shortening & rethreading the shock shaft >> ANY REVIEWS ??

[mr. mindz]

yesterday i dropped off a pair of HKS drop springs & shocks (combo) at the machine shop... to take off 2" and be rethreaded....

when you google "rethreading of shocks", nothing thorough seems to come up, esp not much around the rest of the world....

the shock & spring was made to give a 2.5" drop, but my car on 18s still had a 2.5" gap...

i dont wanna cut the spring, and i dont favor the ride of coil overs... and the good ones are too expensive...

seeing that i'm not cutting the HKS spring, will i still have the ride even though i shorten/rethread the shaft of the shock??

i'm aiming to keep my car static, regain a soft ride and stable damping force, and yet still drop to kill my wheel gap and have the least clearance below the car.....

[Damien]

Man dont spoil those shocks! better you cut the springs or even try a different set of springs on the shocks

[rollingstock]

Rethreading would decrease your damper travel causing it to bottom out easily, would cause a really rough ride and the shocks would not last, due to the decreased shaft length the shock fluid would be under constant pressure and would cause bubbling easily, result dead shocks and the pressure and bottoming out would cause damaged seals. This would be the problem you would face specifically seeing you're looking at a 2.5" rethreading.

[mr. mindz]

So if i just take off a coil from the spring, and leave the shock as is.... will it still have a high possibility of bursting?

[rollingstock]

hit a deep hole and cause the shock to fully compress and there's a likelihood.

[mr. mindz]

soooo...... which better? cut the spring... or rethread the shock ?

[plex]

Rethread might be the better choice...Cut springs is never recommended...Ride will be the worst u ever feel...

I always say get the right set up..By the way what kind of car?

[wheel whores]

leave the car high no problem now, no problem later

[speedfreak44]

what vehicle is it btw? i fed hear ppl bottom out and damage seals by rethreading

[mr. mindz]

i don't really like the idea of cutting the springs up front,

i dont wanna tamper with the spring constant, because its already tensioned to suit the diameter and length of the spring, the material, and the number of active coils...

i honestly cant afford the correct coilover setup YET....

and the HKS is designed to give a 2.5" drop, but i need a 4.5" drop still.....

i'm running a 205/40/18 stretched on a 8.5" wheel, so because my tyre profile is very low... i have a noticeable wheel gap.... which i hate.

the car isnt setup for any perfect handling or anything, since it's not fully performance oriented...

dropping the saucer may not be an option because it might touch the back of the wheel..... i honestly think rethreading is the only reasonable option here.

[mr. mindz]

what vehicle is it btw? i fed hear ppl bottom out and damage seals by rethreading

it's a 180sx Coupe... and it's not stock lenght shocks like what ppl usually buy in the parts place, and try to shorten.

it's shorter shocks made by HKS for the drop spring, thats why i was wondering if i went down a 2" again on the shaft, if it might end up in any problems.....

the car isnt a daily driver... more like a once a month user

[speedfreak44]

nah man bro get some springs.... dont want to see a ride like that bouncing down the highway.

but then again there are aftermarket shocks exactly what your saying that can handle it. . i kno for honda skunk has a shock that can handle it...

[Conrad]

What about another shock and spring combo from the US. Brand new you'd be able to get some KYB AGX absorbers (adjustable damper and designed to be used with shorter springs so no bottoming out) matched with something like Koni Yellows etc.

Wouldn't be coilover stiff and even though it isn't of priority it should still offer some sort of performance.

[mr. mindz]

the springs are actually very short, esp when the car is jacked down and the weight is compressed.

i dont think i can get a much shorter spring than that......

[mr. mindz]

What about another shock and spring combo from the US. Brand new you'd be able to get some KYB AGX absorbers (adjustable damper and designed to be used with shorter springs so no bottoming out) matched with something like Koni Yellows etc.

Wouldn't be coilover stiff and even though it isn't of priority it should still offer some sort of performance.

my brother.... u think that going to carry me down 4.5" ?

or i'll end up with the same problem as im in with the HKS ?

actually, it's not a problem... because HKS didnt design that setup to take u flat down...

[wheel whores]

jus check suspex

[speedemonz]

I am sure you have the original shock and spring. I would have cut and rethread the shock cut one coil off of the original spring and see the result. Going for an extreme static drop and wanting to maintain some sort of civility with the ride quality means you have to fully commit and make some sacrifices you can't have your cake and eat it. In addition take some measurements and see just how much you can drop the saucer on the stock shocks. Don't be a nookie and be afraid of making some mistakes experiment with different combination's between stock and aftermarket until you get the result you want. Having the ability to really adjust your camber will also assist. Will keep my eyes peeled for a reasonable used set of fully adjustable shocks for your application in the mean time. Going with an aggressive static drop is commendable but fully commit or keep your car at beyotch ass height.............lol

Hold some pics for inspiration

[Conrad]

Damn, 4 INCHES?

