Bilstein HD rear lower spring perch height help, Recommendations for lower spring perch setting on bilsteins Options

[Krohn]

I'm finally at the fix the severely sagging rear springs project for my car, and am wondering if there's any guidance on where to set the lower spring perch for the new rear Bilstein shocks?

I'm keeping the car as sock as possible, think of me as a James May if you must, so I have a new set of stock ride height springs (85 lb) and the new replacement struts. Comparing the old and the new side by side, it almost seems that I need to move t he circlip all the way to the top on the new shocks... but that seems almost crazy! Since I'm aware that the new springs, at 85 lbs, are heavier than the originals (maybe 70?), would it be better to move the perch down one relative to the old shocks?

Old springs/shock on the left, new on the right
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/1.bp.blogspot.com-18091-1555182313.1.jpg)

Any advice or recommendations out there?

The stock rear sway bars stay (front and rear), which was also a driving motivation for keeping a lighter weight spring in the back.

Maybe it's time for a project thread... but progress is piecemeal and slow, so it might drag on, and on, and on...

Thanks!
Robert

[Mark Henry]

You won't really know till you set it on the ground with the front suspension ballpark adjusted as well. If your front is out of whack, or if the rear spring is not sitting into the perch correctly, you can have a one rear corner high situation. The clip perch makes adjustment almost as easy as the front, but remember front height adjustments affect your front alignment.
I'd always drop a 914 an inch or two over stock ride height.

I just installed a set on my 914, I drilled two holes in the perch and zip tied the spring to the perch, I've also done this to the top perch. Now when I raise my teen the perches stay where there supposed to be.

I have 180lb springs which are, at rest, way shorter than stock. The new style bilstein perches are nice because you can zip tie top and bottom perches and the bottom perch rides up the shock when you jack the rear end. No more clocking the bottom perch as you lower the jack.