iX strut housing modification

[aaron325ix]

Yet again I need to reach out to the iXperts directly on an iX specific question that I cant get a straight answer on. A couple years ago I got a GC kit (w/ Bilstein HD's) to lower my car when I moved back to Colorado. I figured it would be great to be able to lower and raise the car for the respective seasons and snow. I quickly realized that raising and lowering twice a year was mostly unnecessary not to mention expensive having to get it realigned every time.

So I'm fine with it sitting low however the HD's have blown and I'm riding on the bump stops and bottoming out on the smallest of bumps in the road (even trimmed the bump stops before). I believe its time to resort to shortening the strut housings and going with Konis even though I'm not too excited about cutting up stock iX parts.

Question is, I found this video of this being done to a 318i, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q7xUSNRyLI and need to know if this is the same way its done on an iX? If so, great I have a guy locally who can do it in a day.

Second question is, I'm not sure which exact Koni to go with. GC quoted me a 8610 1436 which appears to be a "race shock" which I'm probably not interested in as I want nice street drivability. The other one I have been recommended by a guy who used to actually work at GC was the 8641 1198Sport which you can see a link to: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001GAA936...v_ov_lig_dp_it and if you read the only review for it at the bottom someone actually recommends this one for the e30 as well. However after some more research it looks like the koni 8610 1436 might be the better choice for an iX. But as I've learned over my 21 years of having my iX almost nothing is the same as a regular e30 so I'm not certain.

So if you have some answers to those questions or any other input you think would be valuable on getting this done the right way I'd love to hear it.

[AWDBOB]

I have a done a few sets of shortened housings for the iX. IIRC I shortened the housing 2" and used 86101436 Race each time. Shortening the housings that much gave me axle issues pretty regularly with them popping out and also breaking outer joints. Point is not that it can't be done as many have, but rather that it'll expose other weaknesses if you go that low. If I had to do it over I'd keep the housings standard length and use a stock iX Koni.

Sounds like your current GC kit is based on the stock length iX shock. So I'd just recommend replacing the HDs with stock IX Koni yellows, after confirming that your housings are indeed still stock length.

Stock length iX front Koni p/n is: 8641 1144SPORT

[aaron325ix]

yea, I'm definitely not interested in having axles pop out. my car has been pretty low for a while now even before the shocks went but I've never had any issues with the axles. Didnt even know that was a thing.

Maybe I'll just get the Koni 8641 1144SPORT and bump up the suspension half an inch or so and see how that works out for a while. Is there any trimming of the bump stop that needs to be done?

[moatilliatta]

Problem I had was the lower spring perch hitting the towers. Id rather run a shorten modified coilover strut at E30 OE sport high than an IX lowered H&R with std strut heights.

Koni's gunna leak though.

Can you trim the strut down 1.5 inch and shim the race shock up .5h'' So you dont have to go full low?

[nando]

Shortening the housings doesn't mean you have to lower it that much. It actually has nothing to do with the ride height - you can weld the spring perches anywhere you want. It just gives you more travel. I have 3" long adjusters and I can either slam it or basically run it at stock ride height.

I haven't ever had axle issues though - I run it a bit lower than H&R sports were. My current set of axles has nearly 300,000 miles on them.

[moatilliatta]

I did annual axle boots, daily driven. Probably lower than yours is. Not by much.

[nando]

Yeah I've had to replace boots a few times for sure - never had an axle pop out though. For sure, if I dropped my adjusters all the way, that would probably be way too much angle for the CV shafts to handle. But even with just H&R sports, you only have like 1.5" of travel and it's not that low. You could shorten the housings 2", keep the H&R sports and same ride height, and stop bottoming out.

[aaron325ix]

Yeah I've had to replace boots a few times for sure - never had an axle pop out though. For sure, if I dropped my adjusters all the way, that would probably be way too much angle for the CV shafts to handle. But even with just H&R sports, you only have like 1.5" of travel and it's not that low. You could shorten the housings 2", keep the H&R sports and same ride height, and stop bottoming out.

Yea, boots aren't a big deal for me any more. I think the last time I had an axle out and back in in less than an hour with both new boots. Still on the fence if I should just go a quick route and put the Koni 8641 1144SPORT on there with maybe a half inch bump up from my current slammed stance to see how it feels or just get it out of the way and cut/weld the housings and put in the 86101436 Race and be done with it.

[nando]

The standard Konis will give you the same travel you have now. So, basically 1.5". I don't see the point personally.

You can shorten the housings as much or as little as you want - and weld the spring perch as high or low as you want. And you can run springs as long or short as you want. That's the good thing about coilovers - the bad thing is, you have to figure out what you want on your own.

And the sample size is tiny - there's what, 6 of us on R3v who have experience with coilovers on the ix? Even if I'm off by a factor of 10 - that's a small fraction of what other platforms have.

