I'm in the middle of a Megan coilover installation. So far, I've only replaced the passenger side shock assembly. Everything else (except the wheels) is still on the car.

The end links don't come with any meaningful instructions. I try to install the passenger side end link and the distance between the sway bar and the mount position on the coilover is greater than the length that the link is capable of expanding to. I'm guessing the problem is the sway bar is lower on that side right now and needs to be raised to shorten the distance.

Once I get the thing in, what do I adjust it to? Is the adjustment done with the wheels on or off? I was expecting instructions from Alta, maybe a how-to on their website. Nothing.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Contact onasled

 

If you are using a hydraulic jack to raise the car, use your mini jack to raise the lower control arm so the distance between the control arm and the attachment point on the damper are the length of the end link. This will also keep the end link from binding while you try to install it. Obviously you'll do this after the strut is installed.

For endlink adjustment; you need to mentally remember or take a picture of the position of the swaybar ends relative to horizontal. This will determine the length of the endlink. Also, DO NOT tighten end links until the full weight of the car is on all four wheels. This method will prevent any preloading...make sure the endlinks are exactly the same length left to right if your suspension is set equally left to right. If you have your car corner balanced the lengths may be slightly different, but these will be set by the shop performing this service...or in my case...

Hope this helps.

Michael

 

Are you saying I should have looked at the position of the swaybay prior to removing the old struts and matched that position when installing the new one? Because I didn't do that.

 

NOTE:
You need a level floor to do this right

Best way to start is to remove all the factory droplinks. Then just make your adjustable ones the same length as the factory ones, (just note that both backs are the same length as are both fronts).
Now after you get the shocks in, just install the drop links, but leave the bottoms of one side (front and back) disconnected with the locking nuts loose so they can still be adjusted. So, you now have one side of the car with fully installed drop links and the other side with only the tops installed.
Get your wheels on and lower the car to the ground, then roll it back and forth, maybe a little rocking and bouncing to get the suspension settled.
Now the hard part, to reach under the car and adjust and install the bottoms of those two droplinks. It makes it a lot easier if you have some 2x4s laid flat on the ground to lower the car on or roll the car up onto to just get the car a few more inches off the ground.
Now you need to reach under the car and adjust and install the two droplinks so that there is no tension on the swaybar, then lock down your locking nuts and your all set. NOTE: front wheels must be straight to do this right. If they are turned only a few degrees in one direction, the sway bar will be preloaded when driving straight.You don't want preload.

Hope this helps. Please ask if I've confused you here.

NOTE: You should try and have your rear swaybar about horizontal to the ground when done, but this can be done later if you want as it will make little difference for street driving or DEs.
Front bar needs to clear tie rods. If you made the droplinks the same length as the factory ones you should be OK to drive safely.

 

Would it not be equally valid to simply measure a perpendicular angle between the drop-link and the bar itself? It would seem that a perfectly perpendicular installation would free the bar to move both up and down with equal ease (i.e., no pre-load). On the front, the trick would be to know the plane of the attachment points to the control arms, but a perpendicular angle could be accurately achieved by knowing that the distance between the lower drop-link attachment points and the sway-bar mounts is the hypotenuse of a right triangle, which should accurately reveal the exact length to which the links should be set for optimal travel.

If, for instance, the sway bar mounts are exactly 17" back from the sway-bar ends, and there were (just for giggles) 22" between the mounts and the lower attachments for the drop-links, then (because a^2 * b^2 = c^2) the drop-links would have to be set to 13.96".

Is there any reason why that isn't correct?

 

How do you get the measurments? How do you find out what A and B are?

 

Lets say the coilovers I'm installing on my car end up lowering it a bit. If I set one side to the same length as the old drop links and then adjust the other side (once on the ground) to have no preload, don't I run the risk of the two sides being different lengths? The side I adjusted while on the ground would be different than the side I set while in the air? Do I then go back to the other side and adjust it to eliminate preload?

 

C is known, and A is known, assuming A is the depth of the sway bar and C is the distance between the sub-frame sway-bar mounts and the bottom of the drop-links. If A and C are known B can be calculated.

Attached are quick, beer-induced renderings of how to get your figures. The front one is patently incorrect: I realized after drawing it that I had drawn the drop link going the wrong direction. Regardless, the principal remains sound:

C^2 = A^2 + B^2
C^2 - A^2 = A^2 + B^2 - A^2
C^2 - A^2 = B^2

 

Onasled's description is indeed detailed.

