TITLE UPDATE - CR coilover ride height issue
12-30-2008, 01:39 PM
#1
Thread Starter
TITLE UPDATE - CR coilover ride height issue
I bought a set of 4 CR coilovers from hardtopguy. For each corner, the spring/shock came bundled together and assembled. So I have 4 pieces total, instead of 8. I've heard people say that before tightening down all the bolts when installing coilovers, the suspension has to be preloaded.
Does this simply mean the car has to be set on the ground and then all the bolts tightened?
Does it involve the installer having to disassemble the spring/shock combo? Or is this irrelevant?
Does this simply mean the car has to be set on the ground and then all the bolts tightened?
Does it involve the installer having to disassemble the spring/shock combo? Or is this irrelevant?
01-05-2009, 09:30 AM
#4
Registered User
The car doesn't have to be set on the ground to load the suspension.. how the hell would you reach in there to tighten anything??
You don't need to take the shock/spring assembly apart either. Pre load basically means you have to recreate the forces on the suspention components that would be seen if the car were on the ground.. but you do this with the car jacked up.
Put a jack under the control arm at the shock mount, then jack up the car until it's ~1 inch off the jack stand for that particular corner.
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=66520
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=259346
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=303417
You don't need to take the shock/spring assembly apart either. Pre load basically means you have to recreate the forces on the suspention components that would be seen if the car were on the ground.. but you do this with the car jacked up.
Put a jack under the control arm at the shock mount, then jack up the car until it's ~1 inch off the jack stand for that particular corner.
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=66520
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=259346
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=303417
01-31-2009, 07:37 PM
#5
Thread Starter
*** LATEST UPDATE ***
Ok... so I had the CR suspension installed during the first week of January, thanks to Billman. After nearly a month and nearly 2,500 miles later, I have a bit of a problem.
At this stage, I would think that most of the settling that will happen should have already occurred. However, the driver side of the car is higher than the passsenger side. Like when comparing the rears... the gaps between the top of the tire to the fender... I can fit about 3 fingers on the driver side and about 2.5 fingers on the passenger side. Similarly for the fronts. I'm thinking the passenger side settled down to the correct height, but the driver side seems high.
My stock 03 coils weren't like this and were pretty much very even for both sides, so it isn't a question of weight differences for each side of the car. And I'm assuming that Billman preloaded both sides correctly as he has done plenty of suspension installs.
So then (the only explanation left)... do you think this is like a manufacturing defect of the coilovers? Maybe one or both of the driver springs are slightly stiffer than their passenger counterparts. Maybe one or both of the driver shocks have slightly more compression than the passenger shocks. I don't know.
What do you think? If I get out of the car, walk like 30 feet away (either front or rear of the car), crouch down and look at the car, I can tell the driver side is higher and that is bugging me lol. Thanks.
Ok... so I had the CR suspension installed during the first week of January, thanks to Billman. After nearly a month and nearly 2,500 miles later, I have a bit of a problem.
At this stage, I would think that most of the settling that will happen should have already occurred. However, the driver side of the car is higher than the passsenger side. Like when comparing the rears... the gaps between the top of the tire to the fender... I can fit about 3 fingers on the driver side and about 2.5 fingers on the passenger side. Similarly for the fronts. I'm thinking the passenger side settled down to the correct height, but the driver side seems high.
My stock 03 coils weren't like this and were pretty much very even for both sides, so it isn't a question of weight differences for each side of the car. And I'm assuming that Billman preloaded both sides correctly as he has done plenty of suspension installs.
So then (the only explanation left)... do you think this is like a manufacturing defect of the coilovers? Maybe one or both of the driver springs are slightly stiffer than their passenger counterparts. Maybe one or both of the driver shocks have slightly more compression than the passenger shocks. I don't know.
What do you think? If I get out of the car, walk like 30 feet away (either front or rear of the car), crouch down and look at the car, I can tell the driver side is higher and that is bugging me lol. Thanks.
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02-01-2009, 10:29 AM
#8
Registered User
^ ok fine lay off the fat chicks for a while...
but really. it could be a number of things.
it could be that when the mech put them in he tightened the pass side more which would compact the rubber bushings more, or he did less on the driver side. ( so you could try to tighten the center screw on the shock tower under the hood on the driver side) that would be my first try. but make sure that the rod on the shock itself is not spinning.
it could be frame damage, but i doubt it caise you would know about that and it sounds like it was onl with the coils.
it could be tire preasusre
it could be that one tire has less tread than the other
it could be that whoo ever did your allignment after install is a tard ond the camber on each side is different
it could be that the control arm on one side is tighter or binding on one side
it could be that the mech installed them intentionally so that the car would sit level when you are driving it and not when you ar out of it, whether it be with a spacer or thicker bushing.
it could be that your mech is a tard and forgot to put one of the bushings or washers it leaving one side lower.
it could be that at the factory when putting the coil on they didn't line them up perfectly so the way that they sit in the part that holds the spring is slightly un even.
i could go on like this all day, but i have never seen your car, and either there is no pic or my computer isn't getting it for ssome reason.
but i would try tightenong the center screw on the shock tower. you said it is about a half finger so whay a 1/4 inch or less? you should be able to get some ot that out of tightening and or loosening between the right and left side, just don't loosen much.
