The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

The sale price looks ok for the seat adjustable Gaz set up and I am looking to replace by Spax set up which is tired. I don't know what my current spring rates are unfortunately. It sits quite low which I am happy with and live with the hard ride. It see's the odd track day.
The Rimmers set comes with springs that all seem to be 175lb. I assume I need this on the back but am I better getting springs separately and going 175 rear and 250 front (1" lower springs )?

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Mike

1980 Vermillion Sprint - 174bhp

I've just fitted a set from Rimmers to my 1850HL. I went for the "Uprated" springs which are 175 lb/in front and rear, and 1" lowered. I started with the Gaz dampers set at 6 clicks up from soft, and found the ride a bit jiggly on the road, so now I have the rears on the softest setting and the fronts a couple of clicks up from softest. The car rides well and doesn't wallow as it used to on the stock springs and dampers. I would have thought 250 on the front would be very hard for road use, but might be needed on a track car.

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Mike
(1969 MGB GTV8, 1977 Dolomite 1850HL, 1971 MGB roadster now all three on the road)

The springs from rimmer, std or uprated lowered or whatever are made from a weak material. These soften very soon. Uprated is after 10.000km a std spring and lowered. A lowered set is within time too low. I tried them all but use now only good used ones or a different motorsport spring set-up. The same happened with the rimmer springs for my wife's 2500. Probably the same manufacturer.

So if you want to lower your car and there's nothing wrong with your springs you better buy adjustable shocks only.

Jeroen

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Classic Kabelboom Company. For all your wiring needs. http://www.classickabelboomcompany.com

Hmm, I was eying up the Rimmers sale Gaz 1" lowered kit because my Sprint's right hand front wheel rubs on left hand corners as well as a too much body roll. I'm torn on this now as I prefer the filled arch look rather than the jacked up original, hence thinking about the 1" lowered, I've read loads of posts saying the standard shocks are fine and to make it even worse Jeroen has right put me off buying the Rimmers springs!

The car had sprint and shocks replaced 5 years ago by the PO according to their handwritten note, no idea what with though. Current ride height from axle centre to wing lip are approx:

Front left 330 right 320mm
Rear left 330 right 340mm

I'm only after road use, well, fast road use I guess and the shocks seem to still be doing the dampening work, just that it's all a bit soggy, and 2 adults in the back has it dragging its arse on the floor and cornering dangerously like a barge.

Sorry for hijacking the thread OP, was going to post my own but it's related so...

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Current fleet: '75 Sprint, '73 1850, Daihatsu Fourtrak, Honda CG125, Yamaha Fazer 600, Shetland 570 (yes it's a boat!)

Past fleet: Triumph 2000, Lancia Beta Coupe, BL Mini Clubman, Austin Metro, Vauxhall Cavalier MK1 & MK2, Renault 18 D, Rover 216 GSI, Honda Accord (most expensive car purchase, hated, made out of magnetic metal as only car I've ever been crashed into...4 times), BMW 318, Golf GTi MK3 16v x 3

You don't NEED lowered springs with height adjustable shox!

As for poundage choices, this is very subjective, personally i'd favour sticking to the stock rear poundage and only a small increase in the front for a road/light track car, you can make up for it with the shock rebound settings. Also the lowering process on the ASP shox increases the effective poundage of stock springs a bit by putting extra preload in.

On the admittedly very light Carledo, I'm running Gaz ASPs with new stock Sprint 140lb front springs and old original Toledo rears and have found it to be more than good enough to cope with track work AND local Shropshire roads. I tried standard Sprint rear springs on the car before reverting to the Toledo ones. The Sprint springs made the light 2 door shell undriveably hard, it skittered badly on bumpy corners. Which is why I'm squeamish about stiffening the rear on a Sprint beyond the standard rate. I too am running the rear shox on a very low setting, about 6 clicks from full soft, with the fronts about 8 clicks from full hard. Since I don't actually have a rear seat fitted, I can't say how it would cope with a full passenger load, but I often fill the boot with a lot of heavy metal and that has no adverse effect on roadholding or tyre scrubbing on arches, even with my MGF rims and 195/50s. In fact it helps slightly on the dragstrip to have the boot full of gear!

