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FD3S rear end loose not stable :( HELP!!!!!!

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Old Dec 15, 2012 | 03:41 PM
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FD3S rear end loose not stable :( HELP!!!!!!

Hello need some massive help my rear end is loose and it's been like that since I bought it when i make hard turns it feels like I'm on a boat it's all over the place..... I want it stiff so that if I auto x or just take a sharp turn I'm not gonna die lol.... I have bc racing damper kit and a Kaaz 1.5 way super Q...... Also the passenger side sits higher then the driver side........ I have the passenger side coil over screwed all the way down and drivers side coil over screwed all the way up so it would match sides.. It wasn't always like that but I had to keep make adjustments till where its screwed all the way down and all the way up
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Old Dec 15, 2012 | 04:08 PM
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Would something like this work???

Suspension Techniques Sway Bar Sets 52185 - SummitRacing.com
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Old Dec 15, 2012 | 06:03 PM
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Start by having the car corner balanced.
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Old Dec 16, 2012 | 05:09 AM
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You should have an experienced racer or mechanic look over the car for wrongly installed or failed parts and help you correct them.

I would guess you have a blown rear shock.

You should not adjust your suspension as you have; it can lead to very treacherous handling.

Brakes, suspension, steering and passenger safety devices aren't things you should work on before you have a solid understanding of what you are doing and how it will effect the vehicle.

Its a downside to the popularity and affordability of adjustable suspension pieces recently, many more dangerous and unpredictable handling cars being driven fast.
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Old Dec 16, 2012 | 08:19 AM
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wow, something to use your adjective, is "massively" wrong...

if i read you right you have one side spring all the way up and the other all the way down.

just ballparking, most coil overs have at least a couple of inches of adj and considering the leverage envolved in the the rear the body would move 1.4 times the shock adj!

something major is wrong here so i second Blue TII's comments about having someone long on experience take a look.

it probably wouldn't be a shock issue. ride height is determined by the spring. even though many shocks are internally pressurized the amount is not enough to be load bearing unless you consider 15 pounds to be measurable. i know this from having owned a shock dyno for a number of years.

maybe you have a front spring on the rear? maybe you have one spring w a very very different rate? perhaps the upper spring mount is missing or doubled on one side?

whatever it is, it is major, and shouldn't be difficult to find once you remove the rear two coil overs.

once you straighten it out that might solve your loose condition.

to further dial your car do the following in order:

set cold tire pressures at 30 front, 27 rear

set ride height at 25 inches front and rear at wheel wells (you must set ride height first as it will effect camber)

set camber at negative 1.4 degreees

set toe at 1/8 in front

set toe at zero rear

set rear shocks at a couple of clicks from full soft

set front shocks at mid range


pls do let us know what you find re the rear shocks.

howard
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Old Dec 16, 2012 | 11:00 AM
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Is the driver side and passenger side the same height at the front? The only thing I can think of right now, to cause such a big difference in height at the rear, is that maybe one of your rear upper control arms is on upside down. Can you remove each rear wheel and take a picture of the suspension on each side?
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Old Dec 16, 2012 | 01:42 PM
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The only reason like Howard said to have the spring perch that different (completely opposite) is the springs are not the same or something is seriously bent. A control arm or the frame itself.
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Old Dec 16, 2012 | 09:18 PM
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As soon as I get some time or a day off I will take pics of the shocks in the back
.....the front is the same on both sides but for some reason the steering pulls uncontrollable to the left and the steering it feels like the cars wants to steer in all directions but straight gotta tell you very scarey when hitting full throttle with 531hp to the wheels lol I strong arm the **** out of the steering wheel and hope for the best I know my luck will only last so long so I thought now we be a good time to fix it
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Old Dec 17, 2012 | 04:23 PM
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You can also reach around the back of the rear tire and snap a quick picture of the suspension. A picture of each side will give us a better idea of what you're dealing with.
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Old Dec 17, 2012 | 06:49 PM
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"steer in all directions but straight"

you no doubt have a number of things to fix but just not going straight (hunting) is generally caused by a lack of front toe (in).

howard
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Old Dec 18, 2012 | 10:54 AM
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Gonna take pics when I get home
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Old Dec 18, 2012 | 09:11 PM
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Old Dec 18, 2012 | 09:14 PM
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I took pics of the springs and outside the ride height so u can see how it the same height on both sides but one spring is screwed all the way in and the other is screwed all the way out.....like I said something is massively wrong!!!!!!!
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Old Dec 19, 2012 | 03:07 PM
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Judging by the pictures, your coilovers may be adjusted improperly. One of them is probably adjusted by moving, and compressing, the spring to raise that side of the car up. The other coilover is probably height adjusted by moving the shock body up or down without messing with the spring's preload.

Check out these two videos to give you an idea of what I'm talking about:

This one shows how to lower/raise the coilover without messing with the spring preload:

This one shows how to set the preload about halfways into the video:
BC Racing Coilover Spring Change and Preload Adjustment on Vimeo

Properly set the preload for both coilovers and adjust both of them so the shock body is set the same. You can fine tune the height adjustment like the first video shows. This is a good starting point and may fix your issues. I'd check the front coilovers as well just so you know that all four are set properly and go from there.
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Old Dec 19, 2012 | 06:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Juan
Judging by the pictures, your coilovers may be adjusted improperly. One of them is probably adjusted by moving, and compressing, the spring to raise that side of the car up. The other coilover is probably height adjusted by moving the shock body up or down without messing with the spring's preload.

