I just bought ground control coilovers and went ahead and specified my custom rates of 450 front and 500 rear for my gen 3 integra(94-01). I was not told I could specify the spring length as well. GC took the #’s from the online store I bought them through and decided on 7” springs front and rear. I was told the long sleeves go in the rear and short go in front. I did that with the front perch adjusted to the top resulting in a half inch drop from stock as well as the spring being “loose” and able to be moved up and down when at full droop (GC told me not to worry about that because it only becomes a problem when catching at least 20 seconds of air…I call BS) I’m looking at lowering it about an inch from stock for auto-x and daily. I also want the option to raise it above stock for the possibility of rallycross. The problem is I don’t see a way to fix the spring play at full droop. If I swap the front and rear sleeves I think I can raise the car 1/4th of an inch above stock. Is having a “loose” spring a problem? How big of a deal is raising the car without camber correction for dirt roads? I’m not looking forward to buying helper springs etc. to fix this.

 

i'm surprised they sold you the 7" in the front. 7" in the rear is fine due to the longer perches but you 8" is what i was told to use in the front and with good reason. you don't have the problem you just spoke of and it allows extended top hats.

however, i've ran cut springs back in the day that had the same situation that you describe when being loose. never once did i have a problem and i even remember jumping railroad tracks in an old beater vw gti that had hacked up springs. seriously, straight dukes of hazzard style, no problem with the spring. nice spark show on the landing too

 

wouldn't that cause the strut to fail prematurely though? i mean, if no weight is being carried by the spring? assuming the looseness is what i am thinking it is.

 

it's technically dangerous. just because i was lucky doesn't mean you should try it. as far as the strut? i mean rarely if ever do you uncompress to the degree you would be pounding the shock

 

that makes sense. only way for you to even know it wasn't touching is by putting your hand up there. no way to tell if your driving huh.. lol

 

For daily driving, it should not be a problem. If you track it, hopping the curb might launch a wheel and displace the spring. As the wheel comes down again in contact with the track, you would hear a "clunk". It might cause damage to the top hat, perch, or threads.

If you ever bring the car to a shop, make sure you tell them too because when they lower the lift with your car on it, the springs might not sit right.

To solve the problem, get a set of helper springs.