It's 10 PM, do you know where your spring helpers are?

[LittleBeast]

Mr. Fist, meet Miss Palm.....

Trust me I know what you are saying, but riding on your bumpstops causes a very rough ride compared to not riding on your bumpstops. Riding on your bumpstops dramatically increases the force required for compression, and thus if you are riding on your bumpstops your ride will actually be rougher, hence when people's suspensions sag over time because of components (shocks/springs) wearing out, the quickest fix for a softer ride would be to cut the bumpstops shorter so that you would no longer be riding on the more stiff bumpstops, or get longer springs or a spring spacer to not ride on the more stiff bumpstops.

Basically the more things you put between the tires and yourself the more stiff the suspension will be. If I just have shocks this is VERY soft, then when the springs get involved it becomes more stiff, but then you add a bumpstop in the way and it becomes even stiffer. Basically the more meat in the sandwich the more you will feel in your pants :-) Just ask any low rider who is riding on his bumpstops how soft his ride is ;-)

There are actually charts to tell you how much more force is needed to compress a suspension when the bumpstops make contact, many bumpstops are known to increase the stiffness of the suspension by well over 1,000 lbs during cornering, this is important to know for racers who do not need to be surprised by their suspension all of a sudden becoming much more stiff once the bumpstops make contact.

[blacksambo]

While I agree with the traditional science you are giving here the first use of montube shocks may have neccessitated a new inexpensive solution to deliver a more roll resistant ride. As the VX does not begin to really press the spring helper into action until the slower-moving ultra stiff shocks and coil spring begin to emote dynamic force on them. All I'm proposing is that this is a new system of vehicle behavior, especially in conjunction with the introduction of full-time torque on demand. It's a whole new pitch and yawl situation the engineers are dealing with. At any rate you have to agree that the close proximity of the spring helper to the axel is a little bit unusual, to say the least, and there needs to be a reason for that. Bump stop duty alone just doesn't seem to be reason enough.

[RickOKC]

Crap. My left bump stop rests on the axle & the right one has about 3/8" gap. I guess my spring helpers need new springs.

[samneil2000]

Crap. My left bump stop rests on the axle & the right one has about 3/8" gap. I guess my spring helpers need new springs.

Your spring helpers need helpers.

[Ldub]

Crap. My left bump stop rests on the axle & the right one has about 3/8" gap. I guess my spring helpers need new springs.

Try switching the rear coils L>R / R<L, if the gap switches sides, it's the coils.

If the gap remains on the same side, your torsion bars may need to be tweaked a bit...

[blacksambo]

I just consulted the Isuzu 1997 Phantom Drawing of the VX and it indeed shows the spring helper in very close proximity to the rear axel, definitely not in a stop wheel bounce position (If I knew how to scan I'd post it , I'll have my wife help me do it later,though). Also, if you consult the parts book on the front suspension page the rubbber bits are specifically called "bumpers", not "spring helpers" so we can't just blame translation issues here. We have a deliberately new piece of suspension nomenclature being offered. I continue to think this is just an inexpensive way to insulate and prevent roll. It's not the kind of thing you would trumpet the auto press though because it's so darn simple and basic looking. It's just plain clever.

[Ldub]

I just consulted the Isuzu 1997 Phantom Drawing of the VX and it indeed shows the spring helper in very close proximity to the rear axel, definitely not in a stop wheel bounce position (If I knew how to scan I'd post it , I'll have my wife help me do it later,though).

Here ya go...

[circmand]

I have 10AM

[blacksambo]

I have 10AM

Thank you Ldub. A picture says a thousand words.

Case closed...now on to other things.

[Ebenezr]

Here ya go...

Yuh got ta have magnifyin eyeballs ta see ah spring halper in this picture.

[RickOKC]

Your spring helpers need helpers.

Are helper helpers also known as OME products?

Try switching the rear coils L>R / R<L, if the gap switches sides, it's the coils.

If the gap remains on the same side, your torsion bars may need to be tweaked a bit...

Dr Ldub, VX Surgeon - you're one smart feller! Thanks! Now that I've thought about it, this pre-dates my earlier t-bar crank when I raised the nose 1". I'd measured the gap between the cladding & wheels beforehand when I was deciding how much to raise the front and that right rear corner was higher than the left. I guess I should have taken the hint then.

[Ldub]

Dr Ldub, VX Surgeon - you're one smart feller! Thanks! Now that I've thought about it, this pre-dates my earlier t-bar crank when I raised the nose 1". I'd measured the gap between the cladding & wheels beforehand when I was deciding how much to raise the front and that right rear corner was higher than the left. I guess I should have taken the hint then.

FWIW, there are instructions in one of the factory manual DL's that outline the torsion bar leveling procedure in detail...we're talkin string lines & the whole deal...

A bit complicated, but if you REALLY want it to be by the book...

OTOH, I would trust a measurement from flat level concrete to the top of the wheel arch more than I would the gap meas.

Also, I usually give the drivers side about 1/2-3/4 turn extra tweak, to compensate a little for the usual 230 lb load on that side...