Check out these two videos to give you an idea of what I'm talking about:

This one shows how to lower/raise the coilover without messing with the spring preload:
How to adjust BC Coilovers correctly - YouTube

This one shows how to set the preload about halfways into the video:
BC Racing Coilover Spring Change and Preload Adjustment on Vimeo

Properly set the preload for both coilovers and adjust both of them so the shock body is set the same. You can fine tune the height adjustment like the first video shows. This is a good starting point and may fix your issues. I'd check the front coilovers as well just so you know that all four are set properly and go from there.
BRO are you for real??? of course i know how to lower coil overs lol you can see in the pic the passenger side is screwed all the way into the sleeve thats why the two gold peices are to close together and on the other one theyre far apart....
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Old Dec 19, 2012 | 06:44 PM
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Check out your control arm bushings
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Old Dec 19, 2012 | 06:46 PM
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That's the only thing that makes sense. I've ha this issue before in a fiero but it was a balljoint. The bushing would be the same on 7
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Old Dec 19, 2012 | 09:53 PM
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Originally Posted by buffrx7
BRO are you for real??? of course i know how to lower coil overs lol you can see in the pic the passenger side is screwed all the way into the sleeve thats why the two gold peices are to close together and on the other one theyre far apart....
Your picture doesnt tell me that you properly adjusted your coilovers before seeking help here and I have no way of knowing that based on any of your posts. All it shows is one with the spring collar very high and one with it very low.
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Old Dec 19, 2012 | 10:03 PM
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take a sec and read my post i clearly said they are the same height on both sides......but one is screwed all the way in the sleeve the other is screwed all the way out......if you look at the pics i posed you can see the tire height off the wheel on each wheel and you can see the inside how its CLEARLY screwed all the way...the only thing ive ever adjusted is the lower part.................and you are correct one is high and one is low but its still the same ride height on both ends
.....if you dont know the answer another words dont chalk it up to me adjusting the coilovers wrong...ive adjusted them correctly from the bottom yet the problem is still there

Last edited by buffrx7; Dec 19, 2012 at 10:15 PM.
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Old Dec 19, 2012 | 10:16 PM
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If one is high and one is low and the car sits at the same right height then something is installed wrong or SERIOUSLY bent. Is it possible to install an a arm upside down?

What is the spring length of both sides with the spring under no load including preload?
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Old Dec 19, 2012 | 11:31 PM
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Originally Posted by buffrx7
Hello need some massive help my rear end is loose and it's been like that since I bought it
This makes it sound like the coilovers were already installed when you bought the car and you havent pinpointed the problem. Your post never mentioned that you, personally, installed them and I never said that you installed them wrong either. Now I did say that they may have been installed wrong as it's unclear if your car came with them installed or not but I never put the blame on you. I merely provided some info and video links to help you adjust them properly to start from zero. This way all 4 are exactly the same and we have a baseline to work with to try and help you better.

Originally Posted by buffrx7
Also the passenger side sits higher then the driver side........ I have the passenger side coil over screwed all the way down and drivers side coil over screwed all the way up so it would match sides.. It wasn't always like that but I had to keep make adjustments till where its screwed all the way down and all the way up
Theres no mention of the sleeve being adjusted here or what was specifically "screwed down/up."

Originally Posted by buffrx7
take a sec and read my post i clearly said they are the same height on both sides......but one is screwed all the way in the sleeve the other is screwed all the way out......if you look at the pics i posed you can see the tire height off the wheel on each wheel and you can see the inside how its CLEARLY screwed all the way...the only thing ive ever adjusted is the lower part.................and you are correct one is high and one is low but its still the same ride height on both ends
.....if you dont know the answer another words dont chalk it up to me adjusting the coilovers wrong...ive adjusted them correctly from the bottom yet the problem is still there
No need to get defensive and assume everyone thinks you broke your car. I'm going to un-suscribe from this thread but I hope you fix your problem. Merry Christmas!
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Old Dec 20, 2012 | 12:39 PM
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you can't tell anything from those pictures.

jack up the back of the car and take the wheels off. it should be pretty obvious what is bent by what looks like close to 3 inches....

or you just have different springs rates/a defective spring on the back, but I doubt it.

It looks to me like the upper control arm on the side that's longer is pretty bent up. but I can't tell for sure.


PS - be a bit nicer to complete strangers that are trying to help you... you'll find they're a lot more helpful when you are.
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Old Dec 20, 2012 | 02:03 PM
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Your right ill be nicer just didn't like that he was insinuating that I didn't know what I was doing like I'm Dumb lol.........I will take the wheels off and take more detailed pics
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Old Dec 21, 2012 | 08:23 AM
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Originally Posted by buffrx7
Your right ill be nicer just didn't like that he was insinuating that I didn't know what I was doing like I'm Dumb lol.........I will take the wheels off and take more detailed pics
If you knew what you were doing you would not need to make a thread asking how to fix a problem because you would know how to fix it.


Was this car ever hit?

What do the camber settings look like on each side? Is one cam adjusted more than the other?

Looks like the driver(?) side upper control arm is bent based on the pics ( the one with the coil adjusted to be longer free length than the other.)
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Old Dec 21, 2012 | 08:46 AM
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I don't spend timing helping members with attitudes like yours, which has become all too common lately. You know what you're doing, I'm sure you'll figure it out
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