Eibach springs on crappy shocks/struts

spock2001us · Feb 27, 2006

I installed Eibach Pro-Kit springs and since I had Monroe Sensatrac shocks/springs I took them in and swapped them for new ones (lifetime warrenty)....I plan to upgrade the shocks when cash becomes available.

Now my car rides like a freaking dune-buggy......since my car is lowered, is that what is making it ride like I am on the sand dunes?....bouncing up and down?

If the problem is with the Monroe Sensacrap, I am going to throw them out and buy some real shocks/struts.

Nobody · Feb 27, 2006

Yeah it's your dampers. If you don't want to spend a lot of money, just get stock replacements. That should be enough to control the rebound of those springs.

spock2001us · Feb 27, 2006

Oops.....

Oops....I found this on the Monroe website......I used my air-ratchet on the rear mounts in the trunk and my impact on the strut mounts under the hood. I think the fronts are fine, but I may have blown up the rears.

During assembly

Do not use an air impact wrench as there is a risk of turning the piston rod which can cause wear to the seal and loosening of the piston
Do not grip the piston rod with pliers as this can damage the chrome and cause premature oil seal wear
Before installing, prime the shock absorber with the top side up (not necessary for high pressure shock absorbers)
Do not over-tighten rubber mounting bushes. Tighten all mounting nuts without locking them. Tighten with a torque wrench when the vehicle is resting on its wheels and has been settled by moving it.

SeventyMach1 · Feb 27, 2006

Take 'em back again (it's free, right?). Install the new ones right & see if it changes the ride.

95cobraguy · Feb 27, 2006

so your saying that since you put in those springs it rides like a dune buggy? then i would say its those springs, not the shocks/struts. and i can almost guarantee it has nothing to do with using your air ratchet on the rear. eibachs aren't known to be the nicest riding coils out there.
getting a better strut/shock combo will help but those springs are your problem.

spock2001us · Feb 27, 2006

95cobraguy said:
so your saying that since you put in those springs it rides like a dune buggy? then i would say its those springs, not the shocks/struts. and i can almost guarantee it has nothing to do with using your air ratchet on the rear. eibachs aren't known to be the nicest riding coils out there.
getting a better strut/shock combo will help but those springs are your problem.

I drove on the new springs for a week with new front struts, without a problem...then this past weekend, I installed the rears and when first driving it, the car felt like I was bouncing down the freeway with every crack in the road. I read on the Monroe website something about expanding and compressing the new shock a few times before installing it (which of course I did not know about when installing)....but driving home today from work the ride seemed to soften up (or stiffen up, depending on how you look at it) to the point that I don't feel like a dune buggy anymore....so hopefully the shock will be ok.....until cash flow inproves so I can buy some struts/shocks made for lowered cars like Koni or Eibach.

HISSIN50 · Feb 27, 2006

The thing with springs like that is that now you have such a limited range of compression and rebound travel to try and allow the damper to do anything.

I can only relate that I went from stockers with Eibachs to a great set of Tokicos (Shane's barely used set - mint) and it made a huge difference. I think the more aggressive damper was able to hang with the abrupt spring.

FWIW when the suspension bounces up and down multiple times after hitting a bump, that suggests no damping at all (from the shock/strut). I once had a front shock come undone on another car and it was rediculous - I kinda looked like a bobblehead as I drove along.

spock2001us · Feb 27, 2006

HISSIN50 said:
The thing with springs like that is that now you have such a limited range of compression and rebound travel to try and allow the damper to do anything.

I can only relate that I went from stockers with Eibachs to a great set of Tokicos (Shane's barely used set - mint) and it made a huge difference. I think the more aggressive damper was able to hang with the abrupt spring.

FWIW when the suspension bounces up and down multiple times after hitting a bump, that suggests no damping at all (from the shock/strut). I once had a front shock come undone on another car and it was rediculous - I kinda looked like a bobblehead as I drove along.

Thanks for the advice....I won't worry about it, and just start looking for a damper made for an Eibach/lowering spring.

HISSIN50 · Feb 27, 2006

Spock, the thing is that if you were happy with the front dampers, and this issue only came around when you installed the rears, to me that suggests the rears are the root of the issue (I might not have the chronology of events right).

If that's the case, I *might* replace the rears (shocks, since there might be some issue there and they are easy to swap) and then let it be for a bit and see how it does.

If you have the shock on the bench (if you replace or examine them), when you compress it and pull up as hard as you can (to extend the shock) it should not want to come up (and will probably make hydraulic noises as the orifices flow). A lack of this dynamic (testing rebound here) could lead to what you feel on the highway.

What happens if you just push down on one of the rear fenders? It should compress and come back up and settle. If it bounces, that suggests a bad shock.

Just tryin to throw out ideas.

Good luck.

go-stang5.0 · Feb 28, 2006

I agree with the fender test...although i use the bumper. This test is the quickest way to see if the shocks are working. Try it before you take anything apart again. And when you get new ones if you go non adjustable the tokico's are really good quality, but the bilsteins are the best. There monotube design produses one of the strongest shocks you can buy (by nature of design), and there quality is top notch also.

spock2001us · Feb 28, 2006

OK...I give up....I drove it to work this morning and it was like a dune buggy on a flat highway (not literally, but I there was a lot of bounce and It is coming from the rear)....not really a recoil type bounce, I can feel every crack in the road.

I pushed down on the rear and it simply returns with no bounce at all.

I read on the Monroe website that Sensatrac shocks/struts have a soft ride, then when the piston moves to a certain point, the shock firms up because it thinks you are on rough terrain. So, maybe with the lowered springs, the shock is at a stiffer level.

spock2001us · Feb 28, 2006

Apparently this issue has been covered in the following thread:

http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=447902

This guy was complaining of the exact same thing....oh well....I'm still gonna get some better dampers/shocks.

Eibach springs on crappy shocks/struts

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