Noise after removing bolts
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 941
Likes: 3
From: Grand Rapids MI
Well, even if you put something to protect the spring to A-arm on the front you're still lowering the back so far that it is riding on the bump stops. The cars lowered that way must really suck to drive on any road that isn't nice and smooth.
To each there own though. I drive my car far too many miles a year for it to ride like a harsh piece of crap.
To each there own though. I drive my car far too many miles a year for it to ride like a harsh piece of crap.
I put about 20k a year on my car, and it is slammed. You don't NEED to sacrifice comfort for aesthetics, most people simply don't take the extra steps to ensure both.
Jack
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11,152
Likes: 890
From: South Western Ontario
Removing the bolts from the front has nothing to do with the bumpstops in the rear. I am also very low in the rear, and no I don't get into the bumpstops, but that is a topic for another thread.
I put about 20k a year on my car, and it is slammed. You don't NEED to sacrifice comfort for aesthetics, most people simply don't take the extra steps to ensure both.
Jack
I put about 20k a year on my car, and it is slammed. You don't NEED to sacrifice comfort for aesthetics, most people simply don't take the extra steps to ensure both.
Jack
Last I checked, no-one lowers the front 2" or more without lowering the rear. It must be nice to live where the roads are smooth. I'm not even fully lowered on stock bolts which gives almost 2" of suspension travel and I still get into the bump stops. I both raised it a little and cut the bump stops in 1/2 because I had a little over 1" of travel and it was into the bump stops all the time on rougher roads.
FYI, this is with the bumpstop cut in 1/2 with 305/30/19 tires
I took about 1/4" off the bumpstop which gives almost 1/2 more travel. As you can see, I'm not making **** up, I disconnected the spring and tested and measured.
Oh yeah, I did raise the front a little too from being fully lowered on cut stock bolts because of the same problem. It would bottom out too, not as bad as the back but it still did. I'm likely right around where you'd get fully lowered on uncut stock bolts but maybe a little higher.
Last edited by lionelhutz; Sep 16, 2012 at 11:18 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11,152
Likes: 890
From: South Western Ontario
So what's the big secret? You cut the front mount off the frame and weld it back on higher and then cut-up the adapter plate for the rear and extended it up too? That's the only way I could see having decent travel on a slammed car when I looked at it. Cutting bump stops or modifying bushings certainly wasn't enough for a slammed car.
Last edited by lionelhutz; Sep 17, 2012 at 02:36 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 941
Likes: 3
From: Grand Rapids MI
So what's the big secret? You cut the front mount off the frame and weld it back on higher and then cut-up the adapter plate for the rear and extended it up too? That's the only way I could see having decent travel on a slammed car when I looked at it. Cutting bump stops or modifying bushings certainly wasn't enough for a slammed car.
Jack
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 941
Likes: 3
From: Grand Rapids MI
Sorry, not trying to be secretive.
For the rear, I flipped the mounting "hat" upside down, this lets the spring rest up inside the bracket on the frame, gaining approximately 1/2 inch of travel on the shock.
Honestly, even with no bolts, I have never had issues getting into the bumpstops up front.
If I hit a bump large enough to bottom the shocks out, it happens at approximately the same time as the tires get into the inner fenders. Don't get me wrong, the car DOES bottom out, but you have to hit quite a bump to make it happen. Normal driving on MI roads is rarely enough to get into the stops.
I have had different experiences with different cars though. Even among base suspension cars, there seems to be a variance in spring stiffness. I dont have any facts or measurements to support that, so perhaps I should just keep my mouth shut. Just found it worth mentioning that some springs seem "looser" than others and get into the stops more.
Jack
For the rear, I flipped the mounting "hat" upside down, this lets the spring rest up inside the bracket on the frame, gaining approximately 1/2 inch of travel on the shock.
Honestly, even with no bolts, I have never had issues getting into the bumpstops up front.
If I hit a bump large enough to bottom the shocks out, it happens at approximately the same time as the tires get into the inner fenders. Don't get me wrong, the car DOES bottom out, but you have to hit quite a bump to make it happen. Normal driving on MI roads is rarely enough to get into the stops.
I have had different experiences with different cars though. Even among base suspension cars, there seems to be a variance in spring stiffness. I dont have any facts or measurements to support that, so perhaps I should just keep my mouth shut. Just found it worth mentioning that some springs seem "looser" than others and get into the stops more.
Jack
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Race Director
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11,152
Likes: 890
From: South Western Ontario
In the pic I posted my wheel was just touching so that was as far as I could go. Even on a fairly smooth road with curves I can use up the ~1.5" of travel with 2 people in the car even with the C6Z51 shocks and C5Z06 sway bars. I know because I could hear the tires touch going around the corner. If I didn't hear it, I can find the rubber on the inner edge of the fender after a rub. That's why I raised it up a bit more after first trying the cut bumpstops but not finding it was quite enough.
The fronts don't rub but it's pretty obvious when the car bottoms hard on a decent bump. Raising the front a little (about where the stock adjusters would go) was enough to pretty much stop it from bottoming though.
The fronts don't rub but it's pretty obvious when the car bottoms hard on a decent bump. Raising the front a little (about where the stock adjusters would go) was enough to pretty much stop it from bottoming though.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 941
Likes: 3
From: Grand Rapids MI
In the pic I posted my wheel was just touching so that was as far as I could go. Even on a fairly smooth road with curves I can use up the ~1.5" of travel with 2 people in the car even with the C6Z51 shocks and C5Z06 sway bars. I know because I could hear the tires touch going around the corner. If I didn't hear it, I can find the rubber on the inner edge of the fender after a rub. That's why I raised it up a bit more after first trying the cut bumpstops but not finding it was quite enough.
The fronts don't rub but it's pretty obvious when the car bottoms hard on a decent bump. Raising the front a little (about where the stock adjusters would go) was enough to pretty much stop it from bottoming though.
The fronts don't rub but it's pretty obvious when the car bottoms hard on a decent bump. Raising the front a little (about where the stock adjusters would go) was enough to pretty much stop it from bottoming though.
Jack
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,058
Likes: 91
From: Indiana
I put lowering bolts in the front it raised it 1/2 inch. Doesnt look as good but should be worth it. Also had to raise the back a few turns. The front measures 26 3/8 and the rear is now 27 3/8. Looks alot better than stock. I wish I measured before to know how much I gained.