ride height

[sen2two]

I have Tanabe gf210 springs with Gabriel shocks in the rear with a tire height of 25". (18's with low pro tire)

I see most people with gf210's and 16's fitting with barely a 1" gap. I can fit 3 fingers between the fender and tire. I checked, re-checked...and then checked again for problems. Dosn't seem to have any. What could cause this? I really dont wanna cut the springs, but it looks pretty weak... Maybe its my shocks?

[Ender]

If you're not having functionality problems with them then I doubt anything's wrong. Also don't forget that different sized tires can be put on the same wheels, so 16" wheels could have tires mounted that give a 5" gap or no gap at all. Load, spring spacers, lowering strut tops, et cetera can all affect ride height, too. And as far as I know, struts aren't supposed to affect ride height.

[josh18_2k]

shocks could have something to do with it, but only if the spring perches are at a different height than others you've seen (not likely).

[RETed]

What is your tire size?


-Ted

[sen2two]

^ 18" rim. 265/35 tire. Wich is a tire height of 25". about 1" taller than most people running 16's... And i still have a larger gap.

[Ender]

Look here and set a 16" rim diameter with stock TII tires (which is 205/55R16). 24.9" tall. There will be some minor variance in the height for the same size on the same wheel according to model/brand/wear on tires, but much less than an inch either way I'm sure.
http://www.rims-n-tires.com/rt_specs.jsp

Also, how wide are your 18" wheels? Maybe you should post pics of your car.

[sen2two]

Dont think width matters in ride height. but the tires are 265, and the rim is 11"

heres a few shots with the 1" adapter to space them out. I took the adpaters off last week, Thats the main reason i want it to sit lower now... The gap didnt bother me as much when the wheels were poking out all aggressive.

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk253/bboynero/front%20clip%20RHD/P6170014.jpg

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk253/bboynero/front%20clip%20RHD/P6170009.jpg

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk253/bboynero/front%20clip%20RHD/P6170007.jpg

[sen2two]

Its about a 2" gap from the top of the tire to the fender.

One thing i was thinking though, some people said that there wheels will tuck on a full tank of gas, and have clearence when on empty. My car has a 10 gallon aluminum fuel cell. so even with a full tank im probely 100lbs less than normal weight in the rear, possibly making it sit higher??? thought on this?

[RotaryDiagnostics]

So stick 100 lbs of sand bags in the back and see. Probably will make only a slight difference.

[sen2two]

I put my weight on the rear of the car, and it lowered maybe an inch. and im 195lbs. So there is a slight change. but not very much with only 100lbs im guessing.

I have Tein springs with KYB shocks on my other FC. Im thinking of swapping them over to see what the difference is. Since the Tanabes are supposed to sit a little lower. This will tell me if its a problem with my strut/spring set-up. Or something funky with the car...

anyone else have any ideas?

[Ender]

Dont think width matters in ride height. but the tires are 265, and the rim is 11"

Not a lot, but it does make a difference. If the sidewall deviates from the plane of the wheel face (as yours do since your wheels are pretty wide compared to your tires, so different in fact that site I linked won't even show that tire size on 11" wide 18" dia wheels) then the tire height will be different, filling out the wheel well less.

[rotaryguy481]

i just put gf210s on mine and i have 245/45/17 and i have about a half inch gap all around

[josh18_2k]

rear camber affects the ride height. If you have very little camber, and the cars youre looking at have a lot, they will appear lower.

[Lastphaseofthis]

Maybe, and it's just a thought, the springs arent installed(turned) into the right position or something is binding them up. it almost looks like the top 4 bolts to the spring "head" aren't even in the holes. or is it possible you have something wedged between them. to me it just looks like it's not seated or something.

how did you determine the wheel height? measure the circumference/pi = diameter. just to be extra sure.