Lopsided Ride Height After Lowering

[HappySquirrel]

Hey guys,

A couple of months ago I lowered my car with a set of springs which are supposed to give a slightly forward raked stance. Unfortunately, it didn't work out and I have a very lopsided ride with a forward raked stance on the left side and a rearward raked stance on the right! I'm not going to mention the brand of springs at the moment in case the issue isn't actually with the springs (and I don't want to be accused of slander, etc), although I imagine most of you can figure out what springs I bought. I am at a loss to figure out what could be causing the issue other than incorrectly manufactured springs. However, I didn't have the foresight to measure the springs before installing them (I really didn't even consider this being an issue), nor did I measure the ride height before lowering the car (wish I had). I did the install myself, and here are the current ride heights measured from the ground to the top of the fender well (measured to a precision of approximately 1/16"):

Right Front: 27.5"
Right Rear: 27"
Left Front: 27.25"
Left Rear: 27.5"

As you can see, that's a problem. I don't expect springs to be manufactured to aerospace tolerances, but the fact that the right side is so far raked in the wrong damn direction really pisses me off. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to check if the springs are causing the issue without disassembly? Anyone have any ideas on how to fix the problem (besides changing to different springs or coilovers, or using dangerous methods like heating the springs)?

Any help would be appreciated, and now I will try to head off any obvious questions before they are asked:

1.) The car was aligned about 5 days and 100 miles after installing the springs. I also paid the alignment shop (local guys) to loosen and re-torque all of the suspension points suggested in the 6G suspension re-clocking thread while it was on the drive-on lift, and they said they did so and re-torqued to the appropriate values.
2.) I measured the ride heights on a flat surface, multiple times. I also measured from the wheel center cap to the top of fender and the results matched. I measured on multiple surfaces and I made sure the tires were aired up to within 1 psi of each other. Measurements were taken before and after the alignment and re-clocking and there was no significant difference.
3.) Spring installation was done by myself. Other than the springs the suspension is completely stock.
4.) I did my best to triple-check all phases of the installation. I was very careful about checking the spring seating and the seating of the rubber boots. I also double checked the front sway bar connections and everything else. I'm 99% sure I didn't screw up anything with the install (the car rides great, other than being lopsided).
5.) I did contact the spring manufacturer after the install and they basically said (paraphrasing slightly), "1/4-inch of difference is normal even for factory springs, make sure you drive it for at least a week, re-clock the bushings", blah blah.
6.) I did the install over two months ago and I've put well over 1,000 miles on the car. Just re-checked the ride height measurements, no change.

Like I said, any helpful input is appreciated. I am not a happy camper.

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[wildcatgoal]

Welllll... assuming you have Ford Racing springs, I'm confused how they can sell a spring that is suitable for both the GT and Ecoboost from a drop perspective, given how much lighter the EB engine is. I believe the front of the car is about 200 lbs. lighter. Would like to see photos of the installation, especially the rear spring seats. Feels like the differences you're getting are being exposed by the rear, front is very close.

Also, if the camber is different enough left to right, your wheel gap will look different, especially on stock wheels that are not spaced out closer to the fender.

 

[HISSMAN]

Looks about right.

.25-.50 inches is not a whole lot to be out of level. And don't forget, each corner of the car weighs different. So, springs will compress differently based just on that alone.

 

[HappySquirrel]

Welllll... assuming you have Ford Racing springs, I'm confused how they can sell a spring that is suitable for both the GT and Ecoboost from a drop perspective, given how much lighter the EB engine is. I believe the front of the car is about 200 lbs. lighter. Would like to see photos of the installation, especially the rear spring seats. Feels like the differences you're getting are being exposed by the rear, front is very close.

They're not Ford Racing springs. They're marketed as specific for the ecoboost. I don't have any pics of the install, but I might be able to get it up on jackstands this weekend.

 

[HappySquirrel]

Looks about right.

.25-.50 inches is not a whole lot to be out of level. And don't forget, each corner of the car weighs different. So, springs will compress differently based just on that alone.

