Adjusting FF1 coilovers

[nskyline342]

hey guys so ive been looking around on different threads and forums about adjusting function form coils and from what i read there are 2 ways of adjusting your coilovers. 1. to just adjust the whole shock body 2. adjust by using the 2 rings on top. So my question was my coils are already installed so i cant really adjusting my shock body anymore unless i take it off. But also if i heard if i do adjust it from the 2 rings on top then i would mess up the preload then that will cause me to void my warranty. Anyone know how to PROPERLY adjust these without having to take it out? (only the front one btw)

 

[LowerMyCG5]

Loosen the small collar and turn it by the 2big collars.

 

[Narftastic]

if your raising it then you could just turn the middle(threaded part)
but
if your lowering then use the very bottom red part, which means u gotta take out a little bit of the bottom from the actual car,fork, whatever its called then turn the red part....it helps alot if u get one of ur friends to stand on the brake rotor and hep loosin it from the bottom peice.

trust me ive did it the wrong way (lowering it by turning the threaded part) and it fudged up my coils aka made em less stiff, so i had to basically raise it back up the "wrong way" then lower it back down the rite way

 

[Chris Vu]

Loosen the small collar and turn it by the 2big collars.

This is the "correct" way to do it ..

if your raising it then you could just turn the middle(threaded part)
but
if your lowering then use the very bottom red part, which means u gotta take out a little bit of the bottom from the actual car,fork, whatever its called then turn the red part....it helps alot if u get one of ur friends to stand on the brake rotor and hep loosin it from the bottom peice.

trust me ive did it the wrong way (lowering it by turning the threaded part) and it fudged up my coils aka made em less stiff, so i had to basically raise it back up the "wrong way" then lower it back down the rite way

This works too, but is a lot more troublesome.

Just loosen the bottom collar, and twist the two top collars in order to raise/lower your car. Make sure you're NOT messing with the spring preload. I believe it's something like turn the top one to the right to lower, the bottom one to the left to raise .. if i'm not mistaken ..

Also make sure the two collars don't come apart from each other .. they should both be moving at the same time when you move one of them.

 

[truWarier02]

You do no have to remove the lower body from the fork.
This is how I do it and it's probably the easiest, fastest, and most recommended method.


1) Loosen the "lone" bottom collar.

2) If you're planning to lower the car, for instance, 1 inch, then spin that collar up 1 inch from the lower body. This is just for measurement purposes.

3) Place one spanner wrench onto the collar that sits directly below the spring and place the other wrench in the opposite direction onto the collar directly below that one. The wrenches should be positioned as if you were locking hands with yourself.

4) Now with the two wrenches, you have leverage to spin the threaded body (clockwise to lower, counter-clockwise to raise). Spin until the "lone collar" touches the lower body again, which should be 1 inch, using the above example. Oh and of course, tighten up the "lone collar" against the lower body once you're done.

 

[LowerMyCG5]

If your preload is correct , when you use the 2 big collars they shouldn't ever become loose. When you preloaded from the factory they are tight.

 

[Drew707]

here u go.

 

[Chris Vu]

here u go.

Like what's been posted before, you COULD do it that way, but it's MUCH HARDER.

 

[Drew707]

doesnt take that long. takes about 15-20minutes to adjust a side. including jacking up, taking wheels off etc.

 

[001Stunna]

OP, follow the guidance that Ken(NASOHC) has mentioned on here. You do not need to undo the lower mount bolt(but you can if you want to) everytime you want to adjust your cars height

BEFORE INSTALLATION:

The 2 top "red" rings below spring are to help lock the spring in place and need to used to turn the "gold" threaded shock section in order to adjust height after installation.

Turning upper red ring (the one making contact with spring) will adjust pre-load on spring. I always say to check this before installing coil-overs to ensure the same pre-load is set front and/or rear. If you decide to change this, no more than 1/2" of spring compression should ever be used. The spring is going to break-in and loose 1/8-1/4" or so after riding on your car for a bit. This is more of an advanced feature if you know what you're doing.

Ex. If front spring measures 8" total, then it should not measure less than 7.5" after locking "red" rings. Note: Should be done "off" car -before installing!

Ensure the front springs and rear spring are the same length before locking "red" rings. If the "upper" red ring is just hand tight against spring and you lock it with lower "red" ring, chances are after a while of riding (break-in period) that spring may be loose and you'll call me about a noise. Do it right the first time and you won't have problems in the future. It is better to double check the settings are evenly right before installing - yes it states that adjusting those rings can void warranty BUT I'm telling you what is okay to do and I will honor your warranty.

Do this and never loosen those rings again because the interlocking "red" rings is what you need to use in order to adjust height later, after installing.
Also, before installing, be sure the front and rear coil-overs measure exactly the same length (top to bottom) and "hand tight" lock bottom "gold" ring.

AFTER INSTALLED IN CAR:

Turning the upper "red" ring clockwise will interlock with lower "red" ring and allow for the "gold" thread section to go into lower red housing in order to "drop" (lowering) the car and please ensure that the lower "gold" ring is unlocked or you won't go down.

Turning the lower "red" ring counterclockwise will interlock with upper "red" ring and "raise" the car. Again, be sure "gold" ring is loose and lock after desired height is adjusted.

Above all, always measure starting and ending points!!! last thing you want is a crooked looking car.

What's wrong with picture above is that is says to turn the lower section to adjust height and how the heck is that going to happen if already installed?!?!?! WRONG!!!

You need to use those "red" rings as stated above!

Now, enjoy your coil-overs!

Also straight from FF website