Post Coilover install: uneven ride height?

[OptionZero]

Post coilover install, my left rear driver side is significantly lower than my right rear. I measured both sides before bolting on the lower mount and putting it back on wheels and dropping it.

Procedure:

-All 4 corners up in the air
-Remove front sway bar.
-Unbolt old spring shock
-Bolt up top of front struts, measure the shock from perch to perch on both sides.
-Bolt on bottom mount of front struts
-Remove rear spring/shock
-Bolt up top of rear struts
-Measure perch to perch for equal drop left/right
-Bolt rear lower mount
-Wheels on all 4 corners, drop the car

Note: DID NOT uninstall rear sway bar during coilover install, does this make a difference with all 4 corners up in the air?

I can't think of why one corner would droop lower than its opposide corner..can't be blown shock (used but supposedly barely). Possibly the pre-load was messed up.

No other parts installed, my stupid bolts on the tie-rod and t/c rods were stripped or seized. I'll have the alginment shop throw on my arms and hicas rack, fuck the headache. I just wanna drive it.

Any ideas?

[HyperTek]

Stick blocks under frame rails and measure... then make adjustments to whatever side that is to make em even.. thats ur best bet.. s13s are known to be higher/lower to one side.

[OptionZero]

But it's an S14...

[IMPerfection]

Weight distribution, if the preload and height were set the same.

Use a corner-weight scale to get your coilovers set up properly.

[chmercer]

cars arent symmetrical, and bushings are different levels of squishy *shrug* set the car level via the frame rails, as long as the preload is the same left to right it should be normal

[nrg]

yep, cars aren't symmetrical. The best way to deal with this problem is to corner balance your car at an alignment shop. Which is what you're supposd to do with "coilovers"

[OptionZero]

Car's goin to alignment this week, so i'll be tellin' em to do look at the height anyways.
Thanks, i was just wondering if anyone had experienced this problem

[OptionZero]

Car's goin to alignment this week, so i'll be tellin' em to do look at the height anyways.
Thanks, i was just wondering if anyone had experienced this problem

[Ian]

how much is the difference?


if you've had any frame damage, this is definately a possibility...also, you could just have them adjusted improperly...measure again

[Dr.Baby]

readjust them
ive had 2 cars w/ coilovers and done work with friends cars
its normal.
just correct it
get a corner balance if you really want to be precise
-dousan_pg

[fliprayzin240sx]

yups, just measure it with wheels on and on the ground. Pick a point on the chassis and see the difference.

[Ian]

make sure the surface you do it on is very flat too

my car is always off in my driveway...that's because my driveway is about as flat as a highschool football field after a double header...

[anotherblusi]

corner balancing or getting an alignment isn't meant to create an even ride height. If you want the ride height to be equal just adjust the coilovers yourself. If you plan on corner balancing(highly recommended) it more often than not messes with an even ride height in order to balance the weight in each corner. Who knows, that corner might even need to be lower if that corner is putting down too much weight. And like everyone else has mentioned, these cars are always off height wise...

[RBS14]

if the frame is bent like in my car, that's why it's messed up.

My coilovers are off by over an inch and a quarter F&R. but on opposite sides. Like RF is longer than LF and LR is longer than RR. hahaha

[brainfood]

I put mine on adjusted the hieght individual for each corner you are getting different wieght at each corners so they wont be perfect and then had it corner wieghted and it was off by over 100lbs on the cross wieght car is dailed in now and it feels soooo much better def. suggest corner wieghting it took all the instability out of the car under wieght transfer situations.