This wouldn't be such a big issue with me if it weren't for the fact that it's so different from left to right and the right side is raked the wrong way. There's zero reason a set of springs marketed as giving you a forward rake (and more drop in the front) should result in a 1/2" rearward rake. I'd rather have the stock ride height than this.

 

[HISSMAN]

Without knowing exactly what springs you have, it is a hard question to answer.

 

[HappySquirrel]

Without knowing exactly what springs you have, it is a hard question to answer.

I really don't see how I haven't provided the necessary information. What difference would knowing the manufacturer make in deducing a possible solution? They're supposed to drop the front approximately 1/8" more than the rear, according to their product description.

 

[Rebellion]

Did you unfasten and retorque all your control arm bolts? See the sticky on GT torque, it has a picture of what needs retorquing while sitting the car on a flat surface (like an alignment rack).

 

[HISSMAN]

I really don't see how I haven't provided the necessary information. What difference would knowing the manufacturer make in deducing a possible solution? They're supposed to drop the front approximately 1/8" more than the rear, according to their product description.

Roger that. Hope you sort out your problem.

 

[HappySquirrel]

Did you unfasten and retorque all your control arm bolts? See the sticky on GT torque, it has a picture of what needs retorquing while sitting the car on a flat surface (like an alignment rack).

See item 1 in my first post. Yes, I had the alignment shop do it, and I printed out all the info and the pictures from the post you reference.

 

[BMR Tech]

Wow, I am surprised they did not simply tell you to do what I always tell people to do first and foremost (after ensuring the removed the preload from the suspension bushings)

Swap the front spring and strut assemblies. Do not remove or unbolt the struts mounts....simply swap the driver side entire assembly to the pass side, vice versa.

Measure and compare accordingly.

Once that is done, swap the rears too.

This will answer a few questions for you. If nothing changes, then it is the car or your assembly.

 

[Rebellion]

See item 1 in my first post. Yes, I had the alignment shop do it, and I printed out all the info and the pictures from the post you reference.

Ok, sorry didn't quite catch that part.

 

[BMR Tech]

And FWIW - I have come to have little faith in places doing things properly. I feel bad for my customers quite often (daily basis) sometimes, for some of the stuff they go through.

In other words, if I were you I would put the car up on blocks or ramps that are all the same height and get to loosening and re-torquing the suspension fasteners where there is rubber to ensure it was done sufficiently.

 

[HappySquirrel]

Wow, I am surprised they did not simply tell you to do what I always tell people to do first and foremost (after ensuring the removed the preload from the suspension bushings)

Swap the front spring and strut assemblies. Do not remove or unbolt the struts mounts....simply swap the driver side entire assembly to the pass side, vice versa.

Measure and compare accordingly.

Once that is done, swap the rears too.

This will answer a few questions for you. If nothing changes, then it is the car or your assembly.

Well, I suppose that is an option. I was hoping for some way of verifying the problem without disassembly, mostly because like almost everyone else on here I work a full-time job, and while I'm handy I'm certainly no mechanic so doing this is a big time suck for me. I suppose that probably will be the ultimate solution unless someone has a better idea. I don't suppose measuring the springs (if I could even get a tape measure in there) while the car is supported on jackstands (to measure them without compressive load) would help with troubleshooting?

 

[HappySquirrel]

And FWIW - I have come to have little faith in places doing things properly. I feel bad for my customers quite often (daily basis) sometimes, for some of the stuff they go through.

In other words, if I were you I would put the car up on blocks or ramps that are all the same height and get to loosening and re-torquing the suspension fasteners where there is rubber to ensure it was done sufficiently.

I've thought about this as well, but after reading through the entire thread on re-clocking the suspension it seemed to me the consensus was that using oil-change ramps wouldn't give you enough clearance to use a big enough torque wrench under there (I do have the proper torque wrench, though - it goes to 250 ft-lb).

Have you tried this? If so, do both ends of the car have to be up off the ground at the same time?

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