Must shocks match springs?

[M3thod_Man]

Does any shock work with any spring length/stiffness? I dont konw ther terminology to get my question across, but do shocks have to be paired with certain types of springs. say if i had Tokico non adjustable shocks, could any length of spring "work" with these? I'm very confused as to the relationship between spring and shock. I know spring absorbs and shock turns that absorbtion into kinetic energy....sorry im super newb and its hard to sift through searches

[Exar-Kun]

the stiffness(bound and rebound) of the damper should match the spring rate somewhat...

a lighter spring(stock to say 3kg/mm) will work fine with a slightly stiffer than stock damper(KYB GR-2, tokiko blue, etc)

a heavier spring rate(3kg/mm up) should be paired with something a bit beefier in the damper range, such as an AGX, BIlstein HD, Koni sport yellow, etc...

this is to cope tih the radical stresses put on the damper by the higher spring rate...avoiding blowing the damper out.-chet

[M3thod_Man]

if you want a more comfortable ride, do you want higher spring rate or lower spring rate? is the spring rate the only variable to consider other than length when getting springs?

[Exar-Kun]

spring rate, lowering ammount, and if the rate is progressive or linear are the main variables to consider. see my reccomendatinos for you in the other thread: )-chet

[M3thod_Man]

can you explain what exactly spring rate and linear vs progression means? maybe link me to some good basic siteS? i already checked faq and read some but im still left confused

[MainEvent212]

linear means no matter how far the spring is compressed, the spring rate stays consistent...progressive means as the spring compresses, the rate becomes stiffer...

[M3thod_Man]

ok I get that... Are most springs progressive? like if i were to get whiteline or eibach would those both be progressive or linear? The spring rate on white lines is much higher than eibach pro's so does that say much as far as stiffness?