tokico hp height issue, im stumped help

[jderosa]

Hopefully someone can help me because im stumped. i installed the tokico hp strut/spring combo on my 95 gst. the front is fine, seems high but is fine. the back left is completely slammed i can barely fit 1 finger between the tire and fender. the back right seems a little low but can fit about 1 1/2 fingers under the fender.

i trimmed all 4 bumpstops a little bit as it says in the tokico install instructions so the strut has more room to travel. this should not effect the height though i dont think. if the height was normal i should be able to put a non-cut bumpstop in the back so its stiffer and doesnt hit the tire.

Ive taken the struts apart about 3 times now to make sure everything is put together right, and it is. i have the bumpstop, metal cap with dust boot over that, the lower bushing, the upper strut mount, the upper bushing, the metal collar that centers the bushings, washer and nut. i also bought new prothane bushings for all 4 struts.

I first thought i might of put the front springs on the back and vice versa, but quickly realized that the front springs can only go on the front struts and same for the rear.

After installing the struts and i put the wheel on the height seems normal all around, then when i pull the car out of the garage and spin the wheels a couple times it seems to drop down to where it is now. maybe i put the back struts on backwards where the one bolt goes through the bottom, but i dont really think that matters because i cant find anything about it in the factory manual.

my wheels are 18x8 +38 and tires are 225/40/18, i realize i may have to roll the fenders in the back but shouldnt have to with the "1.5"' drop with the tokico springs. before i roll the fenders i need to fix whatever is wrong because something is definitely wrong in the back.

heres the pics:

pass. rear

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driver rear

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and other pics i took

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driver front

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pass. front

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[Gamble97]

First, you need to go on a level surface, like a parking lot and look at it again.

 

[crimsondragon]

Did you put any extra weight in the back? IE toolbox, maybe some heavy ass subs, amps, and other stuff?

 

[jderosa]

First, you need to go on a level surface, like a parking lot and look at it again.

looks the same on level surface, i pulled it down on the apron of my driveway

 

[jderosa]

Did you put any extra weight in the back? IE toolbox, maybe some heavy ass subs, amps, and other stuff?

i have a few things in the back maybe 50lbs or so but would that really make a difference with "stiffer" struts and springs?

 

[crimsondragon]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...g-dsm-wheel-tire-fitment-selection-guide.html
Go down to the attached images. "onepimpclipse" states he had to roll the fenders to drop it 2 inches. I did the math on the Tire size calculator and his wheels are only .3 inches bigger than yours. I personally think it looks fine. If you're still not convinced, have you tried swapping front and rear springs to see a difference?

 

[jderosa]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...g-dsm-wheel-tire-fitment-selection-guide.html
Go down to the attached images. "onepimpclipse" states he had to roll the fenders to drop it 2 inches. I did the math on the Tire size calculator and his wheels are only .3 inches bigger than yours. I personally think it looks fine. If you're still not convinced, have you tried swapping front and rear springs to see a difference?

ok but the drop on the tokico springs are supposed to only be 1.5". 2 inches is quite a drop. i think it looks retarded and its not supposed to be like that and its rubbing on my tires. you can not swap the front and rear springs as i said in my original post, the front springs are for the front struts etc.

 

[Locke]

I have the Tokico HP + spring kit as well, and have no such problems.

How is the condition of your rear spring isolators? Mine were tore up and needed replaced - if your rear springs wore through the isolator, this could account for ~3/8".

Tokico isn't well known for having incredible springs You may want to disassemble the rears and compare the springs' uncompressed height, left to right.

 

[DGajre777]

How is the condition of your rear spring isolators? Mine were tore up and needed replaced - if your rear springs wore through the isolator, this could account for ~3/8".

What ^^^ said. Check the isolators. It was not listed on your list of parts in post # 1. The isolator is a big round rubber ring that holds the top of the spring in place. Both my rear isolators were torn up, compressed to 2mm and were basically useless.

