric Racing & Engineering
65 River Rd Ste D
Bow, NH, 03304
(603) 224-9264

[paultg]

I'm not expert but if you have a set of weights I think you can measure how much weight it takes to move the spring an inch and sort of be in the ball park with a few other measurements:

http://www.stockcarproducts.com/spgtech.htm

Be cool to give it a shot and see how close you get.

[breakaway500]

If you have access to a shop press,a scale and a ruler,you can measure the spring rates.Place the scale on the bed of the press.Place the spring on the scale.Use the press to compress the spring one inch. Read the scale.

[6PAK72]

Finally have an excuse to buy a press! Harbor Cheap Chinese Tool Freight, 5-ton press. Not exact, but how about a bathroom scale under the spring, and compress 1"?

Trying this tomorrow.

[offcamber09]

Fastrack has aspring rate gauge.

[breakaway500]

"Not exact, but how about a bathroom scale under the spring, and compress 1"?" Yup.That works,and actually is quite accurate! Keep in mind, an older mechanical bathroom scale will compress,so use the actual spring movement (compression)to measure your 1". (do not use the travel of the press ram) A modern electrical scale uses a load cell and has virtually no movement.(thousandths of an inch) I use one of my corner scales and have found this method to be very accurate.I often check new springs,and last year found a brand new set of boxed (and marked) Eibach 550lb springs to actually be 350lb springs. Summit took them back no questions and sent me the correct ones. You never know...

[dradernh]

I'm not expert but if you have a set of weights I think you can measure how much weight it takes to move the spring an inch and sort of be in the ball park with a few other measurements

If you have access to a shop press,a scale and a ruler,you can measure the spring rates.Place the scale on the bed of the press.Place the spring on the scale.Use the press to compress the spring one inch. Read the scale.

I often check new springs,and last year found a brand new set of boxed (and marked) Eibach 550lb springs to actually be 350lb springs.

IIRC, RIc charged me $100 to measure my springs. The fronts came in at just under 1600#, and I was happy to be able to turn the task over to him.

If you want a matched set, you may find that you need to buy multiple sets to arrive at a set within the margin you're after.

[breakaway500]

1,600lbs? That's like having no suspension... I'm sure Jeff is trying to measure springs a lot lighter than that,which is easy/safe to do.

[dradernh]

1,600lbs? That's like having no suspension... I'm sure Jeff is trying to measure springs a lot lighter than that,which is easy/safe to do.

Think of it as a very large kart. Apparently, that's how they like them set up in Europe, which is where it ran before I got it. We've been working on this aspect of the car. Hard.

Yes, safety would be the main concern if you were measuring very high rate springs. I'd be very cautious taking a jury-rigged approach to measuring any spring.

[breakaway500]

"I'd be very cautious taking a jury-rigged approach to measuring any spring." Agreed! Nothing like a spring to the face to get your attention! The flat top/bottom springs are easy to set up in the press,but the beehives are difficult. I think Jeff is trying to measure flat end springs under 500lbs,so no biggie.

1,600lbs...that should be interesting at NHMS..better have some spare teeth with you... ..

[dradernh]

1,600lbs...that should be interesting at NHMS..better have some spare teeth with you... ..

No kidding. T10 = two uppercuts from Mike Tyson in his heyday; T11 = winter car control practice; the rest is a piece o' cake compared to those two.

Sorry for the hijack, Jeff.

[WillM]

I'd be very cautious taking a jury-rigged approach to measuring any spring.

+1,000,000,000

Please be very careful!