this worked well, i got two 90mm bumpstops from a toyota and when fitted to my front struts leave me about 10mm of travel before touching. they are progresive so ive got about 40mm of travel max. its so much better on corners and over bumps and pot holes stays flat and sharp to corner. i have monroe gas gts but they still let it bodyroll a bit. it feels like a new car and i got them for five bucks from pick a part. i know its a cheap way to improve handling, but i cant afford lower springs at mo.

this worked well, i got two 90mm bumpstops from a toyota and when fitted to my front struts leave me about 10mm of travel before touching. they are progresive so ive got about 40mm of travel max. its so much better on corners and over bumps and pot holes stays flat and sharp to corner. i have monroe gas gts but they still let it bodyroll a bit. it feels like a new car and i got them for five bucks from pick a part. i know its a cheap way to improve handling, but i cant afford lower springs at mo.

Hahahahah thats the funniest thing ive read all week, all thats doing its sitting on the bump stops giving the impression of handling, all it is going to do ruin the bumpstops soon as you hit a decent sized pot hole in the road.

You are supposed to have travel on shock absorbers, 40mm is nowhere near enough for a DD car, for example the reds and custom springs im using has about 160-170mm of shock travel before it hits the stoppers, loaded its probably 120ish.

ive driven for a few ks so far and they are fine, and the "impression" of handling is better than it was so yeah, cheers for the input. even tho the shocks were fine i was gettin a hard thump with the original stops on pot holes and now i dont. it works im happy.

Its also downright dangerous.

Each to their own.

lol this is one of the stupidest things ive heard of ppl doing on amc to date.. well done

take them out and put the correct size ones in there before you damage yours or someone elses car..

riding on bumpstops is not safe.. and as magna00 has said.. they aint guna last long

it is not riding on the bump stops, there is 10-15mm of travel before contact and they are a soft foam that copresses by half, i measured and its only giving me about 40mm less travel. im not stupid, it feels normal to drive just less bodyroll on sharp corners and no more thumping when i hit a pot hole. it actually feels alot safer to drive, wanders less on long corners. if you guys fit king lows/superlows you have alot less travel than i do if your not using shortened shocks.

this would get defected in an instant and you will be fined. Well done

i had a wof guy at vtnz look and said its fine. anyway cheers for input. its hard to decribe acurately. its not bumpstopped.

Just as a rule of thumb, if you are the first person trying something, it is probably a **** idea.

i had a wof guy at vtnz look and said its fine. anyway cheers for input. its hard to decribe acurately. its not bumpstopped.
So....you took out your springs...and are just riding on stops?

You have 40mm of travel.

As per magna00 - 120mm is around the norm.

You have 1/3rd of that. Without doing the maths (im tired) you've increased the load on your shocks by around 100%. To top that off, you are relying on your bump stops for around 15mm of that travel, in short, yes you've created a really stiff ride by taking away 50% of your suspensions functionality - by doing so your car is more likely to lose contact with the road, or worse, to break a suspension component seeing you fly headon into traffic killing someone...

If 'feels' safer, when your car bottoms out on a corner and your car ends up wedged in the front of a truck, dont say we didnt warn you.

Hey, I like the idea - but long term? Probably compress them permanently, or squash them to bits.

Hey, I like the idea - but long term? Probably compress them permanently, or squash them to bits.

Thats why below a certain ride height you should get shorter shocks, as you destroy shocks if they have barely any travel.

NO NO it is as standard, standard springs, standard shocks, nothing different just put longer bumstops on so it stopped thumping hard everytime i hit a pot hole!!! still has loads of travel just slightly less. jesus, it is not rock hard or anything. i had 110mm standard and now i have 60-70mm.

Just as a rule of thumb, if you are the first person trying something, it is probably a **** idea.
try telling that to ezboy lol

NO NO it is as standard, standard springs, standard shocks, nothing different just put longer bumstops on so it stopped thumping hard everytime i hit a pot hole!!! still has loads of travel just slightly less. jesus, it is not rock hard or anything. i had 100mm standard and now i have 55-60mm.

