coilovers not low enough... why???

[o5i2]

hey, so i just got a great deal on some d2 coilovers for my s13. i originally had lowering springs/shocks which left around 3 finger gaps in the back and 4 in the front.
i just installed the d2 rears on my car, but theres like still 3 finger gaps left?? it looks exactly the same as before. i twisted bottom perch all the way up. the lower spring seat just tight enough so that the spring does not move.
so my questions is how do people get their cars lower than 3 fingers gap? any input would be appreciated. thanks
-barry

[AN89HATCH]

hey, so i just got a great deal on some d2 coilovers for my s13. i originally had lowering springs/shocks which left around 3 finger gaps in the back and 4 in the front.
i just installed the d2 rears on my car, but theres like still 3 finger gaps left?? it looks exactly the same as before. i twisted bottom perch all the way up. the lower spring seat just tight enough so that the spring does not move.
so my questions is how do people get their cars lower than 3 fingers gap? any input would be appreciated. thanks
-barry

So you preloaded it, but did you now lower the car from the bottom of the shock?? you should beable to spin the whole shock to lower it, after you preload it

[o5i2]

hmm. what do you mean by preloading it? basically what i had to do was put the whole coilover together. heres what i did: i loaded up the spring from the bottom, then i put in the spring seat fairly tight, then the seat lock, then the lock for the bottom piece, then i twisted the bottom piece all the way up (so basically the unit is the shortest i can be). is this normal? also the spring rate for the back is 5 and the fronts are 7, if it makes a difference.
-barry

[dvdevo]

you shoulda searched before you bought these. But the rears dont lower that much, unless you lower the spring like wayy down in the rear. But thats probably bad for the shock.

[o5i2]

damn it! so basically im stuck with the rear gap? i think one side is 3 fingers and the other is 4. is it going to settle?
-barry

[dvdevo]

go on aim.

[AN89HATCH]

you shoulda searched before you bought these. But the rears dont lower that much, unless you lower the spring like wayy down in the rear. But thats probably bad for the shock.

hmm i do not think that is true, on my d2's, i can slam my car in the rear while keeping a preload. You should be able to use the tool to unscrew the bottom of the shcok, then spin the shock so it goes down. this will lower your car and you will have a preload

[AN89HATCH]

hmm. what do you mean by preloading it? basically what i had to do was put the whole coilover together. heres what i did: i loaded up the spring from the bottom, then i put in the spring seat fairly tight, then the seat lock, then the lock for the bottom piece, then i twisted the bottom piece all the way up (so basically the unit is the shortest i can be). is this normal? also the spring rate for the back is 5 and the fronts are 7, if it makes a difference.
-barry

hmm my rears do not have a finger gap, and i can still lower it like anotehr 3 inches while keeping it preloaded.

[dvdevo]

interesting...we d2 owners should get together and talk about how crappy our shit is hahaha..
Jk, its not that crappy, coilovers are coilovers..

[o5i2]

im very interested in what you are saying, but i cant seem to come up with a visual. i have already twisted the bottom till it cant spin anymore. do you happen to have a pic or sumthing?
-barry

[dvdevo]

probalby ahve to ask him for a pic of the car jacked up.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/tehdvd/ResizeofIMG_2514.jpg

[MovinUp-1]

its not that crappy, coilovers are coilovers..


Well if all you're going to do is use them to set your ride height then, yes, any coilover will do. The price of a coilover shock setup greatly depends on the quality of the shock. The spring and threaded sleeve are not much of a factor at all.

The problem is that the shock is where the handling performance comes from. In order for some of these coilover manufacturers to sell these systems so cheap they have to use less effective (cheaper) shocks. For an autocross car the shock is the second most important part of the handling of the car, tires are #1. With a quality shock like a koni, for example, adjustments in the shock setting yield very different handling characteristics on a properly setup car. I can make a 1/4 turn adjustment on my rear shocks and change how the car can exit the corners. This is invaluable for tuning the car to different course conditions.

Now if the car isn't being used for serious competition then most any old coilover will do. But when you're competing on a clock measured to the thousandth of a second you need the best shock you can afford.

[Dousan_PG]

shouldhave got some decent coilovers
my tanabe DD i can eaily tuck 17" wheels retardedly low if i wanted. the 'suggseted' setting already tucks tire
haha

[Wei240]

yeah, i have about 1 finger, if that, on the rears, and can go more

of course you can go with larger rims w/ larger tires to eliminate gap somewhat...

[o5i2]

yeah, i know theres a huge difference between quality coilovers and budget ones, but i got these for cheap so i cant complain much. so my questions is how come some of you can get it lower then dvd and i? i'll take some pics later.
-barry

[dvdevo]

yeah, i know theres a huge difference between quality coilovers and budget ones, but i got these for cheap so i cant complain much. so my questions is how come some of you can get it lower then dvd and i? i'll take some pics later.
-barry


hahah maybe we dont know what we're doing. i think i can lower the rear more.

[91CRXsiR]

what size are your tires? they look kinda low pro. that might be why there is such a large gap

[sr240mike]

Have you driven the car with the settings yet?? I know mine dropped at least another 1/2" after some spirited driving. I know I can tuck the wheels on the lowest setting.

[publicenemy137]

I have D2s and I have no fender gap at all. It's also not the lowest it can go

[o5i2]

my tires are 195 50 15, and i have 3 or 4 finger gaps on the lowest setting (im talking about the rears btw). i know i can drop it lower if i lower the spring perch, but that'll kill the shock. my question for everyone who slammed their car on d2s is: when the car is jacked up, does the top of the spring touch the mount? i cant seem to find the reason as to why mines is so high.
-barry

[AN89HATCH]

my tires are 195 50 15, and i have 3 or 4 finger gaps on the lowest setting (im talking about the rears btw). i know i can drop it lower if i lower the spring perch, but that'll kill the shock. my question for everyone who slammed their car on d2s is: when the car is jacked up, does the top of the spring touch the mount? i cant seem to find the reason as to why mines is so high.
-barry

When i jack up my car, my tires barely even move away from the fender. Also when i jack my car, the top of the spring is touching the top of the mount (pre loaded) and this is on the rears also. I just preloaded the shock, then loosend that fitting on the bottom, then spun the whole shock to lower the rear while keeping the "top of the spring touching the mount" by the way, my rears are lower than that red car in the pick, and my springs are not loose they are pre loaded.

[nightwalker]

you get what you pay for sucka!

[o5i2]

lol, i have no idea then. i give up.
-barry

[MovinUp-1]

you do understand that you cannot preload all 4 springs. Only one pair diagonally from each other can be preloaded.

[o5i2]

well it didnt come with any papers, so i assumed that they all needed to be preloaded. but if what you say is true, this further confuses the situation. i can get it to my desirable height if i dont preload the springs, but i dont want to compromise the coilover life.
-barry

[boost infested]

u guys need to learn how to use your coilovers ROFL....

[s13gonwild]

ill buy them of ya since they are defected :) hehe are you sure your using them correctly?

[AN89HATCH]

you do understand that you cannot preload all 4 springs. Only one pair diagonally from each other can be preloaded.

what are you talking about?? All of my springs are preloaded, and my car is slamed

[MovinUp-1]

My apologies, I was very tired when I posted that. What I should have said was that you can only change the preload by diagonal pairs on a car.