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I realize this is old hat but is the rear noticeably lower than the front on an otherwise stock suspension after doing the “heater hose mod? You know, removing the rear isolator and using a length of heater hose instead. I hear it lowers the rear somewhere between 1/4” to 3/4,” and some say the rear was lower than the front and some say it leveled out the stance. For those that have done it with an otherwise stock suspension how did it turn out for you?
I’m thinking about using Prothane spring isolators for a ‘99 Cobra. I hear that they will lower the rear about a 1/2.” If I lower the rear .5” on my ‘00 Z28 and leave the front stock will it look like I’m trying to smuggle something across the boarder, or will it just decease the wheel well gap some and one would have to really be looking to notice that the front is higher? I’m running the oem 16” wheels fwiw. Here’s a guy that used heater hose with stock springs and QA1 front shocks (don’t know if that makes a difference) and it looks like it sits fairly level, but it’s kind of hard to tell. Sorry for the newbieness. Thanks for having me. “Heater Hose Mod” Pic
On the car in the link, the QA1 R Series shocks in the front are height adjustable by turning the lower seat on the threaded shock body. He may have lowered (or otherwise adjusted) the front height to keep the chassis level.
You have to use a QA1 spring on the front R Series shock to match the QA1 reduced diameter lower spring seat. Or, you could modify the stock lower spring seat to accommodate the stock front spring lower seat diameter. I modified the stock seat, had to have part of it cut off on a lathe.
Well I ordered and installed Prothane rear spring isolators for a ‘99 Cobra and this is what we got. The rear is indeed a tad lower than then front but not too much. The ground isn’t then most level in the pics but it’s all I have on hand at the moment.
From: Born on the Florida West Coast, now where can I retire?
Re: 4th Gen Spring Isolator/Heater Hose Mod-
Modified aftermarket parts are not stock. And get used to not trusting the specs for those. I now have heavy shocks on the back of my car even though they were advertised as "stock".
Modified aftermarket parts are not stock. And get used to not trusting the specs for those. I now have heavy shocks on the back of my car even though they were advertised as "stock".
Come again? The “stock ones” that I was referring to were the 22 year old OEM “stock” isolators.