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Anyone knows where the authorized dealers of Sarchs suspensions kits are? Other then Autofix in Sin Min.

hi all, recently changed to 17" rims for my '97 camry...now it looks like a 4 x 4 without lowering. was considering just changing to lowering springs and was quoted abt $300 for lowering springs from holland, plus installation. anybody happen to have any lobangs for gd lowering springs for the '97 camry? if i want to change my shocks as well, to go with the lowering springs, how much would be the cost for all 4? not pariah, no-brand shocks, but reasonably reliable shocks. thanks in advance to all who help! :)

Check this out ! http://www.autonews.com.tw/cgi-bin/as/as_show.cgi?qry=M4

Hey Guys, I have just registered after learning that there is one hot Mondeo owner here! Just a question, I have sound coming from my suspension when i go over a hump while stepping on the brakes. It is worse if I am coming down a slope. I am wondering if it is the callipers slipping or worse? Mine is only 1.5 years old with 18K behind it. If it is normal I won't go to RM and make a fool of myself. If not I am going to make a BIGGGG fuss over it. Cheers

About Suspension Shox absorbers The purpose of shock absorbers is to control the velocity of the suspension. If the shocks don't have enough resistance, the spring will move the suspension too fast and it will have an underdampened motion. If the shocks are too firm, the motion will be overdampened. It is important to ahve just he right amount of dampening to control the spring action of the suspension. Proper Dampening Extra firm shocks have the same negative effects on ride and handling as extra stiff springs. The tires cannot follow the road irregularities unless they are free to move in relation to the chassis. The relative motion must be as free as possible, but it also must be controlled. Shocks are used for CONTROL. If the shocks are too firm, the suspension will be over-dampened and the tires will not be able to keep in contact with the road. If there is no dampening, the suspension will cycle up and down at its natural frequency and again the tires will not keep in contact with the road. What is need is CRITICAL-DAMPENING, which means just enough control to keep the suspension from cycling. Run your shocks as soft as possible--just enough so the car doesn't wallow over bumps. Spring rates for the Street The purpose of suspension springs is to hold the car steady while allowing the wheels to follow road irregularities. In general, the softest possible springs will do this job best. Softer springs will allow each individual wheel to move in relation to the chassis while having the minimum effect on the driver's compartment. This translates into a soft ride, noise isolation and good handling. All stiffer springs do is make the car have a stiff ride. They have no capability to make a significant improvement in handling. As long as the springs on a car are stiff enough to keep the car from bottoming out, they are adequate. If a car is lowered, a slight increase in spring rate can be used to compensate for the reduced ride travel. Optimum road-holding demands that the tires be in contact with the pavement; a soft spring lets the wheels follow road irregularities so that the tires can generate maximum adhesion. Roll angle When a car rolls, the tires change their camber angle to the track surface. Since a tire develops its maximum traction when it runs perpendicular tot he track, this positive camber angle results in less cornering power. Less roll angle results in less positive camber, so a car will corner faster if the roll angle is kept small. Roll Stiffness The best way to control canber changes caused by body roll is to limit the roll angle by changing the ROLL STIFFNESS of the suspension. The two most common means of controlling the roll stiffness on any given car are via the springs and the stablilizer bars. SPRING RATES Increasing the spring rates will reduce roll angle. Unfortunately, raising the spring rates can also change other aspects of the car's handling. As an example, if a car had a front spring rate of 700lbs-inch and a roll angle of 2 degrees, and you wanted to reduce the roll angle to 1 degree, you'd need to install 1400lbs-in front springs. This would double the roll resistance. But increasing the spring rates this much would also upset the ride motions and cause the car to understeer. STABILIZER BARS The best way to increase roll stiffness is to increase the size of effectiveness of the STABILILZER BARS, which are sometimes called anti-roll bars.The stiffer the bar, the more resistance to body roll it can provide. Since the forces that cause the car to roll are being absorbed by the stabilizer bar, and these forces are fed into each lower control arm, the outside tire loadings will increase as the stabilizer bar twists. The stiffness of a stabilizer bar increases very quickly as its diameter is increased. The stiffness is a function of the diameter to the 4th power.

