Help needed ASAP re the lowering of my Corsa C! Cringe!

S

sarahjane12

Guest
Hi guys, hopefully someone can help me!

My car is an 06 Corsa SXI+ and as I was considering lowering it when a friend of mine offered me his lowering springs (60mm apparently) and has fitted them free for me too. Now believe it or not he IS a mechanic but as soon as I turned the steering the springs were making really loud clunking noises. We didn't have enough time to fix the problem as he had to go away! It's ok in a straight line when I drive it but any steering and the clunking is back. I'm guessing that's because I've gone so low that the springs are just too short for the shocks - is this correct? (also I briefly had it on a ramp and you could literally move the springs freely :S:S:S) I need to know people's opinions before I make assumptions and just buy new shocks to go with.

If I buy new shocks will this stop the noise and remove any risk of damaging any other parts of my car? And if so, how do I know which shocks to buy???

I am totally aware that I'm going to have a lot of 'tut tut's' here but there we go at least I'm looking into solving the problem! lol...

***IDIOT FORM FOR ME PLEASE*** haha, thank you! xxx
 
did wonder if you had dropped it too much and something under the car was touching. i dont know corsas. you shouldnt be able to easily move the spring by hand however
 
It the shocks your dead right. I had the same prob on an XR2 once and it was because the springs were too low for the shocks. The shocks couldn't compress enough.
 
Are the wheels rubbing on full lock? Turn them right and check the wheelarches for clearance. 60mm is far too much if you ask me unless you do a complete geometry alignment. I would only drop a Corsa by 40mm or 35 if it was a sporty SXi model.;)

Springs and shocks should be installed as pairs but when you are looking for new shocks or more accurately "dampers" they must be rated to the 60mm drop.

The car is actually dangerous to drive at the moment IMHO so please go carefully and get this sorted out quickly:(
 
When lowering any car by that amount it should be done as a complete set and it is best to use coilovers, at least you have complete control over the whole set-up. 60mm is way too much on just springs, your so called mechanic friend has taken you for a ride and is not really a friend.

Get shot of them, go back to standard or at least a 30mm lowered spring no more. Or get a set of coilovers. Another thing when lowering up to 60mm is that the steering geometry will be out of tolerance.

A lesson learned ;)

Welcome to TC!
 
As everyone has said,60mm is wayyyyy too low.I only dropped my 1.8 sri by 35mm on springs only.Only way to go 60mm is by fully adjustable dampers.


BTW.Hope you kept the old springs to put them back on?
 
"as I turned the steering the springs were making really loud clunking noises. ....... It's ok in a straight line when I drive it but any steering and the clunking is back. "



If it is from the inside front wheel, the noise is from the edges of the springs snagging on pits formed by the original springs on the inner sides of the 2 retaining cups present on the dampers, which basically keep your springs centered. when you turn, the car sits down further on the outside edge due to centrifugal forces, and the inside edge is lifted, ever so slightly, thus allowing more room for play in the spring enclosure. hence the noise.

But if it is from the outside wheel, it could be due to the fact that the the car is now so low that the axle is in a state of complete distension and, by virtue of its design, is slipping inside the engine end. 'Coz you see, there is an inbuilt play incorporated in the length of the axle to accommodate the changes in height, and therefore the length required for connection to the wheel, as the car goes over bumps on the road.

Hence in a scenario where the distance between the wheel and the transmission is closer than the minimum distance incorporated in the design of the transmission, the drive gear tends to slip over the actual groves it is supposed to snag to actually transfer the engine power to propell the car forward.

In this case you would either have to shorten the axles or not go that low on the suspension.


"I'm guessing that's because I've gone so low that the springs are just too short for the shocks - is this correct? (also I briefly had it on a ramp and you could literally move the springs freely :S:S:S)"


You guessed right. You should not have been able to moved the springs, even on a lift, leave alone ramp, even upon applying enough effort that your veins stood out.

The Best Fit for your Springs would be dampers (in fully extended state) that require the spring to be compressed by at least 15-20mm before the housing sits properly in its seat and the retaining harnessing can be tightened into place.


But I would still consult Waynne & Turbonutter before incurring expenses.



Picasso
 
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When I was a CORSA "C" owner I had my 1.8sri dropped,but only by 40mm.Any lower then I would have fitted adjustable platform dampers and correctly rated springs.

hth.
 
Best thing to do also as said get the suspension geometry checked as after any mods like that you need to get it setup accordingly but better shocks will be needed now as well
 
If you can move the springs with the car's weight on the wheels then I reckon that you are running on the bump stops. I doubt that you have bottomed out the dampers as they probably have more than 60mm travel each way from static position and the car would be undrivable if they have as the suspension would be solid................................IMO

We don't tut tut here, because we have all done silly things (I challenge anyone here to deny it!) when starting out and most of us still are looking for new ways to mess up :)
 
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It does keep us entertained here, messing up and then finding a solution.

But as Steve has said you probably are running on the bump stops, best to take it all off again and shorten them a bit but they only way you are really going to cure the problem is with a stiffer damper.

What is the make of the springs you have on?
 
It does keep us entertained here, messing up and then finding a solution.

But as Steve has said you probably are running on the bump stops, best to take it all off again and shorten them a bit but they only way you are really going to cure the problem is with a stiffer damper.

What is the make of the springs you have on?

Sory Jarrus, but fitting stiffer dampers won't cure the problem. Dampers control the oscillations of the spring only, they don't affect ride height (unless they run out of movement!). Take the dampers off and the ride height will remain the same (assuming no other changes are made).

Without actually seeing the car we are all guessing, but if the springs are loose when the car is stationary then they are MUCH too short and something else is supporting the weight of the car. If in doubt, the best way of checking if these springs are any good is the water test. Throw them into the nearest deep water you can find, if they float you can recover and use them :)
 
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Yea I know that dampers won't affect the ride hide but it will help limit the compression for the springs

Sorry again, but they won't. Dampers have no effect on the extent of spring compression, they only moderate its movement. The springs will compress the same amount whether you fit the stiffest damper available or remove them completely. So, the car will still be riding on its bump stops (if that is what is happening) regardless of the stiffness of the dampers. The only cure, as far as I can see, is to remove the springs and fit a more sensible set.

If the car IS sitting on the bump stops it is potentially lethal and should not be driven if you value your, your passengers' or other people's lives.

I have said it before and I will say it again. Modifying vehicle suspension should only be done by people who have an understanding of the principles of suspension geometry, which is very few judging by the number of people who seem to think that the way to improve their car's handling is to slam it to the ground! They seem to think that because racing cars are very low if they make their car low it will improve the handling as well.

A racing car only works well because the WHOLE suspension geometry has been redesigned to allow the car to be lowered, they haven't just cut the bloody springs!
 
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