Quote:
Originally Posted by SCOTI
Very clean looking work!
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Thanks!
I started detailing and assembling the driver side, this was as far as I got. I'm really happy with the new installed height of the bag with the raised mounting points! It may be too tall as-is but that leaves room to add shims to adjust the installed height which should allow me to tune the pressure and effective spring rate without changing the ride height.
I may also swap to smaller bags since they'll have a steeper rate of spring rate rise as they compress compared to a larger bag. From setting up the Festiva I've learned that a soft initial rate works best to absorb bumps and maintain ride quality, but is mostly important for soaking up mid-corner bumps without upsetting the chassis and causing the car to skip around and lose your line. This was a huge difference I noticed between my softly sprung Festiva and my much stiffer Miata. I could go over curbing and bumps in the Festiva and it soaked it up like it wasn't there, and the same lines in the Miata would make it side-step and skip around... not very confidence inspiring.
A stiff sway bar to reduce body roll negatively reduces the independence and free movement of the suspension, so on the Festiva we use the small stock sway bar and add progressive rate bump stops that engage after ~1" of free travel. These aren't hard stops; they're soft enough to seamlessly engage and compress but stiff enough add to the overall spring rate the more they're compressed- that reduces body roll without the negative aspects of a stiff sway bar. I'll look into some way to incorporate progressive rate bump stops on the truck if the natural progressive rate of the bag isn't enough.
Pics of the Festiva's coilovers with the bump stops installed over the shock shaft. The rear spring rate is only 105# so it's very soft and compliant but after the first inch of travel/body roll it seamlessly firms up in corners while maintaining full L/R independence without a rear sway bar.
I'll wait to reassemble the other side so I can take the spindle/brake assembly to have caliper brackets made. Neither of the first two shops I've taken them to ever got around to making them after waiting for months in each shop.
