Coilover advice for a daily. Do's and Don'ts?

[Mr240dude]

How is everyone? Had some questions about coilovers. I'm pretty noob when it comes to suspension so I needed to be clear on some things. Well I ordered a pair of JSK coilovers http://www.ebay.com/itm/JSK-89-94-240SX ... 25&vxp=mtr

Before I get flamed, these coils fit my budget and I read really good reviews on them. They'll be used for daily driving no track. I am not sure on what settings should these be on for the streets? What dampening level would suffice and the recommended level of a drop is. I want my car noticeable low that's for sure, but not to the point where I'm dodging pebbles. My car's on 16" XXR2 wheels on 205/55 tires I believe. Is there anything else suggested to have before installing?

Would my tires rub or nicely tuck? I know this sounds repetitively noobish but I want this to go right the first time with no headaches. My ebay springs and worn struts are making me sick to my stomach, bouncing like a pair of DD boobs.

Any feedback appreciated!

[adrianfromthecastle]

Don't mess with the preload. Most companies recommend setting the preload to zero. Also, for break in, if I recall correctly, set the damper settings to stiff for the first few weeks or so. correct me if I'm wrong...

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Yeah for coilovers with adjustable mounts, the preload should just be set such that you can't bounce the spring up and down between perches during full droop of the suspension.

I've always just set the damper towards the soft side to start, then cranked it up as needed. I would think for break-in purposes, you'd want as much travel as possible.

[Mr240dude]

Thanks guys, so the dampening settings means how stiff the ride is? You guys suggest I place that on stiff to start with?

Also would it be wise to lower the coils to max or am I going to scrape every bit of my exhaust? With the crappy springs I have on now, I sometimes scrape my catback on driveways and dips...I don't understand how some of these guys get away with being 4" dropped.

Lastly I'll just need an alignment afterwards correct? Thanks for the feedback.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Yeah, spring rate and damping coefficient translate to how stiff the ride is... but they don't exactly make adjustable spring rate, so the best they can do is pair an adjustable damper with a sort of middle of the road spring. Too loose of a damper and you'll get a bouncy ride. Too stiff almost takes the spring out of the equation and you'll have a lot of the road transferring into the vehicle going over things.

You usually don't want to lower your coils to max low. In fact, I highly doubt you have the necessary hardware to correct for camber and other alignment problems if you do. If you start out with a ride similar to what you have now, that should give you a baseline for where you want your damper settings, as well as reduce the need for an alignment afterwards. You'll also be able to tell if you still scrape as much as you do currently.

[Mr240dude]

Definitely don't want to mimick the ride I have now. I'm on really bad ebay lowering springs on old struts. The car bounces like crazy. I just hope the coils will fix that issue as I want a stiffer ride. I notice the company states for street use adjust dampening from 11-15. Perhaps I should start with 11?

I know I will try at least a 2" drop and see where that leaves me.

One last question, not to be a pain in the a**. How hard is it to adjust coilovers? I ask because the shop I go to isn't certified however they're good and affordable. Been going there for years. One they're installed can it be adjusted while on a jack?

Thanks!

[PapaSmurf2k3]

I didn't say to mimick the ride, just mimick the height. If you're already bottoming out, you don't really want to go lower.

Damping is easy to adjust whenever you want. Just lay on the ground and twist the knob. Ride height, not so much. You have to jack it up and usually take the wheel off.

[Mr240dude]

Alright thanks. I'm currently lowered about 1.75" so maybe 2" is out the question.

Sounds good, thanks again Smurf.

[AZhitman]

Some good install articles here as well: http://www.240sxtech.com/

[Hijacker]

You can probably go to 2" if you want to. The limiting factor of how low can you go on standard factory struts are the bump stops. Most coilovers are short bodied dampers with adjustable spring perches. That basically allows you to position the bump stop within a range that allows the damper to work properly even at lower ride heights.

[Mr240dude]

Thanks guys. That article is quite useful too. I will give feedback once they're installed.

