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Posted by: Lawrence914-6 Aug 4 2003, 12:42 PM

My 914/6 was level before I replaced the rear KYBs with Koni Yellow Adjustables.

Now it's not level. In the back, the right side is about 1.5" higher than the left.

I've inspected, and don't see that the springs are messed up - maybe I don't know what to look for. Springs went back into the side that they came out of. Both spring perches are set at the same "notch" on the shock (the middle one). The wheels aren't tilting out like the console is about to collapse.

It doesn't appear to affect ride quality - but I sure look like a dork.

What might the problem be? Never had this problem with shocks before.

-Rusty

Posted by: Brad Roberts Aug 4 2003, 12:43 PM

Did you "zip tie" the top springs to the upper shock perches ??

Have you driven the car ??


B

Posted by: ninefourteener Aug 4 2003, 12:44 PM

Maybe just settling??

I know when I bought my teener in Chicago.... the entire suspension was brand spanking new, driven like 3 or 4 miles, thats it.

By the time I got from chicago to Saint Louis, the car had settled about an inch lower... looks better.

Just a guesss.. otherwise, I have no idea

Posted by: ! Aug 4 2003, 12:45 PM

The springs sit in a groove on the perches. If the car is lifted in the rear and they are stiff springs they can be displaced when the springs leave the seats. Lowering can be a challenge unless you have wire tied the spings to the seats before hand.

Also if your Konis have adjustable perches, you can adjust the ride height.

Posted by: Lawrence914-6 Aug 4 2003, 12:46 PM

No, I didn't zip tie the springs in. Heck, I had to compress them down just to get the whole shock assembly together.

Yeah, I drove it like I stole it... last week for three days. I figured maybe it would settle into place - nope.

Posted by: nebreitling Aug 4 2003, 12:48 PM

i assume that you didn't touch the front suspension?

just thinking about the torsion bar.

Posted by: Brad Roberts Aug 4 2003, 12:50 PM

You have a spring not sitting in one of the perches (typically a top one)


B

Posted by: Lawrence914-6 Aug 4 2003, 12:50 PM

The entire front suspension came out, cleaned up, powder coated.

It's *pretty close* to being right, but I wasn't going to try and dial it in anymore until I resolved the large discrepancy in the back.

-Rusty

Posted by: ! Aug 4 2003, 12:51 PM

Swap them....see if that helps.

Posted by: Lawrence914-6 Aug 4 2003, 12:52 PM

Hey B...

Should I drop the bottom perches a bit, and give the springs some slack? I had to push down hard on the top perch to get the nut on.

-R

Posted by: ! Aug 4 2003, 12:53 PM

IF you have adjustable perches....it sounds like one is higher/lower than the other.

Lowering the perches, lowers the car....

Posted by: Brad Roberts Aug 4 2003, 12:53 PM

I dont like where the cars sit when you install Koni's with Welt springs.. the cars look 4wd to me.. the Koni's dont have enough adjustment down for me. I always end up running the threaded collar conversion.


B

Posted by: Brad Roberts Aug 4 2003, 12:57 PM

Did you make sure the springs where in the perches ?? you know.. twisted in correctly ??

If your springs where not loose... then I doubt they came ouf of alignment in the perch.


B

Posted by: Lawrence914-6 Aug 4 2003, 12:58 PM

The springs are yellow - didn't see any numbers or brand names when I cleaned them up.

The perches at the bottom have three different positions. They both came set in the middle, so I left them there.

I think dropping the perch to the bottom position would give the spring some more movement. There is a significant amount of preload on those springs the way I've assembled them.

So... swap them and see what changes?

Posted by: Brad Roberts Aug 4 2003, 01:01 PM

Swap them is the easiest...

tell us more about the front end:

Did you pull the control arms OFF the crossbar ??

The front ride hieght will effect the rear.


B

Posted by: Lawrence914-6 Aug 4 2003, 01:04 PM

Yes, I pulled the control arms off the cross bar. Had to do that to powdercoat and replace bushings.

How does front ride height affect rear?

Posted by: ChrisReale Aug 4 2003, 01:10 PM

I agree Brad, thats why I bought a threaded collar kit from Paragon a few days ago. Bilsteins have like six positions, and the Koni's have three.

