Quote:
Originally Posted by Homeoboxter
The force you need to compress a spring is proportional to the pre-load on it. This means the more the spring is compressed the more force is required for the next increment of compression. This is how motorcycle shocks work when you make it stiffer for the extra weight of the passenger, you just add some pre-load on the spring. So, I think adding a washer pre-loads the valve and it will open at higher pressure.
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i was going to type out a big long response but easier to just post this:
https://www.penskeshocks.com/blog/motorcycle-spring-preload-what-it-does-and-why-we-would-adjust-it
note the bit where they say "It’s important to point out that preload doesn’t affect spring stiffness."
i would note that you can get progressive springs that do change stiffness when compressed, but not in the application we are discussing (but perhaps on your motorcycle as it is more of a suspension thing).