PROBLEM NOW SOLVED! Lowered it&brakes catching wheels!

[snattrass 0]

Hi,

 

 

Fitted PI Lowering springs all round and now I find the inner part of my alloys are catching the outer part of the brake calipers! This was dramatically brought to my attention last night after I took it out feeling quite pleased with my work and pleased with the way it looked with the reduced ride height with plenty of clearance for the tyres and front wings.

 

 

Two minutes down the road I started to hear a knocking sound come from the passenger side front corner. It started to get louder and I grinded literally to a halt when the complete wheel came off! It's slightly damaged the wing and stripped one of the threads on the inner wheel where one of the wheel nut goes! What a pisser!

 

 

Upon examination, the knocking is coming from the inner part of the alloys catching the brake caliper housing. On the drivers front wheel I don't think it's knocking but again the caliper seems to barely clears the inner part of the wheel.

 

 

Why is it after fitting lowering springs that my 17 inch are all of a sudden alloys catching the brake calipers when they previously weren't? How does lowering the car 40 or so mm change the distance between the brake calipers and the inner part of the wheel???? I'm really puzzled by that! I don't see how in the process of lowering it I've affected brake caliper distances from the wheel! And secondly, of course, what can I do to fix it? Will I have to take the lowering springs off? Or will it now be the same even with normal height springs back on? Or can I fit some kind of spacers that would pad the wheels out a bit so that they clear the calipers? I limped how on the space saver wheel but it looks like that's quite close to the calipers as well.

 

 

I do hope you can help! This was quite a shock at 11pm last night!

 

 

Thanks, Simon.

[easypops 8]

when i had my coilovers fitted i had the same problem.....had to fit 10mm spacers on the backs and 5mm spacers on the front...not sure why but i was just happy it worked.....i didn't do any of the work myself tho :D

[Mike Edwards 0]

It's catching on something else - the wheels and calipers will have the same relative positions no matter how much you lower the car.

[snattrass 0]

Mike that's exactly what I don't understand! You sumed it up perfectly - it just doean't make any sense!

 

 

Yet when I put the wheel back on with it jacked up it would turn maybe 270 or so degrees then sure enough it was knocking on the caliper. And on the drivers side there is precious little space between the caliper and the wheel inner. I'll try to get a picture up to show you and have another look "the morning after"!

 

 

Whatever it's catching on, how much do spacers cost? Are they corrado specific? Can I just get them at the local motor factors or are they specialist? I assume I'd need longer wheel bolts to accomodate the extra width.

[Mike Edwards 0]

In which case, something has moved that shouldn't.

 

Start looking at the hub on each side to figure out why one is rubbing but the other isn't.

[snattrass 0]

Right Mike and all,

 

 

You are quite right (I think) having had another look in the daylight at it.

 

 

It's not very easy to see it from the photographs but the steering gaitor jubilee clip is catching the anti roll bar I think it is underneath it. That's the reason why you can turn the brake disc without the wheel on right through virtually 360 degrees and each time underneath at the same point the metal jubilee type clip that holds the gaitor on catches the top of the anti roll bar pin which goes into a bracket below. Unlike this side, on the drivers side front wheel (with the car jacked up at both sides) there is about an inch between the top of the anti roll bar pin and the bottom of the steering gaitor. For some reason on this side however the top of the anti roll bar pin virtually touches the lowest point of the steering gaitor and when you turn it to the point where the jubilee type clip on the steering gaitor meets the top of the anti roll bar pin it catches and causes a bump.

 

 

Not sure if you can make it out from the following photos but that's what's happening. Not sure why this side is lower than the other side but I'm sure I assembled both sides exactly the same but I'll double check again tommorow anyway.

 

 

Not sure how to fix it apart from bending the bracket mounting for the anti roll bar out of the way which might work but still doesn't answer the question why it's like that in the first place.

 

 

Cheers, Mike and all for input. Your thoughts appreciated.

 

Ps sorry about px quality I'll try and get some better ones 2m.

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[Mike Edwards 0]

Worst pics ever??? :)

 

If the clip on the UJ is fouling the ARB, something is seriously amiss...

[snattrass 0]

I'll take some more pix tommorow. I was in a rush today and not sure how these would come out.

 

 

I think it's had a bump on that corner at some point in it's life and I'm wondering whether things are a bit untrue on that side. Will have a look 2m.

[snattrass 0]

Sorry big error in description.

 

 

It's not the steering gaitor jubilee clip that's catching but CV gaitor jubilee clip. Will get pix to follow.

[snattrass 0]

Right folks - are you ready for me to digest a barn full of humble pie!

 

 

Basically, it all boils down to this - I forgot to tighten the wheel nuts up! I put myself under so much pressure to get it all done that I was determined to finish it by sat night. I finished the front one hand tightened the wheel nuts and quickly moved onto the rears thinking I would go round and tighten them all up when I'd finished the rear and everything. Well, with trying to bash on in the dark while not feeling the best (I suffer from M.E), and with an interruption when I had to give someone a lift (in their car) when I came back and finished it all off I forgot to go back and tighten up the front wheel nuts!

 

 

So when going out after eventually finishing late on sat night the wheel nuts came off and the wheel came off and the anti roll bar pin bracket bent upwards so that the top of the ARB pin was touching the cv boot gaitor. When the wheel turned the jubilee fastening on the CV gaitor was catching the ARB pin head and that's what was causing the knocking not the brake calipers as I first thought in the dark. This morning I straightened out the anti roll bar bracket and hey just like the other side there's now a lovely looking inch or so gap between the anti roll bar pin head and the cv boot! Bit of a story and heaps of humble pie but glad it's all sorted. I just need to replace the cv boot rubber sometime but that's fine.

 

 

Not sure exactly what the moral of the story is but "more haste, less speed" could be one of them!

 

 

Thanks Mike and all for trying to help. It was just my head up my arse that's all!

 

 

Cheers, SImon.

[easypops 8]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

at least you have it sorted, well done

[snattrass 0]

Thanks easypops! Thankfully, I was only doing 5 or 10 mph or less when I came came unstuck - literally!

 

 

Mind you there's only the slightest clearance between the brake calipers and the inside of the alloys. I mean it's probably OK and, as Mike says it's been that way since before I lowered it, but 5mm spacers might make it a little bit more of a comfortable clearance.

 

 

PS: I wonder what 5mm spacers would do for handling and looks?

 

S