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Just kinda dawned on me. You lower the car by compressing the spring.... I assume this has the same effect as preloading it, which for all intents and purposes, raises the effective rate of the spring. So... do I need to buy them softer than I intend? Or do GCs come in some length that lowers the car some amount thats reasonable to the point where I shouldn't need to compress it much at all. By lower it enough.... 1.375-1.5" would satisfy me. I don't think my car needs to be as low as it is right now.
Still trying to pick spring rates... I'm holding steady right now at 325/450. If anyone knows where I can pick up a set of front struts that are blown or of no use to someone, I'm paying $50 shipped for them. They must be from an 01 or 02 and all I need are the lower housings.

 
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you would have to choose your rates first, then do some suspension geometry, length of spring relative to ride height and ground clearence. good racing books will help clearify... try engineering to win by carol smith or any other one of his books.

 
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Ok this is something thats been bugging me for a while... Preloading a spring, it just doesnt make sence to me... Hear me out. If I understand the concept of preloading, what you are attempting to do is compress the spring Prior to adding the compression the weight of the car would add to it. Right? If that is so, then in my mind the only time preload could exist would be when the shock is at its full extention. otherwise there would be no Confining space in which you could compress the spring.

Think about it, take an 8" spring rated at 500 LB/in. and place 1000 lbs on it (Theoretical weight of the car) that spring has now compressed down to 6". Now take that seup and put it on an adjustible collar, which would be attached to the body of the shock, and a top hat that would be attached to the Shock piston. If you were to adjust the collar up 1", if I understand the concept of preload, you should have slightly compressed the spring, making it shorter then the 6" the weight of the car had allready compressed the spring. But if I understand basic physics, what should happen is that the total height of the Collar+spring assembly has just increased 1", and the length of the spring still under that 1000LB load will still be 6". and that will continue to happen untill something stops the top hat, which is attached to the shocks Pistion, from extending i.e., when the shock finally reaches its maximum extention. at the point where the shock can no longer extend, any increase in height of the collar would now compress the spring, and create preload. but now you have the problem with the shock topping out any time the suspension trys to extend....

so... I dont think you adjust preload with collar type springs... but rather they just alter the ride height and the shock stroke range.


is this right or am I missing something?

 
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You may be right... I've never seen GCs up close, and that would probably help. Probably what I need to do is get everything in my hands put it all together and play with it.
As soon as I get some struts to cut up, I can start on this. Anyone know where I can find some?

 
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This is a good thread..anyone else have comments...I dont know as much as you gurus but I did buy a set of GCs and i'm still debating on what custom spring rates to get and LENGTH too...

 
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I'll have mine next week.... then we can put the heat on this one.