Which Offset with coilovers

[DAMEscort]

Right i know there have been a few people with similar problems but ive tried doing a search and cant find any info/solutions.

I have just fitted a set of coilovers on my Corsa XE (front coilovers, rear springs and separate shocks with spring cups). My problem is with the front suspension with the inside edge of the wheel/tyre rubbing on the coilover. The car has 15" wheels 6.5jx15 with 195/60/15 tyres with a wheel offset of ET45.

I have had to put on a 5mm spacer which i would rather not have so i was wondering what the other solutions are. The coilovers have the slotted top bolt hole to adjust the camber which i have pulled right to the outside edge to give me the most clearance (the camber looks about right tbh).

Help please

[faloyoturbo]

i use 17 inch wheels with an off-set of 42, doesnt rub at all, only when you push it hard round a corner and the wheel catches on the mudguard

[Lee H]

Get shorter front springs so you can raise the coilover spring platform above the tyre. No way it should rub the coilover body.

[Benn]

Any chance the fks? Or Do they have the helper spring?

[DAMEscort]

No they are not FK's. I have removed the helper spring already and screwed the lower platform up to take up the slack, i was going to try screwing the platform up more (recon i would need to screw the platform up around an inch) but this would put pretension on the spring and change the handling characteristics ( I was told that putting pretension on the spring would make the car "bouncy"). At the moment i do have some clearance but only around 5mm at most, do you guys think that would be enough or should i have more?

I have thought about getting shorter spring but as the kit is supposed to be for a corsa it should fit as is, i knew that others had the same issues with other coilovers but wasnt sure if this was the same with all of them or just some kits and didnt know what the solution was.

Cheers David

[Benn]

Who are they made by?

[bellersrodders]

are they catching the wheel or tyre. if its just the tyre use a narrower tyre

[DAMEscort]

They are cheap ones from ebay (Evosport iirc). Budget suspension and budget fitting i suppose.

Bellersrodders i am already using 195's and to be honest dont think it would be wise to go any narrower with the tyres due to road holding issues, but yes it is level with the tyre but to adjust the platform up high enough to clear the tyre would require around an inch of adjustment which as i have said in the previous post would put pretension on the spring which i am unsure how it would affect the handling of the car.

[neo1]

Price of the coil overs has nothing at all to do with the fittment, simple fact is this the coilovers use longer thinner springs than standard thus causing the overall diameter at the back of the tyre to be closer, my Ohlins dampers were as tight as the Leda,s and both of the magnesuim dampers i run now are the same.

The main difference is some use 2.25 id springs and other use 2.5 id springs you can actually get 1.9 id as well but not sure for corsa's etc, oviously the smaller the diameter the more room your going to have clearance wise, it also depends on what camber your using on the front.

Getting to camber dont guess the camber from eyesight if you can do this your worth a fortune, as people pay lots of money for race car set up and they use 1000's of £'s worth of kit. remeber this will wear tyres as quick as hell if its wrong and corner grip will be poor.

Now ive a race corsa XE with 244bhp and my set up as follows for your guidance.

2.5" id coilovers
7j x 15" wheels ET 38
5MM spacers
3 deg negative camber
195.50.15 cut slicks

Handles well on curcuits, may give you an idea where to head to if you do road miles i would go to 1 to 1.5 deg neg camber for tyre wear issues....

[flez]

What i want to know is as Damescort said, does having pretension on the spring affect the ride, i believe i have a done the same to my spax shocks and my car is slightly bouncy, so is this due to pretension of the spring

[neo1]

Well as for pretension wise, 99.9% of car springs are pretensioned anyway front and rear, and the bouce is controlled by the damper and adjustment, the thin helper springs are mainly to stop the spring dropping out of its seats a full extension of the damper, ie when jacking the car up or car leaving the ground in a jump situation as in rallying etc.

I cant see how having a small amount of pretension can make it bouncy personally but ive never came accross this in my time. but that said i am no formula 1 car set up expert..

[Tathan]

pretensioning spring = increasing spring rate

[DAMEscort]

Thinking of trying to raise the spring platform an inch to clear the wheels. After having it out a drive it doesnt appear to rub but ive not pushed it by any means as the roads have been wet and the tracking is out but i feel that the front might be a bit soft so stiffening it up a bit shoudnt do it any harm at all.

[wayne451]

Get shorter front springs so you can raise the coilover spring platform above the tyre. No way it should rub the coilover body.

He speaks the truth, I know as I have the coilovers he did this on!

pretensioning spring = increasing spring rate

It doesn't mate.

Thinking of trying to raise the spring platform an inch to clear the wheels. After having it out a drive it doesnt appear to rub but ive not pushed it by any means as the roads have been wet and the tracking is out but i feel that the front might be a bit soft so stiffening it up a bit shoudnt do it any harm at all.

How much clearance do you have between between the inner edge of the wheel/tyre (check it on a few different orientations!)

If it is on its arse and its not too close but you have mega camber they may something to do with it?

[Tathan]

ffs wayne, you're turning pwning you into a nightly event. if you preload a spring the rate increases, you flid. just like if you chop it, it loads more onto less and gets stiffer. stop being retarded for one night, please.

[wayne451]

The pretensioning spring is under a nats **** load, it is there to stop it displacing for an MOT.

As soon as any weight goes on it is the helper spring that goes and the main spring doesnt even flinch.

[Tathan]

Er yeah, that's a tender spring you nugget. If the coilover has capability to preload a spring, that's totally different. Some do, most don't.

[wayne451]

Get me the lb ratings for the helper springs please - merci!

[DAMEscort]

Jeeze some folks need to learn to read instead of trying to point score against each other . I have removed the helper springs so they are no more. Also i have already said that there isnt to much camber so that isnt an issue either.

The tyre seems to touch the spring and lower platform when the car is jacked up but has around maybe 3mm clearance when the car is off the jack. What concerns me is that once moving at speed and cornering etc the tyre and other suspension parts will be moving and flexing and this 3mm clearance might not be enough, dont fancy getting a blow out at high speed.

[Lee H]

The clearance should be the same whether its jacked up or not unless you have loads of play in your wheel bearings.

[DAMEscort]

wheel bearings are brand new so no play and the clearance isn't the same.

[Lee H]

Don't see how it can be when the wheel and strut are both fixed to the hub knuckle.

[CraigGreen]

Not liking the recommendation above for 7"J width rim, et38 rim & 5mm spacers!
That'd tram line like a bandit on the roads.

Part of the trouble is that the coilovers are designed for use with a cars standard wheel size, in the case of a Corsa or Nova. 5" J width, 14" wheels.

[DAMEscort]

It doesnt appear to tram line at all at the moment with the current setup but recon the front needs to be stiffer and would rather be running without spacers at all tbh.