Lowering AE101 levin. Help?

[firestarter59]

hi. I'm looking at lowering my levin at the moment because the idiot that owned it before me has had the original springs compressed (pretty sure he did it himself) and one side is about an inch higher than the other. I've got 17" rims with 205/40/17 tyres.

Just wondring would a 1.8 inch drop be too much without replacing the struts or would i be better to go with a 1.2 inch drop? will the tyres/wheels rub in the wheel wells? and how do I get to the rear struts to change the springs?

[REN69]

Depends on the condition of the struts.. chances are the struts might not take it if they're still original.

As for one side being higher than the other.. was he a big boy? I used to have that problem with my old Civic HB as the springs settled down lower on the driver side than the passanger side due to me being the only person on the car most of the time.

[canadianae92]

I wish i had a levin!!!

[firestarter59]

No he was smaller than me. So am i better to go with a 1.2 or 1.8 inch drop? will the 1.8 drop make my wheels rub in the wells?

[punter]

Hey mate, your best bet to see if it will rub is to get in there with a measuring tape and check. (Remember to check at full lock too) also if you haven't all ready have a surf around www.toyspeed.org.nz good local knowledge.

[RadRacer3]

When you lower your car, you are increasing your static camber due to the built in camber geometry or kinematics of your suspension. Keep in mind that if you lower your car you will want to readjust your camber or your tires will wear unevenly. Unless you want more negative camber for auto-x purposes.

As far as how much to lower, that is Dependant upon what you want the car to do? In most cases the lower the better (lowering your CG), this will reduce body roll in corners. But if its a daily driver,then you must be concerned with speed bumps, curbs, pot-holes (i.e. ride clearance) so it should still be practical.

anywhere from 1-4 inches is usually acceptable for daily drivers

[94_Rolla_Guy]

Im used to playing with USDM ae101 / ae102's not the levin, from my expirience and what ive heard you can go no more than 2" without getting into camber issues also more than 2" is a sure fire way to blow your struts.

To get to the rear struts on a USDM you pull up the butt cushion on the back then fold the seat backs down and remove the side bolsters ( 1 bolt at bottom, then slide up) you should see the pillow blocks at the top ( 3 bolts ) and 1 big bolt

DON'T undo the big bolt unless the springs are properly compressed with a spring compressor