Suspension Help

[snowborder714]

Hey everyone. I'm new to this so if I do something wrong, please help me. I just got a '95 Eclipse GST and it has coilovers (aftermarket but not sure what kind) and 18" rims. I'm very unknowledgeable when it comes to suspension and would appreciate help. I took it to a mechanic and my one shock is leaking, I need some new bushings, and it is lowered a lot (not sure how much) and needs camber kits.

First off, I am probably going to get Tein Flex coilovers to replace mine. I've read good things about them and like that they are really adjustable. If anyone thinks otherwise, please let me know. Also, would these be hard for someone with very little tools and mechanic knowledge to install? Any advice/how-to would be helpful.

I've been trying to read about camber kits and have seen that SPC, Ingalls, and RRE are the most popular. Anyone have any suggestions? Also, do I need anything else (control arm, tie bar, etc.)? Or do I not need the camber kit because the coilovers?

As far as bushings, I was thinking about going with the Energy Suspension set. I've read they're a bit softer than the Prothane. I would like to install them myself but have access to very little tools. Has anyone done the install? I'd rather not pay a mechanic but I'm not sure how hard it is. If anyone has any advice/how-to for me, I'd really appreciate it.

And, last but not least, what order should I do these in? I'd like to keep my ride lowered in the nice weather but raise it up a bit when winter starts (along with putting on winter rims and tires).

Sorry for the long post, but I like doing things right the first time and couldn't find answers to many of my questions here.

 

[fwdturbobov1996]

Camber kit first. Your going to eat through your tires. Or I might be worried about that leaking shock depending on its condition.

The main thing you need to install springs is a spring compressor. Other than that you need a basic set of tools, as well as vice grips ( not in all cases )

 

[brrrnntsshhhh]

any follow up on this? i have just gotten my car running and i have the tein flex, i set the ride height but i bought these used and i have no directions for camber stuff (along with very little knowledge). Do I need to buy a camber kit or is there a way to set them with coilovers?

 

[Woodsy0]

I'll tell you what you should do last - get an alignment. You'll need one when you finish with all of your suspension work.

Tein Flex's are good coilovers - I have a friend who runs them with the EDFC and is pretty happy with them. I had Tein Basics for a while, and didn't really like them that much, but I think it was because I wanted a degree of adjustability that they lacked, and of course, the Flex's had. The coilover install isn't particularly hard, you will probably need to rent out spring compressors from Autozone in order to assemble the shock to the spring. Also, make sure you torque the top nut to ~20 ft/lbs as specified in the installation manual. And don't think about using an impact wrench in the coilover assembly - I was retarded and did just that and ended up with some crappy threads on one of the shock shafts that I had to clean up with a thread chaser. I don't remember exactly, but I believe all you need to do to install the coilover assembly into the car is remove the shock fork bolt (attaches to the bottom of the shock), disconnect the sway bar link on the shock fork from the actual sway bars (was a bi*** for me, had to cut one side with a plasma cutter because it was pretty much welded on and order a new link) remove the two upper control arm nuts (found under the hood) and angle the ball joint of the upper control arm out of the way, so you can pivot the old shock out and pivot the new shock in. You'll need to lightly hammer the shock fork out of the old shock and put it on the new shock as well. This is only for the front suspension, mind you; the rears I believe are easier, only need to remove the two upper shock mount nuts (in the trunk) and the main bolt that attaches the shock to the spindle.

I have energy suspension bushings and think they're a very good modification for improving the slop of 10+ year old rubber, but IMO they're a bi*** to get on (and get the existing rubber out). I tried with an impact wrench, propane torch, and a ball joint remover tool and didn't get much of anywhere. A pneumatic press would be really nice in that situation, which I didn't have, so I let a shop deal with the bushings. This would be the route I would recommend for you, especially if you are with minimal tools and knowledge.

You can DIY a set of rear camber kits fairly easily (I think there's a how to in the tech section) but you'll need to buy front camber kits from a vendor. I've heard good things about Ingalls, but really don't have much experience with any of them.

In a perfect world, you would do this all at the same time to keep the driving of your unaligned car at a minimum, but if I had to choose a path, I'd say (depending on the severity of your current leaking shock) bushings, camber kit, coilovers).

Also make sure that your rear toe adjustment bolt isn't frozen. I took my car to the alignment shop just to find out they couldn't budge the bolt and thus couldn't adjust toe (which eats tires much more than off-kilter camber). If that's the case, wret has a great write-up on how to do that in the Tech section. Very easy, all you need is a reciprocating saw and replacement arms and bolts (~$45 for both left and right).

Regarding lowering/raising the car in the Summer/Winter, keep in mind that every time you raise/lower your car, you'll need an alignment since your camber and toe will be altered, so you may want to pick a ride height and stay with it through the seasons.

 

[brrrnntsshhhh]

ok so i measured the distance from the center of the wheel to the bottom of the fender, 13.5in on all 4 tires. if i want to raise this, should i jack up the car and remove the tire or just do it while its sitting? i notice that i have negative camber on all of the tires, would raising this fix the problem? i read that only if you lower it alot it will mess with your camber, i could care less about ride height, so id rather just have a higher car for a while if it will help until i can get a camber kit.

i really didnt have a problem with installing them, but i didnt really adjust the ride height stuff at all, should i still adjust these even though they are the same distance from the center of the wheel to the fender or am i good for now?

you also said torque the top nut to 20in lb, do you mean the 3 nuts on the pillowball joint or the middle nut while assembling?

 

[Woodsy0]

if i want to raise this, should i jack up the car and remove the tire or just do it while its sitting?

To raise the ride height with my Tein Basics, I had to jack up the car, remove the wheel, and then use the included spanner wrenches to loosen the two "cogs" on the shock body that allowed for height adjustment (a better description of this is probably in the instructions). I'm guessing the Tein Flexs are the same way for height adjustment.

i notice that i have negative camber on all of the tires, would raising this fix the problem?

Most likely. Lowering the car adds negative camber, so raising the height back up to stock might put your camber levels within the spec range.

you also said torque the top nut to 20in lb, do you mean the 3 nuts on the pillowball joint or the middle nut while assembling?

The middle nut; the one on the shock shaft that torques to the upper mount.

 

[brrrnntsshhhh]

ahh yes thats what i was doing, adjusting those cogs. how should i measure them with the wheel off? should i just measure how long the spring is?

 

[Woodsy0]

I think the best way to measure is to measure the amount of threads on the shaft under the cog, so you can adjust all four coilovers to the exact same specs.

 

[COS]

I am also interested in installing aftermarket coil overs, was looking at Matrix. Will I also need to change my caster camber or does it matter according to how far you drop the vehicle? I am also new with the DSM and all the modifications that can be done to it. I have a stock 95 GS and dont know really where to start as far as suspension is concerned. I used to have an 85 Mustang and I could still tell you everything about it, but sold it to get my GS, which I am really happy about. Could some one shed a little more light to this?
Thanks
Chris

 

[Woodsy0]

The common contention is that everytime you do work to the suspension, you should get an alignment. If there is no change in ride height whatsoever between the stockers and the Matrix coilovers, you could get away without performing an alignment, though it is recommended.

If the ride height change is slight, you may/may not need aftermarket camber adjustment. Our cars come from the factory with no available camber adjustment, front or rear (no eccentric bolt to tweak on the upper control arms). Do a search regarding this, there's a lot of information on when aftermarket camber adjustability is needed/not needed depending on the level of drop and suspension modifications.

Here's a good primer on suspension modifications we can make to our 2g's: http://dsmtuners.com/sub.php?page=2gsuspension