I'm having a problem with my rear suspension. It has always sat very high. I thought it was blown struts or something. So I bought the gab struts springs and camber plates user Shield was selling. I put them on and it is lower but I can still fit my whole hand (sideways) between the the quarter panel and the tire. I used to work on BMW's and I remember on most of them if you replaced the bushings and tightened down the bolt while the suspension was still at full droop, when you would put the car on the ground it would do something similar. Is it possible that may be that case with my car? I'm just soooo fed up with the rake on my car I just can't take it anymore. Please help if you can. Thanks.

 

anyone?

 

is your car a s4 4 lug?
if it is that is just the way the car sits i had to buy lowering springs to bring mine down.

 

Buy lowing springs or cut a coil off of the spring.

 

The suspension bushings should be tightened with the suspension loaded, not at full droop. Otherwise, it will sit weird, cause binding, and handling erratic enough to put you into the ditch.

Check over at www.re-speed.com for lowering springs. Great people to deal with.



.

 

^ lol

Don't cut your springs. Get some lowering springs. Also after you put them in the car has to settle so don't expect a humongous drop right away.

 

I have lowering springs. I think someone tightened everything at full droop before I bought the car.

 

Tightening at full droop isn't going to make your car sit abnormally high. Have you drivin the car around since you put the suspension on?

 

not yet. it's still in the build process. i'm hoping to have it running enough next week so that i can take it around the block. As I stated in my first post, BMW's will sit abnormally high if the lower control arm bushings are tightened without any load on them. I'm sure that this is the same deal here, but there is no way for me to know if that's whats going on with my car. It has sat like this since I bought the car. I don't recall what all was done to it before I picked it up.

 

I have an 85 gsl-se and always thought the rear suspension sat a little high but after seeing similar models on the road that look the same, I just thought thats what it was supposed to look like.

 

These cars do have a natural rake to them, but that's not what I'm talking about. Mine was abnormally high, and now that I put lowering springs on it, it sits about at the same level as a stock suspension car. My front is very low using the same springs.

 

Do you have any pictures? What kind of lowering springs are they?

 

I don't have pics yet but should tomorrow. We are under the impression that they are eibach springs mounted on gab sports struts (true JDM).

 

All suspension bushing should receive final tightening while the suspension is fully loaded. Otherwise you can have binding and erratic handling issues.

Make sure you don't have an extra bushing sitting between the top of the rear shocks and the shock tower. Sometimes they'll get stuck up in there and don't get noticed...

 

My thoughts exactly. I just need to fab up some other stuff before I can push it around and then I will get it all under control.

 

Well, I loosened the bolts on the trailing arms and set the car back on the ground. That didn't do anything for me. So I had a couple of friends push down on the back. Still nothing. So I thought, "Maybe the bushings are seized or something." So I left the bolts loose, took the struts out and put the wheels back on to lower it down. Nothing changed. I'm starting to think that something is seriously bent. I've looked at it time and time again, but to no avail. It sits higher on the passenger side than the drivers side. When the suspension is in, you can fit 3 fingers in between the tire and quarter panel on the drivers side. On the pass. side however, I can fit my whole hand sideways. Any new ideas?

 

I noticed this issue on my 85 gsl-se. It wasnt as extreme a difference btwn right and left suspension levels as you have but still very similar. My car has stiffer stuts than stock and a front control arm, but other than that its stock. After driving the heck out of my car and taking some hard turns I found the suspension sat lower and even. Have someone drive behind you and check it then check it after you drive it. this may not be the solution but may help your diagnosis.