Ride Height Adjustment- Low rider to off road mode

[Ryan S.]

I would like to get some expert advices on how to adjust ride height since I've never done this before. PO really lowered the car with suspension/springs. I would like to raise rear of my car a bit. Clint told me that I just have to turn those rings upward. I understand that wheels should be off the ground first. Anything I should do or watch out? I don't see any lower locking rings with mine. Here is what I am going to do.



Jack up the rear of the vehicle and place on jack stands
Remove rear wheels
Clean any dirts and debris from threads and locking rings
Measure the locking ring positions
To raise height, turn the upper locking ring from left to right using the spanner wrench. Is it pretty easy to turn or will require some force?

Thank you

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8227/8575871765_b86a034593.jpg

[Nicholas R]

If you're raising the car, it certainly requires some force. I've always adjusted mine with the car on jacks and the wheel off. Do you have both spanner wrenches? There is one for each nut. For the most part only the top one is difficult to move. Before I adjust mine I always lubricate the threads. Also, since the top nut is rotating while the cup holding the spring is stationary, I always put a tiny bit of grease between the two to reduce friction. The combination of the two make raising the ride height a LOT easier.

[DMCMW Dave]

It will be easier to adjust, and less damaging to the threaded nuts, if you can take some of the tension off the spring before adjusting. I agree that it's a very good idea to oil the threads and the surface that the spring cup rests on.

[Timebender]

So how do you lower the front? The D I'm looking at currently looks like it's ready for off-road like the BTTF 3 DeLorean... Do i have to get different springs or can I do the reverse of what's being asked here and that should be good enough?

[Mark D]

To lower the front you'll need to get lowering springs from your favorite DMC vendor. There are a few different options out there that will give different amounts of drop. If you do a search on the board there is a lot of good information out there.

Front shocks are non-adjustable and do not play any role in determining ride height anyway since the springs mount directly to the lower control arms and not to the shocks as in the rear suspension.

[Ryan S.]

Thanks for the all the feedback and suggestions. I have both wrenches but not sure how to take the tension off the springs. I will tackle this project next week. This change will give my car a more aggressive appearance with lowered front and raised back end.

[Dangermouse]

It will be easier to adjust, and less damaging to the threaded nuts, if you can take some of the tension off the spring before adjusting. I agree that it's a very good idea to oil the threads and the surface that the spring cup rests on.

I haven't worked on my suspension yet, but could you get a spring compressor on the springs in-situ?

[Bitsyncmaster]

Thanks for the all the feedback and suggestions. I have both wrenches but not sure how to take the tension off the springs. I will tackle this project next week. This change will give my car a more aggressive appearance with lowered front and raised back end.

Just jacking up the car so the wheels are off the ground is all you can do unless you have a spring compressor.

[Timebender]

To lower the front you'll need to get lowering springs from your favorite DMC vendor. There are a few different options out there that will give different amounts of drop. If you do a search on the board there is a lot of good information out there.

Front shocks are non-adjustable and do not play any role in determining ride height anyway since the springs mount directly to the lower control arms and not to the shocks as in the rear suspension.

THought I had read that a while ago but was thinking there was another route. Thanks for the info!

[jawn101]

I haven't worked on my suspension yet, but could you get a spring compressor on the springs in-situ?

Yes, you can - but it's a little tight.