The complete install went totally smooth until I wanted to lower it more. It was sitting at close to stock height even though I had raised the lower mounting sleeve about 2 inches higher than stock.

I raised up the front, turned the coilover by hand to try to lower it. I then put the car back onto the ground but I noticed that the nut was loose. This nut is the nut that holds onto the top hat and can be seen from under the engine. I thought that was odd so I tightened it down. I then raised the car up once more and tried to turn the coilover some more and couldn't do it so I just took the coilovers off the car again and was planning on adjusting them by turning the lower sleeve but it wouldn't budge!

The sleeve is completely stuck onto the unit and when I turn the lower collar to attempt to lower the sleeve, the complete unit moves and as a result it either compresses the spring more or descompresses it.

What should I do now to fix it? I really don't have any options except to see what buddy club usa will say or even might have to buy another set?

 

The spring perch is stuck?

Use a screwdriver and a small hammer, and just tap the perch loose

 

Almost sounds like you need to remove the entire coilover, readjust it, and reinstall it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ebelp &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Almost sounds like you need to remove the entire coilover, readjust it, and reinstall it.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I really want to avoid taking it apart.

The bottom sleeve that allows adjustment of height is stuck!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B2FiNiTY &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I really want to avoid taking it apart. </TD></TR></TABLE>

20 min job to remove the butt klubbs...

 

dennis-my friend and i installed a brand-new set of the buddy clubs on our other pals gsr couple weeks ago. if its a new set you have, you probably had the same issues as us when we installed ours. the lower sleeve just needs to be "budged" out with good old-fashioned muscle if its stuck...use some grippy cloth on both ends and twist in opposite directions(my friend removed the spring and perch for better leverage when doing this).

now, with the issue of "lowering it", we spent almost 3 hours adjusting, removing, adjusting and removing again and couldn't figure out why in the heck the car would not get any lower than an inch with every adjustment....even if it was at full length or max shortened hight....really frustrating. it didnt help that my friend who owns the gsr is a little on the ricer side and would not settle for anything else other than a "slammed" ride hight

finally, my other friend had an idea that i hope will save other people out there with the same issues some time and headache if its a choice you want to try. anyway, my friend remembered my own set-up on my R, and how mine uses the stock oem top hats. we all agreed we would sacrifice and ditch the fancy buddy-club upper mounts and threw on the stock hats off his suspension. 30 minutes later, the car could be lowered atleast 2 more inches than before with the stock upper mounts. the buddy club hats are really thick and take up some space on the top which probably is the reason why it only goes so low, but i'm sure it also helps some camber and design issues that my friend chose to sacrifice in lieu of better hight freedom. its up to you, but the suspension is running fine with the oem hats as we speak.

 

Hm... You know what. You are probably right! I remember raising up the lower sleeve so that it was almost 2 inches shorter than stock yet when I installed it, the car was still high as stock! Completely baffled, that is when I made the mistake.

Regardless, maybe this is a buddy club problem?

The thing with the pillowball mounts on the buddy clubs is that they have a pivoting point and that is probably what makes it so much higher than stock hat.

 

did you max out the adjusment on the lower sleeve?

 

Yes I did. The lower sleeve is STUCK with the coilover threaded into it as much as possible. I have about 1 finger or less gap between the top collar (holding the spring) and the bottom collar (holding the lower sleeve).

I searched high and low into the archives and no one mentioned this.

The rear can be lower at the moment but it is already lowered than stock.

 

so what is the problem? the height of the car is too high?

 

Two problems.

#1: The bottom sleeve that goes up and down for adjustment is STUCK on lowest setting, IE high up on the shock
When I turn the perches, it only changes the adjustment of the load on the springs. Either more compressed or less compressed.

#2: The front is uber high. High as stock. 3 finger gap.

 

just leave the sleeve on the lowest setting

and to lower the car, just have the spring droop

yeah, i can't lower my BC any more, unless I get shorter springs


Modified by Dan GSR at 1:51 PM 11/20/2004

 

You think you they might have sent you the wrong kit? I mean as far as damper and lower mounts?

 

for my settings, I had the front and rear springs preloaded

the front lower perch is max'd out to the lowest drop

and the rear perch is about 4 or 5 turns from max'd out

 

wow... that kinda sucks. I was hoping not to do that?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JDM CTR ’00 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You think you they might have sent you the wrong kit? I mean as far as damper and lower mounts?</TD></TR></TABLE>
It is ITR application. Everything looks just fine. I am destined to be 4x4!

 

dennis... lucky r said to use some muscle to loosen it up. MUSCLE! u weak little baby

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B2FiNiTY &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
It is ITR application. Everything looks just fine. I am destined to be 4x4! </TD></TR></TABLE>


how low do u want it? the way i have it, as i described, its low enough as it is

 

I'm sure it will be low as I want once I start messing with the spring. I was hoping not to do that though.

 

lower than this?



thats about 1cm lower than stock ITR

 

I just want it even with the rear which is basically the tire matching up with the fender linder.

 

if you lower with the spring perch you wont be adding any preload to the spring, so its fine.

 

How exactly do you add preload to the spring? I want to know so I avoid doing it.


Modified by B2FiNiTY at 2:10 PM 11/20/2004

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B2FiNiTY &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How exactly do you add preload to the spring? I want to know so I avoid doing it.


Modified by B2FiNiTY at 2:10 PM 11/20/2004</TD></TR></TABLE>

why?
preload isn't a bad thing

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B2FiNiTY &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I really want to avoid taking it apart.

The bottom sleeve that allows adjustment of height is stuck! </TD></TR></TABLE>dennis-remove the upper mounts and the spring to loosen the lowert adjustable sleeve. theres no way a brand-new coilover is stuck. it will give you more leverage when you counter twist the sleeve and the shock. when i was trying to loosen the shock i was working on, i was getting a hard time myself(this is with the spring and perch removed), but my friend who put some elblow grease into it had no problem.

just to remind you, we played with the adjustment sleeve and spring hight for over an hour...the car would not get to the desired lowered hight. the closest we came was the front fender lip getting about a finger width gap from the top of the tire. my friend wanted the fender to atleast reach the top of the tire eliminating any gap. (he has 16 in type-c wheels if that matters, i dont know how it would be with stock itr wheels). point is we needed to lose the buddy club mounts and throw on the oem mounts on the top. dont know if you want to consider this, but this is from my own experience if you want it lower.