Help Installing Raceland Adjustable Coilovers

[Bluey-172]

Hi guys,

I picked up some Raceland Adjustable Coilovers pretty cheap off eBay and I'm about to install them into my stock Clip 172.

I've done some coilover work before on WRX's which was pretty simple, but am a bit unsure about the Clio. Are there any guides available for me to have a read through before I go ahead and start pulling the suspension apart? I understand, from the limited reading I have been able to do, that I will need to re-use some of the parts from the top of the stock shock tower? Will I need a spring compressor to get these parts off safely?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

 

[Bluebeard]

You don't need spring compressors on sports.

I am a mechanical buffoon and even I figured out how to change the suspension over mate. Honestly, it's very easy. Between me and a mate we can do it in 40 minutes now.

 

[Bluey-172]

I want the car as low as possible without ANY scrubbing. It'll mainly be daily driving but also be used for fast road use through twisty and windy roads. - how many threads from the bottom should I wind the coils up to to avoid scrubbing?

To raise and lower the front, I just need to unlock the second collar and then turn the collar that touches the springs, correct? Can someone explain how it works in theory. Does raising the collar towards the top of the coil make the springs stiffer, and in turn push the shocks out so that the new height is set? I.e the ride height is determined by the spring preload?

I have only previously worked with coilovers that have 3 collars... 2 for the preload and preload locking, and 1 to lock the ride height. It's a bit different with the Raceland Adjustables as they only have 2 collars.

I bought the coilovers second hand so I won't need to wait for the springs to settle again, right? I want to adjust the heights tomorrow and take the car to get it adjusted from the shop but don't want to go if the springs are going to settle again as that would be a waste of money.

Also, I'm not sure if I installed the rear springs correctly. With the rear spring adjusters- is the allen key nut and the little plate supposed to separate and be screwed in from underneath the axle OR does it just go on as one whole piece and sit on top of the axle?

Any information or assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers