Understanding Suspesion Test Report

[phenix_lk]

HI i went to do a suspension testing for my Honda civic ES5 today to Nalaka alignment center. It took around 5mins only. their printer was not working so didnt get the report as well. however the technician said rear shocks are out. There were 3 parameters called GC%, CSI and BE. He was only referring to CSI and he said it should be > .3. He didnt had much clue on the others. Does anyone have a good idea on what these parameters and what they measure. my results are as follows.

Front Left

GC% - 61

CSI - .37

BE - 1.23

Front Right

GC% - 61

CSI - .42

BE - 1.21

Rear Left

GC% - 0

CSI - .17

BE - 2.09

Rear Right

GC% - 21

CSI - .24

BE - 1.60

[Mean Green z28]

I'm guessing its the reduction in the amount of rebound your suspension sees (damping). On a perfectly damped system, you should see your suspension oscillate maybe 1 times (2 max) before coming to a complete stop in movement; if you think of it as a graph vs. time ... if you put weight on the rear and release, it should bounce back up (above the regular height), then come back below just a bit and then settle down at the final height. Does yours oscillate for a more than that before coming to rest?

Typically, you want your damping to be like the green line (not really comfortable for ride though), but in reality it's like a mix of the RED for the first rebound and then settle like the GREEN line. The above graph was to show you the difference in oscillations. The below graph is what you're looking for in a balanced system.

EDIT:

Found the perfect graph for you! Look at the number they want you to be above. Less than 0.3 and you see a lot of oscillations and greater movement before coming to a rest .. the higher you go, the quicker you settle. Once again, the green line is perfect but harder to achieve with ever changing loads/etc and the preferred numbers should be between 0.3 and 0.7

Edited December 27, 2013 by Mean Green z28