Back of car has suddenly lowered in height, while front has raised?
#1
Registered!!
Thread Starter
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Camden, NC
Age: 40
Posts: 136
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Rep Power: 223 Back of car has suddenly lowered in height, while front has raised?
My set up is KYB AGX's with neuspeed sport springs on an 01 Civic coupe
I noticed today that the back of the car looks almost dumped, while the front has raised about the width of one finger....I haven't done anything recently to alter the suspension except that about 2 days ago, I had the back of the car on jackstands to install a rear lip, but I drove the car about 30 miles away and back home yesterday, so it should have settled....I drove it a half mile down the road to take pictures, and the ride height is all f0cked up looking...any thoughts or ideas on this?
here is a pic:
just yesterday, there was a 2 finger gap on the front and the back. now there's one finger in the back, and 3 in the front...any help is greatly appreciated =)
it wasn't as extremely obvious at the time of the picture as it is now...picture it being even lower in the back and even higher in the front.
Is this something that's common in these cars? or maybe the back shocks are blown already with only 4k miles on them?
I noticed today that the back of the car looks almost dumped, while the front has raised about the width of one finger....I haven't done anything recently to alter the suspension except that about 2 days ago, I had the back of the car on jackstands to install a rear lip, but I drove the car about 30 miles away and back home yesterday, so it should have settled....I drove it a half mile down the road to take pictures, and the ride height is all f0cked up looking...any thoughts or ideas on this?
here is a pic:
just yesterday, there was a 2 finger gap on the front and the back. now there's one finger in the back, and 3 in the front...any help is greatly appreciated =)
it wasn't as extremely obvious at the time of the picture as it is now...picture it being even lower in the back and even higher in the front.
Is this something that's common in these cars? or maybe the back shocks are blown already with only 4k miles on them?
Last edited by EBP EX; 09-17-2006 at 12:06 AM.
#5
TURTLEonK
iTrader: (20)
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Scarborough, ON
Age: 37
Posts: 1,630
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Rep Power: 267 ya did someone throw a dead body in the trunk when you werent looking?
or maybe your rear lip weighs 100 lbs lol
sorry.. but i've seen a lot of people have problems with the older generation neuspeed sports.. especially on sedans.
or maybe your rear lip weighs 100 lbs lol
sorry.. but i've seen a lot of people have problems with the older generation neuspeed sports.. especially on sedans.
#6
Registered!!
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Los Angeles
Age: 35
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Rep Power: 0 omg your car looks just like mine, messed up suspension and all. I can barly fit 1 finger in the back wheels while theres a two finger gap in the front.
#9
Premium Member
Hey! Look At Me!! I'm a Supporting Member!!
iTrader: (95)
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: NV
Age: 43
Posts: 51,241
Likes: 0
Received 18 Likes
on
13 Posts
Rep Power: 788 ya either ground isnt level or you just filled up gas tank. it does make a difference. i try and keep mine only 1/2 full or it starts to sag even worse.
#10
Registered!!
Thread Starter
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Camden, NC
Age: 40
Posts: 136
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Rep Power: 223 well, it had settled back to an equal height in the front and the back for a little while, and then today I looked at it and realized that it's doing it again.
I have noticed that there's a lot of binding and flexing noises in the front lately. It had not previously been making any noise, but now it is. I don't know what's going on. I do have a full tank right now, but is a full tank of gas really heavy enough to lift the front of the car up another half inch?
Another thing is that the suspension had never done this before, since installing it in April, and I've had a full tank tons of times throughout that period of time. The first time it ever sat unevenly was when I made this thread, right after I had it jacked up to put the lip on.
I appreciate everyone's thoughts and input....this is really bugging me to death....I never know how the car will be sitting from day to day. It's like it's on coilovers that are adjusting themselves.
what really gets me is that the sports are supposed to drop the front 1.75'' and the rear 1.5'', yet, the back is lower than the front.
I have noticed that there's a lot of binding and flexing noises in the front lately. It had not previously been making any noise, but now it is. I don't know what's going on. I do have a full tank right now, but is a full tank of gas really heavy enough to lift the front of the car up another half inch?
Another thing is that the suspension had never done this before, since installing it in April, and I've had a full tank tons of times throughout that period of time. The first time it ever sat unevenly was when I made this thread, right after I had it jacked up to put the lip on.
I appreciate everyone's thoughts and input....this is really bugging me to death....I never know how the car will be sitting from day to day. It's like it's on coilovers that are adjusting themselves.
what really gets me is that the sports are supposed to drop the front 1.75'' and the rear 1.5'', yet, the back is lower than the front.
Last edited by EBP EX; 09-17-2006 at 12:38 AM.
#11
Premium Member
Hey! Look At Me!! I'm a Supporting Member!!
iTrader: (95)
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: NV
Age: 43
Posts: 51,241
Likes: 0
Received 18 Likes
on
13 Posts
Rep Power: 788 my car looks slammed with a tank of gas and tire in the back compared to 1/2 tank and no tire. its almost 85 lbs extra weight. thats about size of a small person. could also be your shocks are bad. that usually makes the front look really high and back look low.
#12
Registered!!
Thread Starter
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Camden, NC
Age: 40
Posts: 136
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Rep Power: 223 Well, I believe I may have possibly figured out what caused my problem. I thought back to when I jacked up the back of the car to put the lip on (since that's when the problem started), and it hit me. I didn't use the jacking points for the jack stands, and instead, I put one jack stand under what looks to me like a piece that connects the rear lower control arms. I am not extremely educated in the suspension of these cars. What I am talking about is the piece with the blue tape on it in this picture:
Why did I not use the jacking points, you ask? Because I couldn't get the back of the car high enough to fit the jack stands under them with just the hydraulic jack I was using. I was being lazy at the time and didn't feel like figuring out how to get the back of the car high enough. So, anyway, my thought process is this: In putting the jack stand under whatever that suspension part is, I believe it was compressing the springs, so when I let the car back down, it was dumped in the back.
