Help! how to wind my adjustables down

[TRD CHICK]

hey i require peoples smart ideas on winding my adjustables down..

i thort about it, and there are alot of things ill need to remember, like making sure i wind them all down to the same height for one.

but i was thinking, whats the deal if you wind them down, what stops the dodaaky from coming loose and just slowly moving down over time...?

does anyone have any ideas on how to go about it the right way?
and things to look out for and to remmeber when doing it?

any help would be great.

thanks.

[bad20v]

What type of adjustables are they?

[TRD CHICK]

oh my bad, they are TRD adjustbale coilovers.

[bad20v]

oh my bad, they are TRD adjustbale coilovers.

Like these?



I'm only asking as there are several ways that coilovers can be adjusted.

[TRD CHICK]

oh, okies well from what i can remember they are blue... and under the spring is 2 discs that have like 4 grooves in them where u turn them from, and then under that is all the thread and stuff where u can wind it down to and stuff.

maybe i shuld take photos tonite.. that mite be easyier aye?

does it help that they are in a ae111 levin...?

[bad20v]

Yeah, they are the same ones. They are fairly easy to adjust withminimal tools and a bit of mechnical know how.

Ok, anyway on to adjusting them...

First you will have to measure the existing height of your vehicle, making sure that it is on level ground and you have no unnecessary weight in the vehicle i.e.: stuff in the boot or backseats etc. To do this you will need a tape measure and a pen and paper. Measure the distance straight up and down from the centre of your wheel to the bottom of the guard. Write this measurement down in millimeters for each corner. See below:



Once you have these measurements, you can then decide how much you want to alter the height by. I suggest adjusting them in 10mm increments till you know exactly what height you want your car to sit at. It might take a bit of time but in the end it will be worth it.
Next, jack the front of the car up so the wheels are left hanging down in the air and can be removed freely. Remove the wheels and inspect your suspension/coilovers. Giving them a good clean before adjusting them can make life alot easier when the adjustable thread is clean and can be moved easily. Use WD40 or compressed air to clean them with.
Check to see how the spring is held up captive in place, this maybe dual locking nuts, a locking nut with Allen key nuts or a pressure clamp. Measure down the threaded shaft from the top of the locking nut (where the spring sits on) to the required drop in height, and put a mark there with a vivid or marker pen. See diagram:



Now undo the bottom locking mechanism and screw the bottom nut past the mark you have made. You may need a set of special clamps to undo the nuts, and or a set of Allen keys. Now screw the Top locking nut down past your mark till the top of it can only just be seen at the top most point. You may need to look through the spring coils to see this mark. When you are happy with this, do the same to the other side, making sure that the height drops are equal.
Put the wheels back on and lower the vehicle off the jacks. Push down on the vehicle a couple of times at the guards. This will get the shocks to relax back to their passive state. Have a look at the new drop in height, it would be wise to take new measurements from the guard to centre of wheel again, just to check the drop in height was what was required. If you are unhappy with the drop in height, repeat the above process again to the desired height. Or if it is too low, reverse the process and wind the top locking nut back up a bit. If you are happy with the height of the vehicle, then jack the vehicle back up again and take the front wheels off. Screw the bottom locking nut back up so that it is tight against the top locking nut. This will make sure that the two nuts don’t move from their position and change the ride height.
Put your wheels back on and take a final measurement from the guard to the centre of the wheel. Just remember to relax the shock again.
Repeat this process for the rear of the vehicle, its pretty much the same process as the front.
Once you are happy with new height of your vehicle, take it for a ‘small’ test drive. Listen and feel for any changes in the way the suspension reacts to it new ride height, as in some cases if the vehicle is lowered too far, the lower control arms, sway bar links or bushes can rub due to an altered geometry from standard. Ultimately you would go to a tyre shop etc for a complete wheel alignment, as in most cases when you lower a vehicle it will throw out the camber/ castor which will need to be adjusted.

I hope this helps you a bit with your problem, for anymore questions just ask. But remember the Golden Rule:

Lower Is Not Better! The Lower You Go The More Problems You will Have.

[TRD CHICK]

WHOLY!!! now thats some detail right there...

thanks heaps for all that.

ill let ya know how i get on, mite even take some photos...

thanks HEAPS!

[Audi]

Shit great reply! I just moved my Teins down by what i thought was an even amount then kept measuring and re-adjusting. You way would be a lot, a lot, quicker though!

