Okay so I reset the spring preload today and realized that even with both rear coilovers setup the same that the wheel gap is different on each side.

The pics below show the story:


Driver's side - top measure = 7.75 " ( I know it says 7.5 in pic), bottom = 4.5"

Edge of rim to wheel well =3.5"


Passenger's side - top measure = 7.75 " ( I know it says 7.5 in pic), bottom = 4.5"

Edge of rim to wheel well =4.0"


I haven't had a chance to drive it on the road yet, I wanted to get this sorted out prior to driving.

Is this difference normal?

Should I just adjust the coilover to compensate and be done with it?

Thanks a lot for any help!

 

You have anything in the drivers side of the car, and are you parked on a level surface.

 

Left to right ride heights will always be off, when the coilovers are setup the same because of different corner weights.

Another thing that could be affecting it is a preloaded sway bar. If you have the stock endlinks disconnect one side and see if that changes anything. If you have adjustable endlinks, like the mazdatrix ones, adjust the link so that it is easy to reconnect when the car is on the ground; zero preload.

 

well, there is nothing in the car, but I'm not exactly on a level surface, more like a gravel floor in a tent garage....

I was just wondering if the difference is normal, I'm gonna go drive it around the driveway and get in a more level spot and check it out. But I guess the difference could just be corrected by adjusting the lower shock mount of the coilovers, hence the whole point of adjustable coilovers?

I know this sounds stupid but I just want to be safe rather than sorry...thanks!

 

dude, just make sure everything is nice and torqued, then dont forget to tighten the lug nuts, and take it for a spin around town. After that, park it on a side street real quick, and re-measure.

I think that it's because they are just installed, and havent had the time to fully settle yet. Also, did you disconnect the parking brake yet?

PS: did you get the memo on properly andjusting the spring preload on the stances? You are supposed to only get the lower spring perch hand tight, and when the car is on the ground, the weight supposedly does the rest.

 

every FC i've had has sat pretty far off like that.
the front is usually way more noticable. i believe it was the driveres side that always sat lower, even without me in it.
just adjust the bottom of the coilovers to even everything out.

 

+1 just drive it around

 

I did get the Memo for spring pre-load and did that this morning. The springs on all four corned have been set and even out. It's the height adjustment that is making me second guess.

Okay so I took it out around the block a couple times, came back and proceeded to measure with the same results. The one rear side is lower than the other and the fronts are mismatched a bit as well.

I went to lower the one rear side down to match the other and was quite disappointed to find that side was seized - the threaded shock body won't budge in comparison to the lower shock mount. The other 3 coilovers all move freely in the lower shock mount but one of the rears seems to be stuck. I went to the other side in the rear and had to raise that side up to match it's opposite. Not ideal because I would prefer it as low as possible without rubbing.

How could I free the stuck coilover so that I may lower it.

Is it common to have to make the coilovers much different from side to side to equal out wheel gap and ride height??

 

YES! unless your car has perfect 50/50 CROSS WEIGHT you are gonna sit unevenly. Hence the "adjustable" part.

Think of it this way: you have 2 pretty much identical springs. Now, barring the perfect cross weight, each spring is going to have a different amount of weight on it. What is gonna happen? Each spring is gonna compress to a different height. Again, hence the adjustability.

 

Right, but as much as 1" from side to side?

And what about the one that seems stuck? Has any body had this problem with their own coilovers? I already troed to lube it with WD-40 with no luck. I have penetrating oil I could use but I wanted to ask around on here first.

 

Even with bang-on crossweights (mine are within 5-10 lbs) the gaps may not be even.

 

Word, mine is at 50.6% LF-RR and I still have one of my front seats about a half inch lower.

 

okay so it's not unreasonable to have to move a spring seat 1" or more to make it level in a non corner balanced FC....

Any suggestions to free the the seized unit? Maybe penetrating oil and a vice??

 

corner balance man ..
anyway, did you get yours from Rishie or Stance Usa? Spring Rates? 9/7?
How's the ride so far. is it stiff? bouncy? rough? Smooth? comfortable? thanks

 

I got mine from a forum member, they are barely used at all and were a great deal, except for the one that is stuck.

I only got to drive for a couple miles but they seem great so far, it's a firm ride but that is to be expected, very solid though, not bouncy at all, very smooth but firm. I will be doing much more extensive testing once I can even the ride height out.

My biggest problem is that one of the rears is locked up in the lower shock mount and won't budge. Instead of lowering that one to match the other side I had to raise up the other side.

 

so u got them used for that price u told me? the guy was alil higher then u told me but was new.

 

id say try pb blaster and let it still a couple hours spraying it often

 

xbox, no the price I told you about was of new ones from Rishie. I got mine slightly used from another forum member for about half of that. This is why I don;t normally buy used crap.

I'll try some liquid wrench and see what happens. I already sent Stance an email about it considering they are pretty much brand new.

 

o i see, ouch man good luck with that!
maybe alil heat but dont try alot next to oil in the strut may go boom.

 

I've got a few things in mind before heat. It'll either come loose with penetrating oil or I'll have it repaired/ replaced.

 

I managed to free the stuck lower shock mount. I soaked it with Liquid Wrench for an hour or so and kept knocking on it with a piece of wood while it was soaking. Then I covered the threaded body in multiple layers of cloth and applied liberal force to a giant monkey wrench while the lower mount was held in a vice. It popped loose with minimal effort on the 3 foot monkey wrench and the threads weren't damages at all from the jaws.


My only problem now is that the drivers side of the car is nice and low with half of an inch left in the lowering capablilty while the passenger's side is still higher than I would like while the coilovers are bottomed out. What can I do about this??

 

Raise it to match. My Kei Office also suffer from poor rear ride high adjustment.

 

Yeah but that sucks *****. Literally the entire reason i bought coils was to lower the car as much as possible without rubbing. The drivers side is fine with less than a fingers gap between the tire and fender but the passengers side won't come down past 1/2" from the fender to tire.

I suppose I'll have to match it and let it settle after a few days of driving and go from there. I am more concerned about having both sides equal for decent ride than having it as low as possible, but if it could be both low and safely fast than that's the best.