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Sectioned struts are too low, HELP! (PICS)


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Okay what am I doing wrong here? Im running the sectioned struts with MR2 fronts/240z (fronts) in the rear with the 240Z Ground Control kit and stock hats and even with the springs adjusted as high as I can get them the car is absolutely SLAMMED and the rear arches are sitting right on top of the tire. The more I try to wind the perches up Im just adding more preload and its as tight as I can get them with the hand wrench. 
 

Any suggestions how to get more height? camber plates i suppose? I feel like Im just missing something simple/stupid here. Thanks for any input. 

 

heres the struts before I installed them for reference, I seriously hope I have they installed the  rights struts in there, but I suppose only one size would fit in one housing.

 

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here they are adjusted about as high as i can get them even with plenty of preload I was only able to get the perch about 2" up the thread.

 

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All the "flush" kids think it looks great but its not moving anywhere like this -_-

 

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Edited by Krinkov
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 The more I try to wind the perches up In just adding more preload and its as tight as I can get them with the hand wrench. 

 

This would mean the struts/shocks are fully extended.  The simple answer would be different shocks.  No idea which.  Maybe you have a mismatched set of parts, with the sectioning and the GC kit and the shocks..

 

Is that a 240Z?  Could be a 280 with 240 lights and bumpers.

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yeah its a 240Z, struts were sectioned as per the Beta Motorsports/ John C method with shorter MR2/240Z illuminas (BZ3099 + BZ3015)

 

http://dirtys30.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-to-240z-ground-control-coilovers-w.html

 

Seeing as the housings are now sectioned/shortened running longer struts is no longer an option :( but it shouldnt really be a problem, many people have run this exact setup for years with no problem. It really only shortens the whole assembly by about 2.5 inches so theres no reason I shouldnt be able to get these things higher if everything else is right. I get the feeling its something simple and Im just not seeing the forest through the trees. 

 

Also the tires look big in this pic but they are 245/45/16s, the OD is only 24.5" so I shouldn't have to go to a smaller tire. Thanks for the input!  

Edited by Krinkov
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Sectioning the struts to fit BZ3099 MR2 inserts requires taking out 1 5/8" in front, and 2" in rear if memory serves. Camber plates will get it another 1" to 1.5" lower. One thing that I think is a problem on the green car is the flares are mounted too low, which means the fenders probably aren't cut high enough. That could cause rubbing issues that aren't really a "too low" issue but more of a "flared wrong" issue. 

 

You might take a look at the available travel. Put a zip tie snugly on the shock shaft and push it down as far as possible with the car in the air. Then set the car down and roll it a bit, and jack it back up. If you have travel available but the tire is going to hit the fender, then the problem is the fender.

 

The only other major contributor is the spring rate. Obviously a soft spring will have more sag and so you'd have to crank in the preload to get it off the bumpstops.

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Post your measurement between the garage floor and the bottom of your rocker panel at the pinch flange.  From your photo, the car isn't terribly low.  Where I see the problem is that you have wheels that are too wide and flares that are mounted too low.  Not positive, but you may be comparing apples to oranges.  Please post that measurement and compare it to the ride height that johnc indicates in his alignment FAQ.  I think somewhere between 5 and 6 inches is correct.  You may not be able to drive your car, but in the hellaflush race, you are a winner.  Take lots of photos before you fix it.

Edited by RebekahsZ
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I just measured mine, and I'm at 5-1/2 right behind the front tire at the pinch flange. I hope that helps. You car looks super nice-it must be frustrating not to be able to drive it. Do you have any spacers behind the rear wheels that you could remove?

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thanks for the input guys,  I took the flare off to show how low it is (only about 1/4' clearance) thats how much height Im able to get out of these with the perches cranked as high as i can get them with the C wrench and quite a bit of preload on these now as well. So far I was pretty much just test fitting these flares before I cut/weld the arches so i will be able to get a bit more clearance there once i cut them but I just feel that I should be able to get more height out of this setup regardless since theres plenty of people that run this exact sectioned strut setup without flares or cut arches and arent this low. 

 

I guess my big question is, would camber plates allow me to get more height adjustment out of these? I know you can get it lower with camber plates (dont want!) but wouldnt it also give me more height adjustment or am I just picturing it wrong in my head? 

