So I did hours of research, got all the parts needed to build coilovers, and ordered some 18x9.5 45mm wheels for the rear. They don't fit. The rim itself measides 10.5 wide which is the extra inch I need for clearance. Those of you with 9.5s, how did you make them fit? My car is an '87 by the way
What do they hit? Is it the rims or the tires that interfere? Where do they interfere?
I'll add pics later but the rim is about 2 mm away from the stock strut. I'm going to be putting my coilovers, and the sleeve is more than 2 mm so it would hit.
They measure the width from the inside of the bead, if yours measures 9.5 from inside to inside they're right. Other that that I'm running 8" so I can't help there.
Here is the clearance. It "fits" but once I put on my coilovers, the sleeve will take up all of that gap and then some. I can add a small spacer, maybe 10mm to be safe, but the wheels already stick out pretty much as far as I'm willing to go
[This message has been edited by huracan2015 (edited 03-12-2015).]
I have an 87 also, I'm running 18x9.5 rears with a +40 offset and coil overs. I needed to use a 1/4" spacer to clear the shock, you are running +45 offset so I think you would need 1/2" spacer.
Oh, you don't have an '88. The '84-'87 cars don't have as much room in the rear because of the position of the strut.
Make sure you install extended wheel studs if you end up using a spacer. Actually, even if without a spacer I find that the rear doesn't really have much thread engagement.. 6 turns at best with my Motegi wheels.
[This message has been edited by Steven Snyder (edited 03-12-2015).]
You can also get different length sleeves and springs so you can adjust where your springs rest down near that weld on the strut. So, your 18x9.5's should work just fine.
We are running 18x8's on the front and 19x8.5 on the rear of my sons 85GT and my 88GT with coil overs using 350 lb rated QA1's.
You don't have to run the sleeve all the way down to the bolt flange. Cut the spring perch above the weld bead and mount the sleeve on top of it.
What springs do you use and how does the travel of the spring match up to the travel of the strut?
I have 12" HAL QA1 springs. They were cheap, but have a fairly high coil density, so they don't have much travel. I wouldn't be comfortable with 10" springs and 8" springs would be coil binding over every speed bump. A 10" spring is as long as can be used with the "high perch" method you outlined, if wheel and tire clearance is the reason to do it that way.
You can set CAMBER yourself that way, but that device won't let you set caster or toe. There are lots of methods for DIY alignment around, but they are based on setting up strings for measurements and require reset after every adjustment.
You can set CAMBER yourself that way, but that device won't let you set caster or toe. There are lots of methods for DIY alignment around, but they are based on setting up strings for measurements and require reset after every adjustment.
I use them for caster as well using the machined flat from the tie rod as a perpendicular reference to caster.
Originally posted by fieroguru: You don't have to run the sleeve all the way down to the bolt flange. Cut the spring perch above the weld bead and mount the sleeve on top of it.
If it's not a trade secret, what PN of coilover sleeve do you use that works in that position?
Originally posted by pmbrunelle: If it's not a trade secret, what PN of coilover sleeve do you use that works in that position?
You need a sleeve that is 2" in diameter and 4 3/4" long. I sell these are part of my level 1 kit which includes the sleeves, strut hat, bump stop and all stainless steel hardware.
For the length I'm not super-concerned. I have found that a normal wood-cutting blade (carbide-tipped) on a chop saw works for cutting aluminium like this.
One thing I noticed with Allstar sleeve is that it centers on the shock using two bores:
This makes it difficult to trim the sleeve to an arbitrary length.
Have you noticed if most coilover sleeves have a diameter increase in the middle, or if the bore is usually constant?
I like the jam nut concept (good idea) which I saw on your coilovers. I am annoyed with set screw coilover nuts, as they damage the threaded sleeve when tightened.
I am wondering what's the probability of these sleeves having a constant bore, or if there's a larger center section which may make cutting to length problematic. From the picture, I don't see the step, but that's more of a stock photo.
What's also weird is that the photo doesn't show a tapered wedge section, though I might have to buy a pair to get more info. Last time I asked QA1 for information via their online fill-form they never got back to me.
My sleeves are a constant diameter for the bottom 80% of the length. Depending on how custom the set of coilovers are, I sometimes bore the ID and reduce the OD of the weld bead to allow the sleeve to hang down below the weld sleeve but still not need to rest on the lower flange.
When running the sleeve on the weld bead, with 275 lb/in and 10" springs about 1" lower is when you run out of adjustment. So when higher rates or lower stance is required, the sleeve needs to be slighly below the spring perch.
Originally posted by fieroguru: Depending on how custom the set of coilovers are, I sometimes bore the ID and reduce the OD of the weld bead to allow the sleeve to hang down below the weld sleeve but still not need to rest on the lower flange.
That sounds like an 88-only trick.
On the 84-87, the strut is more vertical, so if you're running the threaded sleeve on the weld bead so that the wheel rim clears the strut body, you don't have much chance of the tire clearing the spring perch.
Originally posted by pmbrunelle: That sounds like an 88-only trick.
On the 84-87, the strut is more vertical, so if you're running the threaded sleeve on the weld bead so that the wheel rim clears the strut body, you don't have much chance of the tire clearing the spring perch.
I have done the mod on both. It really comes down to wheel, tire, and offset chosen. Here you can see there is plenty of room for the bottom of the sleeve to hang down as long as the tire doesn't bulge past the edge of the rim. The adjuster rings can also be thrown in the lathe to have most of the slot depth removed to make their OD even smaller. I offer a lot of custom options for my customers specific application.
So I did hours of research, got all the parts needed to build coilovers, and ordered some 18x9.5 45mm wheels for the rear. They don't fit. The rim itself measides 10.5 wide which is the extra inch I need for clearance. Those of you with 9.5s, how did you make them fit? My car is an '87 by the way
quote
Originally posted by huracan2015:
Here is the clearance. It "fits" but once I put on my coilovers, the sleeve will take up all of that gap and then some. I can add a small spacer, maybe 10mm to be safe, but the wheels already stick out pretty much as far as I'm willing to go