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adjusting coil overs (TIEN CS owners)

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Old 03-09-07, 08:41 PM
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t0e
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Exclamation adjusting coil overs (TIEN CS owners)

Couple of quick questoins.


1. From stock coil-over height (TIEN CS) how much have you lowered the coils?

2. How much does 1 full turn, drop the car? for example, 1 turn = .25''

3. How are they handling?

4. If i need to raise the height, do i need to take the entire coil off?

No more q' for now. Thanks.
Old 03-10-07, 02:07 PM
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TLe2006
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how's the ride comparing to stock?
Old 03-10-07, 05:41 PM
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scawacs
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3. handling is much better than stock in my opinion.

4. from what i've seen (never did it myself) you just have to turn the wheel and use a tool to adjust the height, dont have to take the wheel/coils off.

and the ride is much better than stock when you set it to soft.
Old 03-10-07, 11:13 PM
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t0e
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Just adjusted today.

Yes 1 turn does = .25'' and yes it does ride much nicer than stock, if you dont lower it ... but if you do lower it, it will get much more bouncy :P

But, you just have to stiffen them up and take it :P
Old 03-12-07, 09:02 AM
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Gernby
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I know this isn't something that you asked, but I figured I would share a tip anyway since so many people screw it up...

When trying to set the height for each corner, do all your measurements on the coilover itself, not the wheel, fender gap, etc. Unless you have an alignment rack (perfectly flat and level), it's the only good way to get them right.
Old 03-13-07, 06:13 PM
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lobuxracer
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I actually measure the compressed length of the spring with the suspension at full droop. It also allows me to make intelligent adjustments because I know the spring rate, and I can calculate the wheel rate, so I know pretty accurately how much the car will raise or lower on a corner.
Old 03-13-07, 08:59 PM
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Gernby
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Originally Posted by lobuxracer
I actually measure the compressed length of the spring with the suspension at full droop. It also allows me to make intelligent adjustments because I know the spring rate, and I can calculate the wheel rate, so I know pretty accurately how much the car will raise or lower on a corner.
Good point. That's what I was getting at, but didn't say it clearly. I would jack the front or back of the car off the ground (both wheels), remove the wheels, and cut a McDonalds straw to the length of one damper from the upper mount to the adjusting ring, then use that straw to set the other adjusting ring to the same exact position.
Old 03-14-07, 12:42 AM
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t0e
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Thanks guys.

Yes when we lowered the "RINGS" we did measure both side to make sure they were correct.

All things being equal, it still looks like the passenger side is a tad bit higher .... in any case, both sides do have the same amount of space when the wheel is turned in either direction. However, the passenger side might be an 8th of an inch higher.
Old 03-14-07, 01:00 AM
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Did you reset the bushings?
Old 03-14-07, 07:55 AM
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Gernby
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If it isn't the bushings, then it could also be uneven concrete. I haven't seen a garage floor yet that didn't have at least 1/8" variance.
Old 03-14-07, 04:08 PM
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gshb
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hi t0e, i am observing the same thing on my coilovers as well. passenger side front and back are about 1/8 inch higher than driver side. from what im told this is normal, but i havent figured out why this is the case. i have not done corner weighting on my car.
Old 03-14-07, 07:36 PM
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t0e
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Originally Posted by lobuxracer
Did you reset the bushings?
Show me a picture, and i can say for sure.
Old 03-15-07, 12:48 AM
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It's not a picture thing. You have to loosen all the bolts holding the suspension components in place, bounce the car a few times to neutralise the position, then tighten the bolt to specification. This puts the bushings in a neutral position at normal ride height so they are not trying to raise (or lower) the suspension from where it would normally settle with the weight of the car on the wheels.
Old 04-07-07, 03:25 PM
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nabisco
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I have a rookie question... When adjusting the coilover to lower the car more, you want to compress the spring more? So when I started The total length of the spring with the tire off was 9 1/2 inches. When I finished it was 8 3/4. So in theory i lowered it 3/4. And if this is correct how long until everything settles? When I finished I took the car for a little drive and it seems to me it's sitting at the same height as when I started.
Old 04-07-07, 03:56 PM
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Originally Posted by nabisco
I have a rookie question... When adjusting the coilover to lower the car more, you want to compress the spring more? So when I started The total length of the spring with the tire off was 9 1/2 inches. When I finished it was 8 3/4. So in theory i lowered it 3/4. And if this is correct how long until everything settles? When I finished I took the car for a little drive and it seems to me it's sitting at the same height as when I started.
Unless your coilovers allow the preload and damper height to be adjusted separately, you RAISED your car by MORE than 3/4". Due to the geometry, the height adjustment at the wheel will always be greater than the change at the coilover. You also have it backwards about shortening the spring. What you need to do is lower the spring perch, which will make the spring longer at full droop, but will allow the car to sit lower on the damper at rest.


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