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Stock 240 / 740 / 940 spring rates

I run 300# all around (450#in vert rear) with no bars, locked rear. I like it loose, and any less rear spring meant big push on transitions. this is a 244.

Funny, the autocross corolla has the same rates, at 40% less weight, with huge sways.
 
Another thing to consider is that rally tires make the car a lot easier to drive. Get some proper tires before you go too crazy trying to tune the suspension if you haven't already.
 
centason said:
Way soft for a rally cross car. Might want to ask John V, or some who has built suspension for a rally car for advice. I don't think chopped springs are going to help much.
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And who else here has built suspension for rally cars?
Or for 200 rally car?

Or for all but one or 2 of all the currently active rally Volvos and all under construction?

Hey Oh Pea.
First.. Please don't do PMs. I can search them and I have to delete them cause of limits and volume and ultimately its really hard keeping these "CB Handle" or "sceen names" straight.

Next: unless the course you are planning on allow high speeds--like 80-90mph---and those straights terminate in like 90L or 90R or hairpins----then you won't really want firmer suspension..

On loose surfaces you want to move the cars weight where you need it. back for grip for acc, front for braking and front and outside for cornering.
This is easier to do at the speeds the courses are supposed to be with relatively near stock rates...

So first yeah it would be a truly amazing thing to have a sticky with stock rates of the commonest used springs..That's one thing..

But what you want for grass-o-cross depends on the speed of the courses, the surface (grass? Gravel? Dirt?) and power of car and back axle ratio 9that tells us how hard the car might accelerate).

So careful..You cannot go toooooo far wrong for grass-o-cross with some nice second hand Bilstein Haitch Dees..They are valved VERY SOFT and work great with stock spring---which is not surprising since that is what they were designed to do.

You ever plan on moving laterally into maybe actual stage rally?

(Telephone works best to begin with then shift to email for boring numbers and things)
 
The springs used in the swedish "Stock" class for 740/940 on gravel rallying is 38N/mm front, rears normally we use some standard spring, some people use the 12mm 240 rear springs cut to the prefferably car height on the 7/940s and some people use some stock 7/940 rear spring slightly cut.

For the 240 I dont know what rates are used, but I assume it is something similar.

These springs and stuff can be found here, try some google translate or so

http://www.rallyboutique.com/produkter/voc.htm

By the way, I use these green 38N/mm on my road car together wit hKoni Yellows, and its great I think!
 
Canuck said:
The basics for a 240 are:

Front spring rates = approximately 120 lbs/inch (1979 GT was almost 150 lbs/in)
Rear sedan rates = approximately 114 lbs/inch (Wagon = 120 lbs/in)

Lesjofors lowering springs which work out to:

Front spring rates = approximately 157 lbs/inch
Rear sedan rates = approximately 100-140 lbs/inch but they are variable rate.
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Hi, I know this is an older post but I was wondering if you had the rates for a stock 940 wagon? Thank you
 
Canuck said:
The basics for a 240 are:

Front spring rates = approximately 120 lbs/inch (1979 GT was almost 150 lbs/in)
Rear sedan rates = approximately 114 lbs/inch (Wagon = 120 lbs/in)

Lesjofors lowering springs which work out to:

Front spring rates = approximately 157 lbs/inch
Rear sedan rates = approximately 100-140 lbs/inch but they are variable rate.
Click to expand...

Hoggster said:
There are a billion different spring/shock combos from the factory. Way to wide a range to generalize.
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I did all the springs a long time ago and found varying results. The first numbers posted above were probably from measuring the wire plus paint. I do remember a wagon rear spring being around that number. Then I lost that notebook.

Since I couldn't find any numbers, I started over.
I just measured the springs from a mid-80s CT 244 that went to the crusher.

Front Springs 80 lb/inch.
Rear Springs 91 lb/inch.

Scraped off the paint and undercoating, measured, did the math. Pretty close.
 
mikep said:
I just measured the springs from a mid-80s CT 244 that went to the crusher.

Front Springs 80 lb/inch.
Rear Springs 91 lb/inch.
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If anyone has unmolested front and rear springs from anything and you're near me and SURE of the origin, I will run the test on them. I particularly wish I had saved wagon rears and diesel fronts, but I will do any fronts as well.
I have a 940 wagon here, and there are several 240/740/940/960s at the local yard, but that's a lot of work.
 
mikep said:
If anyone has unmolested front and rear springs from anything and you're near me and SURE of the origin, I will run the test on them. I particularly wish I had saved wagon rears and diesel fronts, but I will do any fronts as well.
I have a 940 wagon here, and there are several 240/740/940/960s at the local yard, but that's a lot of work.
Click to expand...

Any suggestions on a slightly softer than stock front spring for a 940? Thanks
 
beachcomber550 said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by moetheshmoe :cool:
Hi, I know this is an older post but I was wondering if you had the rates for a stock 940 wagon? Thank you

Yes, what he said !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
__________________
"I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure"
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Since you're repeating yourself, I'm guessing you're saying they're both right. Which means the difference between 120 lb springs and 80 lb springs is the paint. Must be some good paint.
 
moetheshmoe said:
What who said?

Canuck says 240 springs are 120(f) and 114(r) while Mikep says 80(f) and 91(r).
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The higher rate springs I quoted off the top of my head MIGHT have been wagon rear and who knows what fronts, diesel maybe.
I just measured 2 pairs of springs I personally pulled from a 1985-ish 244 to get those numbers.
 
mikep said:
The higher rate springs I quoted off the top of my head MIGHT have been wagon rear and who knows what fronts, diesel maybe.
I just measured 2 pairs of springs I personally pulled from a 1985-ish 244 to get those numbers.
Click to expand...

Actually, your numbers we're a lot less than Canuck's. He said 120 front and you said 80, which I think is as soft as you can get. His might have been diesel springs but still that would mean a diesel is 50% stiffer than stock. Is that possible? The engine doesn't weigh 50% more. It's amazing that 20 or 30 years later these numbers aren't well known. I called IPD, FCP and Eeuro and none of them knew what the rates we're of the springs they sold. Why is it so secretive?
 
moetheshmoe said:
Actually, your numbers we're a lot less than Canuck's. He said 120 front and you said 80, which I think is as soft as you can get. His might have been diesel springs but still that would mean a diesel is 50% stiffer than stock. Is that possible? The engine doesn't weigh 50% more. It's amazing that 20 or 30 years later these numbers aren't well known. I called IPD, FCP and Eeuro and none of them knew what the rates we're of the springs they sold. Why is it so secretive?
Click to expand...

Of course they KNOW what the rates are - you don't just make a spring and hope for the best !

They keep it to themselves so peeps like me - who have springs made for various race and road cars / bikes - don't use the info to make their own / cheaper versions.

I had exactly the same issues when we wanted quality springs for our BMW [ bike ] projects - nobody "knew" what the rates were / should be, so we took along a sample to our spring maker and got him to get the specs for a baseline.

Once that was obtained we could order springs to suit our customers - longer, shorter, stiffer, softer ...............



I'm currently developing a rear coil over for my 940 wagon project wth my pal's [ Realm Engineering ] assistance.



One reason you need to know your spring rates - when you slip a Supercharged Jag V8 into a C Type replica !

 
Alright, back to square one. We have two guys saying the front, spring rates on a 240 are 80 lbs and 120 lbs. Forget which model(standard, diesel or GT) that is a 50% difference! They both can't be right.
 
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