I just completed my suspension upgrade to SLP level 1 last week and noticed something peculiar. My car sits 1/2" higher on the left than on the right in the rear and almost 3/4" on the front. I measured from the top of the rim to the bottom of the fender at the center each time. I'm curious if I did that on accident or that's how the car's sit. I used 1le swaybar endlinks as well. On my 2001 corvette, it's the same measurement side to side. Thoughts?

 

Mine is like this in the rear, and I have heard the same from at least one other person. When I removed my stock springs, I actually found spring clamps on my drivers rear spring.

 

My rear has always been 5/8" higher on the driver's side since new. I am on my third set of springs, and it has always measured the same difference. OE springs, then Hyperco springs, now SLP/Eibach; all had a different ride height, but the same 5/8" difference. I tried cutting the drivers side spring, but I had to cut 1.5 coils to get an even ride height. I then realized that because of my front to back and side to side subframe connectors, the car was too stiff to just bend. After cutting 1.5 coils, the rear left/right weight was way off when I had the car scaled. I have now had a spring perch machined from solid aluminum bar stock to use on the passenger side, and all is well. I believe it is common for the upper spring perch to be welded too high on the passenger side, rear.

Bob Bishop

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lateapex@worldnet.att.net
'94 Z28 with C5 front brakes and other road racing stuff

[This message has been edited by lateapex (edited July 30, 2002).]

[This message has been edited by lateapex (edited August 01, 2002).]

 

One thing you can do that's cheap is to disconnect both a-r bars and re-measure. That way possible bar preload is removed as a factor in the ride heights and you have a better basis for determining how much to trim from a spring.

I'd also measure from the ground to some hard chassis point like a suspension bracket rather than trust the left to right equality of the sheet metal.

Norm

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'79 Malibu, way not stock (355, 5 speed, . . .)
'95 Mazda 626 V6 5 speed, not entirely stock either
'01 20th AE Maxima, 5 speed, stock (so far)

[This message has been edited by Norm Peterson (edited July 30, 2002).]

 

You shouldn't have a height problem. The common cause of this in the rear is that you haven't properly aligned the springs on the axle perch.

Believe it or not, the pigtail ends must line up between each spring or one spring will sit higher than the other.

The shop manual explains how to do it, but the basic principle is to make sure the spring seating pattern is the same on each
axle perch.

 

I did recall the thing with the spring perch and I made sure that I aligned both of them in the same direction. I'll be doing it shortly again when my Strange 12bolt comes in so I'll be more cautious. I'm more curious on the front. Can I preload the suspension with the swaybar? What's the best way to install the sway bar without preloading?

 

The suspension can be preloaded by the bar (side note - that's why you disconnect the bars when setting corner weights). Unintentionally it can happen by not tightening the endlinks down to the same amount of bushing compression or if for some reason there is a slight gap in the endlink assembly between the bar and the control arm on one side before you start tightening either endlink.

The best way to avoid bar preload that I can think of involves making sure that there is no gap under the bar on either side before you start to tighten the nuts. You can probably add flat washer(s) to close up any gap and be close enough for most purposes, and you can ignore gaps of less than half a washer thickness. Then tighten both endlinks by the same number of turns of the nut after all slack has been removed from the endlink assemblies. Tighten a little on one side, then a little on the other. You might also want to keep track of the measured distances from the bar ends to the control arms, making sure to maintain any difference between the left and right side measurements as you tighten.

Norm

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'79 Malibu, way not stock (355, 5 speed, . . .)
'95 Mazda 626 V6 5 speed, not entirely stock either
'01 20th AE Maxima, 5 speed, stock (so far)

[This message has been edited by Norm Peterson (edited August 01, 2002).]

 

I agree fully with Norm. I also found sway bar preload to alter ride height on my highly modified suspension. However, the right rear was slightly lower shortly after I bought the car new (sagging soft factory springs after a few hundred launches?). If sway bar preload is not the cause of uneven ride height with your new springs, I would recommend going to an adjustable height suspension kit from G2 or Global West. My rear Global West kit is great (Unfortunately, GW has been less than helpful with my front adjustable height kit for my Koni Double Adjustable Shocks).

Serious Zero Deflection Suspension Mods to my 1994 Z28M6 include:
1. LG Motorsports adjustable front boxed-steel lower control arms with rod-ends set to 1.5 deg neg camber.
2. Global West front tubular steel upper control arms with greaseable solid del-alum bushings and negative camber compression curve.
3. Global West rear lower control arms with sealed solid bearing bushings.
4. RK Sport aluminum adjustable panhard rod.
5. Granatelli braced upper panhard rod (fixed brace).
6. Global West anti-squat welded rear brackets.
7. Kenne-Brown Double Diamond subframe connectors.
8. HPM 2/3rds length torque arm (track arm) with heavy duty cross brace (tied to subframe connectors) and triangulated brace to left rear frame.
9. Koni Double Adjustable Shock absorbers.
10. Addco solid cad-plated 1.25" front and 1" rear anti-sway bars with Energy-Suspension links and poly bushings.
11. Hotchkiss Engine Bay strut tower brace.
12. Global West Adjustable height suspension kit with short springs (lowered 1.25").
13. Eibach front springs with fresh spring perch rubber isolators (lowered 1" - 26" floor to fender upper lip). *Whenever Global West Suspension (Doug) gets off his butt and makes a fix-kit to keep index collar from falling apart when car is on lift, I will have a front adjustable height suspension kit too.
14. SLP heavy duty Torsen differential with 3.73 gears).
15. Two sets of Autumn Fleet Sales ZR1 9.5"/11" combo wheel sets with Kuhmo Victoracer 700 tires and Advan A032R Grooved road race tires and 1 set of 1997 Camaro SS 9.5" wheels with Yokohama AVS Intermediates.
16. Baer slotted 13.15" GTP+ brakes front (with C5 calipers) and 11" slotted rotors rear with EBC Red-Stuff pads on all 4 corners.
17. Camaro SS rear bump stop spacers to make sure that the 315mm tires don't stuff in the fender wells

This car is a blast to go around corners in (0.95g on street tires and way over 1.0g's on R-compound tires) - Hence my license plate says "I CORNER" Florida. It is a rear joy to stun Porche/Viper owners with. Now I just need to boost power from around 350hp flywheel to some more respectable number!