rear suspension
02-10-2002, 12:33 AM
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rear suspension
ok...heres one. the rear of my car seems to sit much lower than the front...almost to the point that people ask if its lowered...im pretty sure its stock sprung...anyway, it sits so low, i wonder if the problem is shocks or bad torsion bars? the car really feels like it needs shocks, but it passes the "bounce" test on all 4 corners...what gives? the other thing is that when i accelerate, my friend in the car behind me says the rear of the car really squats on takeoff...also when i take off, i can hear what sounds (and feels like) a tire rubbing...but on closer inspection of the tires, no signs of rubbing (scrape marks)...im kinda confused, cuz' this thing kinda hammers when going down a bumpy road...but the major suspension components check out(balljoints, tie rods, etc. help! <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[crying]" />
02-10-2002, 12:38 AM
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as long as im asking, if it seems to be a shock/strut issue, any good reasonably priced suggestions? maybe coilovers? im on a slight budget, but any suggestions....greatly appreciated.
02-10-2002, 12:55 AM
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Your car has adjustable spring plates which can be adjusted to the bottom which might explane your lower rear end. Of course if you want to do an upgrade take a look at our website! <img src="graemlins/bigok.gif" border="0" alt="[thumbsup]" />
02-10-2002, 05:11 AM
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[quote]Originally posted by freak:
<strong>the rear of my car seems to sit much lower than the front...almost to the point that people ask if its lowered...im pretty sure its stock sprung...anyway, it sits so low, i wonder if the problem is shocks or bad torsion bars?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Not that yours isn't lower in the back, however... the rear of the 944 always *appears* to sit lower on the wheels than the front... this is an optical illusion, especially on cars with the stock 15x7 wheels (rears are horribly inset)
The rear can sag over the years... the Torsion bars are pretty hearty units, not known to fail often. New high pressure shocks can sometimes lift the rear a bit.
As Derrek already mentioned, you may have some height adjustment left in the spring plate eccentric. Here's a link to a Tech-Session describing that procedure: <a href="http://www.tech-session.com/Paragon/Tech/944_rrha.htm" target="_blank">944 rear ride height adjustment</a>
[quote]<strong>the car really feels like it needs shocks, but it passes the "bounce" test on all 4 corners...what gives?</strong><hr></blockquote>
The *bounce* test will usually only tell you if shocks are completely shot. Bouncing cannot gauge the useable life or true current health of shocks.
[quote]<strong>the other thing is that when i accelerate, my friend in the car behind me says the rear of the car really squats on takeoff...</strong><hr></blockquote>
Fear not, you're not alone. All 944's squat a bit on takeoff. The first and most important step to *reducing* the squat is with good sport shocks. Then you can start looking at increased spring rates and/or stabilizers. It_will_always squat a bit until you reach absurd spring rates that match the corner weights (~750lbs).
[quote]<strong>also when i take off, i can hear what sounds (and feels like) a tire rubbing...but on closer inspection of the tires, no signs of rubbing (scrape marks)...im kinda confused, cuz' this thing kinda hammers when going down a bumpy road...but the major suspension components check out(balljoints, tie rods, etc.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Certainly not easy to troubleshoot odd noises and such over the net... but, maybe we can narrow it down a bit...
If you're hearing rubbing on takeoff that is_not the tires, you be looking for rear wheel bearings or CV joints to be worn. These have two distinct warning signs:
- rear wheel bearings make a "wub, wub, wub" sound when failing... especially during cornering.
- CV joints (4 of them back there) usually click, but may rub/grind when close to certain failure. The CV's can be heard best on moderate takeoffs and deceleration.
The rubbing noise could be coming from one of the many rotating pieces from the clutch back to the transmission (torque tube, diff, etc)
It'd be very helpful to know more about this noise... when it happens, how often, what does it sound like, accel/decel, etc.
Not sure what "hammers" is referring to, but there are so many parts in the suspension that can cause the bumps to seem a bit too much ... you listed a few, but there are many more... like the struts, strut tops, inner tie-rods, rack, inner A-arm bushings, etc.
Good Luck!
<strong>the rear of my car seems to sit much lower than the front...almost to the point that people ask if its lowered...im pretty sure its stock sprung...anyway, it sits so low, i wonder if the problem is shocks or bad torsion bars?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Not that yours isn't lower in the back, however... the rear of the 944 always *appears* to sit lower on the wheels than the front... this is an optical illusion, especially on cars with the stock 15x7 wheels (rears are horribly inset)
The rear can sag over the years... the Torsion bars are pretty hearty units, not known to fail often. New high pressure shocks can sometimes lift the rear a bit.
As Derrek already mentioned, you may have some height adjustment left in the spring plate eccentric. Here's a link to a Tech-Session describing that procedure: <a href="http://www.tech-session.com/Paragon/Tech/944_rrha.htm" target="_blank">944 rear ride height adjustment</a>
[quote]<strong>the car really feels like it needs shocks, but it passes the "bounce" test on all 4 corners...what gives?</strong><hr></blockquote>
The *bounce* test will usually only tell you if shocks are completely shot. Bouncing cannot gauge the useable life or true current health of shocks.
[quote]<strong>the other thing is that when i accelerate, my friend in the car behind me says the rear of the car really squats on takeoff...</strong><hr></blockquote>
Fear not, you're not alone. All 944's squat a bit on takeoff. The first and most important step to *reducing* the squat is with good sport shocks. Then you can start looking at increased spring rates and/or stabilizers. It_will_always squat a bit until you reach absurd spring rates that match the corner weights (~750lbs).
[quote]<strong>also when i take off, i can hear what sounds (and feels like) a tire rubbing...but on closer inspection of the tires, no signs of rubbing (scrape marks)...im kinda confused, cuz' this thing kinda hammers when going down a bumpy road...but the major suspension components check out(balljoints, tie rods, etc.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Certainly not easy to troubleshoot odd noises and such over the net... but, maybe we can narrow it down a bit...
If you're hearing rubbing on takeoff that is_not the tires, you be looking for rear wheel bearings or CV joints to be worn. These have two distinct warning signs:
- rear wheel bearings make a "wub, wub, wub" sound when failing... especially during cornering.
- CV joints (4 of them back there) usually click, but may rub/grind when close to certain failure. The CV's can be heard best on moderate takeoffs and deceleration.
The rubbing noise could be coming from one of the many rotating pieces from the clutch back to the transmission (torque tube, diff, etc)
It'd be very helpful to know more about this noise... when it happens, how often, what does it sound like, accel/decel, etc.
Not sure what "hammers" is referring to, but there are so many parts in the suspension that can cause the bumps to seem a bit too much ... you listed a few, but there are many more... like the struts, strut tops, inner tie-rods, rack, inner A-arm bushings, etc.
Good Luck!
