From Santhuff to Moroso....

NHRA1877 · 04-28-2010, 10:35 PM

Has anyone gone from a santhuff spring to a Moroso? I am about to, i spent alot of time over last year working on my front suspention, did alot of research and was talked into santhuff springs. After talkin with them i had to try 3 different sets, the first i was about an inch and a half off the control arm snubber (looking for 3/4 inch). Sent them back and got the next size down, and was still an inch and a half, got the next size down and was 1/4 inch off the snubber. It was 1/2 inch too low for my likeing but was fed up and kept it. The front of the car was never as "springy" as i wanted but thought i had the best springs so that was the best i could get. I then felt my friends Stocker that had lower quality bushings than mine and Moroso springs and it felt like the car wanted to jump out of your hands when you lifted the front end compared to mine.

I ordered a new set of Moroso 47140`s and and thinking of trying them. I had a few people feel my front end and they all said it just feels like theres no energy in the springs.

I did the research when i first re-did the suspension. I DID NOT want to cut coils, but wanted to find the spring that gave me the ride height i needed with the spring at full length to give me the most stored energy.

The front end is loose, just not as loose and springy as id like. In the upper control arm i have the afco solid bushings with the stock cross shaft. I have a brand new set of Del-a-lums but was saving them for a new cross shaft i was going to get. On the lowers i have the del-a-lums. The lower ball joint is an afco low friction, the upper was waiting to be replaced by a one inch extended low friction, which it will be once i try the new springs.

With no springs the A-arms are super free, with no binding. with the springs i can lift it to full extention without too much effort and then it falls like a brick, still not as easy to lift as i have felt on some cars. With the shocks, i had QA-1 stocker R`s in them set on full loose and it seemed like they were holding it back from lifting easy and the compression was VERY stiff. so i went back to the Lakewood 90/10`s and it seemed to loosen it up, but felt like it was stiffer on the extension than the compression, but not by much.

This car is modeled after a stocker and is a 3525lb car with driver. Goodyear or hoosier 30x9 radials. BBC with dart iron eagle heads and fiberglass hood and inner wheel wells. I forget the front end weight of the car.

I had been told up and down that the santhuffs were the best i could buy, and the price reflected it, so i went for them. I think we started with a 220 lb spring, then to a 200 lb spring, and if i remember correctly i have 180`s in it now. Santhuffs customer service was great though!!

I just want to get the most weight transfer i can possibly get, and if the money NEEDS to be spent to get the best, i will.

Sorry for the LONG post, just kinda frustrated with this whole front suspension deal lol.

Jeff Lee · 04-29-2010, 09:24 AM

Having something (AMX) that doesn't offer an aftermarket front spring, I went through the same thing, having the same requirements as you. I used a place called Coil Spring Specialty and had custom made springs. It was frustrating but in the end, we got it right. I think the 4th or 5th set got it right. The first set they really screwed up. They made them for a front weight equal to the total weight of the car! I knew something was wrong because I couldn't compress them more than a few inches with the spring compressor.
The good part about using a high quality part is the car has never dropped at all in 10+ years. That's something to consider as I know those that need to replace Moroso springs every year or two. And you know it's time to replace them when your car starts launching funny. Do you loose a round or two on the way to figuring out your springs were bad?
Calvert makes a front shock that is a lot looser than the QA1's. He discussed valving with them and they didn't feel they needed to make a shock as loose as Calvert wanted. So he found another source that would make them to his specifications. I have a buddy with a D/SA 402 Nova and replaced his QA1's with Calvers and the car went quicker all around.
On the Santhuff's you've had, has the wire diameter been reduced as you try different sets?

NHRA1877 · 04-29-2010, 11:06 AM

Yes the wire size was one of the requirements and one reason i went to them, and continued dropping as they got smaller if i remember correctly.

