your car too low? gauging interest: rear coilover spacers for d2s and others like it

[tastyratz]

so my friend installed d2 coilovers on his s14. Thing that sucks is the d2s just do not have enough travel to be able to safely adjust the car to anything higher than a 3-4 inch drop. This is unacceptable, however with some coilovers its just the way it is. We are both machinists. He is considering producing a spacer that will be approximately 2 inches allowing you to raise the rear of your car to a much more reasonable height. This would not interfere with your ability to lower the car, the d2s will probabbly scrape you on the ground before running out of adjustability I dunno about others.

My question is this. Since hes making it for his car, hes considering producing it for resale. If enough people show interest in the idea he may go forward (dont just say its cool please just say if you would have a need and purchase them)

He would probabbly purchase and host a group buy on zilvia for those who are interested.

THIS IS NOT A FOR SALE THREAD so dont ask.

I am not able to produce any pictures for you. Im working with him to engineer a proper functional design. We are leaning towards something similar to the flying miata design which you can see here: http://www.flyinmiata.com/Store/images/13-57100.jpg

This would probabbly not be d2 specific, but a d2 specific spacer might be made for better functionality with some other ideas we had.

So who here has a need for and would be legitimately interested in purchasing a product like this. Also, how much would you be willing to pay for such an item

[s13silvia03]

Whats this "too low" you speak of?

[JaeTea]

Whats this "too low" you speak of?

+1:confused: :confused:

[JVD]

I think your in the wrong place. See http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=102241

[REDSH!FT]

Yeah...Perhaps it's D2's lack of engineering that makes their coilovers suck?

If you've got a problem with your coilover, get better ones...

[tastyratz]

ive actually been very disappointed with the d2s design when installing these, but they didnt make them so you can run your car at a decent height.


whats too low? personally I love running my car real low. Im on a 3.5 inch or so drop myself. Not everyone can safely do that (road conditions, speed bumps, etc) . Some coilovers dont leave enough adjustment and have room to be desired. If you dont have a fully adjustable suspension to compensate you may not be able to get your geometry correct for optimal handling. Lower center of gravity is nice but there are other factors in handling. The fact that you just dont have the option to run stock height or even close on these bugs me

[mr_240sx]

well my gr6-s have no problem..... i can either runn 4x4 status or drag my side skirts if wanted to. just buy better coil overs

[McRussellPants]

Is your friend on stock steel or something?

If you can't get a coilover high enough with 17s then you need to start calling skyjacker.

Then, if you're running coilovers and stockwheels you need to re-assess why the car is handling like ass, hint *not the suspension geometry*

[slider2828]

I run MR coilovers and they are great... Not demon dropped or anything, just looks nice and good gap

[tastyratz]

Suspension geometry not being setup properly WILL screw up your handling, however thats not the reason behind this post.
The point behind this is he is not comfortable running his car that low, does not drive in an environment with ground clearance being the same everywhere. potholes smashing the undercarriage before bottoming the shocks is a bad idea.

The d2 coilovers that we installed on his car with very little thread engagement will not allow him to have his car anything less than a 4" drop or so. 4" is alot for a drop. hes on stock bodywork right now and if he put a kit on hed be an inch away from dragging, and we live in new england with terrible roads. Maybe other people can get away with it, but it shouldnt be mandatory you push the limits.

Not everyone has the option to just throw up the cash to buy and sell coilovers at a whim. It was most definitely a stupid oversight on d2s part however he already purchased them, and the spring rate is not very common. No buying new coilovers AND a set of custom rate springs is also not a viable option.

hes running on stock 16 in s14 wheels. running a larger diameter wheel is not how you raise the height of your car and is a real half assed way of going about things. Screwing your gear ratios and slowing your ass down because you dont want to correct the issue is not the right answer, and the results will be marginal at best.

Im sure hes not the only person who has purchased coilovers to find they are disappointed with the height they are required to run at all times.

[JVD]

You should make them for your friend so he can be a monster truck... Seriously though, like I said, there will not be much interest on Zilvia. NICO maybe.

:wavey:

[S14DB]

D2's just get you a drop for cheap. You want better performance, get better coilovers.

Hell, D2 springs are the real sucky part of them. Get some longer springs at the same rate from Swift. I would worry about pulling on the damper at that point. But, those spacers do the same thing.

It's never a bad thing to add spring travel.

[REDSH!FT]

I'm looking at an S14 w/ D2's right now and it's not too low...

[240trainee]

Did he install D2 S13 rear coilovers onto his S14 by any chance....

