How do I lower my 87 with helper coilovers?

[Tippy]

I've always wanted to lower my 87 a tad, especially after seeing it had adjustable coilovers.

But, what I figured out from here is it has torsion bars too.

So, how in the world do you lower this thing?

My initial guess was to lower both the torsion bits by say a half-inch and the coilovers the same?

But, I know suspension is tough to figure out exactly due to lots of variables.

[Flieger]

You are over-thinking things. As long as the coil-overs are bearing weight when at normal ride height (meaning the tender spring is fully compressed to solid and the main spring is compressed some) then you just need to turn the top spring perch so it moves up, or the bottom one to move down, whichever applies.

If that doesn't get the car low enough then you will need to re-index the torsion bars.

[Tippy]

I'm confused. There is only one coil spring and one TB per wheel.

[otto_kretschmer]

you probably will have to adjust both torsion bar and coil spring

I'm sure there is a thread here about adjusting torsion bars. It's not all that hard. You will need a chain, a floor jack and some nuts and bolts, and a large soft mallet

I've done it on my 911 and volkswagons

[jpnovak]

Cory,

Do your coil-over (helpers) have adjustment collars on them? If so, just adjust the collars. The total load of the car is a sum of the spring rate in the torsion bar + the spring rate of the coil over. The load is carried by both. You can adjust one independent of the other.

When you run out of adjustment on the coil spring you will need to move on and adjust the torsion bars to compensate.


Best is that we load the car on scales and make sure corner balance does not get out of whack when dropping the springs.

[Flieger]

Originally Posted by Tippy

I'm confused. There is only one coil spring and one TB per wheel.

I guess your springs are soft enough not to need a "tender spring". On coil-over 911s you often see small, soft springs above the main springs. The tenders are made of a coiled flat strip of metal instead of a round wire. This lets them go solid without damage. Their purpose is to keep the main springs from moving around when the suspension droops far, since the stiff springs are so short.

Even without a tender spring my advice is the same, try to do it with the coils only first. That is what they are there for.

And yes, check corner balance afterwards and adjust as needed.

[Tippy]

Cory,



Do your coil-over (helpers) have adjustment collars on them? If so, just adjust the collars. The total load of the car is a sum of the spring rate in the torsion bar + the spring rate of the coil over. The load is carried by both. You can adjust one independent of the other.



When you run out of adjustment on the coil spring you will need to move on and adjust the torsion bars to compensate.





Best is that we load the car on scales and make sure corner balance does not get out of whack when dropping the springs.

Yep, has the collars. Who has the scales?

[Flieger]

Scales are one of the best things I ever spent a grand on. A couple turns of the front height adjusters and the pulling on the freeway stopped. And with the alignment tools I also got I can do whatever I want on the suspension without having to pay for a corner balance and alignment each time.

[Tippy]

Scales are one of the best things I ever spent a grand on. A couple turns of the front height adjusters and the pulling on the freeway stopped. And with the alignment tools I also got I can do whatever I want on the suspension without having to pay for a corner balance and alignment each time.

Yeah, my car I believe was balanced and don't want to upset what I've got.

[jpnovak]

Originally Posted by Tippy

Yep, has the collars. Who has the scales?

Someone who earlier recommended them.