1st Generation Specific (1979-1985) 1979-1985 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections

How much lower will RB springs lower an RX7 from stock springs?

Old Dec 17, 2005 | 07:36 PM
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How much lower will RB springs lower an RX7 from stock springs?

I had some racing beat springs put on my rx7 and it lowered the car about 3 to 4 inches! I thought it would be lowered 1 to 1.5 inches at the max.

I hate it because the front of my car gets scraped and hits the road on any bump or pot hole!! The front skirt now has a big crack and looks bad.

The shop owner said that 3 to 4 inches lower on sporty type springs is common, but I doubt it, especialy on these cars that are already low.

It's been a few days and wanted to get the old springs put back on but he says he doesn't have them anymore, so I'm wondering where the best place is to get original springs or new equal height springs. Thanks for any help you give me guys!

jess.
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Old Dec 17, 2005 | 07:45 PM
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did you buy them new or used? I have them on my 7, and it's about 1.5 inches lower than stock, like you thought it should be. Also, have you checked to see if they installed them correctly.
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Old Dec 17, 2005 | 07:47 PM
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What??? 3 to 4 inches. that cant be right. RB springs didnt even lower my car half an inch. (old suspension). there must be something wrong with the install. RB springs are not aggressive springs.
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Old Dec 17, 2005 | 08:34 PM
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Yea,that doesnt sound right.I have 175lb RB springs and they only lower an inch from stock.Check to see if the shop sliced off some of the spring.Maybe they tought youd be unhappy with just 1 inch of lowering,so they hacked them down for visual effect.If there are hacksaw/torch marks on the springs,then thats what they did and you should get you car repaired and get your money back.
The only proper way to get them lower is if you have adjustable spring perches or if the springs are deadwound and you chop off some of the lower coils.(mine are deadwound)
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Old Dec 17, 2005 | 09:29 PM
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this definitely sounds suspicious. with just a casual glance, my RB springs didn't make a stitch of difference to my ride height and didn't firm the ride up enough for me. however, 3 to 4 inches sounds ridiculous to me and i suspect they may have done something that they had no business doing. the only way to know for sure is to remove the springs and check.
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Old Dec 17, 2005 | 09:30 PM
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thatshop fawked you! they proly just cut your stock springs.
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Old Dec 17, 2005 | 09:42 PM
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I knew it should only have lowered it no more than an inch and a half! I did buy them new from a local dealer.

I'll have another shop, a more trusted shop, look at the install. Hopefully they can fix the problem, but where's the best place to find replacement springs.

OH, btw, I had the shop put in some of those Tokio (sp?) shocks in as well. Think that might have had something to do with it as well. I know these are supposed to be adjustable shocks, so can they adjust them to ride higher or at least give me a smoother ride? I'm a pretty small girl so the hard ride is shattering my back!

Thanks again for your help guys!
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Old Dec 17, 2005 | 10:02 PM
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Tokico blues (I'm figuring) have ride adjustment for comfort or stiffness. They won't change the height of a vehicle when adjusted.
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Old Dec 17, 2005 | 10:05 PM
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no....the shocks are there to absorb the ride while the springs are there for the car to acully sit on......so the shocks wouldnt do anything to the height

as for the orginal springs i have my oringal rear springs that i saved when i installed my RB rears but my stock front springs are still on the car since im waiting to install my RB front springs and shocks at the same time to save money on the install....

sometime after christmas if you still need to orginal springs just to slip back in while you get this sitution of yours worked out i can get you mine
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Old Dec 17, 2005 | 10:08 PM
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Originally Posted by Jager
Tokico blues (I'm figuring) have ride adjustment for comfort or stiffness. They won't change the height of a vehicle when adjusted.
tokico blues dont adjust

the tokico illumina's are the ones that adjust with a setting of 1 to 5 (1 being soft, 5 being hard)

i have heard though that when racing with the ILL. nobody even uses 5 but usally 3 or 4....but also the blues are roughly about a 3 or 4 in comparison to the ILL.
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Old Dec 17, 2005 | 10:25 PM
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Rusty, once you get you new springs in PM me and I might be interested in buying your old ones if I don't find some myself.

My shocks are blue, and they are tokico, so I'm guessing they are the "tokico blue" meaning I can't adjust them.

