The Rig

iTrader: (13)

i have adjustables, i bounce like **** on the smlightest of bumps, bit like homers belly when slapped, so, do i need to soften them up or harden them up, think its soften but need to confirm.

i see a bit just at bottom of spring which looks like the spanner adjuster goes on, how do i soften, is it best to get the pros to do it ?

do i need to go to the softest option,at the mo, i really do bounce, stopped at services and still felt the motion whilst i peed !! dont wanna keep going back again and again until its right......

cheers.....

hectic

so wots a kanagroo then?

[Davey]

Adjustable ride height or re-bound? sounds like the shocks are set to hard (re-bound), if you have no re-bound setting then your shocks are probably fooked.

Scott.T

iTrader: (2)

If it bounces and keeps bouncing i.e big bounce followed by little ones then it sounds like the shocks are knackered or too soft and it's bouncing up and down on the springs.

The Rig

iTrader: (13)

na, its not a fooked bounce, its a solid ride, car vibrates at times its so hard on certain roads, so is the car LOL.

im not sure if its adjustable ride height or rebound, all i can see is an adjuster at the bottom of the shock, bit like on my bike, so im guessing its rebound ?!?!?

i`ll get a pic.....

The Rig

iTrader: (13)

oh yeah, a kanagroo is a native animal to iceland mixed with a monkey

[Davey]

They are coil overs.. If they are "proper" coil-overs the shocks should be adjustable too, if they are cheapo sleeves then remove them ASAP and give the previous owner a slap for being so sad.

The Rig

iTrader: (13)

not great pics,but u get idea,

front spring, u can just see adjuster above tyre


rear spring, this has 2 adjusters ?

The Rig

iTrader: (13)

yeah, davey, on top of the mounts of the shock there are lines etc for what looks like adjustment

what do i need to adjust then rebound or the top part, what does the top part do ?!?

cheers again

[Davey]

Find where the lines go to, sound like they have a external adjuster.. you need to work out which way round they work.. Generally clockwise is hard so you need to wind them all out to the lowest setting (anti-clockwise) then adjust each one a little until you are happy.

The other nut type things on the bottom of the struts are for adjusting the ride height.. The lower adjuster of the two is a locking nut, just like on a motorbike..


Personally unless you want it for track use I'd re-fit standard springs/shocks and sell that kit.. Your insurance company wont like it and if your adjusting for a soft ride they are pointless.

The Rig

iTrader: (13)

on top of the shocks, its says NPG and has 4 allen headed bolts and the lines go along a slot where the allen heads are....

Scoobdogg

iTrader: (2)

Is the ring under your springs not for ride height adjustment an the bits on top for camber? possibly.

doug2507

iTrader: (6)

The things at the top of your shocks are adjustable top mounts. The 4 allen bolts are for adjusting the camber, maybe even the castor depending on the mount.

The rings at the bottom of the springs are for adjusting the ride height.

If there is any adjustment for bump and rebound then it will be on the top of the piston or the bottom of the housing. If they have remote reserviors then they will be adjustable for damping and the rebound will probably be on the strut.

911

Doug above is spot-on.

You do need to get an understanding of what you are doing as this can seriously affect the car's dynamics, especially when in an extreme situation, ie braking hard to avoid an accident!

I would first leave the struts as they are and focus on one thing at a time.

Find the damping adjustor, probably a **** or allen key headed nut at the top in the middle of the camber plates.
Gently turn the nut anti clockwise. You will probably feel a defined 'click' for every 360 degrees of turn. Do this until they stop, and then turn back 3 clicks. Do this on the rear. but add 1 click only.
This is because the rear springs are possibly 80% of the rate of the fronts, ie the fronts need more damping as they are stronger.
Screwing the nut 'in' will probably set the damping to maximum soft. there is usually 10 turns of the nut to go fron max soft to max hard. Max hard is suicidal (sp)

Drive the car carefully over a road you know well and judge the change (if any)

If the ride is still jarring then the damping is shot or the spring rates are far too high. (the latter I suspect)

You then need to make your mind up.

If you want a comfortable excellent road chassis, strip the coil-overs off and relpace them with an Sti set from a V3 or younger classic. Several in For sale at times for about £300. Add the alignment job, and you have a great road car for £400 and you can peee in a straight line again

Poor suspension can get you into serious trouble, also if the insurance Co don't know, you will be in deep do-do if in an accident.

Finally, the right set-up on coil-overs can be achieved, but it takes a lot to beat the factory Sti set-u for the road.
I have full AST coil-overs and race my Sti but it is not too good on pot-holed crap B roads.

Graham

p1mark

if they are japanese coilovers, you will probably find no amount of adjustment will get you where you want it as they are probably oversprung. do you know what KG springs they are.

Other than that listen to 911 carefully as he most certainly knows his bouncy ****!