Sounds like your shocks are shagged anyways, what you have done as highlighted by Ers is basically restricted the shock to work at its full cycle, this is bad mainly as it can stop the gas/fluid cycling correctly and burn the valving out causing it to run dry and stop working completely, this is very bad for those playing along at home as you wont have any decent rebound and can cause the car the pitch and swerve under braking/acceleration/cornering/hitting bumps in the road.

Also repeaditly hitting the "soft" foam of the bumpstop is bad, as they fall apart very quickly, as they are there as a last resort before the shock bottoms out on the strut top and damages it. Hitting it consistantly and hard destroys them.

Yep - still like the idea. It's not dangerous - all you are doing is introducing resistance on a rising scale once your free shock travel is used up. You would get the same effect with rising rate shocks, if they were available for the Magna struts.

Expect to lose bits of bumpstop while you corner as they disintegrate though. Give it 3 months max.

they arent stuffed, i got the shocks about two months ago and are still fine, i was getting bad thumps due to stuffed bumpstops and i suspect tired springs, this was to prevent that. anyway ill see how it goes and may trim them down by 20mm if it is causing probs but so far theres no difference apart from a smoother ride and less bodyroll,

Rob, think you need to explain your posts better lol

The way you described it was that you are basically riding on bumpstops, well, that you have 40mm of travel.

Putting bigger bump stops in so the bump stop is working sooner, to reduce the shock bottoming out - I would suspect since they are new, you have another problem. As they really shouldnt bottom out being brand new.

yeah thats why i thought maybe the springs are tired, it was only bottoming on big pot holes , did it a couple of times. yeah its not bumpstopped, i take my three kids in the car so i dont do anything that would be dangerous. i can still push down hard on the car and get good travel, i did get measurements incorrect at first, but i never once said i removed the springs or that it was riding on the bumpstop all the time. anyway cheers for the comments, apart from the ones sighting me as an idiot lol.

Ford did exactly this in the 70's with the MKi and then the MK II Capri on the rear suspension.

Had issues with short suspension travel and wanted to achieve a progressive rate with the rear cart springs.

Done sensibly can be a good idea.

You describe what is wrong as standard with a Magna.
Even when my AWD was nearly new I could bottom the suspension out around my local roads.

Made a mistake and went to second hand lows, although stiffer was worse.
Then chaged to new SP's made out of the new steel specification and the problem is solved.

As long as the bump stops have a lot of give in the initial compression stage then I suspect that you have found a very cheap way to actually make the car better.
Gerry

Ford did exactly this in the 70's with the MKi and then the MK II Capri on the rear suspension.

Had issues with short suspension travel and wanted to achieve a progressive rate with the rear cart springs.

Done sensibly can be a good idea.

You describe what is wrong as standard with a Magna.
Even when my AWD was nearly new I could bottom the suspension out around my local roads.

Made a mistake and went to second hand lows, although stiffer was worse.
Then chaged to new SP's made out of the new steel specification and the problem is solved.

As long as the bump stops have a lot of give in the initial compression stage then I suspect that you have found a very cheap way to actually make the car better.
Gerry

thanks mate, bang on the money. i was labelled an idiot from the outset, but you made my day!! i just hated the WHACK when i hit a decent pot hole.

If your car is handling better after fitting bump stops then you must be riding on or atleast too close to the stops, the ride shouldn't be affected apart from when it does bottom out which shouldn't happen under normal (factory suspension) circumstances.

Are you sure your car is sitting standard height? springs aren't cut?

If you just fitted new struts (even with lazy springs) it probly shouldn't be bottoming out, what brand struts are they? I'd be checking that they are not faulty.

