Hi all,
I'm currently getting a Cinq back on the road, and need some advice regarding springs.
It naturally sits higher on the left than the right, and whilst taking apart the suspension on all four corners, noticed that the springs have different colour-coded blobs of paint on them - green on the left, and yellow on the right - which apparently suggests different springs rates.

However, I'm fairly sure that these are all original to the car.
Looking through both the Porter and the Service Manual, both state that each side should be the same.

Can anyone confirm what springs should be on the Cinq Sporting, and whether anyone else has this setup?

Thanks,
Dave.

Hi Dave.

Care to clarify what age sporting?

Do you know the 'free length' of each spring?

Hi Varesecrazy,
It's a 1996 (N).
With regards to the free length, I'm not sure, but when I removed them to clean them up, I don't remember them being different lengths.

I don't think they'd ever been off, as they had the original rubber pipe on, and the shocks seemed untouched.

I did measure ride height of the car, and the left was about 2cm higher.

Seems pretty normal for them to sit lower on the drivers side.
I have lowering springs and it's still the same. Never measured how much difference, maybe 10mm!?

Dave Saint said:

I did measure ride height of the car, and the left was about 2cm higher.

Click to expand...

20mm is the difference between standard and Sporting.

D

rallycinq said:

20mm is the difference between standard and Sporting.

D

Click to expand...

Was gonna say exactly this, sounds like the driver's side spring has been replaced with one from a sporting ... or if the car is a Sporting, the passenger side one has been replaced with one from a non-sporting model.

Dave Saint said:

Hi all,
I'm currently getting a Cinq back on the road, and need some advice regarding springs.
It naturally sits higher on the left than the right, and whilst taking apart the suspension on all four corners, noticed that the springs have different colour-coded blobs of paint on them - green on the left, and yellow on the right - which apparently suggests different springs rates.

However, I'm fairly sure that these are all original to the car.
Looking through both the Porter and the Service Manual, both state that each side should be the same.

Can anyone confirm what springs should be on the Cinq Sporting, and whether anyone else has this setup?

Click to expand...

LHD Sportings have the same front spring on both sides (p/n 46456221)
RHD Sportings have different front springs on left & right:
p/n 98603819 on the left
p/n 98603818 on the right

Can't help with paint dot codes though.

David C said:

LHD Sportings have the same spring on both sides (p/n 46456221)
RHD Sportings have different springs on left & right:
p/n 98603819 on the left
p/n 98603818 on the right

Can't help with paint dot codes though.

Click to expand...

Intriguing, anecdotal evidence or does this come from ePer?

Eklipze3k said:

Intriguing, anecdotal evidence or does this come from ePer?

Click to expand...

From ePER.

Very interesting, I suspect the idea was to try and offset the weight distribution of having the engine and driver on the same side. Obviously didn't work very well given the common "Cento lean".

are the part numbers different for front and back for each side, or just the front?

i find the 'lean' is more pronounced looking from the rear.

dac69er said:

are the part numbers different for front and back for each side, or just the front?

i find the 'lean' is more pronounced looking from the rear.

Click to expand...

Just the front.
Rears are the same side to side.

David C said:

Just the front.
Rears are the same side to side.

Click to expand...

Interestingly, for the Sei they ARE different side to side at the rear too.

If I had to replace my Sporting front springs what do I replace with?

Can only find pairs of the same size.