I thought about how I could remedy this issue and I figured that if I were to put jack stands under the jacking points and let the car sit on them for a while, the rear suspension would be hanging free, allowing the springs to decompress. And at the same time, the front of the car would be angled down, compressing the springs. So I did this and left it on the jack stands for about 13 hours. Then I took it off the stands, and the front ride height had gotten lower, while the rear had gotten higher. This was the goal. After taking it out for a short drive, the rear settled down to a 2 finger gap. Now, the front and back are equal in height again. Only time will tell if it stays this way.
Long story short, it may not be a good idea to put a jack stand under that piece in the picture with the blue tape on it. I am a huge, gigantic idiot for being lazy and doing so. I even thought twice about it before I did it, but I still did it anyway. Lesson learned. However, the only thing that still gets me, is that it doesn't look like that piece can be pushed upward, as it seems to be quite fixed in it's position (the reason I thought it was a good jacking point). So I could be completely wrong in my theory, but what I did took care of my problem.
You get props if you actually read this whole post.
Why did I not use the jacking points, you ask? Because I couldn't get the back of the car high enough to fit the jack stands under them with just the hydraulic jack I was using. I was being lazy at the time and didn't feel like figuring out how to get the back of the car high enough. So, anyway, my thought process is this: In putting the jack stand under whatever that suspension part is, I believe it was compressing the springs, so when I let the car back down, it was dumped in the back.
I thought about how I could remedy this issue and I figured that if I were to put jack stands under the jacking points and let the car sit on them for a while, the rear suspension would be hanging free, allowing the springs to decompress. And at the same time, the front of the car would be angled down, compressing the springs. So I did this and left it on the jack stands for about 13 hours. Then I took it off the stands, and the front ride height had gotten lower, while the rear had gotten higher. This was the goal. After taking it out for a short drive, the rear settled down to a 2 finger gap. Now, the front and back are equal in height again. Only time will tell if it stays this way.
Long story short, it may not be a good idea to put a jack stand under that piece in the picture with the blue tape on it. I am a huge, gigantic idiot for being lazy and doing so. I even thought twice about it before I did it, but I still did it anyway. Lesson learned. However, the only thing that still gets me, is that it doesn't look like that piece can be pushed upward, as it seems to be quite fixed in it's position (the reason I thought it was a good jacking point). So I could be completely wrong in my theory, but what I did took care of my problem.
You get props if you actually read this whole post.
Last edited by EBP EX; 09-17-2006 at 10:13 PM.
#13
Premium Member
Hey! Look At Me!! I'm a Supporting Member!!
iTrader: (25)
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Orange County, CA (714)
Age: 38
Posts: 1,834
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Rep Power: 275 Compressing the rear springs wont make the rear sag. I dont think you did any damage jacking the car up that way. Jacking up the rear compressing the front wont do anything. If the ride hight changed either you have blown struts, more weight or your springs have just settled.
#14
Registered!!
Thread Starter
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Camden, NC
Age: 40
Posts: 136
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Rep Power: 223 I'm no suspension guru, by any means. I was just going on the facts that a) the springs and shocks only have about 3k miles on them, b) the problem started for the first time the day after I had a jack stand in that spot, c) no unusual weight was added to the car at any point, and d) every time I jack up the car, it sits higher than it did before for a while.
You may very well be correct. I'm going on guesses.
You may very well be correct. I'm going on guesses.
#15
Premium Member
Hey! Look At Me!! I'm a Supporting Member!!
iTrader: (25)
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Orange County, CA (714)
Age: 38
Posts: 1,834
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Rep Power: 275 if you roll the car about a foot after you set it down it will drop back to its normal hight. The reason for this is the wheels are at different camber/toe angles when the suspension is unloaded/loaded. They will have positive camber like this \ / when the car is in the air and and negative camber / \ once its back on the ground. The suspension geometry changes as you drop the car down and the tires hold their original contact patch from when they first hit so they will stay "loaded" not letting the car settle. I dont think you have a problem.
#16
Registered!!
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Age: 37
Posts: 115
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Rep Power: 0 Ya.. I've always noticed the gap on my car after leaving the tire shop is really ugly.. Then about 2 days later its back down to what it used to be... I thought I just imagined it...
#18
Registered!!
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Age: 37
Posts: 115
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Rep Power: 0
Originally Posted by dopes6070
if you roll the car about a foot after you set it down it will drop back to its normal hight. The reason for this is the wheels are at different camber/toe angles when the suspension is unloaded/loaded. They will have positive camber like this \ / when the car is in the air and and negative camber / \ once its back on the ground. The suspension geometry changes as you drop the car down and the tires hold their original contact patch from when they first hit so they will stay "loaded" not letting the car settle. I dont think you have a problem.
#20
Registered!!
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Age: 37
Posts: 115
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Rep Power: 0 Hahaha well some of these sudden massive slopes on the free way around here nearly get me airborne! Its nice to bottom out those struts once in a while haha.
Thread
Thread Starter
Honda Civic Forum
Replies
Last Post
McD
1st - 5th Generation Civic 1973 - 1995
6
04-16-2015 10:46 AM
GH04si
Mechanical Problems/Vehicle Issues and Fix-it Forum
3
04-15-2015 08:13 PM
SSMatey
Mechanical Problems/Vehicle Issues and Fix-it Forum
4
04-13-2015 06:09 PM