K-Sport Owners or Coilover Owners: ???

[L8R]

Okay, I have a wierd situation. Perhaps I don't have enough knowledge on suspension, but hear me out.

I have a set of Ksport coilovers on the car. The passenger rear is slammed all the way down with about a half inch gap between the tire and fender.

I have the driver side rear spring adjusted about half an inch - one inch heigher than the opposing side, but the tire is still rubbing the inner fender on hard turns with barely a 1/4" gap.

Aren't coilovers supposed to be adjust the same on both sides to get about the same gap? Why such the big difference in adjustment?

Thanks.

PS. I hope this make sense (uhm)

 

[18sOnAiR]

Are they adjusted the same from the bottom?

 

[L8R]

Yes they are. Sorry, I forgot to mention that. I made sure before I installed it, I cleaned them and took them apart and reassembled them all exactly the same.

 

[18sOnAiR]

Thats weird then, unless it might need a rebiuld?

 

[srd555]

Hey L8r,

I have the KW coilovers on my MSP, this is the third car I have had coilovers installed on and this is what I have learned.

If you want full performance, you have to get the car corner weighted when you adjust them. I did this with my first car, but I was not happy because the car was visually very crooked. ie all wheel gaps were way different.

With the MSP, I adjusted both fronts equally for one finger gap.Then with the gas tank filled (its more on the drivers side than the passenger side) I adjusted the drivers rear coilover for one finger gap. I then copied the spring perch measurement of the drivers rear to the pass rear.

The result with a full tank is one finger in both front and drivers rear but about one and a half finger gap on the passenger rear.

 

[L8R]

Mmm I see. Thanks for the explanation. This is such a headache, I might just go back to springs and struts...

Thanks again.

 

[18sOnAiR]

try swaping the springs from one side to the other

 

[treybrad]

If you aren't corner weighted, why don't you just adjust the lower perch on the side you want to adjust?? I started out w/ all mine even (off the car), but it was a little off, maybe 1/4" here or there. Just adjust the side you want to change to be where you want it.. that's the joy of coilovers. Mine is dead even L to R, F and R.

(insert pic whoring...)

trey

 

[khaosman]

You might want to check your alignment as well.

 

[L8R]

It is adjusted to be even all around visually, but the R rear is adjusted all the way down and the L rear is about an inch gap.

 

[apexlater]

Each corner of the car is going to carry a different amount of weight. The spring at each corner is going to compress a different amount (at rest).

Ideally, you corner-weight the car before you do the install, and measure from the center of the hub to the fender at full droop and at static load. Once you know how much the stock set up compresses/droops, you can calculate an initial setting for the ride height on the coilovers with whatever spring rates you have.

That was a quick and dirty explanation, but why don't you adjust each corner individually to get the look you are after (ie: same wheel gap).

Also remember that front wheel arches are cut deeper than the rear, so if you go with the same "gap" front and rear the car will actually have a rake with the front being lower than the rear.