| Jools is on the right track,
ideally a lighter spring would be the starting point. when selecting a spring for a shock the stroke of the shock is factored into the calculation as is a inertia value which in racing changes from track to track and is why in any top race truck you will see a container full of springs.
looking back at some of my old Spring calcs I find I used inertia values between 1.6g and 2.0g. with Shock strokes ranging from 43mm to 54mm.
When the lighter wheel hits a bump it exerts less force on the suspension than a heavier wheel would over the same bump at the same speed and hence uses less of the shocks stroke. In race track conditions this would mean some of the shock stroke was unused and to get the best from your suspension you would fit a lighter spring that the damping would be easier to control. In racing its not the wheel weight that changes but the size of the bumps and the speed at which they are hit, so with the use of data logging a spring selection is made.
All a bit pointless on the road as you never know what size of bump will be encountered so having a bit of shock travel in hand can prove quite useful.  |