to lower or not to lower

**bgon99ss** · 12-01-2009, 11:16 AM

heres my dilemma, ive only got 3 1/4inches of clearance at the lowest point (damn cats). i would love to lower it cuz the look is killer but i just dont know if its worth the hassel of scraping my exhaust all over the place. even now with my car at stock ride height if i dont go super slow over speedbumps my cats will scrape. what do yall think?? is it worth it?? or am i just asking for trouble?

**01 Black SS** · 12-01-2009, 12:51 PM

theyre just cats. You dont need them

**bgon99ss** · 12-02-2009, 07:33 AM

kinda do, i got to have visuals done here

**Blue28** · 12-02-2009, 09:19 AM

With 3.25" clearance now, I'd have to say don't lower it.
What header Y-pipe setup do you have that at stock height the exhaust is that low?

FYI, my car is lowered around 2" and my exhaust clearance is about 3".

**bgon99ss** · 12-02-2009, 10:10 AM

dynatech headers/y-pipe and corsa exhaust at stock height and i just measured to make sure and the lowest point is 3.75in from the ground. headers tuck great but y-pipe not soo much

**Blue28** · 12-02-2009, 04:07 PM

3.75" clearance isnt to bad.
For a mild drop that will leave you with decent clearance you could Get some Koni SA's shocks and put the spring seat lower perch for about .75" drop and in the rear do the "hose mod" for about a .75" drop also. Then later if if you want to lower it more just buy some lowering springs.

**BlueMagicSS** · 12-02-2009, 09:17 PM

Just a visual inspection???

Try registering your car in CA!!!! Yet... I still have no cats.... Get rid of the cats, lower it... problem solved...

**Stevenix** · 12-03-2009, 12:46 PM

Can you refer me to information on the "hose mod"?

Thanks.

Originally Posted by Blue28

3.75" clearance isnt to bad.
For a mild drop that will leave you with decent clearance you could Get some Koni SA's shocks and put the spring seat lower perch for about .75" drop and in the rear do the "hose mod" for about a .75" drop also. Then later if if you want to lower it more just buy some lowering springs.

**Blue28** · 12-03-2009, 04:29 PM

The "Hose Mod" is using oil/fuel line hose in place of the rear spring upper isolator.

You'll need about 18" of 5/8" ID oil/fuel line for each spring, so buy 3" total, and
a spray bottle of Windex to use as a lubricant .

Spray the upper coils of the rear springs and the inside of the hose really good with the windex. Then quickly slide the hose over the upper coils until you've covered 1 full coil. Cut of any excess hose extending more than 3/4" beyond the end of the upper coil.

After this you will not reuse the factory rear spring upper isolator, the "Hose Mod" replaces it, and lowers the rear about 3/4".

Now reinstall the spring and you're done!

**Stevenix** · 12-07-2009, 12:05 PM

I did the "Hose Mod" last weekend. You can't complain about an almost free suspension adjustment, and it was pretty easy to do.

Also, previously, I was getting a "whack" from somewhere on the suspension when on a road-course track around fast and hard turn corners, and could even duplicate it around town if I had a clear 90 degree corner, but so far I haven't gotten the noise on the street since doing the mod. I'm taking it to the track next weekend, so we'll know for sure after that if it had any affect, but so far, so good!

Thanks again for the info, I appreciate it. The windex wasn't quite doing the job, but with soapy water it was pretty easy to slip on the line.

Steve

Originally Posted by Blue28

The "Hose Mod" is using oil/fuel line hose in place of the rear spring upper isolator.

You'll need about 18" of 5/8" ID oil/fuel line for each spring, so buy 3" total, and
a spray bottle of Windex to use as a lubricant .

Spray the upper coils of the rear springs and the inside of the hose really good with the windex. Then quickly slide the hose over the upper coils until you've covered 1 full coil. Cut of any excess hose extending more than 3/4" beyond the end of the upper coil.

After this you will not reuse the factory rear spring upper isolator, the "Hose Mod" replaces it, and lowers the rear about 3/4".

Now reinstall the spring and you're done!

**Blue28** · 12-07-2009, 01:43 PM

thanks, your welcome!

Yeah, the Windex can be tricky to use for that, But i liked the fact it evaporates quickly so it doesn't slide around much before drying. So I guess then the soapy water sounds like a easier/better method on installing the hose.

Happy Holidays!