Adjusting New Coilovers On R33 Gtst

[SKYNET]

I've got a set of new HSD "TT" street coilovers

I can fit them myself but how do you set them up [on the car] so there all the same height?

I've set them up them so that front/rears look the same but when i fit them there going to need to be re-adjusted

Do measure the distance from top of gaurd to ground/take wheel off/adjust coilover/lower/measure/repeat

till fronts/rears are the same???

[Deano 1]

id like to no this too

[mark660]

book it into a suspension shop to get the car corner balanced and they can set the height at the same time.

[R.C]

If they're new you may get some instruction sheets with guidelines, if not just set all the spring seats at a simalar height for each pair so that the spring is just fully captured and not loose. I think the TT have an adjustable spring seat as well as height adjustment on the shock body, if so just follow some simple steps:

Before installing, check the distance between the spring seat and the bottom lock nut for the shock body, make sure they are same between the front pair and rear pair respectively. This way they will basically be even when installed depending on the weight balance of the car and how closely matched the spring rates are.

Install them on the car, then with the wheels on drop the car and compress the suspension a few times by leaning/bouncing on each corner to settle them.

Make sure you're on flat, level ground.

Measure the height between the top of the wheel arch and centre of the wheel at each corner, this is what is usully used when expressing ride height.

If it is not where you want it, jack the required corner up, undo bottom shock body lock nut and wind the shock body either in or out until you get the desired height change. WARNING!! Tighten the bottom lock nut securely after any adjustment! You can cause damage if it becomes loose during driving.

Repeat above steps until you get the height you want.

Good idea to take it for a quick drive, let the suspension settle a bit then recheck each corner height again from top of arch and centre of wheel. They are likely to move a little at first especially if they're new.

You could go to the trouble of corner weighting, but not absolutely necessary. The height measurement from the gaurds should be close enough especially for street driving, you won't notice any difference unless you're majorly off.

Good luck.

[SKYNET]

thanks R.C

i did search but didn't find anything reliable

[blind_elk]

  R.C said:

...then with the wheels on drop the car and compress the suspension a few times by leaning/bouncing on each corner to settle them.

That won't necessarily work. Best way is to roll the car back and forward, at least one full wheel revolution.

[SKYNET]

thanks for all the advice

these pics r from when i did a test fit

as u can see they need to be adjusted at least a few inches

i set the coilovers up tonite ready to chuck on next weekend

adjusted the springs so there at there max height but still captured/not loose

but only gained less than an inch

should i loosen off the lower locking ring and unscrew the bottom section to get more height???

dont want the car to sit too low cause my mid muffler hangs low already-want to keep it legal

is 10cm the legal limit from road to bottom of exhaust in QLD???

[blind_elk]

You need to screw the adjusting platform UP to raise the ride height. The ride height is usually measured from the centre of the wheel to the centre of the wheel arch. Not sure of the exact figure required, but a search should uncover it.

Basically, Australia-wide, the limit for ground clearance is 100mm, but I'm not sure how the exhaust affects the measurement. Check on the QLD Transport web site.

[SKYNET]

  blind_elk said:

You need to screw the adjusting platform UP to raise the ride height. The ride height is usually measured from the centre of the wheel to the centre of the wheel arch. Not sure of the exact figure required, but a search should uncover it.

...do you mean turning both outer locking nuts clockwise so they compress the spring more???

is it safe to adjust the lower section at all??? [that connects to wheel hub,etc]

[R.C]

  Quote

...do you mean turning both outer locking nuts clockwise so they compress the spring more???

Not exactly sure what you mean by this...but don't try to raise the ride height by adding spring preload. That is what you have the adjustment on the shock body for.

  Quote

is it safe to adjust the lower section at all??? [that connects to wheel hub,etc]

Yes, that is the idea of the threaded shock body.

To adjust the height undo the bottom lock nut and wind the whole threaded body of the shock out until you get the height you need.

There may be some recommendation on the TT's for the maximum you can safely extend the length before you run out of thread engagement, so check that you don't take it too far out. The rear's are usually extended a lot more than the front to get ride height correct so don't worry if they don't match the fronts.

For ride height, there are some recommendations somewhere in these forums (prob in the old Sydneykid Bilstein group buy threads). I think they are something like 360 / 350mm or 350/340 front/rear height from wheel arch to centre of wheel. Mine are 355/345 and is fine for clearance to most speed bumps and driveways and doesn't look ridiculously high. I'm not really into super low cars anyway.

With ground clearance, it is measured to the lowest part of your car (including exhaust or anything else hanging down). Not sure the legal limit for Queensland.

[SKYNET]

Ok-i get it now-it's easy when you know how!

[SKYNET]

Fitted them no probs-i re-adjusted all of them once the were on the car

set the front coilovers just below there maximum height

fronts still sit really low-tyres rub abit on top/inside of gaurds if your turning a sharp corner

Front rims are 17x8 with 235/45/17 Feds

If a swap them for a stretched 205/45/17 will this stop the tyre from rubbing inside the gaurds???

Obviously havent driven it far until i get a wheel allignment

Also the rims are now leaning inwards abit since cars been lowered

can you adjust the camber on a stock r33 gtst or do i need aftermarket upper & lower adjustable camber

arms?

[BstewyR33]

how do they ride on the street??

ill be looking to upgrade to something like this when my suspension gives up

[SKYNET]

They absorb bumps alot than i expected-thought they were going to be fairly hard

haven't had a chance to really test them out yet but car sits nice & flat around corners

feels like im getting alot more power to the ground/picks up speed quicker

If your racing/drifting alot i'd probably get the HSD "HR" track models

These "TT's" are a good choice for a daily driver/track car

I had a set of Bilstein's with low Pedder's springs before & they felt similar but still got more body roll