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Old 06-13-2005, 10:23 AM   #1
mindchatter
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Default Coilover ride height question

Hey all. Got my Zeal V6's installed about 3 weeks ago. When they went on the gap was good all the way around, but as they've settled the rears have gotten a bit lower than I'd like them. Right now the fronts are at 14" from center of hub to bottom of fender liner, and that's o.k. The rears initially were 13.5", but as they've settled it's gotten closer to 13", and I feel it's a bit on the low side.

Also, as they've settled, the driver's side has gotten a hair lower than the passenger (due to driver weight, obviously). So....let's say the driver rear is at 13" and the passenger rear is at 13.25".....when I got to adjust the ride height, do I want to raise each side an equal amount to get one side at 13.5" and the other at approx. 13.75"? Or do I want to raise one side more than the other so that they're both equal at 13.5", but using diff't ride heights L to R to achieve that? Appreciate any help!

(while I realize this is a fairly rudimentary question, I feel it's an important one, and want to make sure I'm doing everything as well as is possible).
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Old 06-13-2005, 10:36 AM   #2
srf
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IMHO if you really want to do it right, have the car corner-weighted with the driver inside.
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Old 06-13-2005, 11:01 AM   #3
mindchatter
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Yeah, I'm looking into that for alignment time. But ideally wouldn't I want the ride height to be worked out before heading in for an alignment and corner weighting? Seems to me that trying to corner weight while trying to fine tune ride height would/could be unnecessarily complicated......
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Old 06-14-2005, 12:22 AM   #4
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I'm using low-class Ground Control, where evening ride height & doing corner weighting are simultaneous. If it were me I'd make both sides equal with the driver in the car...
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Old 06-14-2005, 06:47 AM   #5
wrx2.0 555
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I think your best immeditate solution is to make both fronts the same and both rears the same--

If that means moving one side .5 and the other .75, then so be it---I'd make them match, then corner balance whenever you can down the road....
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Old 06-14-2005, 08:54 AM   #6
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wrx2.0 - thx for the response man. Makes sense to me.....but I've heard conflicting advice, and don't know who's right to be honest. I'm going to get this done for me, but would like to know the right answer for my own education, as it's conceivable that I'd be doing this in the future. <scratches head>

anyone else have any experience with something along these lines? and thx again to those who've replied......
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Old 06-14-2005, 10:31 AM   #7
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I have had experience and what I did was exactly what Scott described above. Do the adjustments necessary to make the ride height match at the fenders and then go from there. Alignment first to save the tires (man I have I been stupid about this in the past and paid!) and then worry about the corner balance. After you corner balance, you'll need another alignment anyway, but before you corner balance you need to get an alignment.

So here's the stuff in order of what to do:

1) Match ride heights. (Yes, pick up the rear.)
2) Alignment.
3) Corner balance
4) Final alignment

The alignment changes barely affect weights at each wheel but the corner balance will definitely affect the alignment.

-Biggly
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Old 06-14-2005, 10:58 AM   #8
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DrBiggly - thx for the confirmation, much appreciated. Everyone who replied - to all.
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Old 06-14-2005, 11:03 AM   #9
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Just food for thought of course, BUT:
When make rudimentary rideheight measurements, say in a garage with a tape...a quarter inch of difference can easily be explained just by rear swaybar binding.

What I would do:

#1. Disconnect rear sway bar
#2. Go for short drive
#3. Take new measurements
#4. Jack up rear end, insert jack stands.
#5. reset the rear spring pre-loads now, then make rideheight changes.
#6. drop it, drive it, measure it, reconnect RSB....voila.

BriDrive
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