falls profet

Have any of you guys tried EACH one of these sets of shocks before?

Right now I'm running the Voghtland Springs with the Bistein sports. I like the ride OK, but I get rubbing from the rear passenger tire if I hit a bump/dip to fast or if other people are in my car .

I also have quite a bit of weight in the back from my stereo and that is the main reason why I rub, I think, but it could also be because I'm running 275s in the rear too. I have #4 spring pads in the rear to compensate for the additional weight, but it may not be enough I guess...

I would like the ride to be a little more stiff as well as get rid of the rubbing. I was considering running the HDs instead. I'm very familiar with the differences of the two and how the HDs don't allow for the travel that the Sports do. I also know that there are a few of you guys on here that are lowered and running HDs.


Any input or suggestions?

falls profet

No one with any suggestions

Ghostrider

Do you have a 430 or 55? If you have a 430, then your rubbing is coming from the 275 tires and not the shocks.

When was the last time you had an alignment? If the rears are out of spec that may also be causing some of your rubbing issues.

falls profet

Yes, I have a 430, yes my tires are 275/30/18. I had been thinking I may have to go back to 255s instead...thanks for the input.

I'm going for an alignment next Friday and maybe this will help too.

Thanks a lot, Ghost.

rocko

I choose 265/35/18 on the rears. There was a post here a while back that some had issues with 275s if they were "square edged" vs a "rounded edge" on the tires. I have H&R sport, bilstein sport and dot 1 spring pads. No rubbing issues on the back other than the front hitting the inner fender wall when I hit a dip. As far as shocks go, I thought that the only difference between the sport and hd was the valving/shock travel..meaning, the sport was designed to have less travel than the hd's to prevent overheating/premature shock wear. (correct me if i'm wrong..)

Overall, I love the ride although I wish the front did not rub on the outer fender lip when I take the car on a corner to its limits. lol

falls profet

Thanks for chimming in too, Rock.

Yeah the difference between the HDs and Sports is essentially the overall length of the shock. The valving on the inside is the same on both, but the HDs are an inch longer, hence why I was thinking possibly putting them in the rear to give me a little more compression for the weight compensation.

I really think you guys are both right on the tires. I had no problems with the 275s to begin with on the stock suspension and even with the initial drop I really didn't have a issue. When I started building my trunk up and adding a couple of batteries and changing sub boxes is when things started to "hit" when I ran over bumps.

Eventually, I'll go back to 255s in the rear just to be safe.

Thanks alot, guys.

Ghostrider

Dude!! What does your trunk look like...

falls profet

Since you asked...

It's not quite finished though.

rocko

Anytime..Damn! Lol! No wonder why...looks good tho! I bet it sounds sweet. Keep it up

raymond g-

fp-
switching from Sport to HD is not going to result in the effect you desire.
if the valving is the same, the inch longer HD is simply going to end up
being 1" shorter at rest....and the rod will be protruding 1" deeper internally
at rest.

going through the same roads (again, same valving as Sports) both the
compression and rebound will react exactly the same, thus, it will still
allow the tire to rub.

if there is going to be a difference, under harsh compression, the internals
are more likely going to bottom out, thus damaging the shock.

if you get a chance, head over to the Bilstein web site and review their
FAQs.

the area in which you need to focus to resolve your tire rub is to change
to stiffer springs or smaller tire.

there is also one old hot rodder's trick and that is to put little wedge nubs
in between some of the spring coils. what they do is prevent those few
coils from compressing, effectively increasing the spring rate a scootch
.....rather than replacing the whole spring and *really* increasing the
spring rate by a whole lot more.

I don't remember what these metal wedges are called. anyone else re-
members? i saw these on ebay earlier in the year.