Trying to figure out a weird problem i'm having...well, not a problem, per say... but could be.

I recently ordered the SPSS Race konis (you know, the shortened ones).
also got GC coilovers.

I also have some of these:


it would seem like the shock is at the very TOP of it's travel and during my 2 minute drive to get the suspension to settle, i hit some bumps and it would seem like the compression is awesome, but it seems like i'm catching air... like the wheels aren't dropping.

so, should i REMOVE the top hats and get normal top hats?

Also, it's been awhile since i've redone my suspension... how should everything be bolted to the shock (i originally thought this was the issue):

how i got it now:
shock, then slide the GC sleeve with spring, then washer, then installed top hat, then upper curved washer, than two nuts. (read: no bump stops).

the instructions i got for the konis weren't very detailed... and i'm an idiot.

should it be:
shock, gc sleeve, bump stop (cut in half), washer, dust cover (this never fit anyways), washer, pipe? (looks like the same pipe washer that i have for the top hat bushings), then top hat, then curved washer, then nuts?


i'll provide pictures tomorrow...

 

seems overkill with both shortened shocks and the extended top hats. id have to say youve not left enough shock travel in the droop direction, which is exactly what youre describing.

 

Yep. Try regular hats, report back. Should fix your problem. If you jack up the car, how much droop do you get?

 

I'd guess you reduced the droop travel about 4" between the shocks and hats. Depending on your ride height, you probably have between 0" and 2" of droop left, not enough in my opinion. As asked above, how much does the suspension drop when jacked up?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mohudsolo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> As asked above, how much does the suspension drop when jacked up?</TD></TR></TABLE>
maybe an inch.

i was pushing on the corner of the car and when it rebounds, it felt like it was hitting something (ie. the top of the shock)

 

You are topping out your shocks.. Get rid of those top mounts before you really cause some damage. The shocks have a Delrin droop limiter in them which is better than topping metal to metal but you risk mushrooming the Delrin as you repeatedly stretch it to it's max extension.

The raised top mounts get way too much attention here than I think they deserve and people misunderstand what they do and don't do. People say that they give moree suspension stroke but that is totally false, they keep the stroke the same but move it farther up the rod. They also limit your droop at the max point which also requires more preloading of the springs when the dampers are off the car. If you are likely to be internally bottoming your shocks (very bad), then these car reduce or eliminate that. If the bump rubber is moved up higher as well, they can reduce external bottoming as well.

The Koni RACE units have been made not only shorter in body and droop length but also the rod has been specifically made so they can;r bottom internally. Also new soft progressive bump rubbers have been included to reduce any bump rubber issues.

Get those things off there quickly and go back to normal mounts. You have really good racing shocks now that have been specifically made to solve the problems that these band-aid solutions are commonly used to reduce the troubles from standard shocks.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CRX Lee &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You are topping out your shocks.. Get rid of those top mounts before you really cause some damage. </TD></TR></TABLE>
which is exactly what it kinda feels like. I unbolted everything today and was looking for some stock mounts yesterday.

now, my next question is, all the various washers...(it feels like i'm relearning everything i never really grasped in the first place, ha!). I don't plan on installing everything like this, but it was placed there as comparison.


Since i don't have the dust boot... here is what i have. I read that the bump stop should be cut in half and used regardless (oh yeah, i searched!). which half though, top or bottom?

items 2 and 3 are obviously the nuts to bolt the shock to the top hats.
item 4 is the washer that goes between the top hat and the two nuts.

here's where i'm confused... 5, 6, and 7. Where do these badboys go? i don't get the purpose of number 7...unless it's the metal "rod" that goes in the top hat in the middle of the bushing:

That piece in the middle.

 

Yes, #7 is the "rod" in the top mount. It's there to keep from squishing the bushings too far. The rest of the hardware looks right to me, but I don't claim to be any sort of expert either.

 

5&6 are the same type of washers, correct? they look like the ones that prevent the rod from extending thru the top hat.

you only need 6. you can get rid of 5. everything else looks correct.

5&6 are both only used when using the dust cover. one washer goes directly below and one goes directly above the dust cover like on the oem setup.

 

to add to what lee said, the shortened koni's are shortened JUST the right amount. any shorter and you'd bottom the control arm into the tower first.

nate

 

Mohudsolo and tom_l are both correct.

Your stack is okay except you should get rid of #5 if you are using coil-over sleeves and not the dust covers. If you look closely at #5 and #6 when the hardware from both sides of the car are together, you will see that there are two different outside diameters in pairs. When using the factory dust cover, the smaller OD washer goes on the bottom and sit on the welded ring on the shock rod and the dust cover goes over it. The larger OD washer then sits on top and sandwiches the dustcover top and keeps it straight. Then on goes the tube which acts as a max crush limiter for the top rubbers. The cupped wasger goes on with the cup facing up and then the two jamming nuts. If you are not using the dust cover due to interference with the coil-over sleeve, then leave out either of the bottom washers.