Completed: Suspension issue, Page 3 finished update / Tons of pics Options

[snapshotgt]

lowering setup:

1.) tein lowering springs (new)
2.) bilstein struts (new)

Wheels:

7th gen gts with 205/55/16 tires

Issue(s):

My crossmember is a non-factory to work with the V6, and i'm worried about hitting it too much. The V6 weighs about 75-100 lbs more than the stock 5sfe, and less than the 3s. The "extra" weight could be causing it to be lower (more than what tein calls for) but it seems that 74-100 lbs would not be much. Before anyone asks, yes - these are legit teins. They really seemed to have slammed the car instead of the 1.4" in the fount. I've been looking at bump stops, and thinking they might help. As you can imagine when i'm driving 60 and hit a pot hole or big bump it can be bad.


Pictures to explain (how do they compare to your tein lowering? - if you have them):

Front drivers side:



two fingers (front):



Rear drivers side:



three fingers (rear):



pass side front:



pass rear:



crossmember:




side view:



Here is a short video of going over a speed bump. Watch the WHOLE thing so you can see the bounce in the 2nd pass. I made the pass by putting my crossmember in the center where there is a small gap in the bump. You can imagine at higher speeds...

[Edophus]

I'd say you have a spring/damper mismatch there and basically the dampers can not control the movement of the springs, your seeing a small amount of oscilation there, this is what the dampers are meant to control, stronger dampers on the front is what you need, its nothing to do with the springs, unless yout take the point of view that softer springs are the answer! and its nothing to do with it being a v6 conversion either.

Adjustable kyb's/koni's something like that if you get them would be the best answer as you can set them right, and you really need some bump stops in there as your lowering the car shortens the stroke length, over potholes etc you will bottom them out and possibly damage the valve mechanism.

I'd also agree with jgreening most coilover kits are cheaply made, often not using shortened shocks, and the likes of d2's/ksports/teins are all a bit poor until you start talking about the kits that cost upwards of $2000, they will not last long before needing rebuilt and generally dont stand up to much scrutiny, seen to many teins in particular with issues like cracked housings and rotten top mounts, much better off with a good shock/spring combo unless you can afford to spend the money, there is a world of difference between good coilovers and the cheaper kits.

[jgreening]

I'd say you have a spring/damper mismatch there and basically the dampers can not control the movement of the springs, your seeing a small amount of oscilation there, this is what the dampers are meant to control, stronger dampers on the front is what you need, its nothing to do with the springs, unless yout take the point of view that softer springs are the answer! and its nothing to do with it being a v6 conversion either.

Adjustable kyb's/koni's something like that if you get them would be the best answer as you can set them right, and you really need some bump stops in there as your lowering the car shortens the stroke length, over potholes etc you will bottom them out and possibly damage the valve mechanism.

I'd also agree with jgreening most coilover kits are cheaply made, often not using shortened shocks, and the likes of d2's/ksports/teins are all a bit poor until you start talking about the kits that cost upwards of $2000, they will not last long before needing rebuilt and generally dont stand up to much scrutiny, seen to many teins in particular with issues like cracked housings and rotten top mounts, much better off with a good shock/spring combo unless you can afford to spend the money, there is a world of difference between good coilovers and the cheaper kits.

Wisdom. The only thing I would like to point out is that the AGX's are not available for the 6gc. As such, its Koni Yellows baby (they are better for DD anyway)!