HTH Steve

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'73 2 door Toledo with Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 8v engine (The Carledo)
'78 Sprint Auto with Vauxhall Omega 2.2 16v engine (The Dolomega)
'72 Triumph 1500FWD in Slate Grey, Now with RWD and Carledo powertrain!

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Thanks Steve, useful thoughts as ever. I've done a lot more forum reading now, so the jacked up look is just when fresh out of the factory (wondered why they only look like that in pictures!) and my ride height figures are not so far off standard. Wonder why it's so soggy then unless the new springs were either crap, or old they were just 'new to the car' ones? Even just two up the car bottoms out on an mildly undulating road.

I'm terrible with suspension set-ups, not confident enough in my ability to feel small improvements I guess. With my all my MK3 Golfs I went with Eibach coilover, Koni top adjustable and uprated ARB that others had decided worked out well, which gave a great responsive ride albeit a little too keen to snap into oversteer without giving hints beforehand. That was a modern Golf though, not a suspension system designed in the 60s on a 45 year old car, I'm erring towards being sensible for a change!

Seen a few suggestions that 250lb front and 175lb rear is a good setup with bog standard shocks, is this a universal thought or contentious? Perhaps I'm overthinking this and should just get standard 140lb springs for the rear and maybe the 170lb HD ones on the front that Rimmer do and leave the shocks as they are.

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Current fleet: '75 Sprint, '73 1850, Daihatsu Fourtrak, Honda CG125, Yamaha Fazer 600, Shetland 570 (yes it's a boat!)

Past fleet: Triumph 2000, Lancia Beta Coupe, BL Mini Clubman, Austin Metro, Vauxhall Cavalier MK1 & MK2, Renault 18 D, Rover 216 GSI, Honda Accord (most expensive car purchase, hated, made out of magnetic metal as only car I've ever been crashed into...4 times), BMW 318, Golf GTi MK3 16v x 3

Why do Rimmers sell height adjustable with lower springs, for those that want to slam it ?

I see what you are saying though Steve as it makes sense you don't need it with HA shocks.

My Spax are at the bottom of the height setting on one side so I want to make sure I don't run out of adjustment with standard height springs but I don't know what is on there now.

If standard is ok I am tempted to have 140 rear for grip and ride but can't decide if 175 or 250 is better on the front to keep it stiffer that end.

It is a hard ride now but corners well. I do struggle to keep full power on though at Combe coming out of the Esses in to Old Paddock bend which could be due to the rear at the moment is too hard.

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Mike

1980 Vermillion Sprint - 174bhp

I am happy to throw a curveball in here.
I have had nightmares with my toledo. It ca,e with std rear springs, and I think approx 160lb ish fronts (smaller diameter than dolly at the front)
I fitted the TR7 engine and fg front wings. The old springs still worked OK at the front. However, from purchase I would often have the rear bottoming out, just2 up (me at 11stone. daughter about 8-9 as she grew) and that was in undulating country roads. I tried nw tioledo springs. Same thing...
RBRR 2016 I panicked, and got some 1500 rear springs. Exactly the same rate as the toledo type, but 1" taller. I think 140lb from crude measurement. At the same time I fitted some nos sprint shocks and 175lb, 1" lower springs. Not a bad setup, but it was still bottoming out on the RBRR (I was joined by 2x 13stone blokes)
As RBRR approached this year, I satrted to worry. Co drivers were going to be much heavier
I got some ex JT rear spax/springs to try. The springs are I believe 175lb. The rebound adjusters actually freed off, but the ASP's are VERY seized. Luckily I had some spacers, and when fitted the rears gave a sensible height, and served us well on the RBRR. Since then I have found 1 or 2 up they are a tad skittish, and I really ought to knock the shocks back a few clicks.

But the issue seems to be the rear is problematic. Std too soft if carrying anything. Uprated may be too hard. However,this is a Toledo, so a Dolomite may have enough extra weight at the back to sort that?
What we really need are something that you can adjust the spring rate somehow. Those air shocks?

BTW I disagree with Steve about lowering the ASP's causes more preload? It can't. Moving teh ASP down will leave the spring longer,so less preload on the bench. Winding the ASP up will compress the spring more but unless you are compressing the spring 3-4" it will still be the weight of the car that is doing the real-life compressing.

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Clive Senior
Brighton