Design, Development and Manufacture of Automotive Suspension Springs and Systems
for Modern, Traditional, Classic and Race Cars
Race, track day or touring
Suspension Supplies Ltd provides a professional engineering support service for suspensions on ‘classic’ sports and race cars to enhance your enjoyment of them on and off the track.
SSL directors Dan White and Peter Ballard have more than 80 years’ experience between them in the automotive industry, this experience is available to help you to discover how to improve your car’s performance.
SSL can design and supply coil springs, leaf springs and anti-roll bars. We work with damper/shock manufacturers to provide units with characteristics perfectly matched to the car, the driver and the springs.
Services
Professional engineering support service for race, track day and road cars
Classic, race, vintage, replica, kit cars and specials
Dynamic analysis by SSL for this racing Cobra with spring modifications and set up improvements made significant improvements to the handling and cornering.
Chevron B19 and Morgan SLR in the pits at Donington, both undergoing dynamic analytics.
Successful Williams Automobiles Morgan Challenge contender with springs and dampers optimised and supplied by SSL.
Dynamic analyses on Austin Seven road and race cars developing leaf springs and friction dampers to improve ride and handling.
MGF
Replace the 'extinct' Hydragas suspension units for coil spring canisters and dampers. Designed and developed by SSL. This can be considered to be a 'Distress Purchase' as otherwise the car will be off the road with a failed Hydragas suspension unit. This kit gets the car back on the road with a reliable system.
The system has TuV approval for fitment in those European countries that need TuV approval.
Available from 'XPart' or Rimmers or Moss etc
Our services
Consultancy
We offer a suspension set-up consultancy for all competing classics.
Analysis
Dynamic and static analysis to determine spring anti-roll bar and damper/shock absorber rates to give the car balance for race lap times or road comfort.
Design and Development
Design of coil springs, either linear or progressive, working closely with UK coil spring makers to produce low or medium volume runs.
Design and development of leaf springs for road or race, whether quarter elliptical or semi elliptical, linear or progressive, symmetrical or asymmetrical, working closely with high quality UK leaf spring manufacturers.
We have created a friction material for ‘André Hartford’ type dampers with no ‘stiction’!
SSL works very closely with damper/shock absorber manufacturers such as SPAX, Quantum, Gaz and Bilstein to provide units with characteristics matched to the car, springs and driver.
Projects include: Morgan Classic - SLR, Aero and FIA, AC Cobra FIA, MGB FIA, Lamborghini and Austin 7.
Calibrated leaf spring test rig
SSL runs its own calibrated leaf spring test rig. This is used to measure the spring rate of existing leaf springs whether semi or quarter elliptic or even transverse. This information is then used to develop the spring typically for increased rate, progression, antitramp and then to set the ride height to meet customer requirements or race regulations.
We load the springs up to the maximum load the corner or end is likely to see and plot off the load-deflection curve. If the deflection of the leaf spring is known as installed then the load that the spring sees on the car in that state can be read off the curve, this is the sprung corner weight and is essential for dynamic analysis.
SSL then can modify the spring to typically increase the rate for racing by adding leaves then get the spring recambered back to the previous or maybe lower ride height. Springs so tested and some developed include: Morgan, MGB, Jaguar Mk2, Rover P5, ACCobra, Ford Coupe 1941, Land Rover Defender, Austin Seven, Riley 1500 and various 4x4 pickups.
