Question about strut spacers made from HDPE Polyethylene?

[Burn1nRubb3r]

So I have seen CRV's and Subaru's with HDPE spacers to gain some ride height and clearance. my question is this, would it be possible to add a 1" strut spacer to the front struts of our cars? Can longer bolts be added to the upper strut mounts to utilize these spacers? I live in rural South Dakota and our gravel roads are rough, our asphalt roads are falling apart, and I can't afford to travel long distance with my truck. Some more clearance would be nice with this car. Also, here is a link to a thread with a lifted Del Sol that has spacers: http://www.mnsportcompacts.net/forum/showthread.php?101153-March-COTM-Winner-Viridion

I know it is a stupid question, but I thought I would ask anyways.

[lostforawhile]

So I have seen CRV's and Subaru's with HDPE spacers to gain some ride height and clearance. my question is this, would it be possible to add a 1" strut spacer to the front struts of our cars? Can longer bolts be added to the upper strut mounts to utilize these spacers? I live in rural South Dakota and our gravel roads are rough, our asphalt roads are falling apart, and I can't afford to travel long distance with my truck. Some more clearance would be nice with this car. Also, here is a link to a thread with a lifted Del Sol that has spacers: http://www.mnsportcompacts.net/forum/showthread.php?101153-March-COTM-Winner-Viridion

I know it is a stupid question, but I thought I would ask anyways.:huh:

[Burn1nRubb3r]

sorry, I guess what I am trying to say is that I want to raise the ride height of my car because of the conditions of where I live. I have seen people use HDPE polyethylene spacers between the strut tower and strut to gain extra ride height. I want to know if it is possible to put longer bolts on the strut mount to add in a spacer. I figured if a guy can do that to a Honda Del Sol then it must be possible with a 3gee. Otherwise, is there other options to raising the ride height of a 3gee?

[DBMaster]

The answers should be interesting. I don't think I have ever seen a question on here about RAISING the car - only lowering it. I believe that my information measurement of ground clearance on my coupe is about 4" at it's lowest point. I can very easily see where that might pose a problem for people who live in, shall we say, less developed areas.

[Burn1nRubb3r]

this is kind of what I am talking about, except these are aluminum spacers for a subaru outback and adapt to use the stock bolt length on the strut top: http://www.velocityoffroad.com/#/subaru-forester-1998-2008/4539847309

I could see this as an option if I can get someone to machine a couple spacers, but HDPE is cheaper and the spacers can be made at home.

[cygnus x-1]

What you're thinking of is certainly doable. I think you'll have to cut the bolts out of the factory top hats since they're welded/pressed in. Also you should check the other things that might limit the suspension droop travel, like sway bar links, steering tie rods, and brake lines. You REALLY don't want your brake lines to be what limits the suspension droop, because they won't. Normally I think the shock would top out first, but since the shock positioning is relocated you may need to put in some limiting straps.

For maximum ground clearance the best thing to do is to get bigger tires. Lifting the suspension may help with that, but make sure you check for rubbing on the body/frame/etc. with the suspension at full compression as well as full droop. Taller narrower tires may be less likely to rub and will have less rolling resistance than fat tires. Tires with taller side walls will also have more compliance, meaning a softer ride on rough surfaces. So try to stay with small diameter wheels.

You will of course need an alignment after you do any suspension mods. Depending on how far you go they may not be able to get it back to factory specs. That's not necessarily bad, just something to be aware of.


C|

[Burn1nRubb3r]

I figured stuff like tie rods and brake lines may be an issue. I am also curious about trying this because I have never seen a rally style 3gee which I think would be amazing to see. I will probably start with taller tires and see if that helps, and once I replace my struts I will give the spacers a try since I can get a 1"x12"x12" block of HDPE for about $20 a piece. I figure if it can be done to a Dodge neon or Honda Del Sol it must be doable with our cars.

[import racer]

The studs on the top hats are pressed in so you could just get longer studs,and you would need some shock bolt extenders for the top of the shocks also.

[cygnus x-1]

I figured stuff like tie rods and brake lines may be an issue. I am also curious about trying this because I have never seen a rally style 3gee which I think would be amazing to see. I will probably start with taller tires and see if that helps, and once I replace my struts I will give the spacers a try since I can get a 1"x12"x12" block of HDPE for about $20 a piece. I figure if it can be done to a Dodge neon or Honda Del Sol it must be doable with our cars.


