Re: Coilovers vs. Shocks/Springs/Struts

[Chuck Van Pelt <cvanpelt@aracnet.com>]

I guess it's a hard concept to explain without a visual aid. The strut is
made up of a shock mounted inside a spring. The shock is basically a piston
moving inside a cylinder, dampened with some fluid.

There are two "perches" on the strut that hold the spring in place. The
lower perch is mounted to the strut body (the cylinder) and the upper perch
to the top of the shock (the piston). The piston can only come out of the
cylinder so far...that's what holds the spring in place. To install the
spring, you have to compress it (with spring compressors), slid it onto the
lower perch, put on the upper perch and put a nut on the shaft to hold the
upper perch in place. Then you release the compressed spring and you have a
strut.

Check out this illustration...I did it in Paint so I apologize for the
crappy quality.

http://www.aracnet.com/~cvanpelt/strut.jpg

Chuck

Khan Klatt wrote:

> Thanks to Chuck and Steve for the responses...
>
> I still have a question about how the components attach still. If
> these things car vary, take the Jetta as an example.
>
> You bolt the strut to the body of the car, and to the axle or some
> other fixture on the drivetrain, that I understand.
>
> The question still remains in my mind... Chuck used the words "spring
> perch". How do you attach a spring to a spring perch? Or does it just
> stay in place due to the weight of the car (not likely, what happens
> if you try to tow the car, or catch some air...?)
>
> Does the spring "thread through" an eye in the strut? Does it have a
> threaded hole through which to pass a bolt to affix it to the
> drivetrain and to the body of the car? Do you simply "coil" it
> through an opening?
>
> I just can't picture how, mechanically, the spring is kept in place.
> I guess the simplest thing to do is to crawl under my car or
> something...
>
> -K
>
> Khan Klatt                                         khan@mediaaccess.com
>
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