Suspension Knocking (Bora)

[Lord Nelson]

Hi again.
I recently uprated my suspension and lowered my Bora (shorter and stiffened dampers and -40mm springs)
the ride and the new look is awesome...however, i have one problem....on the drivers side, when i go over a sharp bump ie, a kirb / speed bump, there is distinct metal to metal knock.
after various tests, i found out that the drive shaft is contacting with the rollbar.
this only happens on the drivers side though.

Does anyone have any ideas on why this could be happening?
It has always been lowered 40mm but the dampers i put on are shorter than the OE dampers which were on it before.

any help, as always, would be much appreciated.

[Eshrules]

Hi again.
I recently uprated my suspension and lowered my Bora (shorter and stiffened dampers and -40mm springs)
the ride and the new look is awesome...however, i have one problem....on the drivers side, when i go over a sharp bump ie, a kirb / speed bump, there is distinct metal to metal knock.
after various tests, i found out that the drive shaft is contacting with the rollbar.
this only happens on the drivers side though.

Does anyone have any ideas on why this could be happening?
It has always been lowered 40mm but the dampers i put on are shorter than the OE dampers which were on it before.

any help, as always, would be much appreciated.

im not an expert on suspensions, so this is a bit of a stab in the dark, but have you checked the dampeners for leakage? is it possible that they have worn?

i know that you check shockers normally by bouncing the car and making sure it settles quickly and usually within 2/3 bounces, although this may be different if you've lowered it.

i am also aware that lowering a car without changing the dampeners can put extra strain on the dampeners, as they are working outside of their manufactuerd and intended range?

[Lord Nelson]

the dampers are brand new and are uprated.
so i cant imagine there will be any leakage...il certainly check though.

all the kit is brand new and meant for that purpose so i wouldnt have thought they would be too soft either!

[Eshrules]

the dampers are brand new and are uprated.
so i cant imagine there will be any leakage...il certainly check though.

all the kit is brand new and meant for that purpose so i wouldnt have thought they would be too soft either!

im not too sure about the construction of the setup, but i understand ARB bushes are also renowned for failure, so it could be one of these which are responsible?

[Lord Nelson]

Hmmmm....Possibly.
i have recently had the wishbones and bushes changed, also the ARB linkages. But now you come to mention it, i didnt have the ARB mounting bushes replaced...that could be the source of the problem....i know they are only cheap to buy, so i will see about getting some and replacing them asap....i dont suppose if anyone knows if this is an easy job (as i prefer to do most of the jobs on my car by myself).

Cheers Esh, Il keep you informed!
Neil

[Eshrules]

Hmmmm....Possibly.
i have recently had the wishbones and bushes changed, also the ARB linkages. But now you come to mention it, i didnt have the ARB mounting bushes replaced...that could be the source of the problem....i know they are only cheap to buy, so i will see about getting some and replacing them asap....i dont suppose if anyone knows if this is an easy job (as i prefer to do most of the jobs on my car by myself).

Cheers Esh, Il keep you informed!
Neil

hmmm im sorry, but i cant help it d'oh why change all that and not bother with the £5 bushes silly LOL

they're not a rock hard job to do, my brother did mine, the main issue he had was getting the new ones in, as they will be a tighter fit, having not been compressed etc, thats the only problem you'll have

i've got to get my wishbones done this weekend too

[Lord Nelson]

well, when i had the wishbones changed, i wasnt going to have them done at all...the car was in for another job and the mechanic told me the bushes were perished and that he could change the wishbones for little extra cost!
so i had them done....as well as the linkages, but not the ARB bushes....does sound silly really, but i should be able to sort them so i can eliminate them from my list of suspect errors