I just ruined my car's ride on purpose

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa) 08/25/2014 at 01:52 • Filed to: buicklopnik

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Basically, the Buick now rides like a slammed Civic, and I love it. It carves up corners perfectly flat, even though it rides bouncy like a truck.

Added 2 inches of preload by running an aircraft cable through the bottom of the front struts, up through the strut tower to an eye-bolt which I then cranked down to add preload. Basically a more sophisticated version of zip-tie preload that was popular with Celica owners.

And to those of you who will ask "Why?" I say this:

Because racecar. (also I now need one of those "loading..." stickers for going over speedbumps because... yeah. Not happening)

This is how we held two of the cables together so we could clamp them. Because simply using the vice grips was too easy.

A look at what's going on. The cable loops through the hole in the endcap, then goes outside the spring (doesn't rub on the spring, at least never with much pressure) and through the strut tower.

The strut tower. Tighten bolts = more preload. I've got it all maxed out because anything less than that results in lots of noise from things bumping around. Not shown is the rubber isolators I put to keep knocking to a minimum, and the SHITLOAD of washers on the other bolt because I ran out of threads and it still was way too high. This is not art, this is science. Because I took pictures.

I now have 100% green emissions. Clean air exhaust.

Final front ride height. A bit over 2 inches lower than usual.

Incredibly aggressive rake due to the front being lowered and the back being raised by inflating the air suspension all the way. I'm letting the air suspension sag now so that I have a *little* bit of cushion, and so the car rides level again. Though the rake makes it look more like a muscle car.

ReallyColorful > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/25/2014 at 01:56

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Wat! Lol good luck with that setup!

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/25/2014 at 01:57

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So what you are saying is you ghetto rigged a cable to your car's front suspension to make it handle better?

Sir, I applaud you. that is actually fucking amazing, and you have some serious balls for doing that to your car. I don't even have the balls to void the warranty on the GLI with a tune... :(

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/25/2014 at 02:00

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You just ruined what owning a Buick means, good job.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/25/2014 at 02:05

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What is the purpose of this vehicle? Because I already like the direction this is going.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 08/25/2014 at 02:09

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Thanks! It works really well. Can't wait for the next autocross in a couple weeks.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 08/25/2014 at 02:10

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I have a Buick, I wanted a hard-suspensioned flat-cornering sports car. I don't have the money for expensive coilovers or a new car.

I made do with what I have, and created a car that makes everyone go "lolwut". I love it.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > E30Joe drives a Subaru 08/25/2014 at 02:11

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It's kind of a joke, honestly. I want to go to an autocross and kick ass in a car that now has a reputation for understeer, body roll, and tire smoke.

And as I said in another post, I wanted a small, fast, flat-cornering sports car but instead have a Buick and no money, so I'm doing something about it. It's still not light, weighing in as much as most muscle cars, but hey it corners flat now. Not really a luxurious ride, however.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/25/2014 at 02:17

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Just.... be careful, ok? Don't let any of the cable hit you in the face if it snaps when you hit that one 130 degree corner at 38mph! :P

E30Joe drives a Subaru > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/25/2014 at 02:34

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Needs more mods. Strip everything out of it, EVERYTHING.

Josh G > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/25/2014 at 02:36

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Why no cut springs?

His Stigness > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/25/2014 at 02:44

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I absolutely love the "clean air" exhaust. That's fucking awesome!

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/25/2014 at 02:47

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You must teach me your secrets. My $400 crap can needs some attention.

Josh G > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/25/2014 at 02:50

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Spider Dijon for the first time in your life you have made a noble gesture.

offroadkarter > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/25/2014 at 02:59

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I hope this was a joke and you took this off right after the photos

Textured Soy Protein > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/25/2014 at 03:15

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Yikes.

Those bolts look like they're going to want to pull themselves down through the holes you drilled through a non-reinforced part of the strut tower.

The part of the cable that passes through the hole you drilled in the top of the strut appears to have started fraying.

It's, um, creative? But not particularly safe looking.

If you really wanted to lower the car on the cheap, why not just go pick up an extra set of springs at a junk yard and cut a couple coils off them?

DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/25/2014 at 04:16

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I have to be at the next autocross in Wichita to see this in action, now.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > offroadkarter 08/25/2014 at 07:58

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Nope. Still on there. Bouncebouncebounce.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts 08/25/2014 at 07:58

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Is that a SHO?

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > His Stigness 08/25/2014 at 07:58

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Save the planet

crowmolly > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/25/2014 at 09:40

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I applaud your creativity, but that's an ungraded hook with coarse threads hooked to cable that's already fraying?

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > crowmolly 08/25/2014 at 10:29

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It's just fraying at the end because we cut it with an enormous angle grinder that kinda chews up the ends when it cuts it. I'm going to have to re do this because when the wheels are straightened out it rubs pretty harshly on the spring and has actually taken a chunk out (SHIT) so I might try going from the shock tower down to the A arm, which doesn't turn with the wheels like the lower strut does.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Textured Soy Protein 08/25/2014 at 10:36

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Yeah, that part on the lower part of the strut is sketchy as hell, and it has shifted and started rubbing parts of my springs off, so I'm likely relocating to the lower A arm.

Shitty camera angle. That frayed part is actually a second cable stub coming from the other side of that metal piece.

The idea wasn't to lower the car, the idea was to stiffen the front suspension

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/25/2014 at 13:52

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In this picture, you can see the "check strap" used on a Series II Land Rover. Yes, from the factory, these had a "soft" suspension extension limit on the back to control roll.

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/25/2014 at 14:12

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sure is. 91 SHO+, 5 speed, black leather and the super sweet 3.0l

Bought it with the intention to cut it up and pull the engine and stiff it my Crapri, but it was in too good of shape.

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/25/2014 at 17:04

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That is one interesting setup. I wouldn't advise on being anywhere near it when the cable snaps. Best of luck buddy.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey 08/25/2014 at 17:32

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Just simulated a cable snap when I removed it because I'm a dumbass.

It was terrifying.

George McNally > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/25/2014 at 22:06

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You seem mechanically inclined...why not rest a spring compressor, remove the springs and cut a coil off each of them? That whole cable arrangement ain't gonna pass tech if you go to autocross it and if it lets go and gets into a tire or wrapped around something.....it ain't gonna end well.

I cut a coil the whole way around my 88 Tempo back in the early 90's. It dropped the rear by 3 1/2 inches and the front by about 2 inches- I used to autocross it and pretty much beat the shit out of it...it actually handled pretty good (it had IRS) and I'm pretty sure I was the only guy in Central PA that had a set of wheels and tires that were worth more then the car they were bolted to.

My dad was a tire and wheel wholesaler before he passed away....I got the hookup on tires, wheels, alignments, etc .... I don't remember exactly what I paid for a set of Pirelli A008's but I think it was about 1/2 of retail.

Meatcoma > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 12/15/2014 at 15:31

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This is backwards - 'Never saddle a dead horse'.