bkbenx

I just got H&R coilovers and there were no instructions. The mechanic installed the perch on the top which makes it impossible to adjust without taking the entire assembly apart. From what I've seen on the BMW's & VW's it seems like they have it on the bottom. It does not make sense that they would design so it's so difficult to adjust the height.

I'm going to call H&R on Monday but I need to know as soon as I can so I can make them redo it if they installed incorrectly.

DamonAnthony

Yeah I asked the same question, so did my mechanic, but you have it right! Make sure he removed the rubber mounts (cant think of the correct name) that hold the old springs in, otherwise your rear will never squat down as low as the front.

Phil

Blake P

bkbenx

I called H&R and they told me you can adjust the rear height after coilover is installed but I don't see how that's possible. This sucks because the mechanic won't adjust the height again unless I pay for another hour of labor. I was hoping he did it wrong so I can get him to redo for free.

I had about an inch gap when they finished the job but now the front is like .5 inch gap and the back is tucked under the fender about an inch. Crazy rub.

What kind of drop do you have on yours?? I was thinking of 2 finger gap front & rear which is about 1.25 - 1.5 inch gap.

I had AMG C32 springs before and the back was rubbing whenever I drove over a bump. But the front was way too high.

I want this to be the last adjustment so I'm kind of worried about the rear rubbing if I drop it too low.

2002 C320 Wagon. Wheels: Carlsson 1/6 EVO 18" staggered.

Blake P

IMO, the perfect drop is no gap in front and the tread (only) tucked in back. If you specified a certain ride height before install, the installer should adjust the height to your liking with no questions asked. If you didn't specify how low you wanted the car, that's another story.

bkbenx

That's about the drop I have right now about but the back is rubbing like crazy I can't even drive 10mph without hearing a loud screetch comin from the back.

I knew it was going to settle. But I thought only like .5 inch max. but the rear settled 2 inches.

The guy is giving me grief cause he has to take apart the rear to readjust the height. I already spent Saturday morning arguing with the guy for over an hour over this so it's just easier for me just to pay him $100 to redo it. When I went to pick up my car he showed it to me on the shop floor with 1 inch gap on front & rear and I said it was ok. 10 minutes after driving it I hear a loud rub from the back. Pulled over and I see that the tire is now tucked under the fender about an inch. & I can barely stick my finger (flat side) in the front gap.

He did suggest that I roll my fender & remove the fender liner to keep this drop but seems like more work.

Blake P

He should have done a test drive (or let you do it) to ensure the springs were properly seated and let the shocks compress a bit before letting you drive off. This is always common practice after I have any suspension work done, where the mechanic can listen for any suspension noises, rubbing, etc. that might need to be checked out before releasing the vehicle. Settling 2 inches is definitely not normal and tells me either the springs were not seated correctly, the shocks had not yet been compressed, or both. Personally, if he wouldn't agree to fix his work, I'd pay someone else the $100 to make the necessary adjustments.

bkbenx

Yeah maybe I'll do that.

But regarding the drop.

Front. Currently no rub except when wheel is turned all the way and even then it's not so bad.

Rear. Bad bad rub. But you are saying you have your tread tucked under the fender and you have no probs? Did you roll the fender? I feel like it's rubbing the fender and the plastic liner because there's 2 different rubbing noises. I had AMG C32 springs on there before and I was getting rub on bumps with 1.5 finger gap (about 1 inch).

I'm trying to decide how low to drop the rear and then how to balance the front.

Are you saying the front should have a larger gap than rear? I'm hoping I can do 1 inch in the rear and 1.5 inch in the front but I'm worried it's still going to rub.

Blake P

What wheels and tires are you running? My fenders came rolled from the factory, and I never had them rolled tighter. I've done some trimming to my fender liners and grinded down the thicker areas of the fender that typically cause rubbing at about 10 and 2 (think clock). Now I can have the car loaded with passengers and/or luggage to the point where the tire is basically tucked all the way to the top of the rim with no rubbing. Wheel and tire specs make a big difference though.

bkbenx

I believe this is what I have but I'm at work so I can't check for sure. I'm unsure about rear tire size.

Rims: Carlsson 1/6 Evo 18x8 Front. 18x9 Rear
Tires: Kumho Ecsta Supra 235/40/18 Front. 265/35/18 Rear

Blake P

That sounds about right, but need to know the wheel offsets too. The only thing I can figure is that maybe your rear offset is too low? Either way, some fender rolling and/or shaving should fix the problem.

bkbenx

BlakeP - Thanks for all your help bro.

