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So here's where I'm at right now. Completely guessing on the spring perch height, but there's a 3/8" gap between the top of the spring and the tophat. Adjust the spring perch up? Don't worry about it since the weight of the car will likely close the gap?
So here's where I'm at right now. Completely guessing on the spring perch height, but there's a 3/8" gap between the top of the spring and the tophat. Adjust the spring perch up? Don't worry about it since the weight of the car will likely close the gap?
What spring rate and length are you running, and how deep are your top hats? I could do some calcs for you to get close, but ultimately...they’re adjustable. So just adjust them.
So here's where I'm at right now. Completely guessing on the spring perch height, but there's a 3/8" gap between the top of the spring and the tophat. Adjust the spring perch up? Don't worry about it since the weight of the car will likely close the gap?
yours don't look as bad as mine, people keep telling me it's okay to run em that way, but I had some damage on my coilover threads so I ordered some helper springs. When you car is on the ground there won't be any gap but it sure looks strange when it's hanging like that...
If the weight of the car does not close the gap, you have a serious problem: your car is weightless.
Well the secondary concern is that when the suspension droops (the inside wheels around a corner), the springs could shift/unseat, because the weight at that shock could be near zero. Which people have objectively observed.
So what if it does? It's not like the spring can fall out, as you stated if there is no weight on that corner there is no performance benefit to having the spring still contacting the seat.
Do a little test for me, install the shock and Jack the car up and drop it 10 times in a row and observe how the springs will reseat every time.
So what if it does? It's not like the spring can fall out, as you stated if there is no weight on that corner there is no performance benefit to having the spring still contacting the seat.
Do a little test for me, install the shock and Jack the car up and drop it 10 times in a row and observe how the springs will reseat every time.
You’re absolutely right, except that it makes annoying clunking sounds and have damaged the threads on the sleeves (not that it matters much, as those theads are at the top and won’t be used). But it’s mostly for the subjective annoyance of ugly sounds. Not a requirement, but some folks just prefer to spend the coin on helpers.
I guess that's my point any concerns are purely for eliminating the annoyances. I've never had the spring fail to center itself which is what I'd hope you'd find doin gthe test.
I don't think i've ever actually noticed a noise from them unseating either. The cars i've set up with this generally won't dogleg hard enough to actually let a spring rattle around, and its' not like the Bilstein rebound is so crazy that it'll unseat on anything short of messing around on your local Stadium Truck track. We have sway bars. It's fine.
At least on my setup I can't unseat a spring unless both wheels come off the ground. The sway bars keep one wheel from fully dropping under droop on my car, at least when jacking up the car.
For me, the ISC top hats were really not up to spec. Sorry, I am not going to run without some sort of bushing to protect the shock shaft from the top hat. If Mazda didn't think it needed it that part on the lower bushing, it would not be there. And, who the F specs SAE hardware for a Japanese car?!? It would have been a hot 36 seconds before I cross threaded those.
I also made up some side skirts to keep the spring located/centered in the top hap.
Short story: Buy better parts!
Added a skirt around the bottom of the top hat to keep the spring located. Both sides shaped. BUY A GAS WELDER. This is the $100 HF welder. Ugly as sin, but it's not going anywhere.
I ran TwoSix up front (with all bushings) and Feal's in rear with no helper springs on either and had no issues for the most part, even though springs would be loose at full droop at the height i've set. I did rub sleeve threads, but I think it was only when lowering the car after jacking it up.
I got the 26Motorsports tophats in the mail today. They include the spring isolators and the pipe is extended to keep the spring located. The top washer that is welded on is very thick so overall the product looks good and will perform as needed without the downfalls of the isc. On the other hand these tophats are no where near the finish quality of the FEAL or Maruha units posted. Functionally though they are fine. Welds look good.
So here's where I'm at right now. Completely guessing on the spring perch height, but there's a 3/8" gap between the top of the spring and the tophat. Adjust the spring perch up? Don't worry about it since the weight of the car will likely close the gap?
Test area, Yaupon drive heading NW towards spicewood springs. Right after the last stop sign you can get the *** end of a miata off the ground at about 30mph, ask me how I know lol.
My fatcat bilsteins go completely loose under full droop and I've never had an issue, as others have said.
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