Alright everyone, so I got an oppurtunity to slap on a set of used coilovers from a buddy, the setup I was looking for, Apex-I 36 way adjustable dampening, 14k front 16k rear. he let me test fit them because the ride height adjustment is seized. so right now, my car is sitting a little higher than i would like it to.

has anyone had any experiences with seized coils? my mechanic tried to jar them loose but to no avail. is there any hope for these?

 

soak them in something like wd-40 and then use channel locks and/or vice grips. you can use a screwdriver/chisel and hammer to break them loose also. or and air hammer if you have one available.

 

Have you sprayed the perches with some lubricating oil?

 

the most we've tried is spraying some lubricating oil and trying to knock it loose with a chisel and mallot

 

you could try a torch, but i don't recommend that because it could cause the gas inside the strut to heat up too much and damage internal components and seals. other than that, hit it hard enough and it will break loose or just break.

 

Is it rusted? If so, use a penetrating oil such as PB Blaster.

 

gotta love quality apex-i products and their rust

 

I bought my Tein HA coil overs with 3 of them seized. The first 2 unbound with PB penetrating oil, an impact driver, and chisel. The last one I had to use the PB and my torch. Good luck unlocking them. It was very time consuming.

 

hi guys, yes i did notice a bit of rust above the seized perch, so i'm sure rust is a player in this.

never heard of the PB option, just researched it, apparently it's good stuff lol.

ok i'll try it this weekend, hopefully i can find the time. thanks everyone for your input, much appreciated!

 

Better question--why in the heck would you want those coilovers in the first place? Apexi are kinda crappy quality (as you can see) and 14/16 isn't exactly a mild street setup.

I remember someone posted an Apexi shock dyno graph several years ago. Those "36 way" adjustments really only gave 3-4 distinct differences--and those weren't anything to write home about, either.

 

Yes you're right, I believe most people now know that it's not how many way adjustable a coilover system is that matters. The 14/16 setup for the street so far has not been harsh at all for me. I thought it would be worse. Yes a lot more stiff compared to my H&R/Koni setup, but definitely still drivable.

I remember the car this suspension came out of, so it's not one I just picked up off a forum - it was a very responsive setup. What I'm trying to overcome with my car is it's tendency to understeer, kswap no lsd. I've already noticed the difference in rotation during corner entry.

As far as quality, used is used. I knew about the issue, again the reason for the test fit, but the suspension still comes at a very affordable price.

 

Never tried it, but you might stick it in the freezer. Shouldn't metal constrict a bit? Just a brain-fart though. If rust is the problem, then definitely try the pb blaster.

 

And after you get it off, do yourself a favor and use some antiseize paste on the threads so it doesn't happen again.

 

^good note, thank you sir

Question: Would it do any good to spray the PB Blaster while I still have them on the car while driving, before I get to the grunt work on the weekend? Does PB recommend to soak?

 

+1

Something about the collars rusting to the threads would've steered me away from even trying these a lonnnnnnng time ago.

Alas, for rust, use the buttery goodness of PB Blaster. Let it soak for a week or so and then go after it.

Then, when they're unsiezed, take them off the car, put your H&R/Konis back on, and unload these things like a ****. Then buy some Ground Controls in whatever rates you want for $325 on here. Your Konis are a much better damper than these Apex'i things. The difference you may be feeling is only due to spring rate.

 

Not really sure you can judge the quality of a product because it is seized up. You have no idea what sort of conditions they were in.

Anywho, just send them off to apexi, you can get them rebuilt.