Wanting to go 1" lower. Spring recommendations?

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Install a 4age and swap the springs left to right

The first part isn't an option right now but might try swapping from left to right this weekend

and no, strapping a fat chick to the LH front guard is NOT an option

Stap her in the passengers footwell so no one can see her?

Callum

Haha, I've already got a Clean Box in the passengers footwell. I don't need another one

did you measure the free height of the springs? 10mm of a difference could be just an install issue. just make sure the spring seats properly on the top strut mount rubbers. theres usually like a marking/groove there left by the older spring that the new springs should seat.

Yeah I measured them before the install and they were the same. I made sure to properly seat them in the rubber insulators and made sure the mark that said 'OUT' was pointing towards the outside of the guard. When the spring was initially installed upside down I noticed that my steering wheel was a bit crooked to the left when driving (still drove perfectly straight though), but after flipping the spring the right way around the steering wheel came back to normal again (well, 1 or 2mm off centre).

[spoonza6]

Next time you're at pick a part, try a spring from a late 80s Honda civic in the front

I used to run KHFL-114 in the front of my EE80 and it dropped the front pretty low

But suspension could be totally different though I'm not sure

[Kiwi-Corolla]

^ Cheers, that's good to know. According to the King Springs catalogue, the SL part numbers seem to match a number of other makes and models aside from the AE101 so it's interesting to see which other cars use the same springs.


Update: I had a look under the front left guard with a torch today and noticed that it's sitting completely on the bump stop (fortunately the rubber dust cover is pretty torn so I can get a good view in there)......I remember when I removed this strut to change over the springs the piston rod was incredibly easy to move up and down, to the point that I actually needed someone to hold the piston rod up to stop it from sliding down as I put the 19mm centre nut on during reassembly.

So I just whipped down to Pick-A-Part and bought a replacement strut from an AE101 Marino which had only done 119,000km. The piston rod is MUCH harder to push down, so the old shock must definitely be buggered.

Would a collapsed shock cause the car to be higher on one side though if it's sitting on the bump stop? I would have thought that if it was sitting on the bump stop it would be LOWER, not higher. It's quite clear that shortened shocks are the proper way to go, but I got quoted $329 for each strut (Monroe) so would rather trim the bump stops to gain more shock travel if possible and to make it sit a fraction lower (won't be removing the bump stops entirely though).

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Just went outside and jacked up the front left and right corners of the car individually, just enough to get my hand in there (wheels still on the ground), and can definitively confirm that it's sitting on the bump stops, but on BOTH sides, not just the front left.

Would explain why I'm getting next to no bounce when pushing down on the front corners of the car and also why it isn't going any lower at the front. It's still weird how the LH side is slightly higher than the RH side though, so the springs may still be need to be swapped from left to right but the first thing I'm going to try is cutting the bump stops directly in half and see if that yields a lower result. I seem to be finally getting somewhere

[sergei]

Shocks have nothing to do how high the car is (as long as they are correct lenght). If you are sitting on bumpstops it is game over, you can't go any lower (unless you remove bump stops - Do not do that!). As it is the car is unsafe (you have no suspension). I suggest using adjustable suspension.

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Shocks have nothing to do how high the car is (as long as they are correct lenght). If you are sitting on bumpstops it is game over, you can't go any lower (unless you remove bump stops - Do not do that!). As it is the car is unsafe (you have no suspension). I suggest using adjustable suspension.

Adjustable suspension is out of the question unfortunately as once I factor in the cost of coilovers and the cert it's way out of my budget. I only want to go a smidgen lower so I'm hoping that cutting the front bump stops in half will allow that to happen. Not too fussed about the reduced life of the front shocks as they're only factory ones and the one I bought today only cost $34 . Won't be touching the rear bump stops whatsoever though.

[Mr Revhead]

You do not have enough suspension travel. Your car is unsafe and will fail wof. Also can be pink stickered.
You need to make sure you have sufficient travel. No travel equals no grip.