A rally 3g would be cool. You might be able to play with the wheel offset too to get bigger tires to fit. A cheap way to try this out would be to go to the junkyard and find some crappy wheels/tires in a size you want to try. If they don't fit you aren't out much money and they might even let you exchange them for another size. I'm thinking 195/70R14 would be a good size to try. That would get you an extra 3/4" ground clearance over the stock 195/60R14.


C|

[lostforawhile]

The studs on the top hats are pressed in so you could just get longer studs,and you would need some shock bolt extenders for the top of the shocks also.

they make an extender like a wheel spacer but I don't know who has them anymore

[Burn1nRubb3r]

they make an extender like a wheel spacer but I don't know who has them anymore
That is what I would be looking for. Another possible option would be to find what struts from other cars are compatible with a 3gee and see if there is an extender for the cars with compatible struts and possibly adapt them to a 3gee strut. I will do some looking into it.

[Legend_master]

I am a little curios on this one as well. I would like to offset all the weight I will have in the rear for my road trip. I would hate to put 5-6k miles with the rims cambered out due to the load.

[2oodoor]

seems to me 15" wheels would work wonders, along with very high quality ball joints and bushings.
EVen a decent riding pick up or suv that has around 45k miles on it's suspension, starts to deteriorate in ride quality and true tracking stiffness.


A set of 15" steelies from a saturn ion or sc 4x100 15"
would be a good choice for those woodpecker trails.

[gp02a0083]

A rally 3g would be cool. You might be able to play with the wheel offset too to get bigger tires to fit. A cheap way to try this out would be to go to the junkyard and find some crappy wheels/tires in a size you want to try. If they don't fit you aren't out much money and they might even let you exchange them for another size. I'm thinking 195/70R14 would be a good size to try. That would get you an extra 3/4" ground clearance over the stock 195/60R14.


C|

that should work, i find i have plenty of ground clearance with the 195-70-14's. According to the 89 Factory manual the ride height should be about 6" in

[cygnus x-1]

seems to me 15" wheels would work wonders, along with very high quality ball joints and bushings.
EVen a decent riding pick up or suv that has around 45k miles on it's suspension, starts to deteriorate in ride quality and true tracking stiffness.


A set of 15" steelies from a saturn ion or sc 4x100 15"
would be a good choice for those woodpecker trails.


The thing about larger wheels is that it lowers the sidewall profile making for a stiffer ride. On smooth surfaces that would make the handling more responsive, but on rough surfaces it's just bumpier. It would allow for larger diameter tires to be used though. 195/70R14 is probably about max for a 14" wheel, so to go any bigger you might have to go to 15".

Another thing to keep in mind is to use the narrowest wheels you can get away with. That will maximize the diameter and wall profile.


One sort of cheesy way you can add some ride height is to lock out a coil or two of the springs by jamming something between them. Years ago I remember they used to sell these rubber things that you could put between the coils to do exactly this. They might even still be available but I haven't seen them in a long time.

This is not exactly what I remember but it's the same idea:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/GLS-1924/

By locking out a coil or two you increase the effective spring rate.


C|

[Legend_master]

The thing about larger wheels is that it lowers the sidewall profile making for a stiffer ride. On smooth surfaces that would make the handling more responsive, but on rough surfaces it's just bumpier. It would allow for larger diameter tires to be used though. 195/70R14 is probably about max for a 14" wheel, so to go any bigger you might have to go to 15".

Another thing to keep in mind is to use the narrowest wheels you can get away with. That will maximize the diameter and wall profile.


One sort of cheesy way you can add some ride height is to lock out a coil or two of the springs by jamming something between them. Years ago I remember they used to sell these rubber things that you could put between the coils to do exactly this. They might even still be available but I haven't seen them in a long time.

This is not exactly what I remember but it's the same idea:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/GLS-1924/

By locking out a coil or two you increase the effective spring rate.


C|

I was trying to find those when I read this thread the other day. I remember seeing them some time ago. Thanks for the link, it actually helped lead me to these (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=coil+spring+spacer&hl=en&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1679&bih=865&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=4487837809498339477&sa=X&ei=GFWgT4nLL-KY2wXsq5nFAg&ved=0CIMBEPMCMAI). Seems like they would work perfectly for this application, I don't know about rally racing tho.

[Legend_master]

and another (http://www.jcwhitney.com/coilspring-rubber-booster/p2031539.jcwx)

[cygnus x-1]

and another (http://www.jcwhitney.com/coilspring-rubber-booster/p2031539.jcwx)


Yeah, those were the ones I remember. They were in the I-need-to-fix-my-hoopty-for-cheap section at the auto parts store.

