172 Cup dampers where and how?

[scarble]

Apologies if I should be able to find this but I have tried..

I think I need new dampers, probably best to start with the rears cos they're easiest and most likely to go, right?
Hopefully you lovely people can answer a few questions..

So as far as I know they're the same spacing as non-cup 172 dampers (and non-cup 182 dampers?) but are they the same? Or are the Cup dampers stiffer?
If they are different, where do I get them and how can I be sure they are the right ones where I do get them and how much?

When it comes to fitting, I've never done this before but it's a twist beam so I reckon if I jack up the car, put the body on stands and then put the hubs on stands and I can just unbolt the dampers and bolt the new ones in? (10 minute job right?) Or will the car move up on the springs, thus being precariously supported by the stands on the hubs and in danger of falling on my head or at least not letting me put the new dampers on?

Also is there a guide for fronts? They're more complicated right?

edit: doh, found this guide for the rears:
http://www.cliosport.net/forum/show...nge-rear-shocks&highlight=damper+change+guide
Am I going ott haivng the car up on 4 axle stands then?

 

[Don]

Go to Adam @ Renault Parts Wolverhampton. He charges about £40 per side and knows his stuff so you know you are getting the correct dampers.

Just do the rears first, then do the fronts so you only need two axle stands...but make sure you have both fronts up together so the arb doesnt fight you. The big thing I ballsed up on was the front damper...I couldn't get the spring on the damper as it wouldn't let me get enough on it. Then I found out that I should have pulled the damper up to get the bits on...its takes about 30 mins to do rears...and around an hour to do fronts. I would use spring compressors on rears...but they are not needed on fronts, but depends on how you roll.

 

[scarble]

So does anyone know the respective stiffnesses of the 172 Cup and non-Cup dampers and how to tell the two apart?

All four dampers will come to ~£140?
I found these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Koni-Rena...99-04-Rear-STR-T-Shocks-Dampers-/280969204412
but don't know if they're any good or worth the extra £100ish

btw I has sportlines.

how does one work out what the ride height change is with sportlines? As the Cup is lower than non-cup anyway so unless the sportlines for the cup are different to the sportlines for the non-cup they will lower the cup by less than they lower the non-cup.. right?

 

[Don]

So does anyone know the respective stiffnesses of the 172 Cup and non-Cup dampers and how to tell the two apart?

All four dampers will come to ~£140?
I found these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Koni-Rena...99-04-Rear-STR-T-Shocks-Dampers-/280969204412
but don't know if they're any good or worth the extra £100ish

btw I has sportlines.

how does one work out what the ride height change is with sportlines? As the Cup is lower than non-cup anyway so unless the sportlines for the cup are different to the sportlines for the non-cup they will lower the cup by less than they lower the non-cup.. right?

The Cup is 3mm lower than a standard 172.

I think Sportlines are about 30mm lower than standard (someone correct me if I'm wrong) Its bolt spacing which is main difference between Cup and non-Cup.

The rear dampers are more likely to fail than the fronts...so probably just get the rears and change those.

 

[scarble]

err no, the bolt spacing is the same for cup or non on the 172

and I was under the impression that sportlines are "-15mm" but whether that's -15 on a non-Cup or -15 on a Cup idk!

When I'm a grownup and rich and famous and have my own car company I will publish all the spring lengths and stifnesses and bolt spacings and everything for free on the internet and it will come on a CD with the car and then it will be easy to figure this stuff out

 

[scarble]

They're delivering my rear dampers on Tuesday, they're being dropped off by the van
£35 including VAT, fantastic

 

[Martin_172]

£35 inc vat for both?!?! what have you ordered? lol

 

[cs_dave]

£35 inc vat for both?!?! what have you ordered? lol

Match sticks at that price

 

[scarble]

no each
still a pretty good price though right?

 

[scarble]

Have just had them delivered and noticed the plastic tubey bit is squidged on one of them (should have checked before I signed for them )
Worth worrying about or will it be ok?
tbh I have no idea what the tubey bit does, hence referring to it as a tubey bit.
erm I guess it's just a little shield for the.. other tubey bit.
edit:
Boss says it's no problem (as I'm sat at my desk playing with my new dampers) so I guess it's ok :3
I'll try to squidge it back out so it doesn't foul. There are some patches on my old ones where the paint has rubbed off over the years probably from these plastic bits fouling. I guess it's normal??

 

[hilldawg172]

I wouldn't worry about the plastic casings mate, they are useless anyway. Alternatively just stick the ones from your old dampers over if it concerns you. easiest way to get springs out the rear is to just lower the entire rear beam and they will pretty much fall out. Just get it up on axle stands then putt jack under rear beam and undo the 2 lower shock bolts then slowly lower beam down with jack to release springs.

 

[scarble]

Cool. I have a 4 day weekend so expect panicked posts around Sunday when I can't get it all back together/snapped a brake pipe

 

[scarble]

halp!
I think I've done it wrong.
I just put the dampers and assorted rubber cones on in the order they were packaged and now I'm not sure this is right.
Does the little metal sleeve go under the cones or sort of inside them? It didn't seem to fit inside them.
Also does it matter which way round the nylock nut on top goes? they were nylon/rounded bit up in the box but the old ones were rounded/nylon side down.

Finally, how critical is it to hold the spline (square bit at the top) for a final tighten up? It turns out pliers and my poxy little multiple hole grippy thing (I don't even know what it's called ) are not up to the job of gripping it. I thought I had an adjustable but it seems I don't
I thought I had an adjustable

Yes I know I've made the school boy error of not really paying attention when taking it apart. The whole rubber cone tube assembly just kind of fell off as I removed the shock both times and I was a bit confused how it went back together. Doh.

 

[scarble]

ahem
actually I had the sleeves in the right(?) place (between the cones) all along. hehe.
Where's that pesky "edit post" gone?