You could do a 1" shorter tube and run the perches at the stock location and keep a stock ride height, or you could slam it with a 3" tube cut and short springs - it's up to you.

I tried to aim for the middle, unfortunately I don't even remember how much I had cut out (I think it was 2", could have been 3"), but I still ended up with a lot of travel, a pretty good ride and not absolutely destroying my CV shafts.

You can also shorten the bump stops on the Bilstein HDs, which helps for actual travel - but they still ride like shit, so there's not much point in that either, haha.

[aaron325ix]

The standard Konis will give you the same travel you have now. So, basically 1.5". I don't see the point personally.

You can shorten the housings as much or as little as you want - and weld the spring perch as high or low as you want. And you can run springs as long or short as you want. That's the good thing about coilovers - the bad thing is, you have to figure out what you want on your own.

And the sample size is tiny - there's what, 6 of us on R3v who have experience with coilovers on the ix? Even if I'm off by a factor of 10 - that's a small fraction of what other platforms have.

You could do a 1" shorter tube and run the perches at the stock location and keep a stock ride height, or you could slam it with a 3" tube cut and short springs - it's up to you.

I tried to aim for the middle, unfortunately I don't even remember how much I had cut out (I think it was 2", could have been 3"), but I still ended up with a lot of travel, a pretty good ride and not absolutely destroying my CV shafts.

You can also shorten the bump stops on the Bilstein HDs, which helps for actual travel - but they still ride like shit, so there's not much point in that either, haha.

right, I feel like I would be dealing with riding on the bump stops again before too long if I kept it standard inserts and stock strut housing size. Looks like I'll be ordering the Koni 8610 1436 Race insert and get going at taking my struts out and getting to the fabricator.

One other thing you mentioned is the spacers to drop at the bottom of the housing once shortened. Do you remember what you used for that and what size exactly?

Finally one more problem is that before I can get the housings to the fabricator I need to get the adjustors off. The allen bolts are seized on there so I was unable to adjust the height the last time I tried even using lots of heat and penetrating oil. Any tricks on how to get those out?

[E30andy]

right, I feel like I would be dealing with riding on the bump stops again before too long if I kept it standard inserts and stock strut housing size. Looks like I'll be ordering the Koni 8610 1436 Race insert and get going at taking my struts out and getting to the fabricator.

One other thing you mentioned is the spacers to drop at the bottom of the housing once shortened. Do you remember what you used for that and what size exactly?

Finally one more problem is that before I can get the housings to the fabricator I need to get the adjustors off. The allen bolts are seized on there so I was unable to adjust the height the last time I tried even using lots of heat and penetrating oil. Any tricks on how to get those out?

I have the same question about removing the front GC adjusters. According to AWDBOB, he has NEVER successfully removed a set of GC adjusters from the rear, but he has not weighed in on the fronts yet.

[nando]

yeah, the rears are a bitch. Mine are totally stuck. I screwed around for hours to move them up 1/4".

The fronts are a bit easier, but here's something ironic - I got some ebay adjusters for the front, because I wanted them longer and GC doesn't sell parts. They come apart easily - they use a lock nut method, instead of the set screw that is impossible to get out after a few years.

you just gotta get them really clean - a stiff nylon brush, an air compressor, and maybe some WD-40 will be your friends.

[aaron325ix]

yeah, the rears are a bitch. Mine are totally stuck. I screwed around for hours to move them up 1/4".

The fronts are a bit easier, but here's something ironic - I got some ebay adjusters for the front, because I wanted them longer and GC doesn't sell parts. They come apart easily - they use a lock nut method, instead of the set screw that is impossible to get out after a few years.

you just gotta get them really clean - a stiff nylon brush, an air compressor, and maybe some WD-40 will be your friends.

I just bought a 3/16" socket hex so I can hammer it into the set screw and hopefully with lube and maybe some heat I can get it loose. Of course the strut housings will be in a vice when I try this as I can barely reach the set screws as they are as they are facing the inside of the car. once I get to putting everything back together I'm hoping I can adjust the height to where the screws will be facing somewhat out os I can easily access them next time.

Do you think it would be worth it to just order some eBay adjusters before I put things back together instead?

[moatilliatta]

GC has a clamp screw. But I uses a stainless bolt. So they insta galvanic seize.... No body understands you cant use Stainless hardware in Aluminum. WHY!?

[aaron325ix]

GC has a clamp screw. But I uses a stainless bolt. So they insta galvanic seize.... No body understands you cant use Stainless hardware in Aluminum. WHY!?

that, and why couldn't they just use a 4mm or 5mm bolt at least?! Everyone has those in their tool kit but a 3/16 you have to search for. Frustrating.