[waxdnuggz]

yes you can adjust the coils while on a jack. it comes with 2 wrenches. the bottom ring on the coils prevents the spindle "mount" from rotating when you loosen the ring obviously it allows it to rotate. now while having the ring loose rotate the entire assembly clockwise to lower it.

keep track how many full rotations you are doing so you can duplicate the same action to the other side and it will be even.



like stated above you dont want to mess with the preload. the preload should only be changed if you have the equipment you measure it. you usually adjust preload to center the weight to the middle of the car or to stiffin some blown coils


think of it like this. say the car weighs 2000lbs with you in it. ideally you want 500lbs at every corner. well chances are that wont happen seeing how youll be in the driver seat. so you would adjust preload in the front driver side to be stiffer and the rear pass side softer to counter-act and equal the load. in order to do this you need wheel scales and s*** like that.

sorry to drag this on but this is actually stuff you need to think about and understand because its not slap any coils on your car and go.

lowering your car too much actually does more damage then good. when lowering the body down it lowers your control arm angles and puts your suspension geometry out of wack causing bump steer and poor cornering straight line effects. and you should always pay the 75$ for an alignment after any suspension mods. not being aligned properly puts tremendous stress on the parts and wears out bushings, wheels bearings, calipers and mounting points can actually warp.

just my $0.02 + and then some

[adrianfromthecastle]

I've always just set the damper towards the soft side to start, then cranked it up as needed. I would think for break-in purposes, you'd want as much travel as possible.

really? I heard the opposite...

[Mr240dude]

This sounds silly but is the dampening done with the knob on the toppest part of the coilover? It's marked with a + and - sign?

I just hope this shop has no problems with this install lol. Perhaps a youtube video will be adequate.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

I've always just set the damper towards the soft side to start, then cranked it up as needed. I would think for break-in purposes, you'd want as much travel as possible.

really? I heard the opposite...

From a purely theoretical standpoint, the lower the damping coefficient, the more your suspension will travel, and you sort of want that to help your bushings and springs seat.

OP- damping adjustment is usually located on the shock tube itself, near the base, although it is different for different coilovers sometimes. Which ones are you looking at getting?

[Mr240dude]

I picked up some JSK and notice there are knobs on top of the coilover marked with plus and negatives. I read good things and hope these suffice for daily driving.

[Hijacker]

It depends on the company where they locate the adjustment knob which is dependent on the type of valve they use for adjustment. I don't know why you keep hoping the shop can install a set of coilovers. It's pretty basic stuff and if I was worried a shop couldn't replace a set of shocks, I'd never take my vehicle to them in the first place.

[Mr240dude]

Well they don't have an alignment machine. They said it's better I go somewhere that can align it while it's installed. Not sure what that's suppose to mean. Well I'll go back and have them do it.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Any idiot can get close enough to drive to the alignment shop. they wont be adjusting toe so it isn't a big deal. You could probably drive for months after getting the coilovers swapped.

[Mr240dude]

Lol exactly. I'm having them install it in the next hour lets see what they say now.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

ha yeah, where are you located? If its close, I'll come by and swap them and charge you as much as they would hahah.

[Mr240dude]

I'm in New York what about you? So they installed them turns out they were having trouble adjusting the height. My rear is about 1.5" and they claim the front can only go like 1.2" wtf? Said the spring would rattle...I wanted a 2" drop all around.

I set these suckers on stiff back breaking but much better handling.
Anyways I'll go to someone who knows what they're doing. I'm just not slammed enough.

[TheRoadShark]

If theyre talking about the spring rattling, then odds are they're messing with the wrong adjustment. I would guess that they're trying to lower it by reducing the preload on the spring. You're supposed to lower them by spinning the shock body further into the lower mount. Take them to someone else.

[Mr240dude]

Do I have anything to worry about since they tampered with the preload? I will definitely bring them somewhere else on Monday.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

you should be fine waiting til Monday. This shop sounds utterly retarded and everyone involved with it should be stripped of their man card.

[TheRoadShark]

This shop sounds utterly retarded and everyone involved with it should be stripped of their man card.

Do I have anything to worry about since they tampered with the preload? I will definitely bring them somewhere else on Monday.

Just have the new competent shop check and reset the preload if it needs it. Otherwise, yeah, you should be fine.

[Razi]

Here's a decent video made by Fortune Auto about setting up preload.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHwwEn3x7Zc[/youtube]
The spring should never be loose enough to rattle.

[Mr240dude]

Very informative video btw. I'm also hearing noises from the front when I steer my wheel hope it's nothing serious. Is that the preload they over done? Wish one of you guys were in the new york area lol.