milano suspension

[Rookie ROX]

Low enough to wipe up your oil sump on the smallest speed hump

Just keep in mind the ideal geometry for these cars is to have the rear slightly higher than the front. It may look a little weird, but evening it or reversing it will alter the handling characteristics quite dramatically. You'll also lose high speed stability as the front will start to lift too far. Trust me, I know

ROCK ON
R~R

[barbone105]

fwiw, 27mm torsion bars are stiffer than grant indicates and the rear springs are softer.
imho, wheel rate is the only way to measure this stuff. that is a measure of the force required to raise the wheel an inch. on a specific chassis, wheel rate is wheel rate - takes spring location/angle out of the equation and gives the net result.
short bars (milano & late GTV6) have a wheel rate of ~ 294#/inch. long bars (alfetta & GTV6 to mid '85) are ~ 274#/inch.
the SS rear springs are ~ 140#/inch.
imho, there is absolutely no tangible benefit to spending the huge $ required for an RSR suspension.
if money is a consideration for you - buy JJs used 27s, throw them in and enjoy your car.
in my experiences, you do need a stiffer shock to adequately control the heavier springs - but if need be, you can get by w/ stock units until you can afford more.
as to F/R ride height - best way to set is to corner weight the car. if that is not easily accessible for you, good rule of thumb is to set rear 1/2" - 1" higher than front (measuring to the bottom of the jack points, if you still have them, is very convenient). will be close enough to give satisfactory results. w/ a limited budget - easiest way is to work off the rear springs final ride height. measure rears, then set front ride height to the desired spec.
don't forget to realign front when you are done - since this sounds like a mostly street car, probably smartest bet is to set camber to negative end of the alfa spec for your car. will give good results. of course, can go more negative - more negative you go, better handling and cornering, but soon you cross into severe tire eating mode - which for most guys, just plain does not make sense on a street car.

[Grant]

Barbone, I got my numbers right from the Shankle Catalog. Where are you getting yours?

[barbone105]

hi grant, i got mine from the torsion bar makers.
gave him control arm dimensions and had him compute wheel rate for long and short bars in diameters of 27, 30, 33, 36.
asked coil spring maker what the rates are. if i get a chance will measure rears to confirm, but assume he knows what he is talking about.
andy

[Potenziato]

Yeah, that RS Racing suspension is overkill. The 27MM torsion bars and koni sports rule!!!!!

[Grant]

What did he say the wheel rates were for 30mm and 33mm?


And if you want your car to look like Louis' Avatar picture when you hit a pothole, get RS Racing

I'm joking though, RS racing is better.

However, this conversation is off-topic, we should really be letting Cmilano know why running 350lb inch rear springs and 150lb inch front torsion bars is a bad idea.

Also, Cmilano, you DO NOT want to lower your milano with stock torsion bars. GTV6 have bump stops that keep the sump from hitting the ground, Milanos do not! You must get higher spring rates in the front of your car or you will regret it. I don't think you should lower the front any more than a 1/4-1/2 of an inch. I was bottoming a lot on just dips in the freeway. And that was when my car was stock.

[barbone105]

short bars - 30 = 448; 33 = 663
long bars - 30 = 418; 33 = 618

imho, agree, is not a good thing to lower front and not increase spring rate, especially with stiffer springs in rear. upsets balance of chassis, and reduces travel in front to keep car off the stops.
i do know guys who have done it, but i wouldn't.
andy

[AR4me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmilano im only 17 and dont have much money to spend on the car. thats y i was interested to see if just cutting the springs and adjusting the front torsion bars would be acceptable.i want to get rid of the gap in the wheel well so i think ill probably go with the rs racing springs in the rear and then just adjust the front torsion bars.how much do the torsion bars allow u to lower the front end?

[slyalfa]

mine has bump stops the are big rubber things that go on the shocks.
when I got the car is had reds with out the rubber stops. I would bottom out all the time and the left tire had worn a hole in the cover and would pop the hood evey time I hit a bump. the reds were shot as they were going in too far and had damaged the valves. I got a set of stock shocks with the bump stops at APE and it was day and night. If you get new shocks take the bump stops off the old stock shocks. they are needed in a big way.