This type of coilover is often misunderstood and poorly set up, with people throwing words around like “spring preload” in contexts that demonstrate they don’t know what they’re talking about or doing. But I digress.
HOW TO ADJUST FRONT RIDE HEIGHT:
For the front damper, RIDE HEIGHT should be adjusted by the UPPER SPRING PERCH. Especially on this RTR Tactical Coilover that are already set up from the factory. The purpose of the spring perch is to adjust the ride height of the car. If you lower the car too much and/or hit a big bump, a properly set up damper body (and the adjustable lower perch setting) should result in the bump stop bottoming-out and preventing the tire from contacting the inner fender liner.
If you are not rubbing the fender liner with your tire and are constantly hitting the front bump stop, AT THAT POINT, you can loosen the lower collar and twist/wind the entire damper body down, which will give you more compression travel (and less rebound/droop travel). If you want more compression travel and the same ride height, then raise the spring perch the same amount of turns that you lowered the threaded damper body.
HOW TO ADJUST REAR RIDE HEIGHT:
Rear ride height is adjusted via the threaded collar on the spring perch. Raise the spring perch to raise the ride height and vice versa for lowering. However, the bumpstops mounted on the damper body is what limits compression (bump) and rebound (droop) travel.
If you are hitting the rear bump stop, loosen the lower collar on the damper, twist/wind the entire damper body down, which will give you more compression travel (at the cost of less rebound/droop travel). This would be advisable and probably necessary in the RTR package until the point where the metal axle comes in contact with the chassis (which is very loud and sounds bad, but does not damage the axle or chassis). The negative of adjusting the rear damper body down is the reduction of droop travel, which can potentially affect the handling balance at corner entry. But this is probably very minor compared to feeling the damper body bottom out into the bump stop.
The quality of the RTR Tactical Coilovers is very good. The locking spring collars are really nice and I like how rubber isolators are used between the spring perch and the spring to reduce noise and harshness.
This is the lower collar for the rear damper that will likely need to be adjusted when the rear shocks bottom out.
Quick Reference:
Page 1 – RTR Tactical Performance Coilover Details
Page 2 – How to Adjust Ride Height
Page 3 – Front Shock Removal & Modifications
Page 4 – Front Shock Install
Page 5 – Rear Shock Removal, Rear Spring Removal, Rear Spring Install
Page 6 – Rear Shock Install & Bump Stop Modifications
5 comments
Technically, these dampers have height independent spring preload adjustment because you can preload the spring by winding in the upper perch, and then unwinding the lower perch to offset the change in length.
Comments like this is exactly what I was referring to in the article. While you are correct that ‘preloading’ the spring can be offset by lowering the lower perch to maintain the same ride height; you reduced droop travel of the suspension and increased bump travel. If your lower perch/damper body position was originally correct – for the bump stop to prevent the tire from contacting the fender liner or chassis under bump travel; then adding preload and lowering the damper body increases compression travel and now will allow your tire to contact the fender liner & chassis. Most people fail to recognize this and focus way too much on ‘preload’ (which does NOT increase the spring rate on a linear spring during its travel).
I don’t understand. Is this a Dual height adjustable coilover?
I thought it was. It looks like it is to me.
“Dual height adjustable coilovers allow independent adjustment of ride height and spring preload, usually by threading the shock body into the lower mount. This design provides a wider range of lowering without sacrificing suspension travel. They offer precise stance tuning, often for street or track, with options for 2-way damping (compression/rebound) adjustment.”
I like Vaughn Gitten Jr and all, but naming your coilovers “tactical”… lol, come on…
What ride height did you set the car? Do you have any rake?