An end to the shock and spring debacle? (LONG)

[James Espey <james@xxxx>]

In response to Walt, Stian, and those others interested in the 
shock/spring issue:

> I've heard variations on the theme regarding minimum height requirements.
> Some say it was bumper height; others say it was headlight height. I think
> the correct answer can be found in the book 'Grand Delusions'. I remember
> reading about it in this book, but for the life of me I can't remember if it
> was bumper or headlight. If I remember correctly, I think the book was
> ambigious. Does anyone know for sure AND can proove it?

Other than trivia value, what difference does it make? Fact is the 
front was raised.

> The fact that you got 4 new springs is interesting because before I bought
> my springs, I gave DMC Houston a call. The man I spoke to (I don't remember
> his name) said that he sells lowering kits but these only consisted of lower
> front springs and nothing more. And he did not recommend lowering the rear
> either. He also said that he was out of stock and to call back in several

On this point you are without a doubt, unequivocally MISTAKEN. 
Perhaps you called DeLorean Motor Center in Garden Grove (sometimes 
referred to as DMC). The ONLY lowering kit we have sold consists of 
FOUR springs, it's the ONLY way to do it correctly. ANYONE who tells 
you otherwise is cutting corners, which as I'll explain a bit further 
along, the SAME thing the original De Lorean Motor Company did.

> originally thought that the rear should be lowered as well, but Rob Grady
> talked me out of it. He said that he thought that the extra weight of

(SNIP)

> months ago, so I'm curious to know what the DMC Houston rear springs are
> like. Can anyone say if they are lower or softer or stiffer? Or maybe they
> are just new springs that meet OEM geometry?

> I do not think of springs as a 'wear item'. I have heard of similar springs

This is where you are wrong, PARTICULARLY on DeLoreans. Both the 
front and rear stock springs on a DeLorean are made of an inferior 
type of metal (witness Walt's broken spring) that literally sags over 
time. Anyone who remembers the line of cars at the Cleveland show, 
did you look at the height of them side by side? It was wavier than a 
stock market graph. Look at a half-dozen DeLoreans with stock front 
springs side by side and if you have two that are the same height, 
you'll be doing very well.

Want proof? Look at the Service Bulletin that covers setting 
alignment. It gives the specifications for the ride height, front and 
rear crossmembers distance to the ground should be 5.5". On a car 
with stock springs you ALWAYS have to add weight to the front to 
achieve this height, because the stock springs sit too high, 
particularly on low-mileage cars. On a high mileage car, it will 
still sit high, but not as much because the springs will have 
literally uncoiled over the past twenty years of use. We see it all 
the time when we replace shocks here in Houston. As for the rear, the 
springs will sag over time due to the significant weight in the rear 
of the car. The reason people say you don't need to lower the rear is 
because THE STOCK REAR SPRINGS ARE ALREADY out of spec because of 
sagging and sit lower. The fact that they are sagging affects the 
handling and ride significantly. WIth our front and rear springs 
installed, using correct spec tires and assuming the rest of your 
suspension is unaltered and in good condition, the crossmembers are 
5.5"from the ground both in the front and rear.

As an example of the ride improvement with our springs, when I 
replaced the them on my car, the difference was IMMEDIATELY 
noticeable when I would drive over a speed bump - it no longer 
sounded and felt like the rear of the car "fell off" the edge of the 
speed bump. The horrendous "thunk" as I drove over them was gone, 
because I had rear springs that were new and made of a higher quality 
material. Additionally, I noticed a marked improvement in handling, 
particularly when "throwing" the car around corners at higher speeds. 
The new springs didn't compress as much, and therefore kept the car 
on track better.

When we decided to do a suspension improvement kit, we wanted to do 
it the right way, and not make a "cheapie" set of front springs only 
kit. The idea was to create an suspension upgrade that would deliver 
optimum handling first and foremost - the fact that the car was 
lowered in the process is just a by-product. Cosmetics weren't the 
focus, performance was the goal. We created a new set of front and 
rear springs that make the car level, front and rear, on any 
DeLorean. Rather than use the same material that the original De 
Lorean Motor Company used (remember, they were little different than 
GM or Ford, if they could save a few bucks on each spring, that was 
$8-$12 per car, and they envisioned building 30,000 cars a year - 
$240M-$360M in savings!), we used a higher quality metal that would 
neither sag under load nor uncoil over time (100% 'memory' 
retention!). We were also fortunate to have access to the original 
engineers. I told the story earlier on the DML about how after Colin 
Chapman drove one of the DeLorean prototypes with a proposed spring 
setup, the engineers were instructed to re-do their work as the 
DeLorean outhandled the then-current Esprit.

The resulting product is a superior, four-corner performance 
suspension/lowering spring set that does far more than just lower the 
car - it improves the handling, makes for easier and more accurate 
alignments (therefore possibly improving tire wear), and when used in 
conjunction with the new shocks (described in more detail below) and 
proper tires makes for a DeLorean than we contend outhandles any car 
in it's class, and as well as many modern cars, including the Audi TT.

> If you go to all the trouble to replace your rear springs, (it's a tedious
> and potentially dangerous job getting the springs compressed depending on
> your experience and tools available) I highly recommend replacing the shocks
> while you are at it. You can't remove one without removing the other.

Stock front DeLorean shocks have been generally unavailable for the 
past year or so. Stock rear shocks are still readily available for 
the time being. Again, we decided to search for a replacement front 
shock, we didn't want to do a "cheapie" kit and modify some other 
shock intended for some other application.

We went back to the same company in the UK that did our spring set, 
and asked them to CUSTOM MANUFACTURE a set of front AND rear shocks 
for the DeLorean, that would work in conjunction with either our 
lowering springs or the stock springs and provide the best ride 
quality, performance handling and long life. After several months, 
they came back with a custom set of shocks that blew us away. Our 
shocks aren't cheap, but they are the best. And whether you use them 
in conjunction with our lowered performance suspension springs or a 
stock setup, you will definitely notice a difference in ride quality 
and handling. And you'll be doing it the RIGHT way without spacers, 
collars, or other questionable practices.

I've said it before and it applies here as well - if you nickel and 
dime your car, it will nickel and dime you! De Lorean Motor Company 
has come up with a long list of improved items for the DeLorean, and 
the idea we have in mind with each of them is NOT to come up with the 
cheapest product that simply does the job. We want the best product 
for the job, that will provide excellent, not just adequate results. 
If any of us wanted an "adequate" car, we wouldn't have bought 
DeLoreans!

James Espey
DeLorean Motor Company
Houston, Texas

281/568-9573
800/USA-DMC1
http://www.delorean.com