BTW, did I mention that I think Progressive springs suck? I was wondering why I was understeering like a pig at sharp slow speed corners....

Posted by: J P Stein Aug 4 2003, 01:13 PM

Diagonally......raising the rt front drops the left rear,yada.......

Posted by: redshift Aug 4 2003, 01:15 PM

HAH!

How would you know JP?

In pictures I have seen of your car, the passenger front wheel is in the air.





M

Posted by: J P Stein Aug 4 2003, 01:16 PM

[quote=ChrisReale,Aug 4 2003, 11:10 AM]

B [/QUOTE]
BTW, did I mention that I think Progressive springs suck? I was wondering why I was understeering like a pig at sharp slow speed corners.... [/quote]
"Supposedly", GPR has some non-progressive 180 lb springs in stock......they fooled me once with them effin' progressive 180 lbers, tho.

Posted by: Aaron Cox Aug 4 2003, 01:17 PM

how do you know if they are progressive? explain.

are they wound loose on the bottom and tight on the top?

Posted by: J P Stein Aug 4 2003, 01:19 PM

It must be an optical confusion.....kinda like them old time pics of cars with oval wheels or sumthin.

Posted by: J P Stein Aug 4 2003, 01:22 PM

Ayup...or vice versa....ya get a decent ride, tho, but a guy going for 180 lb springs ain't looking for a smooth ride, IMO.

Posted by: ChrisReale Aug 4 2003, 01:25 PM

Yup, what JP said. BTW anyone need a set of 180 pounders in great shape?

Posted by: Lawrence914-6 Aug 4 2003, 01:33 PM

Okay.. first I'll try raising the left-front a little bit. Maybe that will balance it out.

Small changes in front make larger changes in the back?

Posted by: nebreitling Aug 4 2003, 01:42 PM

i'm definitely not the expert here, but,

yes. at least it did w/ mine.

Posted by: J P Stein Aug 4 2003, 01:48 PM

I dunno.....it would depend how stout your rear springs are, me thinks. I've never been that far out of whack...

Put the car on a level surface, start measuring. I measure to the doughnuts...prolly not the best idea, but it's all I got. In the front, double check to the front
T-bar mounts. Cheep, quick, and dirty corner ballance.
My car has a 1/4 inch twist....using the doughnuts.....last I checked. The measurements don't need to be the same at all four points, just side to side.

Posted by: redshift Aug 4 2003, 01:51 PM

I have very good results dropping the front somewhere around 1.5 inches below the rear too, anyone else have a reason not to do that?

I level the car, then lower the front to add throttle-off oversteer until I am happy. Works better with rear bars, than withnot rear bars.. or whatever.

What springs are you guys using? 180#s would be a great joke to play on an unsuspecting friend.




M

Posted by: airsix Aug 4 2003, 03:17 PM

> 180#s would be a great joke to play on an unsuspecting friend.

Not so funny when the unexpected wicked-oversteer put him in the ditch and kills him.

-Ben M.

Posted by: redshift Aug 4 2003, 03:28 PM

Yeah, I hope I am not implicated, it wasn't my idea, I was just trying to give him kidney bruises.


M

Posted by: Aaron Cox Aug 4 2003, 09:13 PM

well this brings up an interssting suspension question for me:

i want my car to have like ZERO body roll. i have koni reds up front - stock tbars. Rear i have bilsteins and 140 lb'rs.
i have a stock front swaybar to install.

how do i go about having a gokart for the street? i want this think to handle like its on rails!
im buying 5 lug conversion stuff to do this winter- so i can change t-bars easily. (911 front)

Posted by: mskala Aug 4 2003, 10:27 PM

Lawrence,
Been there, the front most definitely affects the rear. If you are confident in
having the rear springs correctly in the perches, then put the rears on the
same slot and forget about them. Adjust the front to get close to level.
When/if you do corner weighting, you will not be necessarily level when
car is correct. Also, do you have sway bars? They could have preload.

Posted by: ChrisReale Aug 4 2003, 10:29 PM

Handle on rails=un-fucking-comfortable on the street. But, since you axed.. 23mm torsion bars, 22mm or bigger front sway bar. 250# rear springs and 15 by 8 inch wheels with Goodyear racing slicks or Hoosiers