Vince Barma asked: Anyone have any ideas on what springs from what cars could fit into the back end of a '91 Geo Metro to bring it's ride height back to my original 24.5"?
The Metro uses coil springs in the rear. I've done the above drill on a couple of different occasions. In my case the new springs needed to support approximately 700 extra pounds of weight (20 Genesis batteries plus an onboard charger). The first time I had a custom set of springs wound, but the spring manufacturer didn't get the spring rate exactly right, and the car rode slightly low in the rear. The sagging would only have increased with age, and handling response would have been inadequate. I removed the custom springs, and reinstalled the stock springs combined with high quality inner coil springs manufactured by Carrera. The inner coils each had a spring rate of 345 lbs/in, and were 8" in length, with an ID of 2.25". They fit perfectly. I installed thin sheet metal "cups" over the ends of the inner coils to help them "seat" properly. The only drawback was the inner and outer springs rubbed against each other causing a "squeak." One of the joys of operating an electric vehicle is the quietness and smoothness of operation, so the squeak had to go. Once again the springs were removed and a felt tape was installed over the inner coils, and they haven't squeaked since. The part number for the coils was 8SF345, which designated the length, diameter, and spring rate. If you choose to use this method, you will have to estimate the extra weight for your particular situation, and order springs with the appropriate spring rate. When you are "estimating," it is best to be just a little on the high side with the new spring rate rather than too low. Insufficient spring rates will cause premature sagging which will get progressively worse with time. Hope this helps. Lawson Huntley - Charlotte, NC