[chmercer]

this thread eats it. the only thing d2s are good at are lowering your car. making spacers to raise the car up will completly negate any positives. the springs rust and droop, the shocks dont dampen shit, the adjustable knobs dont work, and with the help of your spacers, they also wont lower your car. might as well roll on stock struts with hacked springs

[McRussellPants]

Complete dumpster thread.

Dont buy coilovers and then complain when they're low on 16s.

if you wanted OEM height you should have kept the OEM stuff. Its not rocket science. 8/6kg/mm springs on stock wheels and tires isn't doing anything for handling anyway.

[s13dan]

i have no choice but to tuck tire in the rear due to my coilover and will either be but JIC for the rear to match the front or spacer would be very nice. i would be interested, but does it affect springrates or anything?

[MasterOFDrift]

There will be no real interest.

Why did you guys get d2 in the first place? How much do they cost? like $750-850? you could've shelled out $300 more and got a decent set of coilovers.

Buying d2 coilovers is the half assed way to do things in my opinion.

[SoSideways]

Did he install D2 S13 rear coilovers onto his S14 by any chance....

:werd: I vote for that also.

We couldn't get the rear struts to lower enough on an S13. I even took 2 collars out and left 1 in just to lower the car another inch.

[KA24DESOneThree]

Holy Christ, this is a stupid thread.

Machining spacers so you can run low but still have acceptable travel? On stock wheels? For once I agree with the Viceroy twins.

Instead of buying decent coilovers and running at ride heights that allow acceptable geometry and curves, you guys decide to "fix" a bullshit design? Hell, you aren't even fixing the geometry; you can't afford to.

More proof of the similarities between the slammed Civic crowd and the slammed S-chassis crowd. Yikes.

[McRussellPants]

Machining spacers so you can run low but still have acceptable travel? On stock wheels? For once I agree with the Viceroy twins.

No No No, you haven't fully grasped the retardation afoot here.

He bought D2 coils for an S14 with stock wheels, but apparently the lowness from the D2s (the only reason to have D2s) scurrs him so he wants to make spacers so that the D2s can get back to stock height.



D2 service is as bad as their engineering (by engineering I mean "buying shit from korea") and have been known to send out the wrong shit mixed together. It wouldn't be shocking if he got S13 rears.

[donkayroo]

so my friend installed d2 coilovers on his s14. Thing that sucks is the d2s just do not have enough travel to be able to safely adjust the car to anything higher than a 3-4 inch drop. This is unacceptable, however with some coilovers its just the way it is. We are both machinists. He is considering producing a spacer that will be approximately 2 inches allowing you to raise the rear of your car to a much more reasonable height. This would not interfere with your ability to lower the car, the d2s will probabbly scrape you on the ground before running out of adjustability I dunno about others.

Hmmm. Interesting that any coilover will have a set 3-4 inch drop. As a few others have mentioned...double check the product application. If you are 100% sure your pals coilover set is indeed for an S14 then:

#1 Contact the manufacturer about this issue.
#2 Double check spring preload.

I'm sure you guys have insured the full extension of the shock piston. But, keep in mind that if you do not tighten the lower spring perches/add enough preload (squeeze the springs) you will get a significant amount of initial drop sag regardless of the spring rate. Unless of course, you're running 30K springs out back.

#3 Did y'all completely loosen the lower height adjusting sleeve (until it separates from the shock) in order to determine the maximum height threshold?

If not do so. Then tighten the lower sleeve so at least 1.5"-2.0" has been threaded onto the main shock. Or adjust accordingly. An inch or two doesn't sound like a durable/reliable setting but these lower sleeves are a lot tougher than most people would think.

Most manufactures will not sell a product that is not within spec of its competitors products. It's illogical, a waste of time/money and a law suit in the making. I seriously doubt there is that much of an engineering flaw with your friends coilovers. It has to be a case of incorrect application or incorrect setup...then again, what do I know, I don't have these coilovers and I personally don't know anyone that runs this brand. Just my two cents.

BTW, the spacer is a nifty idea...but is it truely necessary?

[KA24DESOneThree]

Less confused, equally annoyed. Posting late at night/early in the morning owns me as far as reading comprehension goes.

[donkayroo]

Insomnia is a disease. Another thing I forgot to mention. There is a difference between travel and ride height adjustability.

Shock travel usually refers to the distance between full piston compression (when you just can't push down anymore) and full rebound (when it's all the way up). The majority of coilovers have at least 8"-10" of piston stroke on average. Maybe you should check the stroke of your buddies piston and insure it's not a super short stroke type coilover. If so he may need a longer piston. Sorry, had to do it...please don't be offended...it's about 2:35am PST.

