Ride height again

PostPost by: Concrete-crusher » Sun Feb 19, 2017 3:42 pm

Sorry I know this subject has been done to death and appreciate elan ride height might be subjective.

I have replaced all my springs , I have standard road springs supplied by PM on the back and standard road springs supplied by SM on the front.

The car has not yet been driven on any of these and not surprising the ride height looks high.

Measured at the front chassis plate to ground its 7 inches when the manual states 6 inches. I want to set my steering geometry so would like the height correct before I start.

I notice the rubber bush at the top of the shock absorber to the chassis is about 3/4 inch , can this be removed ?

I,m not going to cut down the springs , so are there any other options , I'm reluctant to buy another set of springs and adjustable shocks.

Thanks for words of wisdom

Steve
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PostPost by: elanman999 » Sun Feb 19, 2017 5:11 pm

Steve,
In my experiaence new springs always settle quite a bit in the first few months. You end up doing the setup a few times.
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PostPost by: nmauduit » Sun Feb 19, 2017 6:16 pm

also, if you've tightened the suspension arms with the wheels dangling, the rubber bushes are wound up a bit (which is not good for their longevity)... and you should check suspension height with the car loaded as per its intended use ... :D
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PostPost by: KevJ+2 » Sun Feb 19, 2017 6:27 pm

I've just done this job this week.
After resting the car's hubs on axle stands and strategically loading the car with about 300lbs worth of concrete blocks, it's surprising how the car's ride height is lowered after tightening everything up.
Admittedly, I do have TTR adjustables on the front, but I ended up with parallel (to the ground) wishbones, front and rear, which I believe is the aim.
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PostPost by: Galwaylotus » Sun Feb 19, 2017 7:33 pm

I'd be looking to get the lower suspension links parallel to the ground as shown in the manual. I'm not worried about ride height itself as, with the correct suspension geometry, the ride height will be dependent on the tyre O.D. Design camber, toe and caster changes go from the stock baseline which is, as I understand it, with horizontal lower suspension arms.
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PostPost by: AHM » Sun Feb 19, 2017 8:05 pm

Are the front dampers adjustable? if they are the bottom platform is usually higher to clear the adjuster, with a corresponding increase in ride height when using standard length springs.
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