So about a month ago I installed the the front driver's side spring and preloaded it and the drop was nice. I just didn't have the patience to continue the next 3 because it was too hot. So I asked a local shops around and the cheapest would charge me $100 for the installation of the next 3. So he installed them. I could immediately see that there was a gap on the 3 that he installed. I just figured that they needed to settle. This is not my daily driver, so I don't drive it much. Not content with the drop, I went to my mechanic and asked him to take a look. He stated that the right front passenger strut was an inch higher than the left front driver's side. As a result, it also lifts the rear. He recommended that I buy 2 new front struts so that they are the same.

So this morning, I decided I was going to pre-load the 3 spring that were installed by the mechanic. Prior to me doing this, the left (drivers) side was lower than the right side. After the preload, the gap continued as before, except for the driver's side rear was higher by like an inch. It really does not look right. The only one that continues to look perfect is the driver's side front which is the one that I installed.

My question is, does the front suspension affect the height of the back? What could be affecting the drop in the rear. On all of my previous cars that I have lowered, the rear is usually always lower than the front. What can fix my problem? Any ideas? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

I don't want this to come across wrong, but are you sure that you got the correct springs in the front and back? They're different and cannot be switched.

It sounds like you did the driver's side correctly, but maybe the mechanic put a rear spring on the passenger side front. I would start by double checking this.

 

I did double check that the springs were not put on backwards by accident. Both front springs have the "F" for front on the serial number within the spring, and the rears have "R".

 

Pictures would help, but it sounds like the front springs are on the rear. There is no preloading necessary on the rear, therefore the only way for them to sit high is to either have the spring not sitting correctly in the lower perch, or you have the fronts installed on the rear.

Only the front suspension control arms have the bushings that need to be preloaded.

 

The rears need to be preloaded as well if the control arms were disconnected and reconnected when they did the rears. The shocks can effect ride height but if they were the problem, the car would be lower, not higher. Are you sure that the springs are real Teins and not fakes?

TEIN USA | COUNTERFEIT

I have done at least a dozen suspension installs on RX-8's then I can almost guarantee you that improper pre-loading is the problem if they are genuine Teins and they were installed properly front to rear, I have seen this same complaint multiple times after installing springs on an RX-8.

 

I know it doesn't sound like fun, but it may be time to take everything apart and put it back together. Something isn't sitting right and starting over is usually more effective than a band-aid. It is a simple job and I believe there is a DIY thread with some good pictures.

 

Any update Flipmode1?

 

This weekend I will make another effort to see what the problem is. As for the springs being originals, not really sure how I would be able to differentiate since they did come in the original Tein box and each spring had a serial number. However, they were purchased at a local car performance store. It did cross my mind that the springs can be backwards, but like I previously stated. The "F" springs are in the front and the "R" springs in the rear.

When I preloaded the rear I did have the car sitting on jack stands, so I think this time I am going to just preload each side individually.

 

Post pics will ya...