04-28-2010, 10:35 PM	#1
NHRA1877 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Flanders, NJ Posts: 17 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	From Santhuff to Moroso.... Has anyone gone from a santhuff spring to a Moroso? I am about to, i spent alot of time over last year working on my front suspention, did alot of research and was talked into santhuff springs. After talkin with them i had to try 3 different sets, the first i was about an inch and a half off the control arm snubber (looking for 3/4 inch). Sent them back and got the next size down, and was still an inch and a half, got the next size down and was 1/4 inch off the snubber. It was 1/2 inch too low for my likeing but was fed up and kept it. The front of the car was never as "springy" as i wanted but thought i had the best springs so that was the best i could get. I then felt my friends Stocker that had lower quality bushings than mine and Moroso springs and it felt like the car wanted to jump out of your hands when you lifted the front end compared to mine. I ordered a new set of Moroso 47140`s and and thinking of trying them. I had a few people feel my front end and they all said it just feels like theres no energy in the springs. I did the research when i first re-did the suspension. I DID NOT want to cut coils, but wanted to find the spring that gave me the ride height i needed with the spring at full length to give me the most stored energy. The front end is loose, just not as loose and springy as id like. In the upper control arm i have the afco solid bushings with the stock cross shaft. I have a brand new set of Del-a-lums but was saving them for a new cross shaft i was going to get. On the lowers i have the del-a-lums. The lower ball joint is an afco low friction, the upper was waiting to be replaced by a one inch extended low friction, which it will be once i try the new springs. With no springs the A-arms are super free, with no binding. with the springs i can lift it to full extention without too much effort and then it falls like a brick, still not as easy to lift as i have felt on some cars. With the shocks, i had QA-1 stocker R`s in them set on full loose and it seemed like they were holding it back from lifting easy and the compression was VERY stiff. so i went back to the Lakewood 90/10`s and it seemed to loosen it up, but felt like it was stiffer on the extension than the compression, but not by much. This car is modeled after a stocker and is a 3525lb car with driver. Goodyear or hoosier 30x9 radials. BBC with dart iron eagle heads and fiberglass hood and inner wheel wells. I forget the front end weight of the car. I had been told up and down that the santhuffs were the best i could buy, and the price reflected it, so i went for them. I think we started with a 220 lb spring, then to a 200 lb spring, and if i remember correctly i have 180`s in it now. Santhuffs customer service was great though!! I just want to get the most weight transfer i can possibly get, and if the money NEEDS to be spent to get the best, i will. Sorry for the LONG post, just kinda frustrated with this whole front suspension deal lol.

04-29-2010, 09:24 AM	#2
Jeff Lee VIP Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Anthem, Arizona Posts: 2,766 Likes: 0 Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Re: From Santhuff to Moroso.... Having something (AMX) that doesn't offer an aftermarket front spring, I went through the same thing, having the same requirements as you. I used a place called Coil Spring Specialty and had custom made springs. It was frustrating but in the end, we got it right. I think the 4th or 5th set got it right. The first set they really screwed up. They made them for a front weight equal to the total weight of the car! I knew something was wrong because I couldn't compress them more than a few inches with the spring compressor. The good part about using a high quality part is the car has never dropped at all in 10+ years. That's something to consider as I know those that need to replace Moroso springs every year or two. And you know it's time to replace them when your car starts launching funny. Do you loose a round or two on the way to figuring out your springs were bad? Calvert makes a front shock that is a lot looser than the QA1's. He discussed valving with them and they didn't feel they needed to make a shock as loose as Calvert wanted. So he found another source that would make them to his specifications. I have a buddy with a D/SA 402 Nova and replaced his QA1's with Calvers and the car went quicker all around. On the Santhuff's you've had, has the wire diameter been reduced as you try different sets? __________________ Jeff Lee 7494 D/S '70 AMX

04-29-2010, 11:06 AM	#3
NHRA1877 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Flanders, NJ Posts: 17 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: From Santhuff to Moroso.... Yes the wire size was one of the requirements and one reason i went to them, and continued dropping as they got smaller if i remember correctly.