Problems after H&R Lowering springs - Alignment or What?
 

So after I bought my car I purchased H&R lowering springs, previous to this no issues. '10 SS.

After waiting for them to settle and everything, I've had bad alignment problems. It would pull to the left and when breaking from high MPH, the car should pull left and right forcing me to hold the steering wheel straight hard.

I figured that was because suspension was changed, I needed a wheel alignment. So got that.

Still same problem... Didn't help at all.

I bought steering rack spacers and had them installed and got another wheel alignment, at the same shop (bad idea?). The place was GoodYear

STILL SAME PROBLEM! Hasn't got better at all.

So I'm thinking either the shop is not doing the alignment correctly or there's a problem with the actual spring install?

Anyone have some input?

Thanks.

It's hard to say what your issue is without driving the car. It's a FWD car, it is going to wiggle back and forth a little under really hard braking. The H&R crap springs that you have will probably exacerbate this because you're probably bouncing off your bump stops. Combine that with stock shocks, and it's going to feel relatively unstable, especially if you are stabbing the brake pedal instead of leaning into it, and giving the chassis some time to transfer weight forward.

Post your alignment numbers. You DID get your sheet right? If you didn't, it may as well not be aligned.

yeah get the numbers on the alignment, or maybe the springs were installed wrong?
just saying

I know it seems a bit early for them to go bad but take apart your front struts (yes it's a PITA) and after you remove the coil springs make sure the struts are not bad. When pushing down on the bar of the strut you should notice a good bit of resistance and they should also come up fairly fast on both front struts. If this is not the case then by putting lowering springs on your car with stock struts, you have essentially shortened the lifespan of your struts by making them operate outside of their normal operating parameters. One if not both of them may be bad. Either way if one is bad it's best to cahnge both of them to avoid having this problem anytime soon.

Long story short, there is a very good chance that your struts are bad because you put lowering lowering springs on them. Hopefully this is not the case but if so I recently had to buy a new set of FE5 struts and they ran me around 194.00 shipped from CrateengineDepot.com for a set. Good luck!

No, you have it wrong. If the shock comes up quickly, it's blown, or it's very, very soft. The whole point of the strut/shock is to slow down and absorb the energy of the spring. When it is expanding, it's controlling the rebound portion. If it comes up quickly, it's not doing its job.

Caveat: doing this without any load isn't necessarily a valid test, but if it pops up really quickly, it's a sign that it's toast.

OP: jack the car up (and for god's sake, use jack stands). Near the top of the strut, you should be able to feel a tab at the top hat mount. It's a little square piece that sticks out of the top mount. That piece should be pointing towards the engine, or thereabouts. If it's off, you'll have to remove the strut assemble, compress the springs, and rotate it.

I dont see his struts blowing that quickly especially the TC shocks, i had h&rs on my stock shocks for 55k miles ( SC shocks ) and it took them that long to go.

Im guessing spring install but unlikely, maybe more alignment but the numbers sheet has yet to be answered, how are your swaybar endlinks? tightened those back up?

:guns:

Thanks "Captain Obvious" but you essentially said the same thing I did but just in a different manner. And yes I know how struts and shocks are supposed to function together. My front struts just finally wore out after 70,000 miles. The shock part of the strut could be pushed down with almost no resistance at all and one of them wouldn't even come back up. I know what's inside them and how they are supposed to work. I worked on and repaired similar parts off and on for fighter aircraft such as the F-117 Stealth and the F-16 Fighting Falcon for over 8 years. I have since replaced both front struts and all is well again. Trust me, my front end started bottoming out in places that it never did before. And I had the Eibach Pro-kit springs which are still in good condition. They are still very stiff and nowhere near soft.

If I had said something in a way you didn't understand what I was trying to say that's fine just let me know (I don't mind constructive criticism) but you automatically said I was wrong and explained it your way which was a good explanation by the way. Sometimes the bashing that occurs between members on here is unnecessary. If you had just explained it your way without automatically saying I was wrong I would have never commented again. I was just trying to help the guy that originally posted a question on this thread. :twothumbs

If it were the alignment he should be able to feel it during normal driving as well, not just braking. I'm thinking they messed something up while putting everything back together.

