ride height too low in rear?

[jfw834]

hey guys....ok i need your opinions.....i think my rear end is too low. either that or the front needs to be lowered more? i scraped the rear end on a curb once or twice and in general it just looks a bit off to me. what do you think? also is it hard to adjust ride height? and if i made the rear a little higher would that also allow for more travel in the shocks an make a softer ride?

-jeff

[rcecale]

Your front and rear heights don't look much different than mine.


At first I thought my rear-end was low...but I've come to the thinking that I think I'd rather lower my front end a bit.

I have to admit though...the ride is extremely stiff in this set up.

Randy

[Jack Olsen]

Front is too high, and rear is too low.

[Jack Olsen]

And rcecale, is there no padding on that cage? If you drive it on the street, you're running the risk of breaking your skull open on exposed bars.

[sushinav]

A good rule of thumb for ride height is to measure the vertical distance from the highest point of the fender well lip to the ground by a line that passes vertically through the center of your wheel. You want a measurement of 25.5 inches front and 25 inches rear. Setting ride height on the front only takes an 11mm wrench. The rear is trickier.

[jfw834]

looks like i'll be adjusting both...

LF = 25 1/2_____RF = 25 3/4
LR = 23 3/4_____RR = 24 1/8

should they be this different? could the ~half inch difference be a slightly off kilter garage floor? (seems perfectly level to me)

[rcecale]

Jack,

Although it's a bit thin, there IS padding on that cage. Probably thin enough to not offer much protection. I've actually considered replacing it all as an upcoming project.

Appreciate your concern!

Randy

[Paulporsche]

What size rear tires and wheels do you have? What is the overall diameter?

When stock, the dia is about 25". If you set the rear ht to that and the front 1/2" higher then you get a slightly nose down look.

If your rear tire dia is less, you can try starting w/ that dia and then go 1/2" higher @ front.

And yes, the more you lower the car, the harsher, more jiggly the ride.

[Wil Ferch]

I'd leave the front alone as-is...at least as a start and work on the rear.

Jack and others.....the need for padding is entirely correct, but from the pics I see of your car, Jack, it seems you're using the rather squishy stuff that is not much better than pipe insulation...this is too soft. I've seen "rated" stuff ( SFI, Etc) that is much "stiffer" and would offer more initial impact protection/absorption.....

---Wil

[jabb]

I recently put new Wheels and Tires on my car and took it for an Alignment. It also sat low in the back like yours and hit on some curbs... The shop suggeted raising the rear which they did... When the rear came up the front went down... Has a nice look now. They raised the rear about 1 1/4 inches... They were able to raise the rear just using the spring plate adjustments they did not have to mess with the torsion bars. Here are the pictures after the alignment and raising. New_Ride_Hieght_Pictures

[widebody911]

I can't imagine my car @ 25" in the rear! At one point in my CB regimen, it sat @ 24", and I thought that looked too 'WRX'. I'm @ 23 7/8 now. The top of the tire (245/45-16) is slightly obscured by the fender.

Where does one obtain proper roll bar padding? The local speed shop has roll bar padding, which looks like the same stuff as those "noodles" that kids beat each other up with in the pool.

[1973911s]

If it was me, I would bring the front down and rear up, the rear takes some work.

Michael

[Wil Ferch]

There is *no way* you can gain or lose 1 1/4" of ride height change in the rear simply by adjusting the two-position spring plate. Maybe 3/4".

Thom...try people who cater selling true racing stuff...as much as I hate to drive business their way...people like Stable Energies who market Safety Devices stuff.

Wil

EDIT-- maybe this amount of change is possible with aftermarket spring plates ( Weltmeister) but not with factory OEM.

[ted]

What ever ride hiegth you choose, lower overall for the track and higher for the driveway clearances on the street. Imho the car should have a slight forward rake of about 1 degree. No more or the rear will get light on braking. 1 degree forward rake will have the car closer to level when accelerating.
The top two cars look like they are in full rear wieght transfer while sitting still?

[widebody911]

Originally posted by Wil Ferch
There is *no way* you can gain or lose 1 1/4" of ride height change in the rear simply by adjusting the two-position spring plate. Maybe 3/4".

Not even between the extremes of adjustment?

[Wil Ferch]

Thom:
I seriously think not...the most I've had fed back by reports is about 3/4" total range of adjustment on the stock two piece spring plates.

Anyone here confirm/deny?

Also...stock...as delivered....the adjustment range is full-up against one side of the adjustment range...to allow *raising* the car to accommodate long term spring sag....

--- Wil

[TMH]

Originally posted by widebody911
Where does one obtain proper roll bar padding? The local speed shop has roll bar padding, which looks like the same stuff as those "noodles" that kids beat each other up with in the pool.

Thom,

I got mine from IOPort Racing in Lafayette, CA. Great price, and their service has always been FAST and top notch. Here is a direct link:
http://www.ioportracing.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=RBPPro&Category_Code=RBCA

Jeff: Your rear end-to-front end height looks like my '87 Coupe when I bought it. When I took the car into Custom Alignment up here in Nor Cal for 4 wheel alignment and corner balancing, they confirmed that the rear ride height was too low, and they adjusted it up accordingly. Car now handles incredibly well, and I don't scrape the tailpipe so often! Have an experienced shop check it out and get their opinion!

Tom

[jfw834]

Originally posted by 1973911s

Michael,

This ride height looks perfect! Those are 16" rims right? Mine are 16....do you know your measurments? (that sounds kindof gross but you know what i mean! )

by the way, always thought your duck tail setup looked awesome. beautiful car! goo color too.

[jfw834]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jfw834
[B]
LF = 25 1/2_____RF = 25 3/4
LR = 23 3/4_____RR = 24 1/8
QUOTE]

just to clarify i measured this from the ground through the wheel center cap and only to the bottom edge of the wheel well lip, not to the top ridge where the flare starts form. dig? there would be about a half in. more on each measurement in that case.

also 25" in the back would look silly on my car......measuring this way i would need a 4x4 badge on my decklid!

[sushinav]

You measured correctly. The difference in sides may be several things. Try driving around, stopping somewhere else level, and remeasuring. These cars will be slightly different from car to car and side to side. Once you get your height set, don't forget to get an alignment. Oh, and search button for more details.