From when I was doing research I don't remember anything offering that much of a drop. The AGX comboed with whatever lowering spring was in the 2 inch area.

Sorry to say but more and more it sounds as though you need coilovers.


Goodluck.

[mr. mindz]

back rims... WORK EUROLINE DH.... 215/35/18 - 9.5" wheel


back has Ohlins... still need to get rid of the 3" fender space

[mr. mindz]

LOVE DIS...

[wheel whores]

back rims... WORK EUROLINE DH.... 215/35/18 - 9.5" wheel


back has Ohlins... still need to get rid of the 3" fender space

sweet stretch

[cinco]

ok
simply most suspension companies with a shock spring combo do NOT offer more than 2-2.5 inch drop because it destroys the factory suspension geometry so nothing you buy off the shelf will give you that lowering even coilovers most people who get extreme slammage modify the coil overs (remove the lower sleeve) to get that
threading the shock will effectively give you the same ride as it was designed for but will not give you the full travel as the coils will take more of the jamming than the shocks
basically the coils will absorb more of the bump than the shock

[wheel whores]

^^^^^^^^^ couldn't have said it better not everything you see is what you think aftermaket can only go so much, to be slammed you got to do some mods

[swift gti funatic]

to get what you want... coilovers or nothing atall... Check out K-sports or D2's (They are not the same)..
Despite what ppl say, they have really stepped their game up in terms of quality, manufacturing and customer service.

Plus they are cheaper than HKS,Tein etc. I can personally vouch for K-sport.

[speedemonz]

I hope is not dem ridiculous chinee tire yuh buy to stretch dey padna. Their sidewall construction and composition is very questionable and although you indicated performance is not on the top of your list remember that the only part of your vehicle in contact with the road is the tire doh chinks on the build especially there...............bless

[mr. mindz]

The tires are new... but they aren't any expensive brand... they were bought to initially tune the suspension and camber... especially seeing the height i wann go... i'd rather spoil my first set of 'cheap' tyres than a set of NT555s or Direzzas... when the car is complete, the fenders pulled and rolled to my desired offset / ride height.... i'll see how these cut, judging from camber...

after i'll buy a 'good' set all round... these are the third set ive exchanged... i bought new tyres because i cant return 'foreign used' tyres if im not please with how they sit on the wheel...

similarly... i wanna modify my current setup to give me the desired height before i tamper with the body work.... according to how long it lasts; i'll buy a new set of coil overs to give me what i need sometime in the future...

we had put a set of HKS Hipermax coilovers though, that we bought 'foreign used' for an S15 we did.... even though it didnt last long, there was alot of threading giving the car up to a 6" of drop all round..... ( unmodified )

[belalegosi]

shortening the strut rod shaft would not help lower your car in any way. What governs the drop is the spring. Shortening the rod would only make you alot more prone to bottoming out.

Wanna go low without the super pricey coilover sets?
First cut the spring perch off the strut


go on ebay and find the cheapest sleeve type coilover you can find. You just need it for the threaded adjustable part. The springs are junk.
Then with the modified strut cut a piece of steel pipe to the length of drop you want. Note the lower you go the less travel the strut rod will have. Bottoming out a strut is what kills it...


Be sure to weld or some how secure everything..
Anyways next is go on eibach's website and order some springs. They have alot of spring rates to choose from as well as spring diameter's and height. I'm sure you'll find what you need.

Then boom... test fit and mount everything up.



OR
if you think your spring is too short and making your strut rod bottom out constantly, you can modifiy you strut hat so that the strut rod goes up some into the engine compartment/trunk.

something like this

[cinco]

welding/heating up a gas/oil shock is a terrible idea

[belalegosi]

welding/heating up a gas/oil shock is a terrible idea

why? Would it spontaneously explode and decapitate you?
Considering you're only tacking on the metal to stay in place, I dont see the big problem...

I guess I should go on to add,
If you're going with higher spring rates, you would need quality struts to handle it.
Since this thread is on the cheap side, one alternative is gutting a stock strut and stuffing it with a quality brand insert.
stock strut (black) and koni insert (yellow)


skip a few steps
stock strut gutted and koni insert (now painted black)


skip more steps
stock strut housing with koni adjustable inserts



note: you would need to do your own home work on the inserts. The koni inserts used here were meant for a 02 usdm wrx

[belalegosi]

one more thing

http://mechdb.com/index.php/Welding_%26 ... ing_struts