Hold on to your butts...

September 22, 2007 3:03 PM

Shocks filter: How much of my rough ride can be attributed to it having been lowered vs. dead shocks?

See first comment for additional details, since MeFi is vomiting CF errors when I try to post it in full.

posted by disillusioned to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

I drive a 1998 Mitsu Eclipse GST that's been lowered maybe 2 inches. The previous owner did this with a sport springs package, and so I've never driven the car without.

It has 116k miles on it, and I doubt has ever had its shocks (struts?) replaced (or at least not since about 60k).

Lately, the ride has been *rough*. When they tore up my road to reseal it, and left it that way for over a week, there was a nasty 1/2 inch or 1inch solid 'step' to the pavement that was unbearable. I frequently have to slow down *hard* for railroads and such, not because I'll bottom out (I'm not *that* low) but because of how much movement is transferred. It makes me cringe on every bump.

What's worse, I had four *brand new* tires installed (17 inches, just like the ones previous) and now find my left rear tire 'scrapes' on bumps OR right turns at high speed. I can't figure out what they could've done wrong during the install to cause this, so, here are my questions:

1) How nasty a ride will a 2 inch drop cause over the regular ride height? Any? Lots?
2) How best to tell if my shocks/struts are shot? I've pushed down *hard* on the back, but it doesn't bounce past the first return... much...
3) Can you at the very least *ballpark* the cost involved in having all four replaced?
4) What the hell is up with my tire? Again, it seems strange that this only began once the new tire was installed, but stranger still that they might've done something that causes it on bumps and that it's *not* the suspension.

Clearly, I should take this into a suspension place and have them answer all of these, but I like to do due diligence and get and idea from the hive mind first. Thanks muchly!

(Pic 1 Pic 2, which shows ride height a bit better.)
posted by disillusioned at 3:05 PM on September 22, 2007

Did the roughness start before the new tires? What kind of tires?
posted by yerfatma at 3:07 PM on September 22, 2007

Yeah, the roughness has been an issue for sometime. They're Yokohama sport something or rather's. About 1" wider than the standard wheels, since I have 17" wheels now.
posted by disillusioned at 3:09 PM on September 22, 2007

I can't help with your problem, I'm just posting to congratulate you on your awesome vanity plate :)
posted by MadamM at 3:12 PM on September 22, 2007 [1 favorite]

1) How nasty a ride will a 2 inch drop cause over the regular ride height? Any? Lots?

A lot. Extremely nasty.

2) How best to tell if my shocks/struts are shot? I've pushed down *hard* on the back, but it doesn't bounce past the first return... much...

116,000 miles w/o a change? They're shot.
50,000 or so miles w/o a change? They're probably shot.
The tire store should have been able to tell you that. What did the wear pattern on the old tires look like? It probably indicated that they were shot.

3) Can you at the very least *ballpark* the cost involved in having all four replaced?

Somewhere under $1000. Probably between $500 and $1000.

4) What the hell is up with my tire?

It's too big for the wheelwell, since the suspension has been lowered, creating less room in the wheelwell for the tire. Add to that the fact that the shocks are shot and the tire is new (bigger than a worn-out one), and that's probably all it is. Of course, there could be additional problems, too.

Lowering a car ruins the ride every time and 90% of the time makes it have gigantic problems with wheel scraping as well.

If you want it to not ride like crap, you'll need to pay an arm and a leg to have the suspension put back where it's supposed to be.
posted by The World Famous at 3:15 PM on September 22, 2007

When a car is lowered the shocks and springs are 'stiffened' to make up for a large difference in the normal ride of the springs. In other words, if your car had the same vertical leeway dropped 2" as it does normally, you would be scraping bottom on every mid sized road irregularity.

If your shocks are shot, they will take the springs out (impact them) with them. That will actually lower your ride and may cause the tire scraping.
posted by jedrek at 3:20 PM on September 22, 2007

Lowering a car ruins the ride every time and 90% of the time makes it have gigantic problems with wheel scraping as well.


Only if it's done half-arsed. Ride quality is spring rate and damping (shock) force. The only other aspect is travel - ie if the body/wheel moves far enough to bottom out the spring and/or something contacts - ie the wheel on the arch as you say. With the correct uprating of spring and damper, you don't have to lose ride quality, but most aftermarket kits are seldom done properly. It can be an expensive development programme to get it right when you can just add 20% uprated springs and dampers and pocket the change... But an M5 is lowered and uprated over a standard 5 series (for instance), and you're unlikely to say that has crap ride, I imagine...

At that many miles, it is likely that (especially if the shocks are cheap) they are done. Also, what sort of kit was it to lower the car? If it was just shorter springs (and not any stiffer) it is possible that they now bottoming. If the shocks are also worn, then the bouncing of the wheel will make the ride nasty, and also allow more wheel travel as it is less able to slow the rate of compression/expansion of the spring (what the sock is supposed to do).

As said, the bigger wheel (I assume you still have the correct rolling radius - ie aspect ratio of the tyre is correct) is the cause of the contact, and it is now more apparent because your suspension travel is more due to the worn shocks not controlling the body of the car as well. With new springs and shocks, it might be fine, it may just need new components to control wheel travel enough to stop it hitting the arch/suspension/body whatever. Take the wheel off and look for the scraping to check nothing is being too damaged by the contact (ie not touching a brake line or something scary!).
posted by Brockles at 3:38 PM on September 22, 2007

Oh, and:

1: It shouldn't (if the kit was half decent) screw your ride appreciably. It may be firmer (in fact should be) but not destroy it.

2: If it has been stiffened, it's unlikely you can put enough force into it yourself to overcome all the friction in the bushings and the like to be able to see Shock effects anyway. The mileage suggests they're done...
posted by Brockles at 3:45 PM on September 22, 2007

Thanks so much, brockles + the world famous.

I figured as much with a lot of that. I may have been overstating the drop; it may be closer to 1 1/2 or 1, but it's not "slammed." I don't bottom out or scrape at all, unless it's an acute ramp or nasty speed bump.

I'm going to bring it to a decent suspension shop and see what the damage is. It's just not fun to drive my car anymore, and that makes me sad.


And madamM, glad you liked it... I was *shocked* it was available! :-)
posted by disillusioned at 3:48 PM on September 22, 2007