You drive up to work and park in your usual place, when suddenly - what is it? You felt how the car bumper scraped along the curb. This is bad luck, you think, examining the lower part of the bumper, but six months ago this could not have happened, the new car was parked with a margin at the curb. A little more, and you can split the bumper. The suspension springs sag most strongly during the running-in period, when driving at full load and at the time of aging (after five years), but you have a new car - it is six months old, what should you do?
Necessary
- - a set of spacers (inserts) according to the car brand
- - keys set
- - garage with a pit
- - jack
- - a friend who will help not only in word, but also in deed
Instructions
Step 1
Having a large ground clearance is the lot of large jeeps, SUVs and other elite vehicles. Of course, when choosing a car, you took this indicator into account, because you live in Russia. Standard 15-16 cm is enough. But, as you can see, the laws of physics cannot be circumvented, the suspension springs tend to sag as the car runs, and the more the mileage, the more it feels. The easiest way to increase ground clearance is to fit larger wheels. If you put wheels with a radius of 15 and 16 inches next to them, then with the same profile height and width, they will be as much as five centimeters higher, but the ground clearance will increase by only half - by one inch. I must warn you: although this method seems so simple, it is perhaps the most expensive and unsafe. Since your suspension has sagged and the wheel has gone deep into the wing, the larger wheel will go there even more, and this will reduce the suspension travel and can damage the body elements when driving on uneven roads. This option is clearly not suitable, and you probably already guessed that you need to refine the suspension.
Step 2
You can spend a lot of money, buy new springs, pay specialists to install them for you, and after six months everything is new. What for? After all, there is a more loyal method. Various companies have long mastered the production of all kinds of spacers and inserts for suspension elements. They are usually sold separately, but if you are lucky, you can purchase a set for the front and rear suspensions along with fasteners (bolts, nuts, washers). There are many options, for each brand of car they differ in the location of the mounting holes and landing dimensions.
Step 3
In the front suspension, liners are installed between the pillar and the cup of its attachment to the body. To do this, lift one side of the car with a jack and remove the wheel. Then we unscrew the rack mount from the cup on the body, insert the insert and install the rack in place. We do the same procedure with the counter on the other side.
Step 4
The rear suspension components use both liners that are installed between the body and the shock absorber strut mount and spacers that are installed between the shock absorber and the suspension arm. If you have a dependent or semi-independent rear suspension - a rigid beam on which both rear wheels are fixed - then you need to raise both sides with a jack, and simultaneously install spacers on both sides. For this we raise the rear of the car with a jack and remove both wheels, unscrew the upper mount of the shock absorber, if you have liners, or the lower one, if spacers. The top mount is roughly the same as the A-pillar, and the bottom of the shock is secured with a single bolt. The spacers of the lower location have several options for mounting the shock absorber, intermediate - medium, and maximum - high. After installing the spacers, reinstall the wheels.
