Suspension Setup
The questions we get asked most, in short form. Each section here is the overview — detail pages follow as we write them.
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Spring Preload & Ride Height
Spring Preload
Spring preload is the load on the spring before the vehicle's weight is on it. What it determines is where the shock sits in its stroke.
Because the spring is already loaded, the car settles at a different point on that stroke:
- More preload — the spring pushes harder, so the shock settles further extended. It is already near the end of its rebound travel, so there is less droop left before it tops out.
- Less preload — the shock settles further compressed, closer to the bump stop. There is less compression travel left before it bottoms.
Preload decides how much compression versus rebound travel you have, and that can translate into different perceived comfort. A given spring rate can feel like two different cars:
- Topping out — not enough rebound travel, so the chassis falls into undulations in the road.
- Bottoming out — not enough compression travel, so you feel it every time you hit a pothole.
One spring rate, two different ride qualities. If your car rides badly on good coilovers, this is worth checking before changing spring rates.
Preload versus Ride Height
There are two types of shock, and which you have changes how you approach setting up your suspension:
- Preload adjustment only. These can be difficult to set up. You may want a particular ride height, but the only way to get there is with preload — and that setting may compromise your shock travel. You end up choosing between the height you want and the travel you need.
- Preload plus a separate length adjuster. This is the ideal setup, because the two are independent. You can put the shock exactly where you want it in its stroke and set ride height separately, rather than trading one against the other.
If you're not sure which yours is, or you're fighting to get both right at once, contact us and we can help guide you.
Read more about Spring Preload & Ride Height →
Why You Need Helper Springs
This follows on directly from Spring Preload above. If you have skipped to here, read that section first — helper springs exist to solve the problem it describes.
What a Helper Spring Is
A helper spring is a short, soft spring fitted in series with the main spring. Under the vehicle's weight it is fully collapsed — coil bound — so it has no effect on spring rate or on how the car drives.
Why You Need One
Setting the shock where you want it in its stroke often means running little or no preload on the main spring. At that point the main spring can go slack at full droop — when a wheel hangs over a crest, or the car is on a lift — and a loose spring can shift, rattle or seat crookedly when load comes back on.
The helper keeps tension on the main spring through that full droop range. That is the whole point: it lets you put the shock where it needs to be in its stroke without the main spring coming loose.
It also lets you run a shorter main spring, which gives back droop travel you would otherwise lose.
Do You Need Them?
It depends on the spring rate, the spring length, the ride height and how much droop the shock has. It is a calculation, not a rule of thumb — the same car at two ride heights can need helpers at one and not the other. Send us the car, the rates and the height you are running and we can work it out.
Read more about Helper Springs →
Fitting Dust Boots
What They Do
A dust boot protects the damper shaft. The shaft passes through the seal every time the suspension moves, so grit stuck to the shaft gets dragged across that seal. A scored shaft will chew a seal out, and leaking seals are the most common reason dampers come to us for service.
Coverage Options
- Shaft only — protects the shaft and leaves the spring and adjusters visible and easy to reach.
- Shaft and spring — keeps more out, but hides the spring and can make the clicker knobs harder to get at.
Fitting Is Not Trivial
Dust boots look like a simple part, but there is more to fitting one than it appears, and a badly fitted boot can cause the damage it is meant to prevent. Two examples:
- Zip-tying a boot to the shock body can trap water. Seal it up and whatever gets in has nowhere to go, so the boot holds moisture against the parts you were protecting.
- A boot that is too long can kink as the shock compresses and get caught in the shaft seal — damaging the exact seal the boot was fitted to protect.
Fitment, length and how the boot is retained all matter. If you are fitting boots yourself and are not certain, contact us and we can help guide you.
Setting Clicker Knobs
The clickers change damping. What matters is knowing where you actually are, because "three clicks softer" is meaningless without a reference point.
Always count from a hard stop, never from wherever the knob happens to be sitting, and write down what you ran. A setup you can't reproduce isn't a setup.
Small changes first. One or two clicks is a real difference on most kits, and changing several things at once tells you nothing about which one helped.
Something you want covered that isn't here? Tell us and it goes near the top of the list.