Got round to adjusting the ride height on my car today - 6 months overdue.
However, nothing I seem to do actually makes a difference. I’ve probably turned the adjusting ring maybe 2-3 rotations (hard to tell when the wheel is still on), and taken the car for road tests to help the suspension settle afterwards.
No change. What am I doing wrong? Or am I just not adjusting it enough to notice a difference?
I have GAZ Gold Professional coilovers btw.
You’ll need a few more turns than that, unsure on the thread pitch but if you did 2 full turns that will likely be just 2mm.
I usually measure from the ground to centre of hub to see what its doing but yes it requires more turns, thats assuming your doing it with wheel off.
Ended up turning quite a few times, enough to make the coil quite loose. I think I moved the locking ring down a good 15mm.
When I dropped the car, the ride height had had not moved at all. So I’ve ended up reverting it all due to the coil being loose during that attempt (I’m assuming preload).
I’m measuring from the wheel arch to the lip of the rim. Aiming for 120mm at the front, 140mm at the back. I can’t get any lower than 138mm at the front.
I’m doing all of this with the wheel still on.
Have you got stock bushes on?
If you do, they are likely seized and you need to undo the bolts on all the suspension then lower the car and do the bolts back up. If the bushes are seized they won’t move and you will need to take off the arms and reinstall.
Bare in mind gas gold only have one set of collars so on full droop the coil will have a gap to the top mount. This is where helper springs can be used but also is fine to run without just might clunky occasionally.
It’s what I run on my track car, you can see my build thread.
I rang the usual guy I take mine to if I need help and he’s pretty much said the same thing.
I haven’t changed the bushes on my car since I’ve had it. So they could still be stock. The car is 36 years old so I’d be impressed if they were the ORIGINALS. But I doubt they are anything race-spec.
I’ll sort it eventually. I’m a little unconfident when it comes to playing with suspension. Lack of experience. So I think I’ll get Chatsworth Motor Show out of the way on the 20th and then mess around with it.
Just incase I muck it up.
Seems smart, upload some pictures of the bushes
That looks like a single perch design, so only the preload is adjustable. (Compared with a double perch design where the overall length can also be adjusted.)
You can reduce the preload to the point where the spring is almost loose, but that’s your lot. If you wanted to go lower you would need ‘helper’ springs to ensure that the main springs don’t become dislodged at full droop (or different springs). A spring that’s loose at full droop is an MOT fail if discovered.
That said, you should have seen a significant difference from the adjustment you made - did you unscrew both of the nuts? (The lower one is only there to lock the upper on in position). The ride height should change by ~30% more than the shock height due to suspension geometry.
I really doubt that the suspension bushes will be having any significant effect - they’re just rubber and quite soft.
Unscrewed both rings yeah. Brought the locking ring down a good 15mm and then the top ring down to meet it.
That’s when I noticed the spring was loose.
I don’t know anyone else with GAZ Gold Pros, but I was under the impression I’d be able to go lower, considering some of my friends are on Meister Sportives and have managed fine, and those coils are half the price of mine.
That being said, I went for comfort. The car is fine in that respect as it is. I was also assuming however that the new coils would also lower the car from its stock state.
The Sportives are a ‘2 perch’ design - you can alter the length of the shock by screwing the bottom mount up and down without affecting the preload.
Gaz do sell helper springs. Might be worth a call to them to see what ride height you should be able to achieve before you need them.
I do remember a chap from GAZ mentioning in an email I sent something about helper springs.
But I didn’t get much information about what ride height I should be able to achieve without them. I would’ve thought lower than what I have, because I’m pretty sure it’s only lowered by 10mm or so compared to the old coils.
Though I didn’t exactly measure before I did the job.
Hi
Interested in peoples thoughts
What is a good right height for a road car? Mine currently sits @ 4" (101mm)for rim to wheel arch or 13" from wheel centre to wheel arch on both the front and the back.
Is that reasonable or do in need to allow a bit more clearance?
Sounds reasonable to me - On my NB2 I have the front at 320mm (12.6") and the rear at 335mm (13.2") with 195/50 tyres on 15" standard wheels. (All measured arch to wheel centre without a driver.)
I did have front & rear at the same height, but it feels more planted at speed with the rear slightly (~1/2") higher.
If I drop the front any more, the tyre contacts the arch liner on full bump.
