spring rates? track, road, road rally

[reggiegasket]

Want to change the suspension on my 318is. Do most spring and shock kits have similar spring rates? Or do some stiffen the ride and some have a softer ride? I want to do some road rallies, so am interested in a kit that has a softer ride, whilst still having very good shocks. Maybe it's possible to select the spring rate and go for a a softer rate? Questions, questions

Cheers, G

[gareth]

i've never found any manufacturers state spring rates for the E30. they normally say something like "our kits are typically 20 - 35% uprated" which is not very helpful! H&R are the exception as rather than adding a simple percentage to the spring rate and damping, they develop each kit on the car on a test track.

i am having problems finding this sort of info as i want to get the suspension right with my heavy old 3.5 tourer. i may end up going for coilovers as it'll then be very easy to get the spring rate and ride height i want.

[reggiegasket]

Thanks for that. It must be accepted, I guess, that a slightly stiffer ride is better, sport wise. However, when I put a Proflex shock on a CBR600 I had (a very high quality coil-over), one of the biggest surprises was how soft the spring was. It soaked everything up, but the control was fantastic. Gave me amazing confidence. That's the sort of effect I'm looking for, but I guess cars are different

G