[Bozy97]

yes i did, and i meant drop the coils out not the shocks. my bad!

[Gwagensteve]

Ah, OK. The coils coming loose is really just a side effect of having shocks which are too long. The factory will basically design the suspension so that when the shocks are at full extension, there is still some spring travel left, so that the springs don't go loose, fall out, bang or clunk.

It's (relatively) easy to fit longer shocks to, say, the rear of your car to give some increased flex. This will generally cause the coils to fall out, and that's the proof that no added traction is being produced by the increased flex.

In general, "improving" the suspension of a coil car goes like this:

Owner fits a bolt on suspension kit that adds 2" of lift by using springs with a higher rate. The spring might actually be shorter when it's out of the car though.

The car no longer flexes as well as it did stock, because the shocks, which limit overall travel, are the same length, or very close to stock length, However, the stiffer springs now mean the car can't reach the bumpstop.

So, the owner then fits longer shocks. Now the springs go loose, and clunk, bang or fall out. Travel is (slightly) increased over standard, and the trade off is reduced stability in off road conditions because the car can "flop" in the zone were the springs are loose. It doesn't feel good.

My springs go loose by about 25mm. I failed to properly account for limit strap flex. It's pretty stable though because it's always hard on the bumpstops. We found the other day that a Jimny with an OME suspension kit basically can't reach the bumpstop in the front.

Whilst I promised not to go to far into it, Bill's Land rover car actually sits 50mm lower than a standard land rover with the same running gear. That means it's very close to being on its bumpstops all the time, and it's part of where it gets its stability from, along with enormous track width, and very, very heavy axles.

This stuff gets pretty technical quickly, and it's obviously much easier to see than it is to explain.

Steve.

[Bozy97]

Ok thanks Steve.
Very helpful!