Ireland Engineering Stage 3 springs

[th3blue]

I installed a set of Ireland Engineering stage 3 race springs and did my first AutoX with them this weekend. the car had massive oversteer and felt like the springs were binding in the back.
I crawled under the car and found that the back springs looked unusually compressed. Please take a look at the picture and give me your thoughts. Right now I'm thinking I'll have to buy new stiffer rear springs

the car is a 1989 325 2 door
M50 motor swap
bilstein sports
IE stage 3 springs
I have a set of IE sway bars in the mail that I also plan to install.

[E30Idea]

Oversteer will be increased by that motor being in there I would think. But teh springs look fine.

[TrentW]

Oversteer will be increased by that motor being in there I would think. But teh springs look fine.

Those rear spring doesn't look fine at all--it's bottomed. I'd check that the spring pads are alright first, and more importantly that you haven't ripped out a bushing somewhere.

[E30Idea]

Those rear spring doesn't look fine at all--it's bottomed. I'd check that the spring pads are alright first, and more importantly that you haven't ripped out a bushing somewhere.

I disagree but w/e. What do springpads have to do with the spring looking like that? I am all ears.

[xLibelle]

thats what they do!
the springs are designed with keeper in the same coil.
has nothing to do with pads or anything else other than the design of the coil. I do agree, it looks funny but by the time the coil "bottoms out," youre grinding exhaust/diff.

[TrentW]

In the photo the upper two coils are resting on top of each other--not good. Like the spring wasn't fully seated in the perch, but now that I look again I see the bumper appears to be where it should be. Got to be something else...

[TrentW]

thats what they do!
the springs are designed with keeper in the same coil.
has nothing to do with pads or anything else other than the design of the coil. I do agree, it looks funny but by the time the coil "bottoms out," youre grinding exhaust/diff.

That's the way the springs are supposed to be?

[th3blue]

maybe it is the design... I emailed IE to see what they say.

we'll see what happens with the sway bars added.

[twistednut]

I thought the same thing when I had mine installed. Called Jeff at IE and he said that that is what they are supposed to look like. It is how they were designed. Don't hold your breath waiting for an e-mail back.

[E30Idea]

Don't hold your breath waiting for an e-mail back.

Agreed. Just call them. They are really chill guys and always answer the phones during business hours.

[Aptyp]

Lol at TrentW talking out of his butt... IE3 like H&R Races are progressive; top and bottom coils always compress all the way, then you have 2 active coils left. Same in the front.

As far as oversteer... GREAT, drift that mug.

[xLibelle]

we'll see what happens with the sway bars added.

EDIT: inappropriate comment deleted

[th3blue]

I'm going to try a large front bar with the stock rear and then add the back one. this is classic suspension tuning for the symptoms that I'm experiencing.

Jeff emailed me back last night and said that everything looked as he would expect.

Tires, sways, a good alignment and some more seat time might be the solution... I am still a bit of a n00b with RWD (coming from years of track days with AWD)..

thanks for the thoughts and I'll take any more

[xLibelle]

Stiffer springs and a heavier sway bar in the rear will make things worse.
Increase camber up front, install that front bar and leave the stock one in the rear.
Also you can definetly NOT drive this car like an AWD. Be gradual with the gas pedal.

Also bilsteins and Knoi SA's are under damped for Stage III's, for front as well as rear spring rates. This could be another reason you feel that it hits bump stops.

[Stephen]

Theyre supposed to do that. dead coils/ tender coils