The orientation of the end of the stock swaybar is 'sort' of important because changes in this orientation affect how the swaybar works in subtle ways ( I wrote about this 6 months to a year ago)

So, pick an endlink length that is close to stock...but that would have meant looking at the stock orientation or measuring it or simply using the stock endlink length as Onasled wrote - technically your endlinks should be a hair shorter if you've lowered the car.

The really important part of the install is to make sure both left and right endlinks are exactly the same length if set up on a car that has exactly the same ride height left to right. This will prevent pre-loading as long as these are final torqued with the weight of the vehicle on the car - as Onasled also wrote. This is a PITA, made better by driving the car on ramps.

If you plan to have the car corner balanced, then follow the same procedure, but know that the length of the links will eventually be different.

In the end, you can play a game with endlink length as a way of fine tuning how quickly a swaybar ramps up if you will. Space limitations usually limit how far you can go - as the suspension moves thru its travel.

I can tell you that adjusting endlinks, or installing these is the most frustrating part of suspension tuning - from my perspective...especially if you (I) forget to get the correct endlinks, hey Greg? They're on the way.

Okay I wrote last night while really tired and full of a very nice red wine and this morning with no coffee...I ma y hve misd somthig bt u cn let me no.

Should I dig up my swaybar calculator? Then, the length is less guess work and more theory. Too early for trig, geometry and Pythagorus for me. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the angles do not remain constant...they move or change geometrically with the rise and fall of the suspension.

But a2+b2=c2 is part of very interesting natural harmonies in this world.

Michael

 

Only a problem if you have done a poor job installing your springs and have one side higher then the other by a good amount. I guess that I should have put in there that you want to adjust ride height of the car before you adjust the droplinks. If your car is close to level then your droplinks should be almost the exact same length. Trust me, if you do it as I describe the side your adjusting may take only a couple of turns, if that much, to get it right. That's why they are adjustable, they are not supposed to end up exactly the same length.
If you want to go a step further, then put your weight in the driver seat and then adjust all this stuff. But that for a more track dedicated car.

 

Problem here is that C is not know unless you get under the car after all the springs are on and ride height has been adjusted and measure each C in all four corners as it should be different in each corner.
So, you could do this, but I'll be driving away while your still punching numbers...
(though I could be wrong of course as I'm a hands on guy that does not use numbers. I ask others to figure that stuff out if I really need it..)

 

That was my exact thought also!
Why make something relatively simple....hard?
Especially when someone is asking for help, you want to keep the instructions as basic and simple to follow as possible.
Although, I do admire people who know how to not only arrive at the numbers, but actually use them as well.

 

Trust me, the math is much faster than making infinite micro-adjustments. True: you would have to settle the suspension first, but making one measurement with a caliper wouldn't take nearly as long as you'd think.

AND, when you're first installing springs, you're not going to get your optimal end-link length for several days, as your suspension won't be fully settled for some time.

I'm not trying to revolutionize the world, only to provide a formula for making the proper length of end-links easy to calculate.

I wonder what Will @ M7 Tuning would say (he's our local resident math and engineering expert)...

 

Have you looked at where the rear bottom links attach? These are difficult to tighten with the wheels off. Have you really been able to attach them with the car sitting on the ground?

 

Drive the car onto ramps, problem solved.

You have Megans; spring height should be exactly the same left to right. Ride height should be the same left to right - very easy with these Megans. So, unless you corner balance your car, the endlinks will be exactly the same left to right. You can shorten or lengthen the endlinks relative to stock based upon available space and what you expect from the swaybars. There is no more and no less to adjusting these.

The length of the endlinks either adds or subtracts from the total length of the swaybar. I suggest experimenting with quarter inch incriments...see how it feels.


Tonight I've had a Lemoncello...or two, so I've nothing more to add...that would make any sense.

 

This thread seems to be dominated by the inebriated.

 

Yea, but the information is still good.

 

I do my best drunk when I'm thinking.

 

This was very easy to do. Thanks for the help.

 

 

I know this is a really old thread but I wanted to post my thoughts. Has anyone thought about removing the fender liners and putting the wheels back on for accessibility? I'm thinking that you will be able to access the end links easily with the suspension settled for proper adjustment.

I'm installing a new set of coilovers and adjustable end links next week and this is my plan. Any thoughts?

 

My first concerns would be for degree, mud, water splashing up where you wouldnt want it to go. I think the best way is somethin similar to Onasled's description. My .02

 

I wasn't suggesting that the car would be driven without the fender liners in place. Just remove them for drop link accessibility then reinstall the wheels for proper suspension position during the drop link adjustment. After you have the front drop links adjusted you would reinstall the liners.