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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Testing Leaf Springs

I have stashed away in the garage some leaf springs purchased on-line for a low price but have no idea of their specification.

Is there anyway to test them (short of putting them on the car) to get a sense of their stiffness and ride height compared to stock 1275 springs?

Part of the reason I purchased them in the first place was that they have fewer leaves than standard making them lighter whilst also claiming to be uprated.

Any testing methods suggested must be safe to do at home given the potential forces involved.

Ideas welcomed.

Thank you.

Paul
P R Clark

Paul,
I know that you say "short of putting them on the car" but that is surely likely to be the simplest, safest and cheapest test bed that a DIY person would have. Fitting to the car shouldn't take long and you can then drive on them for a week or two to assess their performance and get the feel for how they compare to what you are currently familiar with.
GuyW

Daniel has a spring rate tester - I've seen a book somewhere with a picture of it.
John Payne

I sold it to Rae Davies!
Daniel

Turn them upside down, put a load of bricks on them, and see how far they deflect compared with the originals?
Oggers

I can think of some Heath Robinson type ideas around a long scaffold pole, some spare u-bolts and something to wedge one end under while sitting on the other. I don't think it would be very accurate but if you had a standard one to apply the same procedure you might get a comparison.

AdrianR

This thread was discussed between 16/06/2017 and 17/06/2017

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