 

[jderosa]

What ^^^ said. Check the isolators. It was not listed on your list of parts in post # 1. The isolator is a big round rubber ring that holds the top of the spring in place. Both my rear isolators were torn up, compressed to 2mm and were basically useless.

i forgot to put that in the first post, but yes i did put them on. they seemed like they were in good condition otherwise i would of noticed. tomorrow im probably going to take the rears off and take the springs off and compare them, and possibly put the stock springs back on and see what happens. thanks guys

 

[DGajre777]

i forgot to put that in the first post, but yes i did put them on. they seemed like they were in good condition otherwise i would of noticed. tomorrow im probably going to take the rears off and take the springs off and compare them, and possibly put the stock springs back on and see what happens. thanks guys

Were they soft like sponge when you checked them? When the isolators are new, they are thick rubber and over time they may deteriorate and become soft.

 

[daren_p]

Have you swapped the springs from side to side to verify the drop that too low moves with the spring? If you check my gallery I have the Tokico's & the back defently doesn't look like that, normally the rear should sit slightly higher then the front. My pics were also taken with a fiberglass sub enclosure & a fairly heavy 12" sub, so there's probably somewhere around 50lbs additional in my trunk as well. Like was said, remove the springs & compare them as far as height, coil windings, etc. If everything looks okay & your isolators are good, maybe you got a bad spring (which I haven't come across with this brand so far).

 

[jderosa]

Were they soft like sponge when you checked them? When the isolators are new, they are thick rubber and over time they may deteriorate and become soft.

this very well could be, i didnt inspect them that well..

 

[jderosa]

Have you swapped the springs from side to side to verify the drop that too low moves with the spring? If you check my gallery I have the Tokico's & the back defently doesn't look like that, normally the rear should sit slightly higher then the front. My pics were also taken with a fiberglass sub enclosure & a fairly heavy 12" sub, so there's probably somewhere around 50lbs additional in my trunk as well. Like was said, remove the springs & compare them as far as height, coil windings, etc. If everything looks okay & your isolators are good, maybe you got a bad spring (which I haven't come across with this brand so far).

havent tried swapping them side to side but i will be ripping them apart again tommorrow. the height on your car looks perfect, doesnt the front of mine seem a bit higher than that?

 

[daren_p]

havent tried swapping them side to side but i will be ripping them apart again tommorrow. the height on your car looks perfect, doesnt the front of mine seem a bit higher than that?

When I first looked at your pics, I thought the same thing, the front seems to be sitting abit high as well. I've had my setup for around 4 years now, so the front has settled slightly but probably only something like 1/4". I just went out & did a quick measure & it looks like our measurements are opposite My front sits around 24 7/8-25" while the rears sit around 25 1/2". Looks like were running the same tire & size, so results should be similar.

 

[98eclipsekidd08]

The front may seem high because it takes some time to settle, atleast mine did. Mine are lower now than the day I did them. not sure about the rear.

 

[jderosa]

well i just went out and took the rears apart again. im pretty sure its the isolators. they are very soft and cracking on the surface. i did not try swapping the rear springs side to side but i did put the stock springs back on and i have the same problem just a little higher. i can fit about 2 1/2 fingers under the rear driver and about 3 fingers under the rear pass. im going to order the new isolators on monday and see if that finally fixes my problem. took some more pics too.

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and if someone could tell me the right way the strut is supposed to go on the bottom would make me feel a lot better .

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[jderosa]

also if anyone knows if all 4 isolators are the same part # or if the front 2 are the same and the rear two, perhaps someone that had the car before somehow put the rears on the front and vice versa. thanks

 

[daren_p]

I can't remember if the isolators were physically different as its been 4 or 5 years since I've had my suspension apart but I was also thinking this may be part of your issue, since the front seems to be higher then normal. I did just look the isolators up in CAPS & they are different part #'s for the front & rear. In the schematics the rears look to be thicker but I don't know how accurate those drawings are.

 

[proto2]

I know with my Eibach Prokit the front drops a little bit according to the application chart. As with many Mitsus the front is higher than the rear so a spring that drops the same amount all the way around is going to look like that so you may want to look into different springs or chopping a coil out (I don't recommend it).

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Your shocks are on, facing the right way. And your isolators look like they're in useable condition, but we still have the problem, so hopefully brand new ones really do make a difference.

Alternatively, your stock springs might be nice for the rear. I'll bet the hp spring rates are the same or lower than stock even. But of course you won't have that look.

I have Prokits that didn't drop any measurable amount in the rear, but like you I was pissed it didnt turn out right. I've since gotten used to the look and having a higher rear end is actually beneficial to handling.