[bad20v]

Cheers. Glad to see this information helps more than one person. If you need any more help with your suspension just ask.

[Santa'sBoostinSleigh]

i say take that one post and FAQ it!

[fivebob]

You can get away with all sorts of butchery to lower the platforms, but the correct tool for adjusting is called a "C Spanner' and you should try and find one if you want to keep your shocks looking pristine

[bad20v]

You can get away with all sorts of butchery to lower the platforms, but the correct tool for adjusting is called a "C Spanner' and you should try and find one if you want to keep your shocks looking pristine

Lol, yeah I seen all sorts of 'rangi' ways to do it, from screw driver and hammer jobs to using a large plumbers pipe wrench!
So, yeah the best way to take them off is with the correct tool thats usually supplied with the coilovers when you purchase them. But if the vehicle was an import, you proberly won't have it. Most good suspension shops sell replacement ones that will fit any model of suspension, or can custom make a tool to do the job.

[TRD CHICK]

wells, we went into a suspension shop, and they told us that the tool to use is stupid and rips ya hands up something chronic and they just said to use the old hammer and screwdriver... so im gonna try that first i think!
looks as tho someone has already had a play anyway.

i will let you know how i get on, just waiting for a day when someone can help me and its not cold and wet

[bad20v]

they just said to use the old hammer and screwdriver...

Ummm..... who was the suspension shop??

I seen all sorts of 'rangi' ways to do it, from screw driver and hammer jobs to using a large plumbers pipe wrench!

Good luck.

[fivebob]

wells, we went into a suspension shop, and they told us that the tool to use is stupid and rips ya hands up something chronic and they just said to use the old hammer and screwdriver... so im gonna try that first i think!

Morons, whats wrong with using gloves or a gentle persuader (aka f-ing big hammer) on the C Spanner

At least you should use a brass or aluminium drift, or even a pin punch, rather than a screwdriver which will damage the adjusters for sure, and it won't do much for the screwdriver either.

[TRD CHICK]

ummm, i dont know, my amte just said he went to the suspension place and thats what they said... so yeah...?

we'll see how it goes huh.

[HELBND]

um id listen to these guys-they know their stuff-even if you wrap a rag around the handle of the c spanner-at the end of the day, is using anything else worth the risk of damage to your suspension?

[TRD CHICK]

yeah, im keen on doing it the right way, jsut gotta find a C spanner... as i dont have one..

[drftnmaz]

really you shouldn't b adj your suspension without having 4 scales (one under each wheel) to work out the weight distribution...

but seeing as no-one has these lying around there home then i'd normally presume that the shop who first set it up used these so... if i was to alter it i would count the amount of turns you do and do them all the same amount of turns, not just lower it to look good (unless you drive real slow)

just my 2c... its ur car so you can do what you like

[bad20v]

really you shouldn't b adj your suspension without having 4 scales (one under each wheel) to work out the weight distribution...

but seeing as no-one has these lying around there home then i'd normally presume that the shop who first set it up used these so... if i was to alter it i would count the amount of turns you do and do them all the same amount of turns, not just lower it to look good (unless you drive real slow)

just my 2c... its ur car so you can do what you like

I'm going to have disagree with you there, as this vehicle is not a purpose built racecar used for racing on a circuit. Thats where the suspension setup relies on each corner of the vehicle to be setup differently from the rest, in order to be best suited for the track raced on. The damping is also setup at the same time.
In a normal road car fitted with adjustable suspension, the difference in height for each corner is not required to be totally exact in proportion to the weight distribution. Each corner can be different from the rest by about 1-5mm and still the vehicle will handle well, the shocks and springs will take up the loading and still give an even ride.
Most aftermarket springs out in the market today do not have a left and right side to them, as it is not commercially viable for the product. And we all know they have a front and back (thats coz the shocks are different). Otherwise, you would have to weigh each driver individually, and the passengers, any luggage/assessories they carry in the vehicle at any given time and custom make the springs to fit their needs. I don't think so.
And I have already said to take any unnessary weight out of the vehicle before adjusting it anyway. It will not effect it that much, but if your anyone like me you will have golf clubs, tool box, amps, subs/boxes etc in the boot which could through things out of alignment if they are shifted around all the time.
I don't know of that many suspension shops the use four point scales to setup vehicles, other than specialist ones that deal with racecars etc. Most of the time they use the measuring method as described above and/or the ever popular.... Eyecrometer! ( your very own eyes ).