Help!

[SalsaE30]

So my car has terrible rake. It is on KYB Gas a Just, and Vogtland springs. Me being a kid I am clueless on how to just fix the rake. I would like the back end to even with the front. Any suggestions?

[Liquidity]

Guessing you installed everything yourself? When you tightened down all the rear suspension parts did you do it with the car on the ground or up in the air? The rubber bushings will hold the back of the car up like that if you tightened them with the car in the air.

[SalsaE30]

Previous owner had these on. I'm guessing he did a bad job. Can you elaborate about these bushings? Sorry I'm a noob at these things lol

[matthugie]

You can try removing the rear spring pads, but that just doesn't look right in general. I'm not familiar with how Vogtland's sit, but that looks excessive.

Also, don't worry about the bushings. For one they shouldn't have been touched for doing springs and shocks, and the car should settle out when driven for a bit. If you're having this issue after it's been driven a bit then that isn't it.

Edit: make sure the PO installed the rear Vogtlands. It almost looks like the lowered the front and left the rears stock.

[SalsaE30]

The PO has Vogtland's all around. The car is supposed to sit way lower than it is now.

[matthugie]

Check the rear spring pads. He may have stacked them to raise it up. If he has you can just pull them out. Or maybe he used the wrong springs, maybe for a vert?

[SalsaE30]

I think they may be the wrong springs. The # on the springs and the # on sites selling the Vogtland springs for an '87 325is don't match. Thanks for the help!

[Liquidity]

Previous owner had these on. I'm guessing he did a bad job. Can you elaborate about these bushings? Sorry I'm a noob at these things lol

All of the rubber rear suspension bushings are glued to the inner and outer sleeves. The outer sleeves are pressed into the arm and cant turn. Once you tighten everything down, the inner sleeves are clamped into place and can't turn either. When you lower the car down the rubber twists and acts like a spring holding the car higher than its supposed to be. The bottom shock bushings do the same thing. It also tears them and they fail prematurely.

Unless you're using urethane or some other plastic type of bushing, none of the rear suspension components can be tightened down with the car in the air. All of this applies to any car that uses bushings that are glued into place. The front of this car doesn't have any bushings like this so it doesn't matter.

[Liquidity]

What size and offset wheels are those? I'm curious.

[SalsaE30]

Size is 16x8 and offset is +20mm