And cut your bump stops down to what they should be dude.

yeah thats why i thought maybe the springs are tired, it was only bottoming on big pot holes

How big are your pot holes in NZ?!?!?! Heres an idea, drive around them? Dont let your car bottom out? Get a hold of your local council and get them fixed!:bowrofl:

mate, if you are getting knocking on new springs and shock, then shorter bumpstops isnt the correc tfix. A common problem that the magna have is the strut top bearing has a rubber insulator in it that wears out and can cause knocking over bumps. In oz, they are only about $110 each from memeory.

Some members have replaced these due to a knocking coming from the front end and have had a great result. If your car pitches and rolls through corners, may i suggest stiffer sway bars?

I think TE might be right. I remember driving a new gen 2 magna years ago and thinking it was too soft on the suspension, with it hitting the bump stops at the front on fast, undulating bitumen - but there were no crashing/thumping noises as the car did so.

How big are your pot holes in NZ?!?!?! Heres an idea, drive around them? Dont let your car bottom out? Get a hold of your local council and get them fixed!:bowrofl:

how about......**** off. dont post if ya not gonna add something constructive, as someone else said it was on tight undulating corners i was having problems, and i hit pot holes A COUPLE OF TIMES. and for the last time im not sitting on the god damn bump stops!!!!!! the shocks are monroe gas gts and no the springs arnt cut. thats it sorry but man, im gonna say it again the bumpstops are slightly longer to stop the thump on these occasions as it was annoying and the factory ones were stuffed. is that ok.

Ignore him he is just try to annoy you. My TS has the same crash/thump on the front suspension. When I have the time I will check the top insulators and get some extra bump stops in there if there is no problem with the tower tops. Like you, I find the noise annoying and want to get rid of it. Thanks to all those who have made a POSITIVE contribution to this thread.

look heres a pic, im sorry for the outburst but im annoyed at people misunderstanding, which is probably due to me not explaining well. i already explained i incorrectly measured the travel. a picture tells a thousand words.
oh and magna if all you have for ammo is my bad grammer on an online forum then i wont take the bait as ive already won the war lol. it was easily read by anyone with an average or higher IQ. smart guy.

Rob, don't worry mate, some people here just can't help themselves... it is usually always the same ones... don't let a few bad eggs spoil the rest of the batch ;)

magna00, stay out of this thread now if you can't be helpful. (yes, I deleted your post for trolling)

I don't have enough tech knowledge to make any input on this but I am not going to knock you for trying something assuming it is safe. Just be careful not to risk voiding your insurance... by the sounds of things Screamin TE may have a sensible fix.

Rob, don't worry mate, some people here just can't help themselves... it is usually always the same ones... don't let a few bad eggs spoil the rest of the batch ;)

magna00, stay out of this thread now if you can't be helpful. (yes, I deleted your post for trolling)

I don't have enough tech knowledge to make any input on this but I am not going to knock you for trying something assuming it is safe. Just be careful not to risk voiding your insurance... by the sounds of things Screamin TE may have a sensible fix.

Thankyou, i was feeling a bit hounded!! as stated i apoligise for the language, and as i stated i did take it to a local WOF guy who said it was fine. yes i would love to get new springs, or a sway bar. i am currently on ACC awaiting spinal surgery for chronic backpain and due to been self employed, recieve the minimum payment. this pays for me, my wife and my three young children. due to this i have to try the cheap fix first and i was happy with handling, just not the thump from the worn bumpstops. as i could not afford new ones i had to use wat was available at pic a part. hope this explains. anyway thanks for all the positive help, if anyone thinks the travel in the picture is insufficient, tell me and ill trim a little off.

I can see what youve done there and I understand your reasoning.

Dont worry about some of the comments, when we see something that we think might hurt ya we try to help.

Some people just arnt to good with words.

It seems to me that your suspension still has almost its full travel except that as it get to heavy compression it hits your soft stops which give a sort of rising rate damping at the extreme end.

These model magnas/diamantes sometimes have a problem with the springs going soft. You can get a set from the wreckers, get yours reset, get aftermarket or get lowered.

