Couple of technical questions

Can't help on the springs...

Weight balance, I've read Toyota ads or mag articles that said it was 53% front, 47% rear.
Curb weight is 2970 lbs for 83 Supra, from Canadian brochure.
That would mean 1575 lbs front, 1395 lbs rear.
Remove A/C, 40 lbs off front of car. Relocate battery to rear, 35 lbs moves from front to rear. Put in half tank of gas, add 50 lbs to rear.
New balance is 1500 lbs front, 1480 lbs rear. Not bad balance. Remove spare tire for another 40 lbs out of the rear, then fill up tank with gas.

thanks dean, i really need the natural length of new rear springs though :-/

As soon as I get my rear springs I'll measure them. They're stock height Dobinsons. I know they're not stock but should be close.

much obliged

Dean
Did you have a noticable increase in stability with the weight changes?

I haven't relocated the battery in any of my cars yet, but plan to do that on my 82 race car in the spring. That car has 450 lbs removed, and almost 400 lbs of it was behind the firewall so it's a bit light in the back. The roll cage adds a bit of weight back. Moving the battery should help a bit.

I removed the A/C on my 83 so long ago (~1995) that I can't remember what it was like to drive it before I removed it. I seem to recall at the time that it felt a bit better on cornering, but maybe that was just what I "wanted" to feel. I have helped two others remove their A/C and they both said they felt a slight improvement. Of course, no one put their car on a skidpad or did any scientific testing!

The 3 Supras that I have and drive now are so different from each other (suspension, etc) that I can't compare one to another. The burgandy car is still full weight, but it also has stock suspension, so it's handling sucks compared to the other two.

My stock height Dobinson springs are, from the very end of the coil to the bottom straight down to the last coil (not the end) 11-13/16" one way and 12" the other measured the same way (tip of wire to last coil straight down)

If there's another way you'd like these measured Dragonfyre just ask. I really haven't the foggiest idea how to measure these things.

Nick

My 84 5sp had a running weight distribution of 1550/1500 back in 1987. I just saw some magazine articles in compilation book that Chris Eng had with him in Vegas. They all showed essentially this running weight f/r.

An article about MKIIIs showed a weight of 3524 for the coupe and 3611 for the T-top version, an 86 lb difference. This was the weight of a MKIII on the same scales back in 1987.

My stock height Dobinson springs are, from the very end of the coil to the bottom straight down to the last coil (not the end) 11-13/16" one way and 12" the other measured the same way (tip of wire to last coil straight down)

Click to expand...

Remember that u have to figure the spring height with approx. 800 lbs on
it (200 lb driver). We know Dobs rate (earlier in thread) so if u compare
care height with Dobs to car height with stock we can figure out stock rate.

If u could find a truck scale and weigh each wheel individually then u can
get more accurate result. btw, iirc, ST springs claims only 10-15% higher rate than stock at their website.

Well, eyeballing the Dobinsons springs next to the ST's they are about the same. The Dobinsons are 1mm thicker wire. The STs next to the stock spring are about 1"-1.5" shorter.

Installed on the car, the Dobinsons are the same as the ST's in looks and a little stiffer.

In other words, not stock height, which is a bummer. Time for spacers!

FWDsux said:

My stock height Dobinson springs are, from the very end of the coil to the bottom straight down to the last coil (not the end) 11-13/16" one way and 12" the other measured the same way (tip of wire to last coil straight down)

If there's another way you'd like these measured Dragonfyre just ask. I really haven't the foggiest idea how to measure these things.

Nick

Click to expand...

Correction: The above springs are Dobinsons LOWERING SPRINGS. The STOCK HEIGHT Dobinsons springs are 13"(as are the old stock height springs I have). There was apparently a mix up on Dobinson's end and I was sent lowering springs with stock height part numbers. My second set of Dobinsons are stock height, however.
Same part numbers....different heights 9 month waiting period for the wrong springs!!!!