How important is suspension droop in terms of roadholding?

[anthonym]

I have adjustable spring platforms in my MR2, that have been wound up such that the spring is pre-compressed by an inch or so. As I understand it this means that the shock piston is extended to maximum travel and the spring is preloaded to a point where the suspension droop (meaning the amount the wheels drop in relation to the body when the car is jacked up) is minimal but that suspension travel is not significantly affected.

I am in the process of having this car certified and the certifier has decided (without driving the car) that this will have an adverse effect on roadholding in that the wheels will lose contact and "skip" over rather than follow contours in the road. Now I have actually driven the car in this state for some months and have not found this to be an issue. On an extremely poor road surface the front does pogo a bit, but then my old MR2, which had much softer coilovers, did this as well. Indeed, as I understand things, as long as travel is adequate, sprung weight would overide suspension droop as a factor in maintaining tyre contact over bumps (unless the latter are extreme). Is this correct?

[matt dunn]

So what sort of travel are you talking about between the car sitting at ride height and wheels dropped when the car is jacked.
If there is not enough travel when the car goes light over a bump the car will effectivlely hit the bump stops.

[anthonym]

So what sort of travel are you talking about between the car sitting at ride height and wheels dropped when the car is jacked.
If there is not enough travel when the car goes light over a bump the car will effectivlely hit the bump stops.

How can you hit the bump stops when the car goes light? And there is actually more travel when the springs are preloaded as the perch is closer to the top of the shock body.

Anyway the car has now passed certification.