Rear Shock Absorbers, Is there a too low?

[Dogs Danglies]

Hi, once I've got the engine back in my car, I'm going to concentrate on the suspension, its got coilovers on the fronts, and the lowered springs, and uprated shocks, in the normal set-up (i.e. not coilovers) at the back. I dont want to go for coilovers because I don't like the idea of supporting the car, where the shocks bolt up, as its not a very strong point of the car.

Now my question is, I want the car to be stupidly low, probably have some custom springs made up for the backs, but as for the dampners how low would they be able to go before the dampners is out of range, is it a case of as long as the dampner doesn't bottom out its fine, or is a dampner made only to work correctly for part of its travel, so I would probably need custom rear dampner, unless any companies make really short ones?

Help,
Jason

[Widar]

You got a very good point about supporting the car on where the shocks bolt up, but why don't streangthen these points and make them helluva strong?
That way you should be able to go coilovers all around without worries.

[Yonzie]

If you want it really low and still drive nice you have to fix your suspension geometry.
Of course I can't find the link I read yesterday about the same thing.

[jamiemirror]

Dogs,
just use dampers from another car. In Europe you can use Fiat Argenta fronts as AE86 back ones - with ~30mm lowering. You can achieve up to 40 mm front lowering using AE92 inserts + strut casings shortened. No suspension correction is obligated up to 40mm lowering - IMHO.
When you lower the car rear suspension geometry relies just on one transverse bar - just make it adjustable (in order to shorten it easy).

[Ivan141]

The position of the lower control arms is also important...they dont put on torsion brackets for nothing..

[jamiemirror]

Ivan141 Wrote:The position of the lower control arms is also important...they dont put on torsion brackets for nothing..

But lowering means that both lower and upper arms change their positions.

[Dogs Danglies]

Yeah, I'm going to fitting, adjustable 4-links at the back, and adjustable panhard rod, or if time allows a watts-linkage. SO the rear geometry will be good enough for drift.

Widar, I've heard of people renforcing the shock mounts, and still have them, twist under hard driving

I do like the idea of using shocks off other cars, but really they would have to be adjustable, as the spring rates I'll be using willl be much higher than what those shocks would be designed for.

I had another thought this evening, of possibly, cutting more thread into the top of the shock, where it bolts inside the car, if the thread was lower, it could be tightened down further, and it would effectivly be the same as a shorter shock.