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They stay captive because they're 280mm long free length, installed height is ~190mm. {in my 1200 with A-series engine] If the set up is for a streeter then i highly recommend tapered springs. However they do cost a bomb, so i will pay dividends if you know someone who can get them wholesale. From memory they were the best part of $300 trade. Apparently the cost is attributed to the manufacturing process due to the steel wire being tapered in shape unlike regular wire steel. Double taper springs are a different story again. Kings probably have the technical data on there web site.

A good starting point for spring rate[i had to learn the hard way, i have bought alot of springs over the years] is to start with your corner weights. From there you can apply the maths and do the calculations. The Tech support people at Kings were very helpful as i rang them several times for calculated spring rates[measured] at varying poiniests of a springs compression towards its solid height and they were more than happy to do so. B110's with CA's or L's, I would be looking tapered spring around KST175 - 200. as the corner weights are higher. Check the spring ID as i never measured to see if they are suitable for the larger 51mm strut bodies

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I couldn't agree more. tyre on road = grip. tyre skipping over undulations in the road = no grip. If i get time i will measure it over the week end.

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I think the 45mm struts are well suited to b110 streeters and i think they are hard to overlook, especially since the S13 brakes complement the whole setup. Motorsport applications I would give go for the larger struts available purely based on the point that there are much better options for shocks. the larger piston diameter makes for better heat dissipation and more consistent damping control. Bilstein P30's fit easy enough in the 51mm tubes. P36's are better again. Some even retube the strut bodies to take a larger insert again.

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I agree completely! Keeping the weight (sprung and unsprung) as light as possible can only assist with ride quality and performance.

Haha I didn't mean to spark such an in-depth discussion, but what great info. The only reason I didn't go bigger struts is that I already had the s13 brakes and couldn't be bothered.

Would it be a different story because I'm running a sr20?

King springs are the way to go, my tender springs suck

I'm currently in the process of doing exactly the same setup with HSD kit. Have stripped the struts so they can be shortened and sleeves welded on.

Great info for the nitty gritty details and benefits that can be made by small adjustments, such as the kings instead of tender springs.

I'm getting some bump steer spacers made up aswell very similar to benny's to fix the LCA problem.

I'm going for the Golf inserts, just wondering if i should use them on their own or space them up an inch as benny has said previously.

Or possibly use N10 Pulsar inserts which are the same leg length, but have 15mm longer body,
Would this be a better option?

I'm hoping to be able to lower it 3 inchs at least
Just don't want to cut them wrong and waste the struts, I wanna make sure i'm doing it properly and its going to work and handle.

Some good info here:
Shock numbers

Dont take me the wrong way that tender springs are useless, they have there place in coil over setups, just not in coil over setups if you are chasing the ride comfort other than rock hard. I use them in my track car coupled with 275 - 300 lbs linear springs. Suspension travel is lucky to be 2 - 2.5 inches at best. All i can say is that I learnt the hard way, although it was fun experimenting it was at the same time expensive. Scope out what you are trying to achieve, whats its purpose, do the math and buy the parts once...

One for the experts...!

An idea I had to maximise travel for the shock would be to not use the tender spring at all, so that the shock has full travel on the actual spring, and won't lose 2-3 inches due to the helper spring?

Of course this would raise the ride height somewhat, but a way around that would be to not use a 1 inch spacer in the bottom of the strut- i.e. have the MK1 insert sitting all the way down in the tube.

Of course this won't ride as nice as Benny's exponential setup, but i'm not too concerned about comfort with my coupe as its not a daily.

Thoughts? Cheers Matt

It's good idea to also have travel on rebound aswell, [this is how i interpreted your statement]. Are you suggesting that the ride height is at the top of the piston stroke?. If there is limited rebound them its like chopping off the top half of the sin wave. not a desirable condition.

If you don't have any rebound (droop) and it sits at the top of the stroke, everytime you go over a dip or depression, your wheel will lose contact with the road because it can't follow the dip. Not good for grip!

You want to be using approx 1/4 to 1/3 of your travel just sitting still under it's own weight. Which is why keeper springs get used, the main spring is so stiff to stop bottoming on the small amount of travel left, that it isn't captive at full droop.

It is a black art/science suspension tuning!