by Charles C. Roberts, Jr. Automobile suspension systems are mechanical devices whose function is to support the vehicle body and other components above the wheels. There are a variety of designs including coil spring, longitudinal leaf, transverse leaf, torsion bar, MacPherson, Christy, and solid axle. Figure 1 - MacPherson strut suspension Figure 2 - Solid axle suspension Figure 3 - Control arm suspension with coil springs Figures 1 through 3 are drawings of typical suspension systems found on most vehicles on the road. Figure 1 is the classical MacPherson strut suspension, which is common on many front drive vehicles. The strut, which is also a shock damper, moves vertically while the control arm limits transverse and longitudinal movement. The system is compact, efficient and adapts easily to front and rear applications. Figure 2 is a view of an earlier design: the solid axle suspension with king pin. The solid axle beam is supported by springs and connects to a swiveling axle via the king pin. This suspension is often used on heavier vehicles such as trucks and on some older vehicles. Figure 3 depicts a control arm suspension with coil springs. This independent suspension system is used on many older and rear wheel drive vehicles. Automobile accident investigation may focus on a vehicle's suspension system, being guided by evidence of possible malfunction or statements from the insured driver or witnesses. Automotive suspension failure can be caused by a design defect, a manufacturing defect, poor maintenance or the accident. Figure 4 Figure 4 is a view of a MacPherson front suspension on the right side of a compact car. Evidence suggests that the lower ball joint (arrow) failed, causing the vehicle to steer uncontrollably, which resulted in an accident. Figure 5 is a top view of the ball joint showing wear patterns from the drive shaft rotor just above the ball joint. The ball joint itself was dry and badly worn with no evidence of lubrication. The vehicle had over 100,000 miles on the odometer. The wear on the top of the ball joint suggests that for a period of time, the joint had failed and had moved vertically and rubbed against the axle rotor. The rotor was acting as a retainer of the joint, preventing it from separating from the suspension. This condition would result in excessive play in the steering, plus a loud noise that should have acted as a warning to the insured driver that a problem existed. The driver continued to operate the vehicle until the accident occurred. The failure of the ball joint was determined to be maintenance related with no evidence of a manufacturing defect. Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 6 is a view of a king pin assembly from a large road tractor. Figure 7 is a close-up of a crack in the king pin housing. A truck driver claimed loss of control while on a winding rural highway. Analysis of the housing fracture surface indicated that environmentally assisted cracking had caused the failure. What initiated the environmentally assisted cracking was severe wear from lack of lubrication, a maintenance related failure. Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 8 is a view of a front control arm suspension with a fractured tie rod end. Figure 9 is a close-up of the fracture surface. The driver indicated that the tie rod end suddenly failed, and an accident resulted. The lower arrow in Figure 9 points to a corrosion related crack that had formed through the tubing wall. Despite the corrosion damage to the tubing, the fracture surface (white area, upper arrow) is characteristic of a sudden overload, indicating that a sudden failure under normal conditions was unlikely. The likely cause would be an impact with a noncompliant object such as a curb or another vehicle. Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 10 is a view of a rear control arm bolt in a late model front drive automobile. The driver complained of loss of control, which resulted in a vehicle rollover and personal injury. The right end of the bolt had fractured. A close-up of the fracture surface is shown in Figure 11. Figure 11 Metallurgical analysis of the part revealed improper heat treating of the bolt, which was the cause of the failure and was a manufacturing defect. When the bolt failed, the right rear control arm parted from the suspension, causing the right rear tire to point outward at an angle. The ensuing yaw motion terminated with a vehicle rollover. Figure 12 Figure 12 depicts the right rear tire of a vehicle with a severe toe-in of about 30 degrees. The body damage is characteristic of having struck another vehicle. The control arm and tie rod end was badly bent, but not fractured, suggesting that this condition was most likely a result of the impact. Suspension systems are often blamed as a cause of an accident. Driver error can explain many of the accidents, while the remaining ones can be attributed to poor maintenance, design or manufacturing defects. Obviously, insurers are interested in causes of failure that suggest negligent behavior by some other party for subrogation purposes. If legal action is contemplated, then potential litigants should be placed on notice as to the existence of the evidence and a joint protocol developed before any destructive testing is performed.

