Rear coilover problem

[dotheslag989]

this might be hard to diagnose since I have a set of coilovers that were custom made, but I'll give it a shot.

I'm running a set of full coilovers (spring over shock), and i'm experiencing a lot of rubbing between the spring and the inside of the wheel well. granted, i took the helper springs out, but is there any way to maybe move the shock out a little? or is it just a matter of being too low/ needing to put the spring back in?

if you need more info to provide help, I will try to provide it to the best of my ability.

[jlevie]

Use a 5mm spacer on the rear wheels.

[dotheslag989]

I have 15mm in the back, that's the only way my bottlecaps clear the spring in the back (need between 10-15mm in the back so the wheels don't hit)

[CHIF8008]

i hope you extra re-enforced your rear shock towers if you are really running true coil-overs in the back, because you will rip right through them in no time. They were not designed to take all of the stress in that single spot.

pics of setup? sounds like its giving more problems than gains in your situation

[E30SPDFRK]

You could either get narrower springs if you can fit them, or drill new holes in the top of the shock tower and nave them out slightly. Wheel spacers won't help clearance from the spring to the inner wheel well.

[dotheslag989]

i hope you extra re-enforced your rear shock towers if you are really running true coil-overs in the back, because you will rip right through them in no time. They were not designed to take all of the stress in that single spot.

pics of setup? sounds like its giving more problems than gains in your situation

i have been running them for 8 months (daily driven on shit roads) with no indication of weakened shock towers, but I do understand it's bound to happen sometime so I appreciate that advice and I'll look into that. I'll try and get pictures when I get it up on jackstands this weekend while i'm replacing an exhaust hanger. I'm not tracking it, I just wanted to get it low (yes, shame on me lol)

You could either get narrower springs if you can fit them, or drill new holes in the top of the shock tower and nave them out slightly. Wheel spacers won't help clearance from the spring to the inner wheel well.

I figured they didn't. I didn't know I could find narrower springs; got any place you'd recommend? or do you need more info/pics of the set up?

[CHIF8008]

i think physically, even with a narrow spring (that was barely bigger than the shock body) ,talking about the OD, you would still have rubbing problems on the body.

i have a e30 that hit a curb and the shock mount was barley moved in, and it rubs the inner fender well all day. so with a spring that would make the whole assembly "fatter" you are definitively gonna rub. just take pics and use a tape measure so we can figure out what we are dealing with.

[Berkut]

Some pictures will definitely help.

Usually the coils have a spacer where they tighten in the trailing arm. You can make a smaller spacer on the arm end. You can also space out the top mounts, either by drilling a second set of holes in the chassis or an offset rear topmount.

If all else fails, a big hammer can help a little.

On the fuel cap side you have a lot less room due to fuel pipes going through there, these can be made to go inside the car with a little fabrication.

Rebuilding the struts is the best yet hardest and most time consuming way of getting it done. If you do this, have them reinforced due to the problems mentioned above.

[XvillainousX]

are you rubbing on both sides or the passenger side? On mine I rubbed on the passenger side. My coil spring would catch on the plastic guard that protected gas/trunk cables. I simply removed the cover and cleaned out the dirt and cut a slot in the plastic piece.

[acolella76]

What kind of shock are you using? If it is an eye-to-eye shock just flip it upside down so the springs are on the bottom. Depends on what kind of shock it is though, some can't be run upside down like that.

Oh and don't worry about reinforcing the shock towers. I don't know how that myth got started but I haven't heard of a single car blowing a shock tower... and I know of a LOT of cars running CO rear that aren't reinforced. Some are dedicated track cars even.

[dotheslag989]

What kind of shock are you using? If it is an eye-to-eye shock just flip it upside down so the springs are on the bottom. Depends on what kind of shock it is though, some can't be run upside down like that.

Oh and don't worry about reinforcing the shock towers. I don't know how that myth got started but I haven't heard of a single car blowing a shock tower... and I know of a LOT of cars running CO rear that aren't reinforced. Some are dedicated track cars even.

yeah, i kind of had a feeling that was untrue, as i've hit every ungodly bump in Denton, TX and still haven't pushed through. don't think i can flip it though. i'm really late on pictures but I'll get it up on jack stands tonight while i fix a belt.

[dotheslag989]

are you rubbing on both sides or the passenger side? On mine I rubbed on the passenger side. My coil spring would catch on the plastic guard that protected gas/trunk cables. I simply removed the cover and cleaned out the dirt and cut a slot in the plastic piece.

it's usually both. but I've been thinking that that might be the cause of it. if that ends up being the cause, will try that remedy when i get it in the air tonight.

thanks for all the help guys!