I'm searching for springs all over the net now, in the meantime.
thanks again everyone.
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Old Dec 17, 2005 | 10:33 PM
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Try posting a link in the texas forum someone there might be abl to take a look and see what the problem is.


by the way there is nothing hotter than a girl in a rx7...
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Old Dec 17, 2005 | 10:42 PM
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Hey could you snap some pics of your car so i can see just how a 3" drop made the 7 look?

thanks...

and i will try to get those shocks and springs put on as soon as i get them so i can give u mine
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Old Dec 17, 2005 | 11:30 PM
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Pics!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Old Dec 17, 2005 | 11:58 PM
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Old Dec 18, 2005 | 01:12 AM
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Yea, some pictures would be awesome.. i almost think that a 7 would look awesome being slammed.. pleaseee post some pics
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Old Dec 18, 2005 | 01:32 AM
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i dont know if being slammed would look kool..but just a really nice low stance would fit my taste nice where having a decent size rim and beefy tire just sitting at or in the fender lip....
Attached Thumbnails How much lower will RB springs lower an RX7 from stock springs?-8eb7.jpg   How much lower will RB springs lower an RX7 from stock springs?-13bts2024d.jpg   How much lower will RB springs lower an RX7 from stock springs?-junkyardday-april2002-3.jpg  
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Old Dec 18, 2005 | 01:54 AM
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i have a 97 eclipse (yes, i know.. pistons... lol) that i bought 1.5/2 inch drop springs for and they ended up dropping my car 3 inches in both front and back. I installed the springs myself so i know that they were not altered. I guess sometimes you dont get exactly what you read.. but i dunno.. i actually love my car being lowered that much.. but it is a totally different car so it does make a difference (Alot of open space above wheels on stock Eclipse)

Heres 2 pics of my eclipse with a 3 inch drop before and after.. (after is first pic) its a big improvment, i think...

So, just to make sure im not stealing the thread.. lets see some pics of ur 7 with the springs that you supposed "bought"

Like other people are saying, i think that that shop has just cut off some coils on your factory springs and took a nice profit..
Attached Thumbnails How much lower will RB springs lower an RX7 from stock springs?-hpim2099.jpg   How much lower will RB springs lower an RX7 from stock springs?-closed-up.jpg  

Last edited by todderdodder; Dec 18, 2005 at 01:56 AM.
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Old Dec 18, 2005 | 04:24 PM
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what is the deal with those bump-outs on the hood of that generation eclipses? Did the engineers at mitsu. just not care about fitment of everything under the hood and the designers not care about how the car looked? That would drive me crazy if I ever owned one. Sorry, but I like everything symetrical and aligned.

Anyway, yeah, post some pics. I think a 1" drop on a first gen looks like a lot, but a 3" must be crazy. I don't think I would be able to get up my driveway without scraping with even a 1" drop.
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Old Dec 19, 2005 | 08:46 AM
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I got a 1-1.5" drop w/ my RB springs. Did Tokico HP shocks at the same time. Have Illumina on my Z & keep um on stiffest setting for the V8 hp.
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Old Dec 19, 2005 | 06:07 PM
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Often, the installation of new aftermarket springs, that are supposed to add a .8-1.5" drop, the body will sit higher. This is due to the old oem springs sagging over time. I installed a set on one of my 7's and parked it next to a stock one. All 8 fenders measured at the same height off of the ground, about 24".

A 3-4" drop would put the rocker panels nearly on the ground. If your drop is really that much, the shop did something wrong.
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Old Dec 19, 2005 | 11:47 PM
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lol.. the hood bubble is only there for cosmetics.. its not there to fit the engine or anything... lol.. the engine will still fit under the hood if it were completely smooth.. you dont notice it when your driving because the wipers block you from seeing it anyways.. but i dunno.. i think that hood is one of the coolest things on those cars..(1st and 2nd gen.) I'd never replace it... (except for maybe a stock looking CF hood ) lol


Anyways PICS PICS PICSSSS!!!! lol
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Old Dec 20, 2005 | 08:17 AM
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Originally Posted by JessicaR
I had some racing beat springs put on my rx7 and it lowered the car about 3 to 4 inches! I thought it would be lowered 1 to 1.5 inches at the max.

I hate it because the front of my car gets scraped and hits the road on any bump or pot hole!! The front skirt now has a big crack and looks bad.

The shop owner said that 3 to 4 inches lower on sporty type springs is common, but I doubt it, especialy on these cars that are already low.

It's been a few days and wanted to get the old springs put back on but he says he doesn't have them anymore, so I'm wondering where the best place is to get original springs or new equal height springs. Thanks for any help you give me guys!

jess.
For what it's worth, here is a pic of my FB with RB springs and T blues.
Attached Thumbnails How much lower will RB springs lower an RX7 from stock springs?-noseshot.jpg  
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Old Jan 2, 2006 | 12:35 AM
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here is my 85 gslse with eibach springs and tokico blue shocks.

One pic from Deals Gap NC. last year rotary weekend - Awesome time!

Other pic is with 15" Panasport rims on it at the house.
Attached Thumbnails How much lower will RB springs lower an RX7 from stock springs?-deals-gap-pic-2-.jpg   How much lower will RB springs lower an RX7 from stock springs?-mvc-058s-2-.jpg  
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Old Jan 2, 2006 | 01:59 PM
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Hey, your car was in rx-tuner. That very same pic I think.
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