HELP! Spring/Shock install gone bad!
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Teching In
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 23
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From: North Carolina
HELP! Spring/Shock install gone bad! My brother and I just finished installing the front SLP Bilstein/Eibach springs and
shocks on my 98Z. I followed all instructions to the T, even had to replace the upper strut mounts. I used spring compressors, made sure the top nut on the strut was down all the way. We installed both sides, dropped it off stands and the thing sets up as high if not higher than it did before. Do progressive springs need to seat? Or did we just miss a GIANT detail in the whole scheme of things?
FYI: We re-used the lower spring perch off of the stock shock and the lower bump stop off of the stock shock. None of this seems to matter, but I thought I'd throw that info in. PLEASE RESPOND!
shocks on my 98Z. I followed all instructions to the T, even had to replace the upper strut mounts. I used spring compressors, made sure the top nut on the strut was down all the way. We installed both sides, dropped it off stands and the thing sets up as high if not higher than it did before. Do progressive springs need to seat? Or did we just miss a GIANT detail in the whole scheme of things?
FYI: We re-used the lower spring perch off of the stock shock and the lower bump stop off of the stock shock. None of this seems to matter, but I thought I'd throw that info in. PLEASE RESPOND!
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 23
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From: North Carolina
I would really appreciate some input. On my stock wheels and a 225/50/16 tire there is almost 4" of gap between the top of the tread and the wheel well. We
jacked up the LCA with the chassis on jack stands; the upper control arm will travel up far enough to make the gap go away... it just looks like there is no load on the car...
jacked up the LCA with the chassis on jack stands; the upper control arm will travel up far enough to make the gap go away... it just looks like there is no load on the car...
In the second pic, it looks like the top of the spring isn't properly installed (off center). Did you make sure to put the spring in the upper spring mount correctly? It has to be in a specific position, otherwise it will sit higher than it's supposed to and be off center.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2007
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From: North Carolina
Originally Posted by Krab
In the second pic, it looks like the top of the spring isn't properly installed (off center). Did you make sure to put the spring in the upper spring mount correctly? It has to be in a specific position, otherwise it will sit higher than it's supposed to and be off center.
It does look a little off center, but it's seating on the upper mount perfectly.
just drive the car... it is supposed to settle... put on some miles, u should be fine... if its seated properly and shocks are good it should be fully settled in a week...? try that
Here's my car with the SLP spring and shock package installed. With front springs installed the front of car sets very close to the stock ride height except springs are stiffer than stock to prevent bottoming out and scraping on our rough roads. Rear of car sets 3/4" lower
SLP springs matched with KONI shocks is a better idea IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO LOWER FRONT OF CAR 3/4" FURTHER.
Yea...where are your dust covers? You must reuse the factory dust covers.
SLP springs matched with KONI shocks is a better idea IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO LOWER FRONT OF CAR 3/4" FURTHER.
Yea...where are your dust covers? You must reuse the factory dust covers.
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Originally Posted by gollum
Yea...where are your dust covers? You must reuse the factory dust covers.
The factory covers would be useless on the Bilsteins. They leave over 1/2" of space all around the shock. That's really not covering anything.
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Verdad Gallardo Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 23
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From: North Carolina
The rears had new dust covers with them so I assumed the fronts did not need them, not to mention that they didn't fit at all. We talked to an engineer at SLP and he didn't mention them.
Originally Posted by Crash00527
my strano konis came with dust covers..like built in. do i still need to reuse my factory ones over them?..i noticed that the bump stop was in the factory ones. did the konis have one inside ?
It depends on the design of the shock as to whether or not you need dust covers. I learned alot about shocks from mountain biking, and just about all the newest MTB shocks do not use dust covers (and consider the environment they are used in). When I got my HDs without covers, and the stock covers didn't fit, I simply assumed that they had applied the same technology used in MTB applications to car applications to eliminate dust covers.
