hi,

I've been fitting my coilovers this weekend and have run into a few problems. First a pic of hows shes sitting :)

Firstly, tyre rubbing on the srings. Guessing there's not much i can do about that?

Next, how high should the "bar" come through as in the picture below as:

One side of mine is higher than the other which consequently means one side is dropped more than the other (if the coilovers are set to an exact measurements. Which leads me onto:

How important is it that each corner is dropped the same amount?

Finnaly!.. in this picture (these are taken from the uk polos guide) they are set to the lowest without slack.

I have 195/50/15 tyres and to get no rubbing they are set significantly higher than this with the helper springs almost fully compressed which leads me to believe i have done something wrong!?

Appreciate any help..

Rich

Edited 21 March, 201016 yr by richoco

your tyres shouldn't rub on the springs - you've got aftermarket wheels fitted, what's the ET on them? Should be around 38-43 iirc for stock wheels (I'm on ET38 on 16V wheels and mine don't rub, although my car is jacked up)

You could try putting spacers on the wheels to move them away from the springs.

The threaded bar at the top should come through enough to put the retaining cap on and a nut, simples. Just remember to put all the components in the right way (spring, spring cap, bearing - v important, big rubber bush)

cheers for the advice.. My wheels are et38 so not sure why they're rubbing. Maybe the big tyres? umm yeah i followed the guide on uk polos to fit them so think they're on right. just wondered about the differing lowereing amounts on each wheel, because its hard to get them exact? would it be a problem?

ta

umm with the tyres rubbing, i've obviously only noticed it when the car is jacked up and there's minimal contact, so could it just be the camber thats causing the rubbing, then when the cars lowered the top moves away from the springs? If u get me lol

If its the adjuster rings rubbing on the tyres, you can take the helper springs out which in turn will move the adjusters up and therefore you can lower it more before it touches. I had to do this with mine due to my et45 wheels and 185/55/15 tyres.

If its the adjuster rings rubbing on the tyres, you can take the helper springs out which in turn will move the adjusters up and therefore you can lower it more before it touches. I had to do this with mine due to my et45 wheels and 185/55/15 tyres.

ah nice one. if i remove the helpers, would the rider be harsher or better? its pretty harsh atm so wouldnt want to make it worse

I didn't notice a difference tbf, although some people do say it makes it worse.

the helpers are mainly to take up the slack when the wheels are all the way down - if the springs rattle when the wheels are on full droop, then it's an MOT fail. It'll affect it more when you're at speed as they will move up and down more/faster and are more likely to rattle then

It's a bit of a ballache, but set the ride height on level ground and try and get it all within 5mm (it will affect tyre wear and handling if it's out by much more than this) - I set mine from the highest point on the lower lip of the wheel arch, down to the centre of the hub (use a tape measure!)

Edited 21 March, 201016 yr by majic79

it's more important to get the heights the same on each axle than each side

cool! thanks for the help guys!

ok, I've sorted out the camber on the front wheels which has stopped the wheels rubbing on the springs and I've raised it up so there's plenty of clearence. however when I'm going really slowly and turn the steering wheel there's a rubbing noise that i can hear at certain points in the turn..

ie. slowly turning right; noise..quiet..noise..quiet..noise.

I cant see whats causing I'm geeting the tracking done in about an hour so want to try and get this sorted beforehand..

Can anyone help??

Cheers

also mate its a good idea of changing the top mounts my roller bearings case was split and when i was turning it was turning the whole entire top section when it should be gliding round on the rollers ( if you get me) and that was causing clunking noises

ah yeah makes sense.. ill check them out in a sec. if what you are saying is the case could i just check it by seeing if it all turns by looking in the bonnet ie the second top pic.?

i might have to postpone the tracking :(

cheers mate

also where would i get em from?

Edited 27 March, 201016 yr by richoco

hahaha just checked and your spot on mate! just need to replace one of em tho. where did you get yours from?

this looks right :

Ebay

is it undrivable until i fit the new bearings as i need my car for work tomoro?

Edited 27 March, 201016 yr by richoco

I didnt put my top mounts on.. Right, now I gotta order some. I know for a fact GSF aint got any in stock, so I'll try eurocarparts?

hahah love it, i got mine from the eby link above.. may have 6n2 ones? but yeah i think ecp sell pairs for 20 odd

how did u sort out you camber coz my drivers side wheel rubbs on my coilover.

that is a perfect height!.. looking really nice!

but i agree, check that they are not 6n2 mate.

how did u sort out you camber coz my drivers side wheel rubbs on my coilover.

i removed the wheel, loosened the two bolts on the bottom of the coilies then held the disc brakes straight so that there was no camber whilst a friend retightened the bolts.

that is a perfect height!.. looking really nice!

cheers mate! i cant really go much lower without lower profile tyres at the moment