Hi Guys, I am thinking of lowering my octy. Just wondering if anybody can give some advise. What are the brands and options available for lowered spring and suspension system. I wanna have the sporty look but at the same time I dun wanna forgo too much comfort. I dun wan my ride to be too hard. Thks & rgds. OPS17

Hi guys some info on lowering suspensions. what to look out for!!!! Lowering Tips 1. Which general points should be considered when lowering a vehicle? 2. Why should the suspension system also be adjusted when tuning wheel/tire components? 3. What are the technical options at my disposal if I would like to lower my vehicle? 4. What are the benefits of lowering my vehicle? 5. What could be the drawbacks connected with lowering? 6. What type of lowering would be ideal for me? 7. What should I watch for when choosing a suspension system manufacturer? 8. What legal regulations come into play? 9. Can I lower my vehicle myself? 1. Which general points should be considered when lowering a vehicle? The chassis is one of the most important components in a vehicle and is first and foremost responsible for driving comfort, road-holding, and safety. Car manufacturers invest a lot of time and money to create the perfect chassis tuning. When modifying suspension system components, you must always make sure that the products are not only chosen based on costs and optics. Any modification, which deviates from the series chassis, is on the one hand a shift of the compromise between road-holding, control, and vehicle styling and driving safety and everyday usability on the other (please also refer to points on

anyone tried the Aero suspension upgrade from Trans (for '01 95)? Understand that it is suppose to lower the vehicle by 1 com. Noticed that my rear sits lower by a little bit but the front seems the same, would have thought that both the front and rear should be lower? I compared this to another stock 95 parked next to me.

HI ALL , I am going to change my suspension to KYB Excel-G and now consider to change my coil ( the big big spring) as well. Got recommendation?? How much?? Anyone selling or got any promotion...????

Guys, is there such thing as bracket for the rear. I am thinking of raising my esi rear a bit so that i will not scrape my bottom whenever I go over a hump with full load. my rear is quite standard as i see it . is there any way or i have to change the absorber? advisors....thx

The installation of coilover suspension Pic 1 : a set of HKS coilover suspension Pic 2: original (coil and damper design) as compared to coilover design Pic 3: pillow mount (used to replace front upper suspension mount to allow camber adjustment) Pic 4: corner scale measurement equipment for measuring of the weight of the car at each corner of the car. This is to check the weight balance at each corner of the car. A correct balance is neccessary so that the car is statically balanced. The adjustment of the corner weights can be done by adjusting the height of the coilover at each corner. Pic 5: corner scale under a wheel.

Hi guys Just came back from a track session....... just want to share some experiences.... I have been driving on the track before with my stock suspension for a few times before i changed to a coilover suspension a year ago. This is the first time I tried with the new setup on the track. This is some of my feedback and IMHO....on the differences... 1. stock suspension - softer, and more roll - easier to control and takes more time to settle in a corner - correction is easier and it feels more forgiving - squeaking of tyres 2. Coilover suspension - harder, much lesser roll - settling time into a corner is much faster and sudden. - adjustment much more difficult, required really undestanding of the behaviour of new setup...everything happens much faster and sudden...sometimes no warning at all..in my opinion kinda of dangerous for people who dont have the experience and skill to adjust and adapt to it. - car at limits and will give way even without squeaking of tyres. any other people has common experience to share?....

Anyone here used these before to prevent suspension from bottoming out? or to prevent excessive bounce after passing through humps.

suitable for BORA/GOLF/OCTAVIA/TOLEDO. Brand new should be around $950 inclusive of installation. Givem e your best offer. PM or email me ([email protected])

Found this website .. decide to share with all ... http://www.roberts.ezpublishing.com/croberts/susp.htm

http://www.fernblatt.com/longhurst/ A humourous sublink is http://www.fernblatt.com/longhurst/petpeeves.html I posted sometime ago at the Skoda Owners Group forum, but thought you guys would find it informative.