Springs and 'settling'

[Evangelion]

I've been told that after you fit new springs they need time to 'settle.'

Can anyone tell me how long this process takes, and how much the car will drop during this time?

[dylan0451]

Evangelion said:

I've been told that after you fit new springs they need time to 'settle.'

Can anyone tell me how long this process takes, and how much the car will drop during this time?

i can understand it if you've had the suspension apart - bushes etc. settle

but not the actual springs? or perhaps they mean the steel becomes a bit more ductile and into spec with what they're rated to?

the 200lb/in springs on the rear i took off had sagged about 1/4" but i think that was because they were so soft they were going coilbound. the front ones were 450lb/in and 8" and hadn't sagged by any measurable amount at all

[MX-5 Lazza]

The ride height usually does settle a little bit - partly the springs settling, partly the springs moving around on the seats to their eventual natural positions and partly the bushes settling into their new positions (assuming the ride height has changed).