Rear Spring Opinion/Help, 1.7L Options

[tvdinnerbythepool]

Hey all,

The previous owner lowered the car (he didn't specify what he did other than "upgraded the suspension") the rear wheel camber is tilted in and the top of the tire is inside the well. The ride is really rough and the tires are going to wear out unevenly.

Research looks like 90lb springs were stock, but 100lb springs seem to be a popular choice. Good ride quality and maybe a tad lower than stock height?

Tires are 195/60 R15

What are your thoughts?

I'm trying to put the car (mostly) back to stock, it's a 1.7l and I don't anticipate racing any time soon, lol!

Thanks for the suggestions!

-Rob

[mepstein]

take a picture of your rear shocks so we can see what you are working with now.

[tvdinnerbythepool]

Forgive the crude pics. Gotta fly today and don't have time to jack it up and pull the wheel. Looks like KONI shocks>

[tvdinnerbythepool]

Forgive the crude pics. Gotta fly today and don't have time to jack it up and pull the wheel. Looks like KONI shocks>

[mepstein]

Forgive the crude pics. Gotta fly today and don't have time to jack it up and pull the wheel. Looks like KONI shocks>

Yep, depending on age, they might need replacement.

[ConeDodger]

Those are Kony Reds. Not bad shocks and probably still good.

140# Springs were my first mod and the ride was still, not too bad. The culprit may be stiction in the stock rubber bushings. They get old and hard and don’t allow the suspension to travel. A number of options here, and a number of suppliers. New rubber? Polyurethane? Delrin? Needle bearing bushings? Tarret polybronze? Suppliers are 914rubber.com, PMB Performance, CFR, and others I can’t think of.

[ConeDodger]

Oh, and tires. If those tires are old, and sometimes when they’re new, they can have harsh rides.

[914_teener]

Make sure the bushings are sound by jacking the car up, grab the wheel at the 6 and 9 oclock positions and see if there is deflection as others have stated. Do this first.

140 lb springs are plenty with adjustable perches..the shocks you have now sb fine if not worn.

[Mikey914]

I suspect the 90# is a bit too light duty. My money is on the springs, but the other components will also add or detract form the ride.
Stock is 100 if I recall correctly.

[mepstein]

I suspect the 90# is a bit too light duty. My money is on the springs, but the other components will also add or detract form the ride.
Stock is 100 if I recall correctly.

I think early 914's came with springs as light as 60$ but 90 is usually considered "stock"

[tvdinnerbythepool]

Thanks guys! Would 140lb springs raise the ride height? Shocks I believe are relatively new but haven't torn into it too much. Trying to reach out to prior owner for insight on what he did.

I'd like to get it raised up at least to where I can get the camber back in check and a little room between the lip and top of the tire.

[johnhora]

Here's some fun....

I had this chart that was posted some time ago...

kp = Kilopascals
the pascal measures the stiffness, tensile strength and compressive strength of materials

[mepstein]

The 140 springs usually lower ride height. I don’t know if the konis are adjustable for height but Billsteins have a number of slots so you can adjust height.

[914Sixer]

I recommend stock springs IF your going for the OEM look.

[Racer]

They all sag in the rear. thats why folks early on lowered the fronts to match the lowered rears. That said, I don't think yours looks all that low in the rear.

IIRC, early stock 4's had 70# springs. so yes, 100# is an upgrade and 140# were another common upgrade, but more for those searching for performance, vs factory like ride.

Shocks could need work, but more than likely they are ok.

Unless you are driving crazy miles, the negative camber should not cause an issue. On most 914s, tires "time" out vs "wear" out. Given that the tires are the same front and rear, you can always rotate them to extend life if concerned.

[Jamie]

They all sag in the rear. thats why folks early on lowered the fronts to match the lowered rears. That said, I don't think yours looks all that low in the rear.

IIRC, early stock 4's had 70# springs. so yes, 100# is an upgrade and 140# were another common upgrade, but more for those searching for performance, vs factory like ride.

Shocks could need work, but more than likely they are ok.

Unless you are driving crazy miles, the negative camber should not cause an issue. On most 914s, tires "time" out vs "wear" out. Given that the tires are the same front and rear, you can always rotate them to extend life if concerned.

When doing research to restore my 73 914 to "correct" rear height, I found the original sagging springs were the culprit. Replacing with original spec #100 springs was the cure, and still rides just fine and handles "spirited" driving conditions.

[dr914@autoatlanta.com]

everyone these days is installing the stock springs, as the factory got it right for balance and overall drivability and handling. Your Koni shocks have an adjustable spring plate so you could actually raise the height of the car by changing the spring plate to a notch higher. However you should give it the old bounce test. Konis have a habit of freezing and giving you no suspension travel. You may want to check it.

Yesteryear when we were all young we installed kyb gas shocks and 140 springs to make the car turn easier, (meaning a bit more oversteer) and lower it a bit. We drove the cars in a spirited manner and our bodies were more flexible.

The only reason we would install that setup now was to autocross or do driver track days.

Conclusion? stock springs, and Bilstein shocks

[tvdinnerbythepool]

everyone these days is installing the stock springs, as the factory got it right for balance and overall drivability and handling. Your Koni shocks have an adjustable spring plate so you could actually raise the height of the car by changing the spring plate to a notch higher. However you should give it the old bounce test. Konis have a habit of freezing and giving you no suspension travel. You may want to check it.

Yesteryear when we were all young we installed kyb gas shocks and 140 springs to make the car turn easier, (meaning a bit more oversteer) and lower it a bit. We drove the cars in a spirited manner and our bodies were more flexible.

The only reason we would install that setup now was to autocross or do driver track days.

Conclusion? stock springs, and Bilstein shocks

You guys are awesome, thanks for all the info!

[marksteinhilber]

Well, from the picture, no adjustable coil over kits have been added, so the previous owner must have cut the existing shocks down to lower the ride height, or sagging springs were installed. Only way to raise is to either replace the springs to regain stock height and/or add adjustable coil over kits to shocks. Not sure that the kits will fit the old konis, but they will fit on new bilsteins. Check out RSR racing or pelican parts for the items.

[Mblizzard]

As the Dr. Said, it is hard to go against the stock springs. But with age, wear, and long history of use can be difficult for everything on the suspension to be in exactly the right place. So you may not get the exact correction you want. I went through this on my car.

For me, I went with coil overs so I could adjust the height and ride to what I wanted. I do like the adjustable shocks as well.