KA24DESOneThree, great signature. It's nice to know my girlfriend and I aren't the only ones who use signals religiously. Additionally, flashing the hazards a couple times when someone let's you squeeze in between or when you cut in a little closer than expected, especially the semi trucks. Common courtesy is joy. As for going 90 in the slow lane...I think it's because of the dam roadhogs. Slower traffic tends to merge left instead of right. Ok, I'm done with this thread for good!

[JaeTea]

You have shitty coilovers.

When I installed my Silkroads out of the box my car sat like an inch or two higher than stock.

[spdfreek0o]

this thread eats it. the only thing d2s are good at are lowering your car. making spacers to raise the car up will completly negate any positives. the springs rust and droop, the shocks dont dampen shit, the adjustable knobs dont work, and with the help of your spacers, they also wont lower your car. might as well roll on stock struts with hacked springs

This thread kinda suprises me. I've been running d2's on an s13 for almost 2 years. I've got a good ride height, not tucking tire. The springs aren't even close to rusting(the weather is pretty dry and not really and sand/salt trucks in winter) and no droop whatsoever. Adjustable knobs work fine. The dampening isn't the greatest but it's better then stock and its better then the kyb agx's that I ran. I dunno, maybe I missed that memo or forgot to read that supplement, but they are affordable and pretty good for the price.

[808DRFTR]

Well I bought my coilovers (K Sport & Teins) so I can lower my car and have adjustable damper. If you don't want it too low either get better coilovers or some lowering springs/struts.

[chmercer]

Suspension geometry not being setup properly WILL screw up your handling

so will putting D2s on your car

[ThatGuy]

Is there a special lug nut I can buy, that'll make Continental Tires handle like Advan Neova's?

[McRussellPants]

Edit: more important. lol, checked le rep today...

got a red square with "die" and a grey square with "Now this is the story all about how, My life got flipped, turned upside down, And I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there, I’ll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air" from this thread.

Good deal, Rep rocks.

[tastyratz]

these coilovers werent installed so he can run a jdm tyte slam yo, they were installed because he liked the available spring rate and the aluminum bottom mounts living in new england with rust concerns. yes were noticing that the springs have started to rust, and theres alot of uneven droop. Unfortuanately you kinda just get what you get and had we known all these things beforehand..... he made the purchase based on other things and thats just it. now he doesnt have the money to purchase another set of coilovers and will need to make do with what he has.

the s13 rear possibility is a strong one however, are they exactly the same? different part #s? anyone have this happen to them and know how to tell? with the coilovers installed his rear tires are tucked with about 1 inch thread engagement on the bottom perch. we adjusted these out prettymuch to the max. hes function over form. like stated im not talking about adjusting travel, just ride height. There would honestly be room left on the thread body to adjust lower if we had lowered it ot the point where the frame rested on the pavement, thats how these are... what use is that? practicality speaking for a daily driver its a real pain in the ass because he couldnt get his car towed on a flatbed at this height safely, nor can he fit a jack under his car to work on it.

[chmercer]

from the top down -

s13 rear shocks are a few inches shorter than s14.

the shock buckets are the same.

if hes function over form then he needs to sell his mcdonalds happymeal prize coilovers.

id rather have nismo s tunes than thoes. and s tunes are trash.

your control arms would bottom out on the chassis before you got the frame to the ground.

the use of it is, while your friend is probably on like 15s or 16s, lots of people run 18s even 19s, so they have to be made to accomidate a wide range of adjustment.

practically speaking for a daily driver he dosent need coilovers.

if he cant get a jack under his car drive up on some wood.

this thread is fucking stupid

[SoSideways]

^^ it really sounds like he got some S13 rear coilovers.

S14 coilovers IIRC have much longer lower perches, and I think even the shock body itself is longer, than the S13 unit.

Edit: damn you Boxy Brown, beat me to it!

[McRussellPants]

KTS changes the rear shocks, same lower bracket.

somewhere in the area of 3-4in difference.

I've been told S14/S13 rear top mounts are a diff diameter but i doubt it.


I think its more likely that the preload is fucked or he got retardedly low spring rate springs than him having S13 shocks.

[tastyratz]

NEG your car too low?... 07-22-2006 08:51 PM d2s are for poor people and hookers .

lame

people obviously arent listening. If anyone else had a want to run a reasonable non jdm bling height on coilovers without the adjustability range needed to, then unfortuanately I dont think these will see any production or sale on zilvia for that matter so look elsewhere.

for the few helpful posts suggesting the idea of getting s13 rears I told him to call d2 so he can find out where to measure or check and see if he was screwed.

done with thread