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Finally lowered my car on yesterday on Z51 coilovers. Car dropped 3/4s on all four corners and really makes the car look better IMO. I’ve read where some DIYers and shops use spring compressors and/or remove the springs from the vehicle, which is not necessary. I used spanner wrenches and a little DW 40 (rear only to help with loosening the absorbers).
Did the fronts bf golf and the rear once I made it back home. I could do the whole job in 3 hours. You do not have to unbolt anything. However, I did unbolt the nut that holds the brake fluid line on the front PS so I could rotate the wrench without hitting the line. From ground to fender edge, ride height is 26.75 fronts and 27.75 rears. Front splitter is 5.75 off the ground. Here is a pic.
lowered on stock suspension
Great Job! Thanks for the tips on how easy it is to remove/replace springs.
Did you notice increased stiffness in the ride? An engineer told me that cutting a stock spring will yield an increase in spring rate, as much as 10%.
Great Job! Thanks for the tips on how easy it is to remove/replace springs.
Did you notice increased stiffness in the ride? An engineer told me that cutting a stock spring will yield an increase in spring rate, as much as 10%.
Just for clarity, I did not replace the springs, I only adjusted the stock coilovers to lower the car. The ride quality is the same.
Thanks for the clarification. I thought that you had cut a coil off the original springs to lower the car, not replace them.
Now I understand had to do neither.....I'll have to look at the coil-over bits on my car.
Thanks for the clarification. I thought that you had cut a coil off the original springs to lower the car, not replace them.
Now I understand had to do neither.....I'll have to look at the coil-over bits on my car.
If you have a Z51, the shock bodies are threaded, and the spring perch can be lowered on the threads about 3/4". If you have front lift, the front is no longer threaded to fit the hydraulic cylinder for the lift and would need to use lowering collars or a shorter lowering spring.
If you have a Z51, the shock bodies are threaded, and the spring perch can be lowered on the threads about 3/4". If you have front lift, the front is no longer threaded to fit the hydraulic cylinder for the lift and would need to use lowering collars or a shorter lowering spring.
No flames please. Just an observation...Woulda thought the side to side differences would be the same, if lowering was the cause of misalignment. Is it possible the alignment was off before the lowering? Just looked, and the manual does not mention an alignment is required after adjusting the coil overs on Z51.
No flames please. Just an observation...Woulda thought the side to side differences would be the same, if lowering was the cause of misalignment. Is it possible the alignment was off before the lowering? Just looked, and the manual does not mention an alignment is required after adjusting the coil overs on Z51.
Thanks for sharing! My car felt very, slightly weird infrequently but never had the dealer check it because I knew I would be lowering it. It has been my understanding that any time you lower a vehicle, you should have it checked which I did, and an alignment was recommended. I told the SA and tech the car was pulling right a little. It rides very smoothly now with no noticeable issues on my 50-mile drive back home!!
Thanks for sharing! My car felt very, slightly weird infrequently but never had the dealer check it because I knew I would be lowering it. It has been my understanding that any time you lower a vehicle, you should have it checked which I did, and an alignment was recommended. I told the SA and tech the car was pulling right a little. It rides very smoothly now with no noticeable issues on my 50-mile drive back home!!
Factory alignments are rough-ins at best; you did the right thing! The factory rushes the adjustments as they roll over an alignment pit. I've yet to own a Corvette (or most other vehicles for that matter) that was delivered within spec and typically have it checked, then corrected, under warranty shortly after delivery.
I cannot find anyone in the country west of Knoxville to do the alignment after lowering.
I asked a few dealers and they said the car barely clears their alignment rack at the factory height.
Anyone know of a shop in the area?
That's nonsense. My Chevy dealer both lowered my car (collars on the front and coilover adjustments on the rear) and performed an alignment after lowering (at their suggestion). Some time later I noticed that the stripe on the steering wheel wasn't exactly centered and they did another alignment. No BS complaints about clearance.
I might also note that my lowered C8 clears my Quick Jack with no problem at all. Car is lowered .75" all around and has a 5VM splitter on the front to boot.
Lowered on OE Coilovers
