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Coilover Height Adjustment?

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Old Apr 6, 2009 | 11:24 PM
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Ben Cormier's Avatar
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From: New Iberia, La.
Coilover Height Adjustment?

Anyone know how high coilovers can raise the car from stock height. Is there a basic set of coilovers that can keep the suspension about the same as stock but raise the car a few inches? How do you adjust the height? Is it something that is easy to do. Basically the problem I have is my drive way is steep and I usually scrape it coming in. I plan on upgrading the car eventually, so the coilovers would actually get used later other than helping the scraping issue.

Would they help me in this instance? Or does raising and lowering the car take me getting out and manually doing it?
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Old Apr 6, 2009 | 11:40 PM
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From: merritt island, fl
tein makes a coilover with a button operated adjustment for a good price. i don't know how long it takes or how high it goes.

have you tried just hitting the driveway with the driver wheel first and sort of moving in on an angle? i'm dropped and i can take most driveways or inclines that way.
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Old Apr 6, 2009 | 11:42 PM
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^They dont make anything where ride height can be changed with a button.

changing ride height is easy, I dont know about raising the car tho
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Old Apr 6, 2009 | 11:45 PM
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^Yeah they do man, It's called airbags

But to raise and lower your car with coilovers, you are compressing and decompressing the springs. The higher you raise it, the more you are compressing the spring = the harder it is to turn it. You can keep stock ride height with some coilovers, but not any that will go a few inches above stock ride height.
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Old Apr 6, 2009 | 11:45 PM
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From: Phoenix
Originally Posted by myriadshalaks
tein makes a coilover with a button operated adjustment for a good price. i don't know how long it takes or how high it goes.

have you tried just hitting the driveway with the driver wheel first and sort of moving in on an angle? i'm dropped and i can take most driveways or inclines that way.
The TEIN electronic add-on is called EDC, electronic dampening control. It only adjusts the dampening on your coilovers but does not adjust height or preload.

To answer the OP's question, yes coilovers would have the ability to maintain and or increase the stock height of the vehicle. I would not suggest raising the car's height above stock levels as you will compromise the handling capability of the car. How much is anyone's guess.

When searching for coilovers, be sure that you buy a set which has independant pre-load and height adjustment. Usually, the bottom section which connected to the car will have a threaded piece which you can shorten or extend. This allows you to adjust the height without losing suspension travel. Otherwise you'll have to majorly preload the springs to raise the height and that is a VERY bumpy ride.
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Old Apr 6, 2009 | 11:56 PM
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ah. i was confused. i was thinking of the edfc. glad i didn't buy that. i would have been disappointed. lol.
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Old Apr 7, 2009 | 12:27 AM
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Originally Posted by myriadshalaks
ah. i was confused. i was thinking of the edfc. glad i didn't buy that. i would have been disappointed. lol.
I stand corrected, it's EDFC not EDC. The function is still the same as it's only dampening control.

Actually an electronic height adjustment would be a hot item in my opinion as I wouldn't mind an average height for the street and then a lower position for the track. To accomplish that already required several hours of work for me.
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Old Apr 7, 2009 | 12:28 AM
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Originally Posted by topgear8
^Yeah they do man, It's called airbags
TEIN doesn't make airbags.
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Old Apr 7, 2009 | 12:29 AM
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From: merritt island, fl
i was thinking the same thing, flash. it takes forever to change it with those damn "wrenches."
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Old Apr 7, 2009 | 12:40 AM
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Raising the car will reduce "droop" travel. Which is to say, it's important for a suspension to extend as well as compress. If you raise the car, you run the risk of the tire loosing contact with the road when you drive over a depression in the road, and you may also end up lifting the inside wheel off the ground in a corner. Your car will also have less grip. Not a good idea.

You might be able to raise the car a little without adverse affects, but 2" sounds exessive.
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Old Apr 7, 2009 | 12:41 AM
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^Agreed, it is definitally a PITA!
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Old Apr 7, 2009 | 01:36 AM
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From: New Iberia, La.
Thanks for the info,
I understand that driving with the car higher wasn't good. All I really was wishing they had was something that could keep me at basically stock height and handeling or even a little lower for looks) and when I get home raise the car to get over the incline and then lower it back.

I don't know anything about suspension, then I started researching it for my mustang and just thought they might make a magic coilover kit that would solve my problem lol. As it stands right now the incline is so steep that my mustang has not and will not ever make it in my yard.

And I can make it up the driveway without scratching if and only if I hit it at an angle and go VERY VERY slow...But if I have groceries and passengers its definitly going to scrape....pain in the A$$

Well hopefully they will make a nice suspension setup with push button height adjustment
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Old Apr 7, 2009 | 03:05 AM
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some exotics include a jack in car to help with this exact problem, maybe u can look into that, a bit overkill though IMO
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Old Apr 7, 2009 | 10:21 AM
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Maybe you should just move to a place with a not so steep driveway
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Old Apr 7, 2009 | 11:08 AM
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Wish it were that simple lol, but i might be taking a job in houston, so that might be the case....I can live with it now, might take a jackhammer to the incline.
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Old Apr 7, 2009 | 04:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Flashwing
Actually an electronic height adjustment would be a hot item in my opinion as I wouldn't mind an average height for the street and then a lower position for the track. To accomplish that already required several hours of work for me.
https://www.rx8club.com/lounge-4/variable-ride-height-suspension-kit-167172/
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