C|

[lostforawhile]

Yeah, those were the ones I remember. They were in the I-need-to-fix-my-hoopty-for-cheap section at the auto parts store.

C|
I would almost bet JC whitney still carries them, the I need to fix my hoopty walmart

[lostforawhile]

yep, http://www.jcwhitney.com/jcwhitney/textsearch_result.jcw?sku=spring+boosters&shopid=100001


someone put a spring rubber in the front on that three g, the potholes out here are thicker then brainless teen girls at a Beiber concert

http://top5lists.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/car-in-pothole.jpg
http://usarmy.vo.llnwd.net/e2/-images/2009/03/30/33876/size0-army.mil-33876-2009-03-31-070307.jpg

[Burn1nRubb3r]

Wow, I never knew those existed, they seem like a good option. I did find a strut top by Moog that says it is compatible with 3rd gen Accords. It also looks like it doesn't have studs which means I could get longer studs and possibly make my spacers. Here is the link to the strut top: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/MOG-K9492/

Of course I will probably run into issues with alignment and cv axle joint angles, but I only want to lift about an inch maybe two. I am sure the bugs could be worked out. Also, taller tires and bigger rims are part of my plan along with the lift. Anyways, I am not going for an actual rally car but just something I can get as close to rally-like as possible since lowering is not an option for me... Besides, how cool would a rally 3gee be? If those darn Dodge Neon's can pull it off a 3gee certainly can!

By the way, any advice on some struts that would be semi-decent for a rally-like car?

[lostforawhile]

Wow, I never knew those existed, they seem like a good option. I did find a strut top by Moog that says it is compatible with 3rd gen Accords. It also looks like it doesn't have studs which means I could get longer studs and possibly make my spacers. Here is the link to the strut top: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/MOG-K9492/

Of course I will probably run into issues with alignment and cv axle joint angles, but I only want to lift about an inch maybe two. I am sure the bugs could be worked out. Also, taller tires and bigger rims are part of my plan along with the lift. Anyways, I am not going for an actual rally car but just something I can get as close to rally-like as possible since lowering is not an option for me... Besides, how cool would a rally 3gee be? If those darn Dodge Neon's can pull it off a 3gee certainly can!

By the way, any advice on some struts that would be semi-decent for a rally-like car?

these cars have been ralied, they even used to rally the little 600 coupes against minis way back, just get lots of skid plates and you'll be fine

[Burn1nRubb3r]

these cars have been ralied, they even used to rally the little 600 coupes against minis way back, just get lots of skid plates and you'll be fine

I need skid plates regardless, this poor 3gee has bottomed out too many times from pot holes, ruts and frost heaves in winter. Frost heaves are another problem because it literally causes the road to buckle, but with the right suspension setup it would mean some serious air time. Trust me, I tried it with a suburban :omg:

[Oldblueaccord]

For a cheap lift kit they work. I don't see why you need to modify the struts at all. The spacer goes between the coil spring on the top usually. It will effect your spring rate I would imagine.

http://www.quadratec.com/products/16190_007_07.htm

http://www.jeepspeak.com/_gfx/write_ups/bb_wj/article_logo.jpg

I run these in the my rear coil springs there cheap and easy. I call them NASCAR spacers.

http://the-auto-alley.amazonwebstore.com/RUBBER-COIL-SPRING-BOOSTER/M/B000AMBOFS.htm




wp

[Burn1nRubb3r]

For a cheap lift kit they work. I don't see why you need to modify the struts at all. The spacer goes between the coil spring on the top usually. It will effect your spring rate I would imagine.

http://www.quadratec.com/products/16190_007_07.htm

http://www.jeepspeak.com/_gfx/write_ups/bb_wj/article_logo.jpg

I run these in the my rear coil springs there cheap and easy. I call them NASCAR spacers.

http://the-auto-alley.amazonwebstore.com/RUBBER-COIL-SPRING-BOOSTER/M/B000AMBOFS.htm




wp
Cool product, but it is for jeeps. I am not going to modify the strut itself, just add longer studs so I can fit a spacer in between the strut and strut tower. I found the strut top I need, and I just found the type of studs I could use. A self-clinching stud is what I need as long as the strut top does not have studs installed, if they are they could be removed. Once I replace my struts I will order the new strut top hats and studs and make the spacers. I will have to make sure I get the bolt strength right so I don't have any unwanted incidents. Now I need to find some decent struts for a rally-like vehicle.