sup guys
i have koni yellows on my civic, but my rear right rides higher than my rear left .. im running eibach sport line springs, and when i look under the car, it looks like the left rear is on a lower perch, while the right is on a higher one .. at least thats what it looks like .. ? is it hard to change the perch height myself ? around how much would it cost to get it done professionally ? the uneven height is pissing me off ... any help is appreciated

 

If you have access to a spring compressor or if you springs have little enough preload ay max length to not require a compressor, then it is not a difficult job if you have some basic tools and capabilities. Lots of cars sit a bit high on the right rear but if the circlips are actually on different perch locations side to side, then you do need to get it remedied and also slap the previous installer around a bit for not paying attention.

 

the rear springs should be preloaded very little. you should have no problem taking apart the shock to change the perch level.

 

so lets say the koni's are set on the same perches, but the car ride height is uneven, would it be alright to intentionally mismatch the perches so that the car would be more even?

 

If the side to side difference is extreme (more than 3/4") then I would look to other causes (spring not seated in one perch, previous body damage, sway bar preloaded unevenly, etc.). Setting perch height differently side to side is not a good fix for some other problem and could lead to "exciting" handling (exciting can be bad sometimes)

 

Just what Alan said, if then perches are in the right place and the car is still sitting unlevel then it is caused by something else. Changing the perch location is a band-aid solution to a symptom and is not a cure of a problem. First look for any anomolies in your installation as they is possible, measure the car's height consistently on a number of seemingly flat surfaces (some flat arears aren't really flat so make sure your measurement and isue is not related to just one "flat" surface. If you could run the car across some corner weight scales, that will tell you more about how it is loaded and if something is really off. If the car is generally balanced on weight within reason but just looks unlevel, I would leave it as function is more important to me than look. There are a number of things that can be throwing it off plus most used cars aren't deal level anyway so it depends on how unlevel the car is. If it is under 1/2 inch, I'd probably leave it the way it is. I would be surprised if the car was closer that 1/4 side to side. We meansure a lot of stock cars at Koni on our proven level rack and they are almost all out a bit. Did you know the stock first gen Miata has a +/- 1 inch ride height tolerance? Very few of those are level even on factory springs.

If you absolutely cannot find the problem and it drives you nuts, only then would I stagger the perches and then simply realize that you are covering up something and it is possible that the suspenion may be slightly compromised in the name of getting it to sit level. Basically do it only as a last ditch option.

 

Ok im gonna bump this because my perches are uneven due to the idiocy of the previous owners. Can someone explain to me how to adjust them?
Thanks

 

1) Take them off the car and remove the spring.
2) Raise spring perch up a bit to expose the circlip.
3) Using preferably a set of circlip pliers (but also a pair of small screw drivers will do), move the circlip to the desired new location. When moving it, make an effort to physically expand the circlip as little as possible so you don't stretch and distort the circlip.

** If you have any question that your used circlip may be damaged, spread open, not flat, bent or crowned, do not reuse it and contact Koni immediately (info@koni-na.com) and they can easily arrange for new clips for you. This system works very well but you need to make sure the circlips and in good condition and properly captured so they will have full design strength.**

4) Once you have moved the circlip into the new location, I put the tip of the tool on one open end of the circlip and drag the circlip through one full rotation of the body as the other exposed end will scrape out any grit, dirt, built up paint, etc. that was in the groove on the shock body so it will be as clean as possible.
5) Reinstall the spring perch making sure that the circlip is fully captured by the retaining groove in the bottom side of the spring perch. If you can see the side of the circlip exposed, then you have a problem. With a properly captured and strong circlip, you should only be able to see the bottom side of the circlip when the perch is in location.
6) Reinstall spring and put back on car.