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| Why isn't my front end lowering completely? (Page 1/3) |
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imjoeking
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AUG 08, 10:03 PM
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Howdy. Sorry if this is a really stupid question lol. Last month I installed 1.5" WCF lowering springs and Rodney Dickman 0.5" lowering ball joints (and brand new KYB shocks) in the front of my 86 Fiero. Install went smooth, but it seems like I'm not getting the full drop like I should be getting.... To my eye, it looks like only the ball joints are doing anything. The springs are physically shorter than the stock springs I ripped out, and it's sitting in its perch just fine. It's also not riding on the bump stop and I can still feel some suspension travel when driving.
Is there anything I'm doing wrong? Or are my eyes deceiving me?
Before
After
Thanks!
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Patrick
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AUG 08, 10:20 PM
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The front looks to now be lower to me... and it'll probably settle some more with a bit of use.
| quote | Originally posted by imjoeking:
It's also not riding on the bump stop and I can still feel some suspension travel when driving.
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If you didn't shorten the metal cones, you're liable to be in for a rough ride when the lowered front suspension bottoms out over bumps.
It might be an optical illusion, but in the second photo, the top of the rear wheel/tire appears to be leaning outwards.[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 08-08-2022).]
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IMSA GT
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AUG 08, 10:33 PM
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So just to clarify, you did a 1.5" lowering spring AND a .5 ball joint in the front, correct? So it should be a total of a 2" drop in the front.
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imjoeking
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AUG 08, 10:33 PM
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yea now that I'm really looking at it, I probably am getting the advertised drop. I must have lowered my rears more than 2" and didn't realize it so it looked weird to me ha ha.
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imjoeking
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AUG 08, 10:37 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by IMSA GT:
So just to clarify, you did a 1.5" lowering spring AND a .5 ball joint in the front, correct? So it should be a total of a 2" drop in the front. |
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Correct. Should be a total of 2 inches. I have no idea why I didn't take actual measurements of the wheel gaps before and after but oh well 🤷 after looking at both pics it does seem like it lowered a lot more than I thought at first.
How long does it usually take for suspension to fully settle in? This is my daily and I've put probably 500ish miles on it since I installed these parts. I'm used to fully adjustable coilovers where the drop is instant lol
Also I forgot to mention I did full poly bushings all of the way around.
| quote | Originally posted by Patrick:
It might be an optical illusion, but in the second photo, the top of the rear wheel/tire appears to be leaning outwards.
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That's just the lighting/angle of the pic. I just got it aligned on Friday and the rears are sitting at -1 degree of camber[This message has been edited by imjoeking (edited 08-08-2022).]
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IMSA GT
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AUG 08, 10:58 PM
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Somethings not right. Here is a stock 1986 and your car compared.
Are the springs rotated in the seats correctly? I think you should be WAY lower. Also look at your pictures and the top of the tires in relation to the black belt line. It even looks like the passenger side is higher than stock.[This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 08-08-2022).]
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imjoeking
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AUG 08, 11:26 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by IMSA GT:
Are the springs rotated in the seats correctly?
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To be honest I dont even know what to look for. The bottom part of the spring is sitting flush with the lower control arm and the top is sitting flush with the new rubber pad and upper spring perch. I've attached an album of what it looks like with the control arm resting on a jack, as well as a couple pics of the ride height when I first bought the car. Previous owner put in custom coilovers but says he left the height stock and never touched the fronts.
https://imgur.com/a/loo8Mwn[This message has been edited by imjoeking (edited 08-08-2022).]
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fieroguru
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AUG 09, 06:49 AM
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The new rubber isolator on top of the spring will cause the car to raise vs. before. It is the old one will be more compact, which would have lowered the car some.
Other likely common cause is the end of the spring is not in the formed pocket on the lower a-arm. This will cause about 1" or raised stance if not properly seated.
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IMSA GT
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AUG 09, 06:44 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by fieroguru:
Other likely common cause is the end of the spring is not in the formed pocket on the lower a-arm.
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That's what I was thinking. The end of the coil might be on a flat spot of the arm instead of seated in that recessed ridge.
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imjoeking
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AUG 09, 08:15 PM
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Bingo. I managed to put them on the completely opposite side. Currently fixing it! Will update when it’s all back together
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