Blown shocks or improperly installed coilovers?

[altimas]

Hi, I just put on a set of (used) jic-flt2s on my s13 and noticed that the ride was very bouncy. I've read that this could be the cause of blown shocks.

Then again, my friend took a look at them and said that there was no preload on them at all (when lifted) and that the spring had about 1cm of play (up and down).

So my question is, if I adjust the upper collar to get rid of that 1cm of play, will that fix my bouncing problem (does it even affect it at all?), or should I start shopping for new coilovers?

Thanks in advance!

[naed240sx]

Most people run coilovers without preload. Most s chassis coilovers don't really require it.

However, there should not be any freeplay in the spring with the car off the ground. This is called spring droop, and while 1cm isn't very much, it's still better not to have any, because drooping spring will cause accelerated damper wear.

If they are bouncy, they are blown. End of story. Removing the droop won't make a noticeable difference.

[94_240sx]

They are most like blown. Time for a new set of coilovers. Have heard many people saying that don't ever buy or install used coilovers if you don't know what they've gone through.

[rb20det_pwr]

wat do you mean by "bouncy"? like, you are bouncing in your seat? or does the car continue to bounce after going over a bump?

[altimas]

wat do you mean by "bouncy"? like, you are bouncing in your seat? or does the car continue to bounce after going over a bump?

Both, actually. I guess it's time to start shopping for some new coilovers. Thanks for all the replies!

[rb20det_pwr]

YOU are bouncing because of the stiffer springs..If the car feels heavy and the car goes up and down like 3 times after a bump then ya theyre probably blown..

[naed240sx]

YOU are bouncing because of the stiffer springs..If the car feels heavy and the car goes up and down like 3 times after a bump then ya theyre probably blown..

not really.

Bouncing/oscillating = blown

Rising and falling with every rise and dip in the road = Stiff suspension.

[Gruppe-S]

You sh

Hi, I just put on a set of (used) jic-flt2s on my s13 and noticed that the ride was very bouncy. I've read that this could be the cause of blown shocks.

Then again, my friend took a look at them and said that there was no preload on them at all (when lifted) and that the spring had about 1cm of play (up and down).

So my question is, if I adjust the upper collar to get rid of that 1cm of play, will that fix my bouncing problem (does it even affect it at all?), or should I start shopping for new coilovers?

Thanks in advance!

You should always be pre-loading your coilovers. The reason for this is that on most cars the upper mounts need to pivot when turning, and if there is not enough pre-load this will sometimes cause coil bind and noise. Furthermore a lack of preloading can effect the designed compression / rebound height of the shock.

Generally speaking JIC coilovers are very stiff to the point where they can feel they are oversprung, but may not necessarily be blown.

Cheers,

GaryGruppe-S

[~4N~]

Can I have your blown coilovers if you're getting rid of them?

[naed240sx]

You should always be pre-loading your coilovers. The reason for this is that on most cars the upper mounts need to pivot when turning, and if there is not enough pre-load this will sometimes cause coil bind and noise.

You have to realize that when the car is resting on the suspension, there is plenty of force in the spring to cause the upper mounts to pivot. Preload won't make much of a difference.

Yes, preload will affect compression and rebound travel, but this does not mean that 0 preload is not the intended amount on a specific brand. It's up to the user.