I'm putting together ideas for my 31 model A build. It will have a Ford 9" / 302 and it's time to think about rear suspension. Looking for input from those who changed to coilovers and bailed on the transverse spring. Was it worth the difference in ride, glad you did it? Pros and Cons? Feeling like keeping the transverse spring but now is the time to decide. School me.
I've had cars with both,,a newer mono transverse spring or a aftermarket transverse spring can ride very smooth if it is in the correct weight range,,too heavy a spring will give a harsh ride,,I know from personal experience. Coil overs ride good,the QA-1 are some of the best with their adjustable knobs for tuning the ride. Coil overs are not considered the most traditional rear suspension treatment but when building a car it's ultimately your decisions. HRP
Here I was planning on going with a transverse spring with my 9 inch rear axle behind the flathead and T 5 for simplicity. Ride quality is related to what you do with the spring (s) and shock (s) combination. I've seen just as many threads with guys battling with coil over springs and their ratings as I've seen about the ride of transverse springs.
Good answer HRP^^^^ thanks for not chewing his ass for not being "traditional" I'm putting coil overs on the front of my 53 Chevy. Thanks for the info. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
I had a transverse leaf in my 32 Coupe for a number of years. When I built the High HP motor (a 306" Ford with about 450) the car seemed to roll a lot more on acceleration and even rear steered a little bit. When I re did the car, I went to Coil overs with the same triangulated Ladder bars. the car was much more stable and I could dial in pre load to keep it more level during a hard launch. Glad i did it!
Depending on the car of course, leafs will keep you in the dark more, as so little is known / understood / posted (seems to me, anyway) about tuning leaf springs to modified cars. Ever try to get someone to tell you the rate of their leafs before you buy them? I've had no luck in that regard, but perhaps I didn't ask the right people? But ifn your a purist, looks and rarity and era specific mean far more than function, comfort or performance, so go for the look if you want and try to improve the ride as you go later on. Pet peeve's aside, coilovers are readily available in a wide range of spring rates. I like the idea of coilovers a lot, as they save space and unsprung weight - because one part serves two functions. Some of the newer ones also use amazingly small diameter coils and are easier to mount in tight places or perhaps even hide entirely. Gary
I have run both, and coil overs are a good performance oriented option. I don't like them on an over the road car, but that has to do with parts availability mor than any thing else. Set up properly with good quality coil overs they should not be a problem, even on the road. For me I think it is just a quirk of my personality.
have 2 buddys in the past year did the posie 1/4 eliptics and they're both happy as hell. One changed from coilovers to these after trying multiple combinations of coils. The ride change was like night and day!
ALL great answers, just what I was loking for. HRP: You were "kind" about the traditional thing. That part of the build has been bothering me. I'm making a driver and will get over it. Blasted: I am considering triangulated fourlink to avoid the panhard bar. Toughts? Keep the feedback coming.
Ive run both and been happy with both. Many times you hear guys trash cross springs and rave bout coilovers because they replaced their 90 year old springs with new coils. Well, no shit they ride better. It would have rode better with a new cross spring as well. Have to compare apples to apples, not an apple to an orange that fell to the ground and was rotting away
I have always had traverse rear suspension, both model a and model t rear springs. The ride is firm but very acceptable. I am for the first time using coilovers on the back of my rpu project but don't have it on the road yet for comparison. My Son has coilovers on the back of his T bucket and he likes the ride, but says if he puts in a few pound of air too much in the rear tires it gets somewhat harsh. I guess either setup if done correctly can be just fine. Don
You bring up a very good point. ^^^^ Thanks for the feedback Dons HR. Are you doing CO's on your new car just to try them out? I am getting the impression that while they may be an improvement in some instances, they are not like, "night and day" better.
Night and day difference would probably depend on a lot of things, one could probably come up with as many variables and variations of the variables as there are spring rates. Tunning, the way a car rides and handles is all in how the suspension is tunned.
I have a '40 front spring on the rear of my '28 Sedan and after removing and then adding a few leaves to tune it to sit right, I have to say it rides superbly. We recently came back from a weekend away and even loaded with camping gear it gave no trouble whatsoever. I certainly wouldn't trade the current setup for anything else as besides all else, it looks great! The ride comfort was a definite bonus.
Yep, that is precisely why I am using them this time. I had a pair that I bought years ago and had them sitting around. Plus, the back on this car is so short that the 3 bar setup I am using just lent itself more to using the coilovers. There are posts all the time about how harsh someone feels their hot rod rides with traverse rear suspension, but I honestly can't complain about any I have had. They don't ride like a new Caddy, but they shouldn't, they are a hot rod. One thing I might attribute to mine being acceptable even on long trips is the way my upholstery guy did the seats. He cut out a square section of the plywood base where your butt goes and stretched interwoven webbing across the opening like a lawn chair. Then he used a layer of firm foam, a layer of medium foam, and a layer of soft foam. He also put in a little lumbar roll that hits me in the middle of the back. When I first saw that I thought the "bump" looked odd, but he was right, it really helps. So the bottom line is, I don't think it is so much that my car rides all that soft, it is just that the seat construction helps soften the jolts. Don
The transverse leafs in my OT mid-year Corvettes work just fine and provide a great ride. The IRS helps too, yes.
Seriously? You think it is easier to get a Model A Transverse Leaf Spring if you need one in Podunk Idaho than a coil over or two? (especially if you have an odd ball length, which is not all that uncommon on Hot Rods. You can get coil overs or components in just about any good race shop, not to mention overnight from Summit no matter where you are.
Coil overs have really advanced in recent years with the advent of the knobs for tuning the shocks,,the QA-1 shocks have 15 different settings from a hard firm ride to hardly any rebound at all. HRP
When I originally built my A in the early 80's, I had picked up a Mustang rear that had the model A perches already welded on it. So I basically just put my spring on it and ran with it. I went with that for the first 8-9 years I had it on the road. It road harsh and the rear set up way too high. The spring would bottom out on the perches, I don't think the perches were set up right. Didn't know about a T spring working back then, So I changed it over to Coil overs (Used the old Pete & Jakes Spax coil overs) and a maverick rear. It's been this way the last 16 years, It rides really good but does bottom out on occasion. Definately sits much better.
Like I said its a quirk. I know that it is unreasonable or illogical especially given that I lived on the road for 7 years give or take on a 49 pan. What can I say?
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