Adjusting ride height

[patto1234]

I've got fully adjustable aftermarket suspension on my car and am assuming this means I can adjust the ride height? (I know nothing about any of this). If this is so how can I go about lowering my car a bit more? Is it something I can do myself or do I need to take it to a mechanic?

If someone knows how to do this and could give me a run down of the process that would be great. I would really appreciate any information.

[druzilla32]

yeah you can do it yourself.

are they coilovers?

if so you just need the tool to loosen the fat washer thingy

[patto1234]

Yeah they are coilovers...how do I go about loosening/tightening it all?

[Viper_r32]

ok you can do it yor self but its kind of complex first tou need to word out how much you whant to lower the car.

first mesure the distance from the top of the weel arch to the center of your weel. then jack up the care

now the tool you have will undo the nut to ajust the hight. usaly the nut for ajusting is at the botem of the spring and there is usaly a safty nut that needs to be undun first. when you undo it be carfule to remember how many times you have turned the nut as you will have to do the same for all 4 sptings.

please note ( ajusting the hight of the springs will ajust the tenstion on the spring so lowering the hight will make the ride softer and raising the hight will mack the ride stiffer.

it is better to youse com type of spring clamp when doing this, it can be done with out one for losining the spring to lower the car, bat as all the tenshion from the spring is on the nut it will be verry stiff and reqire quite abit of leverage to undo.

as you ajust the nut keep reelesing the car jack to see how far it has lowerd the car when its on the ground - once its at the point you like titen the safty nut and do the next spring.

after each weel is done mesure it with the mesuring tape to make sure all four weels are at the same high

hope this has been help full - and good luck your ride will look a hole lot sweeter

[n15m0]

Prob best to bring it to your local mechanic. If he's nice enough he prob wouldn't charge you. Watch how he does it the first time and u'll know how to do it next time. You really dun wanna keep on adjusting it and getting the corners at different heights.

[psi]

i know this is an old thread..

however.. the info above is not the best way of doing this job.

The best way is to weigh the car at each wheel while you do it.

I say this because i have seen cars that measure perfectly on the guard to rim measurement, but chew tyres at a different rate to that to which would seem normal.

Some people do drive harder in one direction and so chew tyres more on these sides, roads travelled and the route you take all add to this, but sometimes things just dont add up...

and this is why,

cars are made to a standard. some cars are near on perfect.. some are average and some are right on the edge of being out of the standard range. this goes for squareness and pannel shape. So if you have a car that is not quite perfect and measure your suspension from that.. well you are stuffed!

I know i am taking this to the extreme end of this topic, but..

It is good to know that if your car is not balanced correctly, it can be dangerous to you and your car. To to mention very harmful to your tyres.

After all this height adjustment is done.. get a new wheel alignment! every time YOU adjust anything on the cars suspension, it will change the camber, toe and castor of your car. Set it once, and leave it alone..

Edited March 2, 2008 by psi