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Comment by Dave Adams on January 8, 2013 at 21:17

http://www.andersensmith.freeserve.co.uk/suspension.htm
A link to andy smiths article on suspension on his B+ and S4

Comment by Big Vern on January 8, 2013 at 20:33

They might have been shortened or just too stiff. On the early cars dutton suggested builders just cut off some of the coils to lower the front this however increases spring rate.
As you have an early car Steve then Dave A. Is probably the best man to speak to on what you could use on the front of yours.

Comment by Big Vern on January 8, 2013 at 20:06

Motion ratio is the ratio between wheel movement and spring movement. On earlier duttons based on triumph front suspension the wheel moves less per inch of spring travel than with the later duttons with escort based suspension. The greater movement of the wheel per inch of spring travel means there is more leverage on the spring so it needs to be stiffer to give you the same performance at the wheel.

Comment by Big Vern on January 8, 2013 at 19:53

Angle has little to do with it it's the motion ratio. Phaeton S1 & 2 exert less leverage on the spring so a softer spring rate is required for the same wheel rate. Trust me if you have a pinto in a Melos or phaeton s3 or s4 then you NEED 300lb/inch!

Comment by Adrian Southgate on January 8, 2013 at 16:13

Its all down to the angle of the dangle...

Comment by Big Vern on January 8, 2013 at 15:13

Dave A's S1 has different suspension so although his spring rate is lower his wheel rate is almost exactly the same as mine. If you have an S3 or S4 phaeton or melos then you NEED 300lb/inch which is the same as 225lb/inch on an S1 or S2 phaeton.

Comment by Dave Adams on January 8, 2013 at 15:01

Vern and i cross swords many times over this ;-) my S1 and pinto uses 225lb/in springs and is VERY FIRM. .....no offence.

Comment by Big Vern on January 8, 2013 at 10:12

Some Phaeton S3 and Melos used motorcycle mono shox for front coil overs, they use 1.7" id springs rather than the more common 1.9"id springs.

With a pinto in the front you NEED 300lb/in

Comment by Dave Adams on January 8, 2013 at 7:34

Unless the donor was a 1100 the gearbox should hold up, the 3.89 diff is a common size (my 2.0 pinto has one)
I have on more than one occasion seen motorbike shocks on S3/4‘s and Melos‘s. i don't think the springs are stiff enough. it won't help that a pinto is the same weight as your average motorbike all by its self.

Comment by James Doulton on January 7, 2013 at 22:37

I've just had a look under the car at the front suspension and the coil-over-shocks are set to their highest setting, so maybe they are the wrong size. I guess that is just another thing to go on the list of things to do. I didn't go under the car just to see that, I was already there to fix the handbrake and to work out which diff and gearbox I have. They are 1100/1300 Escort ones - a 3.89 diff and the wide ratio 4 speed. Not sure how those will hold up with a 2lt pinto.

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