[Z06] Questions about lowering
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Joined: Dec 2005
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From: San Diego CA
Questions about lowering
Ok so I've read as much as I can handle and done multiple searches on lowering. Please correct any mistakes I've made, and feel free to comment with amplifying information.
Ok so lowering on stock bolts seems to be nothing more than creating a gap between the leaf spring and the lower A-arm. Is this correct? If so, how does this lower the car?
What are the effects of having a bolt that is under tension, but floating between to movable points? (i.e., there is now a gap between the spring and the a-arm) It looks like it would introduce more forces than just the tensile force the bolt was designed for--therefore reducing the lifetime of the bolt. Is this true?
Lastly, for those that completely remove the front bolts, this is effectively removing the leaf spring from the suspension, no? It would seem that this would be very detrimental to the suspension--shocks and no springs...? Please correct me if this is wrong, this is what I've deduced from reading several "how-tos."
Ok so lowering on stock bolts seems to be nothing more than creating a gap between the leaf spring and the lower A-arm. Is this correct? If so, how does this lower the car?
What are the effects of having a bolt that is under tension, but floating between to movable points? (i.e., there is now a gap between the spring and the a-arm) It looks like it would introduce more forces than just the tensile force the bolt was designed for--therefore reducing the lifetime of the bolt. Is this true?
Lastly, for those that completely remove the front bolts, this is effectively removing the leaf spring from the suspension, no? It would seem that this would be very detrimental to the suspension--shocks and no springs...? Please correct me if this is wrong, this is what I've deduced from reading several "how-tos."
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 3,699
Likes: 16
From: Sun City- Menifee Calif.
Ok so I've read as much as I can handle and done multiple searches on lowering. Please correct any mistakes I've made, and feel free to comment with amplifying information.
Ok so lowering on stock bolts seems to be nothing more than creating a gap between the leaf spring and the lower A-arm. Is this correct? If so, how does this lower the car?
What are the effects of having a bolt that is under tension, but floating between to movable points? (i.e., there is now a gap between the spring and the a-arm) It looks like it would introduce more forces than just the tensile force the bolt was designed for--therefore reducing the lifetime of the bolt. Is this true?
Lastly, for those that completely remove the front bolts, this is effectively removing the leaf spring from the suspension, no? It would seem that this would be very detrimental to the suspension--shocks and no springs...? Please correct me if this is wrong, this is what I've deduced from reading several "how-tos."
Ok so lowering on stock bolts seems to be nothing more than creating a gap between the leaf spring and the lower A-arm. Is this correct? If so, how does this lower the car?
What are the effects of having a bolt that is under tension, but floating between to movable points? (i.e., there is now a gap between the spring and the a-arm) It looks like it would introduce more forces than just the tensile force the bolt was designed for--therefore reducing the lifetime of the bolt. Is this true?
Lastly, for those that completely remove the front bolts, this is effectively removing the leaf spring from the suspension, no? It would seem that this would be very detrimental to the suspension--shocks and no springs...? Please correct me if this is wrong, this is what I've deduced from reading several "how-tos."
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,366
Likes: 249
From: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
The main point that you do not realize is that the spring is always directly connected to the control arms front and rear. By adjusting the stock bolts you are changing the relationship of the connections so that the car is lowered. There is no floating at any time despite the changes.
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Advanced
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 70
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From: San Diego CA
Ok, so there's enough tension in the spring to always keep the bolt in contact with the control arm? How about the folks that remove the front bolts completely? It still seems to me that that removes the spring from the suspension. Is that wrong?
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 3,699
Likes: 16
From: Sun City- Menifee Calif.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 70
Likes: 0
From: San Diego CA
Ok so I've read a little more, and peeked under my car. The front lowering bolt just acts as a spacer between the control arm and the spring, right? By removing that bolt, the spring still presses on the control arm, there's just no buffer between the two surfaces. So to minimize that gap and still maintain a pad between the two surfaces, the options are to cut the bushing or replace the bolts with C6 bolts, which have a smaller bushing. Am I on track now?
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 3,699
Likes: 16
From: Sun City- Menifee Calif.
Ok so I've read a little more, and peeked under my car. The front lowering bolt just acts as a spacer between the control arm and the spring, right? By removing that bolt, the spring still presses on the control arm, there's just no buffer between the two surfaces. So to minimize that gap and still maintain a pad between the two surfaces, the options are to cut the bushing or replace the bolts with C6 bolts, which have a smaller bushing. Am I on track now?
