I hate cars

First post here. The rear of my car sits noticably lower than the front. In fact, it's just about the perfect height, about 3/4" lower than my ex's TL. I don't know if this is because of the subs or not. I would like to bring the front down to match the rear but only 3/4". What are my options? Also, has anyone had this problem before with the rear sagging? I wouldn't think 120lbs in a 3,600lb car would make the rear sag. Thanks.

ayethetiense

h-techs will give you that drop.

260 HP

iTrader: (3)

The TL is indeed a little lower in the rear. Your 120 lbs sub definitely contributes to the lower look, because all the weight sits directly on the rear axle. The rear axle only supports about 40% of the vehicle's weight.

It will be different if you put a 120 lbs weight in the front seat because its weight is distributed on 2 axles.

To properly lower the fronts a little, you can get a set of Koni shocks and lower the front spring seats. It should lower the fronts about 0.9".

I hate cars

Is there anything out there that will lower the car without affecting the ride? I already have a 600hp harsh riding weekend toy, I want to limit the TL's mods to audio/appearance.

260 HP

iTrader: (3)

It depends on how you define "ride". You can lower the car with springs alone, trim the bump stops and the car rides almost like stock. However, in corners, the soft OEM shocks will not be able to handle the stiffer springs and the setup actually hurts your performance. Aftermarket (stiffer) shocks will work better with lowering (also stiffer) springs. The shocks will be able to dampen the stronger oscilation caused by the stiffer springs better.

See, (proper) lowering springs should have higher spring rates. Without them, the reduced suspension travel will cause the car to bottom up against the bump stops more often.

That's why I suggested the Koni shocks paired with your OEM springs. Your OEM springs and bump stops are firm enough for normal driving. The lowering is subtle, so you still have decent suspension travel left. If you firm up the shocks a little, you won't really feel the car hitting the bump stops.

You have limited options because of the extra weight in the back. If you install 1 set of lowering springs, the car will look sagging in the back.

Like I said, the rear end of the car does sit lower than the front at stock form. The difference can be up to 1/2". With the extra weight, let's say the rear end goes even lower by another 1/4". It's 3/4" of wheel well gap between front and rear.

If you buy a set of Koni and lower the front spring perches, it will lower the front end of the car by about 0.6" or 15 mm (I made a mistake converting mm to inch in my previous post). Now the difference between front and rear is less than 1/4".

Say you buy a set of Eibach Prokit that lowers the car 1" front and rear. Your rear end will still be 3/4" lower than the fronts. It will be more if you have 6MT because 6MT's nose is lighter by about 100 lbs.

I'm running Eibach Prokit with Koni and I lowered the front spring perches to give the car a more even lowering between front and rear. I have almost the same wheel well gaps between front and rear (the rear has a touch more gap). With my measurements, the front end is 1.5" lower and the rear is about 1".

Of course it's all just my opinion.

I hate cars

I totally agree with all you have said. I've done extensive suspension work on my other car. Please educate me, are the stock spring perches adjustable? I know I can't be this lucky.

260 HP

iTrader: (3)

Unfortunately, no....

aznbo187

iTrader: (1)

Since the rear is already a tad lower than the front from the factory, with the additional stereo, you created an even bigger offset. I would suggest, if you will sacrifice some ride comfort, by going with the koni shocks, and springs that have a more aggressive drop in the front vs. the rear. I know that H&r make 2 different applications, one is sport which has a drop of 1.4F/1.3R, and the race, which is 2F/1.75R.

The H&R race will most likely be a lot harsher compared to the sport. IMO I think you will get the desired outcome with the H&R sport, and the Koni shocks installed at the lowest spring perch setting.

tndirtdauber

What if I want my rear wheels to stand up strait like the front end, what needs to be done to repair rear sag? Alignment shop says about $2000.00 in bushings and labor. Ideas? Thanks.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Revival of a 9 year old thread when I Hate Cars was a novice, but to answer your question, not knowing your current camber, purchase the adjustable toe and camber bars for the rear and adjust them to your liking.

N1h1l1ty

Holy shit this post should be stickied for history alone lol!

tndirtdauber

Can I get the parts from a regular parts store or are they specialty items? Thanks

ExcelerateRep

We offer adjustable rear camber arms from various companies. The SPC rear arms would do you well and they come with ball joints.

SPC Alignment Components - EZ Arm XR - Excelerate Performance - Japanese and European Performance Specialists!!