OK I understand fender rolling but what's shaving? Is that for the plastic liner? And what kind of shops do this? Body or performance?

Blake P

No problem.

What I did was take my Dremel with the grinder tool and shave down all the areas of the fender that seemed to stick out further than the rolled part. The worst parts are at around 10 and 2 where the impact strips are. You should completely shave off the tab at the rear bumper impact strip and grind down the area behind the side impact strip. Make sure everything is smooth and won't cut your tires if they happen to make contact. If you aren't comfortable doing the work yourself, a competent tuner shop or body shop should be able to take care of it for a reasonable price.

bkbenx

BlakeP

I have another question. I think I'll try to roll the fender & shaving before raising it up. When you roll the fender does it pull out (increase width) or just fold the lip of fender?

As I understand it it will make the car slightly wider, correct? How fas out should I pull it.

Another question. What do you do if it's rubbing against the liner?

Blake P

It just folds the lip of the fender. It doesn't make the fenders wider, just increases the amount of space in there a little bit. If it's still rubbing the liner, try trimming out the part of the liner that it's rubbing against.

bkbenx

OK good to know.

I can confirm my wheel specs now:

Rims: 18x8 ET35 Front. 18x9 ET 35 Rear
Tires: 235/35/18 Front. 265/ 35/18 Rear

Gap in front: .25 inch Rubs only if turned all the way
Gap in back: .75 inch Tucked under. Lined up with where the treads start.

Does this sound like the right drop or too low?

The fenders already look bent in a U shape from the factory. Rub could be coming from the clip that holds bumper to fender but I can't tell for sure. I can see scrapes on the outer ridge of tires and that area looks like it's almost touching the tire.

I trying to decide if I should try rolling the rear fenders first ($80). But if that doesn't work I'll to raise it. (Plus additional $100)

Or just forego the rolling and just raise it? ($100)?

Blake P

Based on those specs, it looks like your tires are the real problem. I run 225 (F) and 255 (R). At one point I was even running 245 in back for extra clearance. The clip is definitely rubbing, and there's a chance there's some rubbing on the exact opposite side behind the side impact strip because it's pretty thick there too. If it were me, I'd change tires first, then shave the fenders if there's still rubbing, roll the fenders if you absolutely have to, and only raise the car as a last resort.

bkbenx

Damn that sucks. I guess I'll get new tires when these get worn. Thanks for the input man.

Blake P

In the meantime, you can try shaving the fenders for extra clearance.

DamonAnthony

Sorry to take so long to get back to you.. My mechanic set the front as low as he thought was reasonable but still driveable, it sits just on the wheel arch if that makes sense. The rears still need the spring rubber mount things pulled out to further drop my back. at the moment the tyres to the wheel arches match front and rear almost, except the rear just sits under (just) which means the back sits about 1 inch or so higher than the front. My offset it 32, I think, mine are also 18's and my wheel arches are not rolled out but they would look better if they were (the rear at least). I had 5 big people in the car the other day and had no rubbing, well no one heard any anyway. I'm curious to hear if the tyres are the cause because I have 225 front and 255 rear. It does kinda make sense though, I need 5mm spacers on my front wheels to clear my coilovers, so obviously a couple of mm here and there with wheel geometry can make or break it, so to speak.
Having said that, I have seen a couple of w203's over here on 20's absolutely slammed with about 1/4 the wheel tucked under, but they may have rolled the wheel arches and thin rubber???

Also just quick, the guy who installed my set up said it was a nightmare to adjust the rear, but the guy I'm using now does it in no time, no hasstle. I think he must have a tool for this as he does it so fast. Might not hurt to drop into another mechanic, the guy i found is one of those modded german car nuts, he knows the ins and outs of **** I didnt even know was built, nor did I care lol, but these guys always seem to know the tricks to doing these cars, imho

Phil

bkbenx

Phil,

Thanks for the input buddy. I decided to set the front at 1" gap both front & rear and also roll rear fender. I hope this takes care of all rubbing issues.

Blake P

I'd still shave that bumper tab off just to be safe.

bkbenx

Yeah forgot to write that. I'll do that too and try to drop it a little more when I get new tires

bkbenx

Just an update. I had the car raised a bit and I'm very happy with it. Looks balanced now so I think it was too slammed before.

There's now an inch gap in the front and the rear is about level with the fender edge. No rubbing except when hitting a bump. Haven't had any passengers yet so I'm crossing my fingers. I'm going to have some guy roll the fender this weekend and I'll just shave the tab myself. For some reason I couldn't get any shop to shave that tab off. No one wanted to be responsible.

Blake P