[Kiwi-Corolla]

You do not have enough suspension travel. Your car is unsafe and will fail wof. Also can be pink stickered.
You need to make sure you have sufficient travel. No travel equals no grip.

Isn't that the point of cutting the bump stops though? To gain more suspension travel? If half of the bump stop is removed then the piston rod will have another inch or so to move. It must have been sitting on the bump stops for over 2-years because my Jamex springs made it sit at the same height and I've never had a problem with traction or the car being bouncy, uncomfortable or appearing unsafe.

[1I1]

You must be getting close to 100mm structual clearance if the cars sitting on bumpstops?

[Kiwi-Corolla]

You must be getting close to 100mm structual clearance if the cars sitting on bumpstops?

I'm currently sitting at approximately 125mm at the lowest structural point, so still plenty of room to move fortunately

[Dell'Orto]

You'll need to cert cut bumpstops btw

[Mr Revhead]

1" is nothing. You possibly have progressive bump stops. Like another spring.
Quite lucky to get away with your wofs then it seems. Either that or you measurements are off. You will sure know about it if your on the bump stops. It's a truly awful feeling

[Kiwi-Corolla]

You'll need to cert cut bumpstops btw

Yeah I was reading about that on the NZTA website earlier. Cutting them will likely be a temporary measure until I can find some shorter aftermarket or OEM bump stops (possibly from a different make/model at Pick-A-Part).

1" is nothing. You possibly have progressive bump stops. Like another spring.
Quite lucky to get away with your wofs then it seems. Either that or you measurements are off. You will sure know about it if your on the bump stops. It's a truly awful feeling

From what I can see/feel I'm definitely sitting on the front bump stops. If I squeeze my hand under the front left guard I can't feel the shock's piston rod at all. It goes straight from the ring on the strut to the bump stop, nothing in-between. It's the same story on the driver's side. Maybe the bump stops are the progressive type like you mentioned, cushioning the ride more and making the fact that it's on bump stops unnoticeable?

Here's an exploded diagram of my front struts from one of my repair manuals:

[Lloyd]

You'll know the feeling of being on bumpstops from the horrible feeling they give on the road, and the fact that there is essentially no suspension travel on the corner of the car if you push on it.

[Kiwi-Corolla]

You'll know the feeling of being on bumpstops from the horrible feeling they give on the road, and the fact that there is essentially no suspension travel on the corner of the car if you push on it.

I can't say I've noticed any horrible feelings/vibrations/jolts while driving but I definitely don't have any suspension travel on the front when pushing down on the left or right corner. It's pretty much sold, maybe moving only a few millimeters.

[tsoob]

this still going? by the time you are done those jamex's will have sagged anyway.

[Kiwi-Corolla]

this still going? by the time you are done those jamex's will have sagged anyway.

Jamex? They've already been removed, lol. I've got SL King Springs installed now. Haven't been able to trim the bump stops yet due to the damn rain

[duddley]

Why don't you just put the Jamex springs back in and have the car sit an inch higher instead of wasting time doing dodgy mods?

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Why don't you just put the Jamex springs back in and have the car sit an inch higher instead of wasting time doing dodgy mods?

Even with the Jamex springs installed it would have still been sitting on the bump stops, unbeknown to me until now. The height hasn't changed between both sets of springs, although the handling has increased slightly with the King Springs as they are a bit stiffer, so I have no reason to swap back to the Jamex springs.

The reason I'm going to cut the bump stops is so that it's NOT a dodgy mod, because right now there's no front suspension travel, but with the bump stops cut in half there will actually be some travel there, making it safer (not that it appears to be unsafe in it's current state). There will still be plenty of the bump stop left to stop the shock's piston rod from bottoming out inside the strut body. Cutting the bump stops is a common procedure when installing lowering springs. It's definitely not considered as being "dodgy"

[Mr Revhead]

I'm sorry but it is dodgy. From what you have posted there is no doubt your car is unsafe. Sorry to sound harsh but thats how it is. I promise you go and drive one with stock suspension and it will run rings around yours. Do not mistake flat cornering for grip.