Progressive Springs

[Muttley McLadd]

...progressive in that the spring gets progressively harder as it compresses....ie tighter coils /harder to the top......

I'm curious to know how the spring would recognise which bit to compress first. Unless they're homeopathic springs, obviously, with a memory.

If they're put in upsidedown, would they be really hard until compressed more, then go soft?

[byron]

I'm curious to know how the spring would recognise which bit to compress first.

yeah, that's the bit i always have trouble understanding...

[Special X]

The soft part compresses first then the whole issue firms up as the soft travel is taken up and the hard coils (ooer missus) have to compress.

[lammie200]

I am not a physicist but there are principles called Hooke's Law and spring constants. Shouldn't matter which way the springs go in. But like I said before though, it would seem silly to think that you would get the same results if the two were put in in opposite directions.

[cezeta]

im wondering if we are barking up the wrong tree here, the reason its importantant to make sure the springs are fitted in certain ways is that

a. most are in fork legs that contain oil, if you change the spacing of the coils then you change the volume and charactoristics of the damping........we dont have this problem.

b. you would normaly want to move less mass with any action and with suspension you also want to concider reducing un sprung mass. like all of these subjects its unlikely that we will ever notice it on our forks specialy when the entire engine is unsprung anyway and our frames flex.

i was always under the impression that the tighter wound part of the spring is the softer part (on bike installation instructions) but as mentioned the mb one look as if they have a tight winding at each end which illiminates the question or not?

[lammie200]

but as mentioned the mb one look as if they have a tight winding at each end which illiminates the question or not?

...pretty much, yeah, it eliminates the question.

[Bilko]

I've got a headache now I've read all this. I put the springs in with the tight coils at the top. I'm sure, I probably wouldn't have noticed the difference anyway!!!

[Lamaddict]

Forget the physics just imagine the wheels going over bumps and think of how those springs are going to work with the tight coils at the top. I can imagine it easily

[Matty]

I bet this thread is keeping some people up at night.