blueshark123 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Ok so I finally got around to sectioning my struts over the weekend. I have BZ3125 struts which are a little shorter than the commonly used BZ3099 strut. T3 initially advised that I only remove 30mm max from the strut housing. As I was in process of shortening, I took measurements and realized that 30mm is way too small. I ended up having to remove 1.75 inches(~44mm). I called T3 today about another question I had and in the conversation he reaffirmed that I shouldn't remove more than 30mm as the car will sit way too low and that instead I should have used a spacer. Am I ok with leaving them as is or should I look for new strut housings? This is for a 240z with 10inch springs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 If you have adjustable coilovers and your plan is to lower the car it shouldn't be an issue. Now, there are always other issues that come with lowering but that is considered part of the deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaito Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Eff that. I sectioned my struts 30mm with the same cartridge and it wasn't low enough for me. I added camber plates and it is barely adequate. I plan on removing them again sometime to section them so that they don't need a spacer. When you section your struts it lowers the car without loosing strut travel which is a good thing. You'll be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Things change when you lower a car. Things like camber, caster, roll centers. The lower you go the more they change. I'm sure, for liability reasons, T3 is doing a little CYA by recommending a maximum 30mm drop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 I believe I did 1 5/8" and then put shims under the strut to get it tight. The important thing is that you shouldn't be able to tighten the gland nut all the way down to where it hits the strut housing. You want a couple threads showing when it is TIGHT. In the rear you need spacers for sure. Use a 2" spacer for a 240, I think you need a 3" for the 280, but that's old memory so anyone with a 280 should double check. If you section the rear struts until they fit a short strut, you'll find that your car is way too low in the back when you reassemble. Saw a Z at an autox recently that had made that mistake. It looked OK in the front but was dragging its ass around, and was a real handful on course. I think the fastest driver may have had a run with no spins, but he had several runs with more than one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueshark123 Posted August 13, 2012 Author Share Posted August 13, 2012 Ok thanks guys! I don't need to worry about the rears as I bought the whole T3 rear end assembly so they come assembled already. I have camber plates in the front but not in the rear. I wonder if I'll have a problem with lining the front and rear up but I doubt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 I cut as much as 1.75" out for the typical Koni 8610 install. You might have an issue if your tires are taller then 24". You can relocate the inner mounting point for the front LCAs and that will help if your tall. Only cut about 1.5" out of the rear strut tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueshark123 Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 I cut as much as 1.75" out for the typical Koni 8610 install. You might have an issue if your tires are taller then 24". You can relocate the inner mounting point for the front LCAs and that will help if your tall. Only cut about 1.5" out of the rear strut tubes. What would I have a problem with specifically? I do plan to run a 25 inch tire and 17 inch wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Not enough droop travel. You'll have to adjust the ride height up enough to get the roll centers correct in front (LCA pointing down) that you'll only have an inch or two of droop travel before picking a wheel up off the ground in a hard corner. Not an issue for the front but, in back it can lead to: post from Wayne Burnstien - ...we might actually shorten it too much. This leaves us without adequate rebound travel. Just in case this does not scare you, it should. I learned my lesson the hard way when I had the rear wheels pick off the ground while cresting a hill that had a slight turn to it. That made for a looooong full lock slide at 100 MPH! As I posted above, shorten the rears about 1.5". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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