Very good point even during normal driving, the car would at least be pulling (favoring) one direction or the other. It would do it if you momentarily let go of the wheel and you would have to counter-steer for the way the car is trying to steer towards if it was an alignment problem.

I don't know about most other shops but I have taken a couple different vehicles to a Sears Automotive Center and if they didn't have to make any adjustments to my alignment they didn't charge me anything. Just something good to know for future reference.

Maybe a dumb observation/install question, but did you make sure the bushing and little tab in the strut perch is facing toward the engine correctly?

They never gave me an alignment spec sheet. Do you guys have the numbers that the toe, camber etc etc should fall under for reference?


Under normal driving it does pull, to the left.

You mention SEARS AUTOMOTIVE CENTER, should I try to get an alignment there, and ask for the sheet?

Also, when the car is parked facing straight, the steering wheel is slightly crooked. Having to constantly counter-steer has been pissing me off I just want this fixed.

The car only had 2000 miles on it when the springs were installed.

Thx all

I've seen and heard of crazier things happening. It's possible. Someone could have very well put the strut back together improperly on one of the sides. If I was him I would definitely put the front end on jack stands with both front tires removed and make sure the struts are installed right, making sure coil spring ends are up against the stops and all the pieces installed from the bottom to the top plate (where the three studs go through the body and are bolted inside the engine bay) is identical on both sides.

If everything looks right, from the information he just gave us it sounds like his car is out of alignment if he can't find anything installed improperly.

There are strut removal and replacement How-To's on this site and a couple others if you do a quick search. There you can double check how all the parts are supposed to be and in what order they go.

When I last went to SEARS the mechanic was nice enough to show me the results of the alignment machine (what they were as the car was hooked up and what they should be) and he even told me what the amount of deviation that was allowed for on each number displayed. Everything was really close but I had brought in an older Explorer at that particular time that I had put some new 18" wheels and tires on. I definitely did not want to risk the alignment being off on my used Explorer with having put a decent amount of money into tires and rims since I was not the first owner. 5 years later and it still has the same tires and rims in good condition.

No need to ask for the sheet...the machine will tell the mechanic if your car is out of alignment.

I went to get another alignment done and he said its in spec and doesn't need to be aligned. He said he saw a slight pull to left in wheel and said he THINKS its the tires. Spec sheet here
https://img40.imageshack.us/img40/4020/scan0001eh.jpg

Am I pretty much stuck with the slight pull?

check your tire pressures?

ya all good there

hmmmmm..... are the springs seated properly in the cups on the front struts....theres like a little indent where the end of the spring should sit.


the h&r springs give a niec drop but they suck. very bouncy on lnf struts. i didnt have the pull issues at all though.

After looking at the sheet the car would pull to the right because highest camber lowest caster if anything at all.. but everything is in spec hmm.... i would do what whyyoumadson said check where the springs seat properly.. alignment seems fine it seems like an instalation problem

Mine are mint on koni yellows

those springs are bad news dood, i had the same ones on my 07 s/c for 2 days and reistalled them 3 times and everytime did the same shit, i was told i had axle binding issues

thought I was post I have the same or similar issue. Traded a local guy my stock stuff for his h&r race spring setup but kept my stock rear shocks. The front has groaned when turning stopped or at slow speed since the swap.

had them for 5 months but just got my bro in law to align it at work after I got tires. He said it was pulling after the alignment so he swapped tires and it stopped. I took it for a drive and noticed it was pulling to the right. Well I made a left u turn and noticed that it was pulling to the left after that. I stopped at the next red light and turned the wheel all the way to the right. When I left the light it pulled to the right again. My bro in law said to check the subframe and have someone look under the car when turning the wheel for something moving that shouldn't be. Gonna look at in a day or 2 when I get a chance. He said everything looked good but he aligned it on a lift

he gave me the printout and said it wasn't really out of alignment to begin with