AlcoaRX-8

I just had my Eibach pro kit springs installed by the Mazda dealership that I work for. One quick question for any who may know.

Is the front supposed to sit higher than the back?

nelsonrx8

yup

AlcoaRX-8

Thanks for the response.

d j

did you tighten the control arm bolts before you lowered the car? if not, your supposed to lower the car first and then tighten the control arms

romycha1

Have the control arms on, but not all the way tightened. Lower the car so there is load on the suspension then reach in there and tighten the control arms.

Also... if the car is lowered, and the front just may look higher.... I think thats the way te body was cut. My 8 is slammed, the front is lower than the back, but sometimes it looks higher.

AlcoaRX-8

I will try the control arm idea. Some other people say that the struts and springs need settle (may be BS).

Red Devil

Your springs should need to settle but this shouldn't take a long duration of time. As for the control arm "idea" this is called pre-loading, and is the proper installation method for the RX-8's front suspension.

AlcoaRX-8

Don't mean to sound like a total novice. Just the same my tech should have known this. He will be back at work tomorrow.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

When the car is level the distance from the ground to the fender lip will be lower in the rear than the front

Alucard

^^^^exactly.....

Heres my car with the Eibach Springs....

romycha1

Also... when you pre-load the control arms, you might even want to drive the car up the street and back. Not far, but just to make sure it settles as far down as it can go. Then turn the wheel one way, reach in, and tighten it up. Then vice-versa.

AlcoaRX-8

Thank you for all of your help. I have never had a chance to post pics. When I get everything worked out I will do so. I am glad I got these springs I get to take my car onto the tail of the dragon in two weeks. Something about 318 in 11 miles makes you smile.

HCTR154

Exactly. I have had Eibachs for about 6 months and am very happy with them. Nice drop, good ride and high quality product. More expensive than Teins, but worth it in my opinion.

AlcoaRX-8

For any who may care I got my suspension worked out. It looks damn good.

zerobio

I just had the eibach pro-kit springs installed but it was done at mufflerman and it seemed like they sort of didn't know exactly what they were doing. My first impression is that the front still has more wheel gap than rear and doesn't seem much lower than stock. After reading a lot of posts here, there's talk of pre-loading and then adjusting the control arms. I wonder if mufflerman knew about this. Could they have missed it and therefore my car isn't as low as it should be? Is there any way for me to check this ... considering I have zero knowledge about mechanics? If they didn't do it, can it be done at a later date?

Thanks.

whitebeau

Yes the front suspension can be re-adjusted to make sure the new spring install settles correctly. I had the same 2-3" inch gap when m Eibachs were put in, then when I had the alignment, they loosened the front control arms. Gave the front a tug from the bottom to get it to settle, then re-tightend the bolts on the control arms & tie rods.

I would recommend taking it back explaining the springs you requested installed are shorter by 1.2" and this isn't the post measured case....

Last note, looking at the springs. The front and rear greatly differed. The longer set of coils went up front, and the shorter coils went on the rear. There's a noticible difference between the two. Not to mention they both have different production codes per pair to differ between the two, If you jack up your car, you should be able to confirm the right pair was correctly installed

best of luck!

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

you guys are using the term "pre-load" incorrectly, pre-load is when you tighten the control arms while they're still up in the air because it causes the bushings to be loaded once you drop it, that's what will cause it to sit high when you do it that way

you want the suspension to be settled at the static ride height before tightening the control arms to avoid loading the bushings

whitebeau

Thanks TeamRX8.. i knew there was an easier way to explain it

zerobio

When I was getting my greddy exhaust at RPM Motorsports, Joe and I put the car on the ground, loosened the control arm bolts and pushed down a bit, then tightened. It's hard to tell but I *think* it's a bit lower than it was. It's still only been a few days since they were installed so maybe it'll settle a bit more and I definitely need an alignment soon. Hopefully, in the end I'll be happy. Overall it looks pretty similar to the pic by Alucard.

~ Elliott