please enlighten me on suspnsion! LOL

[imkfly]

hey all... back again...and again
few ideas and questions, insights and answer are thanked and appreciated.

philadelphia streets have been rough for Ms. Regal! LOL. even worse when springs or shocks or something? is shot which makes the car lower and handle like POOP!
been reading around and people are saying that s10 pickup springs will not only fit my front end, but increase spring rate and lower .5-1 inch...if true, what year s10? and is "lower" better? i seem to like the higher look...but if that craps handling alot screw-it. i know...MOOG's are great, just looking at some other possibilities. i grabbed two replacement shocks for the back, but may want to venture away from OEM springs...i want somewhat higher than stock in back and lower in front....does that suck?

could someone explain some things to me?
spring rate?
camber?
toe?
lower vs higher (than stock) vs stock?
stiff vs soft springs... vs front and back mismatch?

no clue...please come through.
THanx

 

[mikemcvaney]

Buy a new set of front springs from moog for your application v6 or v8 which ever you have cut one half coil off this will lower your car and increase stiffness.

 

[Turbo Loyd]

Stole this list from Todd Thurston years ago who did the research

Moog # . . Spring Rate . . Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comment
. . . . . . . . .. lb./in
5600 . . . . . 370 . . . . . . Regal/Monte/Cutlass/GP - fronts
5606 . . . . . 420 . . . . . . GN/Monte SS/442 - fronts
5660 . . . . . 670 . . . . . . IROC/S-10 spec . . . . . . . . . . . . G-Body stock to 1 inch low
5662 . . . . . 706 . . . . . . IROC/S-10 spec . . . . . . . . . . . . G-Body stock height
5664 . . . . . 760 . . . . . . IROC/S-10 spec . . . . . . . . . . . . G-Body stock to 1 inch high

Stock Turbo Regal springs are the Moog 5606. I used the 5660 in my turbo Regal clone several years and love the way it handles. Obviously a little harsher than the worn 5600 pulled out.

could someone explain some things to me?

spring rate? - The amount of pressure it takes to compress the spring for instance Moog 5600 takes 360 lbs to compress 1 inch
camber? - is the tilting of the wheels from the vertical when viewed from the front of the tire
toe? - is a measurement of how much the front wheels are turned in or out from a straight-ahead position
lower vs higher - Do not know specifically you are looking for, but see the notes for Moog 5560 and 5664
stiff vs soft springs - The spring rate determines the how stiff the ride is. The soft springs start out longer to give the correct ride height, but compress easier to give the softer ride.

I like stock springs in back and add air bags inside the springs to allow increasing or decreasing ride height

Hope this helps

 

[Turbo Loyd]

Another useful table with Moog spring information

http://chicagolandbuick.org/pdf/moog_springs.pdf

 

[WkillGS]

Here's a great page with spring specs for a Monte SS:
New Page 1

When I upgraded my 79 Regal, I took the easy way out and used stock GN spec springs from Moog.

Lower springs will generally improve handling on smooth roads, but will make for a harsher ride.

Stiffer springs will do the same... improve handling on smooth roads, but make a harsher ride.

For bad roads, softer springs with good shocks may be the best option.

But for the 30" of snow we have here, maybe you should just put that Regal on a 4x4 chassis!

 

[WkillGS]

Loyd nailed it...
For the Front:
Stock is 5600 or 5602 at a rate of 346 lbs/inch
Next step is 5606 GN springs with rate of 420
....for more height use 5608, or 5610.
Ultra handling would be the IROC 5660 springs.

I've dealt with ESPO Springs for my GS's. They're very knowledgeable and offer good prices. They're here in Pa. Give them a call:
Springs 'n Things

 

[charlief1]

WOW! You guys really stepped up while I've been at h-ll (work). Thanks, I do appreciate it. the next few days I'm stuck so keep the info comming please.