Install problems/Gold Line & BTG

[turbomangt]

I’m going to post this in several places because I think it’s important enough, and some people only don’t read all the topics. I purchased the Gold Line rear only lowering springs and had them installed today. (2003 GT Turbo) When I picked up the car I liked the look, but during my drive home I hit a bump and heard a “clunk”. Oh brother I said another mod leading to problems I never had before making the change. I turned around and brought the car back and had my service guy take it for a test drive. They heard it as well. It seems that my BTG exhaust was now too close to the spare tire frame after it was lowered and thus the rattle noise. They were able to put some padding in-between the pipes and now it seems to be ok. When I got home I looked at the car, and it seems now the front of the car is higher than the back. OK, call me a perfectionist, give me a break, I detail cars. So I measured the front and back and sure enough, the gold line dropped the rear lower than the front, by about 3/8”. I also got an e mail from someone today that told me I may have to change to shocks to compensate for the new springs. Man, every time I do one mod, it leads to more than I planned on. Looking forward to discussion on this. Do I need new shocks, should I now lower the front as well? Gary

[Mike-in-Orange]

I'll add some fuel to this (especially since the email Gary mentions was from me). I believe Gary only added the 2" drop rear springs; I did those and the 1.5" drop fronts so of course I don't have the "reverse rake" that he's experiencing. I know there have been other discussions on the clanging/clanking/banging sound experienced with lowering springs and aftermarket exhausts. Some recommend trimming the bump stops, which I have not done, and others have used Gary's technique of adding some padding. I had the hanger just forward of the rear axle pulled up to alleviate contact between the exhaust and axle, and that took care of maybe 90% of the problem. PT-Tuning has admitted to me that they've encountered similar problems with their exhaust and lowering springs, which is why their springs only lower the rears 1.75".

Discussions with others, both on this forum and others as well as non PT owners who've made similar mods, have lead me to believe that the stock shocks/struts just aren't up to the task of damping properly when already stressed by drop springs. I've heard opinions that the stock spring/shock setup is already under-damped and over-rebounded and using lowering springs just compounds the problem. There doesn't seem to be any real difference whether you're talking GoldLines, Eibachs, BTG, etc when talking about this particular problem. There may well be differences between these brands as far as spring performance itself is concerned, but apparently they all negatively impact the stock shock/strut package.

So, do you go full coilovers for $1000 or more, plus the tweaking needed to fully realize their potential? Do you go Koni adjustables for upwards of $500, with similar tweaking needed? Or do you go, as some here have, just a nice set of Tokico gas charged shocks/struts for maybe $250 or so? I have just taken delivery of a set of Tokicos and will have them installed early next week. I'll let you know what my findings are once they're in. Hopefully they'll eliminate the last of my axle/exhaust bumping, and reduce the minor, though noticeable, chop to the ride under certain circumstances. Fingers crossed.

[PTGT Redman]

Depending on how much you drop the car, determines other changes.
I had a borla on my 01. When I put on the Eibachs, as soon as I left the shop, the thing would clunk. Turns out the pipe that goes over the axle was too shallow to clear and would hit when I hit bumps. Plus the left arm of the Watts linkage gets pretty close to the pipe as well.
You don't need new shocks, although, suspension travel is more noticeable. Because the stock shocks are not calibrated for the lowered springs, they tend to burn out sooner than if you left it alone.
My Bassani did the same thing after I lowered it as well, but it was contacting near the bumper. Not a lot of room under there.
Don't despair, a solution I went with was to remove the spare from under the car, have a boot made for it and put it in the trunk. It is flat enough that the cargo tray can go to it's lowest position with clearance.
I know how you feel, it is very dissappointing when you commit financial and emotional energy, it's hard not to be a perfectionist.
I would lower the front though, I can't imagine only lowering the back gives a very balanced look.