4x4 MX5 - coilovers not low enough

Sheck · Postby **Sheck** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 9:33 pm

Hey guys, just recived and installed my new coils. I've adjusted the shock body as low as it'll go and i have some pre-tension wound into the springs. Just wondering what effects i'll have if i lower the spring perch height enough to have the car at a asuitable height.

The spring will most likely nolonger touch the top hat when at full extension (ie when the car is jacked up) if i do this.

The car has a two finger gap in hte front and just over two in the rear. I want to lower it back down to the 1 finger gap i had with my teins in the front and either keep the rear as is or lower a little.

Cheers guys!
Dave

PS the car drives great, alot more snappy into the drift but also more controlled once out there. And that was with the shocks set to full soft :mrgreen:

.

CT · Postby CT » Fri Jan 19, 2007 3:11 pm

If the spring is slightly untrapped that's usually not an issue at full droop as especially for a drifter, you will probably never be at full droop. Hardcore suspension guys don't like it but it is very common in race cars and not something I'd be too worried about.

Sheck · Postby **Sheck** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 4:59 pm

Cheers for that!
I'll prolly be dropping it today or sunday.
I figure sine i wound a descent amount of preload into them i might get the right height with them just touching the tops at full droop, thats if the springs have enough give in them.

Dave

Juffa · Postby **Juffa** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 6:33 pm

Keep in mind that the suspension will settle over a period time. What might be too high this week, will be perfect next week.

J

Sheck · Postby **Sheck** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 7:54 pm

Yea was thinking that at the start but its a good 10mm higher than what i want, doubt the suspension will settle that much. Either way i'll just raise it if need be.

Gonna be a bit of a mission to lower, i just ruined one of the bolts i had to undo on the coils :oops:

its a allen key head bolt that holds the spring seat in place by squeezing the opening together of the C-shaped spring seat. (dont know why they didnt just make it a ring lock system with c-spanner like the base adjustment :roll:

)

It was a size 5 metric allen key and the bloody thing just turned inside the head on me, just spent a couple of hrs trying to get it out.
Thinking that i'll buy one of those things that you drill in to the head but the thread on it is reversed so it will back the bolt out - not sure what its called.

If anyone has any ideas then chime in.

Annoyed/disappointed-in-myself,
Dave

Juffa · Postby **Juffa** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 10:46 pm

Sheck wrote:Yea was thinking that at the start but its a good 10cm higher than what i want, doubt the suspension will settle that much. Either way i'll just raise it if need be.

Dave

Was the suspension compressed when you tightened it up? I usually have car on stands when I work on the suspension. As I finish each corner I compress the suspension on that corner by using the Mazda jack to raise/compress the suspension. I have read that if you don't do this the bushes can be damaged as they need to be compressed when the nuts/bolts are tightened. This also ensure that car is at the correct ride height.

J

Sheck · Postby **Sheck** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 8:07 am

Oops i ment 10mm (fixed now)

No i didnt have the suspension compressed when i tightened the bolts, didnt think of that - didnt realise it would make a difference.

The suspension was shorter than the old teins but the teins had a bit more give in them, and since i preloaded the springs i'm pretty sure that why the new coils arent sagging/setteling down.

Cheers for that, i'll probably do it properly when i get new bushes.

Dave

Sheck · Postby **Sheck** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 5:23 pm

Bought that easy out thing and went to drill the bolt. It's was stainless steel so about a minute of drilling got me a little indentation on the botom of the head of the bolt.

I thought \"F\"!!! this i had sprayed wd40 on the bolt before i started drilling to get the threa lubed up, and i found another size 5 allen headed drive so i hammered that thing in pretty hard, and it came loose!!! woot!!!

I've lowered the spring seat as far as i dare (getting pretty close to the top control arm, which it cannot pass through) but the car is still a little high. I think i'm going to have to get a pair of shorter springs or just get mine cut by a coil or two. This should let me lower the car to an acceptable level and have plenty of clerance in the upper control arm.

Oh and a bought a new bolt for $1.50.

Got an alignment done, before i lowered the car, and they could only manage -1.5deg camber :cry:

so the car being higher has reduced my camber - i noticed it increased a little when i lowered it so it should be between 1.5 and 2.
I also picked up a pair of RT215's off the for sale section. Initial driving isnt so impressive considering how much they get talked up. They are better than my Kumho SPT's but not a huge amount. I'm guessing they need some more camber to work better..

Dave

Sheck · Postby **Sheck** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 5:11 pm

They are Aragotsa coilovers from japan and its on an NA6CE ('89 import model).

Dave

Postby **Okibi** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 7:43 pm

Where's the photos ! :mrgreen:

Sheck · Postby **Sheck** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 10:18 pm

They should be up tomorrow if i'm not doing anything else.

Got a pic of the two front coils on the scales before the install, they came up at 5.5kg and when i took the spring off they were seriously 2 thirds of the whole mass. (oh spring and bottom mounting bracket which was also steel).

Dave

Sheck · Postby **Sheck** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:58 pm

yea the stock spring rates are 5 and 4, but i've got 8 and 6 for mine.

On full soft on the dampers they are as smooth as silk and i've got em set at 5 front and 6 rear (out of 15 clicks) and it still rides nice but it prolly a touch on the stiff side for what most ppl would like. I'm prolly gonna play with the settings a bit more at the next drift day.

Dave