Looking to buy a pair of Totiko shocks. still unsure what i wanna get in terms of spring.
Right now i have stock OEM suspension setup and is time for an upgrade.

I have a friend that did the "mix and match" setup with shocks and springs and he has a spacing issue. "3 fingers" spacing between front right tire and body, and on the lfront eft side there is "2 finger spacing" between tire and body.

I was wondering if this will occure when i purchase my new shock / spring setup?

 

Sorry, but I don't know what you mean by "mix and match" can you please explain??

I have Eibach Pro-Kits on my tokico illuminas and they work great. Spacing is fine for me although it does drop everything 1". When I installed there wasn't any differing spacing. I have a hard time getting over speed bumps but taking turns are loads of fun.

Randy

 

Mixing and matching is not what causes uneven ride height.

I've heard great things about Eibach Pro-Kit, which I why I have a set ready to install. I'm putting them on some stock touring shocks. This should be a lot better than the stock springs on GAB 8-way shocks that I have now.

Dave

 

What would cause the car to be uneven in terms of spacing?

 

Mix in match in this sense is buying 1 brand of shock and buying a different brand of spring?

I thought this would lead to uneven spacing usually because the way the shock is designed compared to the way the spring sits on the shock ?

 

Spring setup. Using Eibach's, the front will be lower than rear. i.e. you'll have more gap in the rear than in the front.

My car on Eibach's a few years ago:
http://mahjik.homestead.com/files/FD...2/MVC-006F.JPG

My car on Tein S-Tech's more recent:
https://www.rx7club.com/vbgarage.php...ype=im&id=6597

Both shots have the exact same shocks, the Tokico's. If you want "even" gaps all around, you really need to go with coilovers.

 

Mix in match in this sense is buying 1 brand of shock and buying a different brand of spring?

I thought this would lead to uneven spacing usually because the way the shock is designed compared to the way the spring sits on the shock ?

 

The spring "technically" should be match for the shock (and vice versa) but not for those reasons. The spring rate should be matched to the dampening of the shock. However, going with the normal popular street upgrades, it won't be a problem trying to "match" spring/shock combos. If you are competing with your car, then such things are a lot more important.

 

ALright thanks for the insight.

If i were to purchase Tokiko Illumina Gas Shocks, what kind of spring would i be looking for in terms of matching it to that shock?

 

What would cause the car to sit a bit higher on the right side of the car than the right side after installing new spings and shocks?

 

Incorrect installation (including different springs left vs right, or installing 1 rear spring up front, etc)

 

I use Konis with H&R springs and my ride height is consistent on each side of the car. I used new OEM rubber upper shock mounts and spring pads when I did the install. That might have helped keep things consistent.

Note that with Konis you need to make sure that you mount the spring perches in the same way or else it will wind up uneven.

 

it could also be uneven if your frame isn't straight. maybe he got a defective kit, and had different spring rates.

Mahjik:
why change from eibach to s.tech? I have always been a fan of eibach, but not much time in the s.tech. what's your feeling about both?

 

Hmm i dont think he installed them in the wrong coresponding places...
When there are people in the car "added weight" the right side which is the "higher side" will even out with the other side....
were talking like a few milimeteres here...

 

I wanted something stiffer for the track. I'm sure I'll eventually end up with a coilover setup, but this is a nice progression.

 

I just installed some springs last night and noticed that the rear spring perch is plain all the way around. The previous spring left and indentation in the perch rubber where the coil ended. On one side, the new spring clearly lined up with the indentation. On the other (and I checked it twice) the new spring did not line up, and I suspect that after some time the rubber will settle and the car will level out.

Keep in mind that your dampers can also hold the car unevenly, particularly if you just let it down from a jack. Jounce the car up and down a few times before trying to assess the 'finger spacing'.

Dave