Spring Rates
 

Curious if anyone can give some insight on what sort of damage might be done if I put higher rated springs on my coilovers without getting them valved? ATM I have 12k F+R looking to go to about 32-40 F+R. I know it will be a little more bouncy since it wont be valved to handle such high spring rates, but with rates that stiff will it really be noticeable? will any damage be done to the strut portion of my coilover?

wait, you want to triple your spring rates?

you might as well get rid of springs and just weld the struts so it's a solid piece of metal.

What are you trying to accomplish? I suspect valving won't matter, the springs aren't going to be moving much. If you're not at the top of travel on the shock, it's not doing enough to matter. At worst they'll fail sooner. You may have other trouble though...

Do coilover springs that stiff even exist? lol

I can get up to 100k but that is F***ing nuts...

I know it isn't the most loved around here but i am really into the stance/hellaflush/cambergang type of scene. i am looking into getting a DD at the moment and once i do i plan on lowering my car pretty much all the way to the ground but i want little to no flexibility in suspension because the roads around me are tore up pretty bad. i know bags are the obvious choice and i could go that route but there has always been an appeal to me of the whole japan style and them being static and just how they do everything really...

Let me try and explain this to you.
(Quick and dirty)
Please correct me if I'm wrong about something.

Suspension physics 101.

Spring Rate: The amount of weight needed to be pushed on a spring to compress it a given amount.

So a 6k spring would convert to 336lb/in.

It would take 336lbs to compress that single spring one inch.

Lets now look at your 32k spring.
That's 1,792lb/in.

Like said above, with that stiff of a spring there will be little compression if at all. (welded suspension)
So ALL of the force from driving will go directly into your strut towers.

And I'd assume in very little time destroy them and the car.

This. You'd just hammer the car apart.

Yeah, science!

No, it doesn't get much love, and that's putting it nicely. I won't try to save the lecture, because you'll be putting everyone around you at risk driving a car set up like this, and it's worth the reminder - the roads being bad is a reason to have suspension that works.

If it's a trailered/show car, it won't be seeing the use for it to be a big deal, IMO.

If you attempt this route and daily the car, you're simply gambling on what fails, and how catastrophically, first. Could be the strut mounts or top hats, could be the shock, could be something else in the car. I have to assume you'll be nearly sitting on bump stops (if you have them) and who knows what that does internally for the shock (other than the fact that it's not a great thing to have no travel, except that you're kinda preventing travel with those spring rates). Lack of control over the spring if it IS being compressed to the limits of the remaining travel is likely to accelerate any damage the shock gets by bottoming it out repeatedly.

I'd put my money on crashing the car due to lack of traction as likely to happen before the shocks have issues because the valving is wrong for the spring rates.

C

Yeah, usually 100k are for cars that run excessive downforce. By car, I mean a monocoque or tube frame purpose built race car. By downforce, I mean enough downforce where the car can drive upside down above 100MPH.

Don't bother with this experiment of yours. If you want to know what the end result is with 32-40k spring rate, you can rent a jackhammer and see what it can do for your shock towers.

I knew guys that ran minitrucks on the bumpstops, ie zero suspension compliance. I've also seen cracked frames, and other bits from it. Eventually they were c-notching, and adding air shocks, hydraulics, or bags.

good to know, and thanks for your guys' input! now I know I should just do bags instead, thanks y'all