Ride Height

[Tony Radford]

I paid a local outfit here to put my car on a platform to adjust the weight/balance and it looks like they lowered the ride height. I'm having problems with the passenger side rear tire hitting the fender well with very little effort. As a matter of fact, it seems like it's getting worse. Is there a quick way to determine if the height is low? If all four sides were adjusted by the same amount, would the balance remain the same? How much can you raise it before there is a noticible difference in ride quality? I added the anti-sway bar a while back so I'm sure that complicates things.

[Master]

Tony,

I just did an alignment on my car after changing the front springs which made my car sit higher. I adjusted the ride height to my liking and then aligned all 4 tires. Looks good and tracks great. If you change the ride height I would realign.

[Tony Radford]

Scott, thanks for that. I spoke to a local outfit here in Atlanta (Robinson Racing) and they'll do the work for $100/ hour (adjust height and realign). How difficult is it to adjust the height? Does a particular number of turns equate to an inch of height? Is it just a matter of pullling the tire and cranking on the collar? I think I would prefer raising all four corners (since the balance was adjusted last year) and then carry it to Gran Turismo for a precision alignment and swaybar adjustment (they're one of the best). Thanks

[Tony Radford]

I think I see why they lowered the back so much. It looks like the front is adjusted all the way up. They must have had to lower the rear to get the balance right. Can I just put longer shocks in the front without changing the coil springs or will that wack things out?

[Jeff 427]

Tony,
I have the standard coilovers that came from Unique.

Adjusting the ride height is not difficult, just time consuming with some trial and error.
You not not have to take the tires off or use a special tool to turn the adjusting collar.
Just jack up the car to take the weight off the suspension and turn the adjuster by hand. Once you let the car down, you have to make sure the suspension "settles" to get the correct height you want. I have mine set so that about "two fingers" fit between the tire side and the wheel opening at the top. I like the way it looks and the tires do not rub.

Also put a reference mark on the adjuster and the body of the coilover after you get the height dialed in. This way it will show you if it comes out of adjustment in the future, I used a little dot of red paint as a mark. I can't remember where I got this tip, but it was someome on Unique Cobra.

[ralphscott]

generally the best way to settle the suspension is to take a drive. Letting it sit in the garage won't do it.

Ralph