 

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I can give more advice after you post your actual ground clearance.  From the fact that you have billet axle stubs, I'm going to gather that you are a straight-up performance oriented guy and not just a customizer, so lets get busy and fix your problem together.  I've been where you are.

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225 front/250 rear 10" springs with the GC kit. and right now Im running the stock top/hats insulators. I'll be installing the T3 front plates, wasnt planning on running rear plates but i will if you think I'll be able to raise it up another inch, Thanks John!

 

And Rebekah, Its right at 6" from the floor to the bottom of the pinch flange FWIW, thanks!

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Use the 280z top insulators instead of the 240z ones. They are about an inch taller and will increase the height of your car.

 

Camber plates will lower the car more as you dont use the stock insulator but the thinner top hat

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Thanks man. If you are at 6" your ride height is fine. The problem is in your flares and wheels. Only do camber plates if you are prepared to go 2" lower. But lets see if we can find a little more adjustability.

 

How did you mate your upper seat to the strut insulator?

 

What exact shock brand and model did you use?

 

Did you put any spacers inside the tubes? If so, did you put them in the bottom of the tube or between the shock and the gland nut?

 

When you put the car up in the air, jacking from a solid place on the frame (not a control arm), does the spring become loose on the seats?

 

Each shock has a different length of strut rod (the chrome plated rod coming out of the shock). This gives each shock a different amount of droop. For example, my Tokico Illuminas have me so much droop that I could shake my spring an inch up and down. But my Konis do now allow that much droop (extension) and I often run a little preload in the rears. We need to either increase your extension somehow, or thicken your insulator up. The only way I know how to go that is either with some kind of machined spacer between the upper seat and the stock insulator (assuming you have enough available threads on the strut rod) or by switching to a taller insulator, like the rear insulator from a 280z.

Edited by RebekahsZ
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Johnc, when you made the FAQ for strut sectioning, what wheel/tire combination did you have on your mock up car? Did you envision all this big-offset, super wide wheel, stretch business? It all worked great for me with stock fenders so long as I was running 7"-zero offset wheels with 225/50/15s (I remember calling you ten or so years ago for a tire size recommendation). Things only started getting weird for me when I started going bigger and wider on my tires.

 

I think Krinkov would be golden if he just moved his offset inward or found some more narrow rims.

Edited by RebekahsZ
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thanks for the input guys,  I took the flare off to show how low it is (only about 1/4' clearance) thats how much height Im able to get out of these with the perches cranked as high as i can get them with the C wrench and quite a bit of preload on these now as well. So far I was pretty much just test fitting these flares before I cut/weld the arches so i will be able to get a bit more clearance there once i cut them but I just feel that I should be able to get more height out of this setup regardless since theres plenty of people that run this exact sectioned strut setup without flares or cut arches and arent this low. 

Just because somebody else does it doesn't mean it's a good idea. I am to the point now where actually I hate seeing Z cars with ZG flares because almost every single one has them mounted too low. 

 

Read this one all the way through. Austin cut too low, then had to redo it. I cut higher than him and had to redo mine as well. If you want full suspension travel, cut until the wheel well is essentially flat all the way out to the edge. Put your flare on after doing that, and you'll have them done right. Or if you really want to know for sure, cut, remove the spring, bolt the wheel on, and jack the suspension up and make sure there is clearance.

 

http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/47525-how-to-mount-them-there-zg-flares/

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Even with konis and the TTT setup, i had to put the 280z insulator on it, because with the 240 one, I couldn't get the car high enough. If i extended the body line near the bottom of the door back with a straight edge, it would be all the way under the center cap of the rear wheel.

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 If you are at 6" your ride height is fine. 

The ride height is about right, but he'll still have no droop even after fixing the fender wells and flares.  The shock is topped out.  It needs to sit somewhere between the limits, not at the top, I think, for a good ride.  Just another consideration.  

 

The one inch from the 280Z top hat would give one inch of droop, if you choose to stay at 6" ride height, I believe.  Looks like some math and parts matching ahead.

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My rears are topped-out and the ride is great-I expected it to be an issue and it hasn't been.  If you want me to take a tape out to my garage to do some measuring, call me at 256-366-4685 and I'll measure while we talk.  I'll be happy to check all my numbers against yours.  I'm still eager to hear if you put any spacers into the tubes.

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