Finally Installed my new Front Springs!

Tidybuoy · 11:21 PM

I Finally installed my new Weltmeister 200lb lowering springs.

This project took extra effort because I originally installed these springs about a year ago but they were a little loose and did not require compressing - I was convinced that I bought the wrong springs. This was after I had already installed Koni's a couple of months earlier and paid for an alignment - then took everyting apart only to find out i had the wrong springs (I thought) and paid for a 2nd alignment.

So, after reading many posts on this board and discussing with a friend of mine (who also posts on this board) I concluded that the springs are supposed to be shorter than stock - therfore being looser than stock when the car's jacked up. I guess the shorter spring is how they actually "lower" the car...duhh!

Anyway, now that I've done this a few times, it took me an hour and a half and that includes 20 minutes of lookig for the nut that goes on the top of the strut - it was sitting on top of the battery and I need glasses.

Conclusion: Wow, what a difference. Not only does the car look great, it drives much smoother. I was expecting a stiffer, bumpier ride but it's actually much smoother. The springs are definately stiffer but the ride is much improved. Steering is perfect, no wandering like I had before. And, did I mention it looks great. Ever since I moved up to 16's I haven't liked the look but lowering the front make the tires fill in much better.

The springs dropped the front a full 2". The front previously sat about 1/2 inch higher than the rear. now about an inch lower than the rear - see for yourself:

Before: front sat a tad higher than the rear

Tidybuoy · 11:23 PM

After: Front sits a tad lower than the rear

Before: I could squeeze a pepsi can over the tire

After: No room for that can

Before:

Tidybuoy · 05-13-2008, 11:19 PM

It must be late...I keep hitting enter instead of upload.

After:

Exactly a 2" Difference:

The only thing I would do different next time is I would mark the headlights on the garage door first. I definately had to adjust the lights and it would have been nice to get them exactly as the were previously.

Just thought I would share....it's been a while.

Vern

Schumi · 05-14-2008, 01:37 AM

According to their site, the 200 lb springs are only supposed to lower the front 1.25"... where did the other .75" come from?

It looks great. I may invest in a set soon.

Arizona_928 · 05-14-2008, 06:36 AM

It looks really good...

Makis · 05-14-2008, 02:10 PM

Now you need to lower the rear as well. Also ideally the spring should not be allowed loose when the shock is fully extended. Ideally to run these springs you would need shorter shocks. If you drive fast and one wheel lifts off the ground you risk the spring to move around and can dislocate.

Dean924s · Dean924s's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Makis

Now you need to lower the rear as well. Also ideally the spring should not be allowed loose when the shock is fully extended. Ideally to run these springs you would need shorter shocks. If you drive fast and one wheel lifts off the ground you risk the spring to move around and can dislocate.

Zip ties fixes this issue. Done it to may of the race cars and they keep the springs in place. If you dont trust zip ties we have all so used the industrial metal banding. It was harder to install and lead us to the zip ties. We found that the zip ties work just as well and we have never had one brake

Fixing the headlights after the fact:

Simple!! Jack the car up by the cross member. I would take measurements from the fenders to the ground before you start to make sure that it is equal on both sides. Note measurements and then lift the car by the cross member until you can fit you Pepsi can back in. Check your measurements to the ground and then mark lights on wall. Lower car and aim to the marks. Oh-ya make sure you take the can out

Tidybuoy · 05-14-2008, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schumi

According to their site, the 200 lb springs are only supposed to lower the front 1.25"... where did the other .75" come from?

It looks great. I may invest in a set soon.

I'm pretty sure I did not measure the perfect way. The car definitely dropped 2" at the front valance point but I haven't done anything to the rear yet. I suspect that when I drop the rear about an inch, the front valance will raise a bit as the angle of the car will change slightly.

Regarding the posts about using zip ties and loose springs: when I initially installed the springs into their perches, the springs were loose enough to move the spring in a circle but definitely not enough movement to come out of the perch. Then, when the strut is installed, the spring got even tighter because the lower control arm will not drop low enough and so the strut is slightly compressed even when the car is jacked up. The sway bar is also putting a lot of force on the control arm and it doesn't want to drop too low very easily.

I may install some zip ties as you guys have mentioned but it really does not look like this is going to be a problem. My initial concerns were mostly because the stock springs required significant compression to install and the new springs required very little.

I'm open for suggestions regarding how to drop the rear. I know I'll figure it out but it's always nice to hear from someone who's actually done it.

Vern

Schumi · 05-14-2008, 08:56 PM

Are the eccentric bolts on the rear shocks already all the way down (or, up that is I guess.)? If not, start there. There is about 3/4" or travel you can get out of the rear eccentrics. Past that, it gets more difficult. The trailing arms in the rear attach to a torsion bar with splines. Moving the trailing arms up a spline will decrease ride height. I think there are 44 teeth on the outside splines. The inner is different so you don't screw it up. So 360 deg/44 teeth is about 8 degrees per tooth. 8 degrees over the fore-aft length of the trailing arm is significant. Readjustment of the eccentrics man be required after this. And of course a proper alignment.

Makis · 05-14-2008, 11:37 PM

I would expect lowering using the eccentric bolts will be enough. Can't see Weltmeister to supply springs that require more lowering. If you need more lowering then you will need to re-index the torsion bars. If you going to do that you may as well uprate the bars so the spring rate matches your 200lb springs (I think 26mm bars will do, or the 25.5mm of Turbo S)

Schumi · 05-15-2008, 12:22 AM

According to Jim Pasha, setting the ride height equal front to rear is the optimum start point for these cars. With the 1.25" drop springs in the front, changing the eccentric bolts in the rear really isn't enough to get equal ride height front the rear. Like I said, the eccentric bolts supposedly only get you 3/4" travel, some people more (I do not quite understand why some people have better results than others in adjusting the eccentrics.).

Up-rating the torsion bars in the rear to stiffen the ride to match the stiffer front while re-indexing them is one way, but honestly I would just go with a larger rear swaybar to increase the rear roll stiffness. Up-rating the torsion bars is a bold move and if you got too stiff, well, you lose. At least with sway bars you can swap out relatively easily if you feel you have made a wrong decision.

Tidybuoy · 05-16-2008, 12:41 AM

I dropped the rear tonight by adjusting the excentric bolt. The rear dropped about 1 inch and now the car sits perfectly level. I measured the front lip and now the total drop is 1.5 inches vs. the 2 inches when just the front was dropped. I guess the angle of the front being lower than the rear exaggerated the effect.

Now it's absolutely perfect & I really like the look and to my surprize, the ride is firmer but smooth - not harsh at all.