that or take it back to the mechanic and or check the allignment.
i hope something in here is helpful or you should post pics of how it sits and as many angles of the shocks as you ca get: where they are attatched and how they sit. or just take it back to your mechanic and have him fiddle with it untill it makes you happy, cause the worst thing that a car enthusiast can do is pay money and not be happy with the outcome.
but really. it could be a number of things.
it could be that when the mech put them in he tightened the pass side more which would compact the rubber bushings more, or he did less on the driver side. ( so you could try to tighten the center screw on the shock tower under the hood on the driver side) that would be my first try. but make sure that the rod on the shock itself is not spinning.
it could be frame damage, but i doubt it caise you would know about that and it sounds like it was onl with the coils.
it could be tire preasusre
it could be that one tire has less tread than the other
it could be that whoo ever did your allignment after install is a tard ond the camber on each side is different
it could be that the control arm on one side is tighter or binding on one side
it could be that the mech installed them intentionally so that the car would sit level when you are driving it and not when you ar out of it, whether it be with a spacer or thicker bushing.
it could be that your mech is a tard and forgot to put one of the bushings or washers it leaving one side lower.
it could be that at the factory when putting the coil on they didn't line them up perfectly so the way that they sit in the part that holds the spring is slightly un even.
i could go on like this all day, but i have never seen your car, and either there is no pic or my computer isn't getting it for ssome reason.
but i would try tightenong the center screw on the shock tower. you said it is about a half finger so whay a 1/4 inch or less? you should be able to get some ot that out of tightening and or loosening between the right and left side, just don't loosen much.
that or take it back to the mechanic and or check the allignment.
i hope something in here is helpful or you should post pics of how it sits and as many angles of the shocks as you ca get: where they are attatched and how they sit. or just take it back to your mechanic and have him fiddle with it untill it makes you happy, cause the worst thing that a car enthusiast can do is pay money and not be happy with the outcome.
02-01-2009, 01:14 PM
#9
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My guess is sway bar preload, did they come off during the install? I think they have to be loosened, and because they were not tightened during a time when the front suspension was on equal preload from left to right, the suspension may not sit even.
EDIT: If you are handy, here is the solution. Put the car on jack stands, take off the front wheels. Loosen the sway bar endlinks, and pop them out. Place one jack under each front control arm and load them evenly, or as close as possible. This should be easy to do if you have extra jackstands, as you will be able to put them on the same "click" and they should be relatively even. Put the endlinks back in after the suspension has "hung" with the sway detached. Once the suspension has been loaded evenly, tighten all sway bar bolts. Put the car back on the ground. This is the MOST common problem when sitting uneven after an install.
EDIT: If you are handy, here is the solution. Put the car on jack stands, take off the front wheels. Loosen the sway bar endlinks, and pop them out. Place one jack under each front control arm and load them evenly, or as close as possible. This should be easy to do if you have extra jackstands, as you will be able to put them on the same "click" and they should be relatively even. Put the endlinks back in after the suspension has "hung" with the sway detached. Once the suspension has been loaded evenly, tighten all sway bar bolts. Put the car back on the ground. This is the MOST common problem when sitting uneven after an install.
02-01-2009, 09:53 PM
#10
Thread Starter
Thanks guys... I'll have the car looked at the next time around.
Yes, I had both anti-roll bars changed out.
So perhaps this is what should be done (from all the tips I've gathered from this thread)...
1. Get the car on jackstands on all 4 corners.
2. Take off all 4 wheels.
3. Loosen up all coilover bolts (except the ones that bolt up through the towers since there is no bushing there to worry about preload).
4. Loosen up the bolts on both anti-roll bars.
5. Get 4 more jackstands and have them push up on the lower control arms to raise the car off the original jackstands by around an inch.
6. Tighten up all coilover bolts.
7. Tighten up all anti-roll bar bolts.
8. Put wheels back on the car.
9. Remove the jackstands and put car on ground.
10. Pray like hell that the car is level this time lol.
Do I have this right? Any more tips? Sorry for the ignorance but I'm not terribly mechanically inclined. I'm thinking this whole process won't take nearly as long as the original install since the components don't have to be removed from the car and put back. We would basically just be loosening/tightening the bolts, hoping for a proper preload.
Thanks for the help.
Yes, I had both anti-roll bars changed out.
So perhaps this is what should be done (from all the tips I've gathered from this thread)...
1. Get the car on jackstands on all 4 corners.
2. Take off all 4 wheels.
3. Loosen up all coilover bolts (except the ones that bolt up through the towers since there is no bushing there to worry about preload).
4. Loosen up the bolts on both anti-roll bars.
5. Get 4 more jackstands and have them push up on the lower control arms to raise the car off the original jackstands by around an inch.
6. Tighten up all coilover bolts.
7. Tighten up all anti-roll bar bolts.
8. Put wheels back on the car.
9. Remove the jackstands and put car on ground.
10. Pray like hell that the car is level this time lol.
Do I have this right? Any more tips? Sorry for the ignorance but I'm not terribly mechanically inclined. I'm thinking this whole process won't take nearly as long as the original install since the components don't have to be removed from the car and put back. We would basically just be loosening/tightening the bolts, hoping for a proper preload.
Thanks for the help.