The Rig

iTrader: (13)

great, thought i could adjust them for the bouncyness,now i cant it seems, cant see any ***** near camber plates,to be honest,camber plates,wot are these when there at home, on the strut i mean........

any pics of any adjusters for rebound ?

doug2507

iTrader: (6)

http://www.mocomracing.com/product_d...8&cat=4&sub=44

Click on the image for a bigger picture. The anodised part is what you call the 'top mount' Think your's will be more like my HKS one's (for sale if anyone wants them!).



They are for adjusting the camber. Camber is the measurement applied to the wheel, when looking at the car from the front, the wheels will look like they are at an angle. i.e. for 'negative' camber, the top of the wheel (on extreme circumstances) will look like its sloping into the wheel arch compared to the bottom of the wheel. (/).(left!). Positive camber is the opposite and the bottom of the wheel is innermost. Negative camber can be seen on the touring cars. It aides grip when cornering as when the weight of the car shifts into the corner, it esentially pushes the wheel over. With the correct negative camber, when the wheel is 'pushed', the foot print of the tyre is at its most optimal. i.e. full contact instead of running on the outside of the tyre.

In the centre of the picture it the top of the strut. (shock absorber). This is what is refered to as the piston. The threaded part with the nut shaped part at the top is for adjusting dampning. This is what will make your strut hard or soft. (along with spring rate). If i'm right, turning this anti-clockwise will soften the strut and the clockwise the opposite.

As mentioned above, suspension can be quite tricky to get set up perfect for the road conditions. Adjusting them too much in either direction can result in a very unstable car. It takes time to 'tune' it to what suits the car/driving/road best. Make a small adjustment equal on both sides then take it out for a drive and see how they perform.

Coilovers, although a popular 'upgrade', are really designed for the track. (with the exception of some). They will be harder and more unforgiving on normal roads but can transform the handling of the car on a track. I currently have HKS struts waiting to go on my car for competition but i'm not counting on them being right for the job as they have a reputation for being very hard, just like most japanese struts.

The best option for british roads seems to be std STi struts with either Prodrive or Eibach springs. (Eibach sit slightly lower). These can be had for around £300 s/h and will be stiff enough for 'spirited' driving but wont make the car skip and jump on the twisties. Safer and probably quicker aswell.

Hope i've been able to explain things right to you. I'm not an expert by a long shot and if anyone wants to add to this/correct anything feel free.

The Rig

iTrader: (13)

yey,thats what mine look like, so i can adjust the bounce, albeit a little bit, so, shall i unwind (anticlockwise)the centre nut all the way, this making it on its softest setting ? on all 4 shocks ?

911

Rig:
Yes, GENERALLY unwinding the adjuster as if you are screwing it out of the strut softens the damping rate on the spring.

a spring ABSORBS the shock (of a pot hole)
a damper CONTROLS the movement of the spring during (compression) and after (re-bound) the car rides over the pot hole/surface undulation.

Hence a damper is not the shock absorber though many will say 'my shocks have gone, there is oils all over the place' Actual fact the damper unit is leaking so there is no slowing down of the spring occillation.

If you choose to unwind the damping rate 'nut' to softest that is a good starting point of sorts. As i say above, the front springs are stronger than the rears, so to start off i would set the rears to one click or turn and the front to 3, all from max soft (fully unwound), and ALWAYS drive slowly at first to get used to the changes unless you are some Driving God or born really lucky.

I firmly believe that coil-over can be made as gentile as a stock set-up with the right (ie same) spring rates and damper settings, it stands to reason!

That would be missing the point though of the mod.

If you want a fast smooth general use cheap chassis stick to Sti components.
If you want to go faster on smooth roads/track go coil-overs AFTER you have done the ARB/Top mounts and a few other tricks on the way.

Graham

[Davey]

Completely agree! If you want a nice ride then bin the coil overs, you'll probably find there are pleanty of people who will give you a stock setup and some cash for your coil overs.

The Rig

iTrader: (13)

i would bin them, but ihave only just finsihed dismantling my old sport, cheers missus, and dont wanna be taking the shocks off etc of this one too, im too tired LOL.....

so, as a quick test, can i,safely,unwind the top centre nut all the way on the fronts,to soften them up and to what shall i undo the rears, as in 911 description he goes on about clicks,and only doing the rears 1 click not 3 etc due to different stiffness, where as these are just nuts ?!?!

cheers.......

ASBO

Rig,
Just get bigger side profile tyres and let a bit of air out, also try a cushion.

terryb

Rig - aren't the nuts you are referring to in the middle of the topmounts, the nuts securing the damper rod in place with the topmount. If so then you don't want to undo them at all.

Sorry if I am mistaken - but just not sure if there are crossed wires in this thread.


The problem you with bonce sounds like when my LEDA B's needed refurbishing (dampers needed re-charging) - in fact some of the springs broke after a while. Can you see all of your springs or are they covered with a rubber boot?? Mine were covered and it kept the broken springs in place. Scarey to thing I was driving like that.

Cheers

Terry