If i'm right about what you have done you should be ok in the short term but evertually i'd be replacing the sproings :D

A little less of the ******** comments too you lot .............. mmkay

yes i would like to replace the springs eventually, had a look at my local wreakers and picka part and they are all longer, by two or three coils. mine are uncut so im not sure if they have been compressed or replaced at one time. the ride hight is even front to back. i have three spirals between top hat and strut base. is this normal?? your exactly on the money, i took the pic as some assumed id removed the springs and it was sitting on bumpstops. thanks again.

Just had a look at the elite.

I can see three loops not counting the one ya cant see in the base and the squished ones at the top.

Thats 3 loops that are obvious.

The elite has soggy suspension too, bottoms out when you hit ................ toads lol and is a bit of a wallower.

The elites had softer suspension from the factory though.

yeah that sounds the same as mine, im wondering since its a Diamante SEI, it may have lower but softer springs for a "luxury" ride, although if i push down hard on the front i can only compress the springs a tiny bit. anyway its stopped bumping hard and i think its a good thing to not let the shocks bottom out fully as im sure this cant be good. cheers for the input.

Perhaps springs from a V6 or a station wagon? Might have a higher rate.

The dampers in the struts might be to blame too - standard is very soft, smooth drive in normal use but prone to compress to max too easily on big bumps. Sports struts tend to be choppy at low speeds but don't collapse on undulating/ choppy roads. (From personal experience with Sigmas, wagon with sports struts was great on dirt roads, but choppy on smoothish bitumen, another Sigma, a sedan, with standard struts would thump and jump around on the same dirt road, smooth as on bitumen though)

Rising rate dampers and progressive springs would be the go. I wonder if the Monroe GTS struts you have are rated as standard, or sporty?

Holden did a similar thing to what you describe on the VG to VS ute. They had a std bumpstop but with an auxiliary one off to the side that consisted of 2 rubber bellows within each other. So when you loaded up the ute the suspension compressed onto the rubber springs and increased the actual spring rate for load carrying. This gave a softer ride unladen but firmed up nice and progressively when full.

So what you are suggesting will soften the crash through when you reach max travel and slightly increase your spring rate as they reach max travel but as they are foam they will perish over time.

Given yur finances you've probly done the best you can till you can afford more.

Just dont try to get to damn sporty on the windy bits and you should be ok for now.

Understeer can be as thrilling as oversteer .................... but in a different way lol :D

MMMMM - I wonder if those ute bump stop helper thingies would work on the front of a Magna?


"Understeer can be as thrilling as oversteer .................... but in a different way "

Yep!

Understeer - the driver panics, the passengers don't notice.
Oversteer - the passengers panic, the driver calmly corrects steering, throttle.

ha ha ha yeah it can be frightning lol. its a 3.5 so i would of thought it came with springs to handle the load. i rang mitsi and the service records they have say nothing about replacement springs so im guessing they are just past thier use by date. unless they were replaced at another place ie mechanics. anyway thanks again, they are a fairly firm foam and looked quite new, which is why i got them, pick a part is great as you can find some newer parts on cars. while i was there once a lady with a late model camry was selling here car to them as it got stolen and they destroyed the ignition barrel. and as it was nearly 500 bucks to fix, she didnt think it was worth it. it was a 95 or 96 i think, strait as. she got $250.

MMMMM - I wonder if those ute bump stop helper thingies would work on the front of a Magna?


"Understeer can be as thrilling as oversteer .................... but in a different way "

Yep!

Understeer - the driver panics, the passengers don't notice.
Oversteer - the passengers panic, the driver calmly corrects steering, throttle.

Understeer = hitting the wall front first
oversteer = hitting the wall rear first
Horsepower = how fast you hit the wall
Torque = how far you take the wall with ya

Sir Ol' Fart - and I mean this in the most respectfull manner -

STAY AWAY FROM THEM THAR WALLS!!!!!

Sir Ol' Fart - and I mean this in the most respectfull manner -

STAY AWAY FROM THEM THAR WALLS!!!!!

Now he tells melol