reassemble tophat bilstein pss coilovers?
03-22-2021, 10:37 AM
#21
03-22-2021, 10:42 AM
#22
Correct. The bus you took a ride on the other day, bruv.
Remember all the struggling you did to get the old shocks out? Someone had to get a large pole probably...and pry the suspension down? All sound familiar?
Those were the bushings in all the control arms fighting you.
Those should all be loosened during the un-install to make your life easier.
And then re-tightened with the car at its NEW ride height with the Bilsteins. NONE of the pivoting rubber bushings should have been tightened with the wheels dangling down while the car was raised in the air.
Try searching youtube for a visual representation. Clocking bushings.
Remember all the struggling you did to get the old shocks out? Someone had to get a large pole probably...and pry the suspension down? All sound familiar?
Those were the bushings in all the control arms fighting you.
Those should all be loosened during the un-install to make your life easier.
And then re-tightened with the car at its NEW ride height with the Bilsteins. NONE of the pivoting rubber bushings should have been tightened with the wheels dangling down while the car was raised in the air.
Try searching youtube for a visual representation. Clocking bushings.
03-22-2021, 10:48 AM
#23
Correct. The bus you took a ride on the other day, bruv.
Remember all the struggling you did to get the old shocks out? Someone had to get a large pole probably...and pry the suspension down? All sound familiar?
Those were the bushings in all the control arms fighting you.
Those should all be loosened during the un-install to make your life easier.
And then re-tightened with the car at its NEW ride height with the Bilsteins. NONE of the pivoting rubber bushings should have been tightened with the wheels dangling down while the car was raised in the air.
Try searching youtube for a visual representation. Clocking bushings.
Remember all the struggling you did to get the old shocks out? Someone had to get a large pole probably...and pry the suspension down? All sound familiar?
Those were the bushings in all the control arms fighting you.
Those should all be loosened during the un-install to make your life easier.
And then re-tightened with the car at its NEW ride height with the Bilsteins. NONE of the pivoting rubber bushings should have been tightened with the wheels dangling down while the car was raised in the air.
Try searching youtube for a visual representation. Clocking bushings.
03-22-2021, 11:00 AM
#24
The top hat nuts and shaft nuts up top do not need anything. Just loosen the control arm bolts, set the car at ride height and tighten them. Look to see what pivots when the suspension goes up and down. It is the bolts that go through those points that we are talking about. If you do not have ramps to set it on so you can reach them when at ride height you can set the car on stands and jack under the control arm where the shock connects to compress the suspension. It will not compress quite as much jacking up there as when sitting on the ground with the wheels on, but it will be close enough to get the job done.
03-22-2021, 04:36 PM
#25
Do a search for clocking bushings. Detailed instructions have been posted on this forum. Probably some good youtube videos somewhere like B mentioned.
Also, lower shock mount is a pivoting rubber bushing, so it needs clocked too.
The key component to clocking is tightening bushings only when that corner is at new ride height.
Easy if you have a drive on lift, the kind with tires sitting on ramp that lifts. Since you don't have that, car level with all four corners on jackstands, suspensions all dangling. Jack under one corner until tbat corner just barely lifts or unweights off jack stand. Tighten ALL pivoting upper and lower rubber bushings on that corner. Any that aren't currently loose, loosen first, then tighten.
Careful, as corner you are tightening isn't technically supported by jack stand. You should NOT get under the car while tightening these bolts, which can be challenging.
Most shops are clueless on need to or how to do this, so not like you can bring it somewhere, unless its a performance shop. Best to DIY.
You got this far, you can do this.
Also, lower shock mount is a pivoting rubber bushing, so it needs clocked too.
The key component to clocking is tightening bushings only when that corner is at new ride height.
Easy if you have a drive on lift, the kind with tires sitting on ramp that lifts. Since you don't have that, car level with all four corners on jackstands, suspensions all dangling. Jack under one corner until tbat corner just barely lifts or unweights off jack stand. Tighten ALL pivoting upper and lower rubber bushings on that corner. Any that aren't currently loose, loosen first, then tighten.
Careful, as corner you are tightening isn't technically supported by jack stand. You should NOT get under the car while tightening these bolts, which can be challenging.
Most shops are clueless on need to or how to do this, so not like you can bring it somewhere, unless its a performance shop. Best to DIY.
You got this far, you can do this.
03-22-2021, 04:38 PM
#26
isnt this just as simple as retorqueing while preloaded? i think i torqued everything after preload after adjustment. i drove the car around 30 miles after doing so. in the case that i didnt clock it, is this very bad for the bushings? i was thinking im just going to leave the car sitting and take it to the mechanic for him to torque everything and make sure everything checks out because im going to him anyways for a clutch master
03-22-2021, 04:42 PM
#27
Oh, and you need to do this again anytime you change ride height, otherwise bushings are preloaded and will be stressed and soon tear.
Prediction. As soon as you do the clocking, your car is going to sit two inches lower and you're going to realize you need to raise it via those locking adjusting rings. Then reclock.
Set height via rings, but leave all those bushings loose, on all corners. Put car on the ground. Evaluate ride height. Adjust to achieve desired height,all while bushing bolts are all loose, on all corners. Obviously don't drive like this.
When height is where you like, THEN do the clocking thing to tighten bolts.
Prediction. As soon as you do the clocking, your car is going to sit two inches lower and you're going to realize you need to raise it via those locking adjusting rings. Then reclock.
Set height via rings, but leave all those bushings loose, on all corners. Put car on the ground. Evaluate ride height. Adjust to achieve desired height,all while bushing bolts are all loose, on all corners. Obviously don't drive like this.
When height is where you like, THEN do the clocking thing to tighten bolts.
03-22-2021, 05:04 PM
#28
Oh, and you need to do this again anytime you change ride height, otherwise bushings are preloaded and will be stressed and soon tear.
Prediction. As soon as you do the clocking, your car is going to sit two inches lower and you're going to realize you need to raise it via those locking adjusting rings. Then reclock.
Set height via rings, but leave all those bushings loose, on all corners. Put car on the ground. Evaluate ride height. Adjust to achieve desired height,all while bushing bolts are all loose, on all corners. Obviously don't drive like this.
When height is where you like, THEN do the clocking thing to tighten bolts.
Prediction. As soon as you do the clocking, your car is going to sit two inches lower and you're going to realize you need to raise it via those locking adjusting rings. Then reclock.
Set height via rings, but leave all those bushings loose, on all corners. Put car on the ground. Evaluate ride height. Adjust to achieve desired height,all while bushing bolts are all loose, on all corners. Obviously don't drive like this.
When height is where you like, THEN do the clocking thing to tighten bolts.
03-23-2021, 08:05 AM
#29
You need to LOOSEN all the pivoting bushing bolts.
Then install your new suspension and set your new ride height.
Then set the car down on the ground.
OR simulate the new ride height by jacking the control arm up so it sits at the correct angle.
Then tighten the bolts.
Did you do this? It has nothing to do with spring preload.
If you did not do this, you need to do this.
Then install your new suspension and set your new ride height.
Then set the car down on the ground.
OR simulate the new ride height by jacking the control arm up so it sits at the correct angle.
Then tighten the bolts.
Did you do this? It has nothing to do with spring preload.
If you did not do this, you need to do this.
03-23-2021, 08:09 AM
#30
Ok, 2 inches is an exaggeration. The point is this is what not clocking does.
Whereverthe bushings are clocked to, that is the point the control arms want to sit at rest. Meanwhile, wherever you have the coilovers set is where the springs want to sit at rest.
If these two adjustments aren't set to the same position, they will fight each other. The rubber bushings will always lose such a fight.
If you use a lowering technique, like lowering springs or adjustable coilovers set low, but don't clock bushings, then bushings will fight to keep ride height where it was. Car will not sit as low as springs want it to.
Eventually the springs win the fight, bushings will tear, and car will then sit where springs want. But handling will be destroyed and you'll be facing expensive repairs replacing the bushings.
So since you set coilovers as low as they can go, yet car isn't sitting slammed, the failure to clock is apparently keeping height much higher than springs want to be. So once you clock its going to be dramatic difference.
Whereverthe bushings are clocked to, that is the point the control arms want to sit at rest. Meanwhile, wherever you have the coilovers set is where the springs want to sit at rest.
If these two adjustments aren't set to the same position, they will fight each other. The rubber bushings will always lose such a fight.
If you use a lowering technique, like lowering springs or adjustable coilovers set low, but don't clock bushings, then bushings will fight to keep ride height where it was. Car will not sit as low as springs want it to.
Eventually the springs win the fight, bushings will tear, and car will then sit where springs want. But handling will be destroyed and you'll be facing expensive repairs replacing the bushings.
So since you set coilovers as low as they can go, yet car isn't sitting slammed, the failure to clock is apparently keeping height much higher than springs want to be. So once you clock its going to be dramatic difference.