Ke70 Suspension Questions

[DearmanKE]

ill agree with alot of what has been said.

 

cut springs can be just as safe as lowered springs if held captive, and vise versa for lowered sprigns not held captive.

 

for the rear, I'm not sure if it was mentiong but holden HQ rear shocks are shorter stroke and tougher valveing, as are ra60 celica rear shocks,

ive used both with cut stock springs and cut falcon springs in the rear and both feel fine and never had an issue with the spring falling out or anything.( i did have the issue when i was running standard shocks however)

 

for the front ive done research on it before and did not come up with much for a shorter stroke shock, look into VW golf shoccks, i have a feeling they are shorter and wil fit the ke70 strut, but probs not worth bothering with.

 

for a pair of ADM 86 front struts with brakes and steering arms you are looking at 250-350 bucks, thats without springs or shocks(or with standard crap items)

 

 

also when you lower your car you will need a wheel alignment

[Frank21]

I personally don't see a problem with cut springs as long as they're captive. Many people will say that the heat created while cutting the spring will weaken the material (which is true to some extent) and might be of some danger. I'm yet to see or read of anyone who has suffered from springs which have 'snapped' or something similar because of cut springs.

 

 

Regards

 

Albert

[LittleRedSpirit]

Whatever a persons opinion of cut springs may be, rollaclub does not encourage the use of them.

 

Its always better to have the perfect spring for the job. Cut springs don't make the car handle as well as they should, nor do they fit the perches as well. For this reason they are illegal and frankly should be.

[altezzaclub]

How much is everyone talking about when they say "cut springs"??

 

I took a set out of our manual g'box donor car and put them into our KE70, and they are just fine. There is no problem with them being captive, they ride fine with stock shocks and they lowered the car 25mm front & 35mm rear. They had been cut with a disc grinder and showed no heat distortion.

 

I'm sure they make no difference to the ride, apart from being so slightly stiffer as to be almost un-noticed, unless we load it with 4adults and luggage, which is what manufacturers have to provide for.

 

Looks much better now..

[nichy]

ok just so people know...

 

the bottom eye hole must be 16mm to fit on the rear of a ke70/ae86/t18 ect.

 

 

 

a suzuki serria front shock is 465mm extended and 285mm compressed. kyb part number 343186

 

i got this off kyb after getting him to do some searching for me as i brought some hi-lux ones and they have a 14 mm eyelet hole.

 

 

so before you go taking idea's off the interwebs do a couple of checks first. and i have been told by kyb/ngk that there is nothing else very close to match.

 

just some info....

 

oh and kyb are more than happy to match things up. i think i was taling to jason there ... champ

[cackal]

Hi,

 

I just bought a KE70 wagon and am looking to turn it into a clean little daily for the wife and I to get around in. The suspension is fairly clapped out so will be at the top of list to get done. I'm not after anything crazy just lowered an inch or 2 and tightened up a bit to improve handling, but nothing too hard.

 

I've been doing a heap of reading around here and other forums but just looking for clarification on a few points before I go chasing up parts...

 

Firstly it seems the AE86 front strut conversion is the way to go, it looks fairly easy and I like the fact I can put some bigger anchors on too! Question is - Is it legal? (In Tasmania.)

 

Secondly, how big can I go with rims with this set up? I'm hoping for 16-17" x something fat!

 

I've still got no idea what to do about the rears? Any ideas there greatly appriciated!

 

I've got about $1500 or so to spend on suspension, but would rather quality over cheap so can wait a little while longer and pay more if needed...

 

The main point is it has to be legal, so no "just chop the springs" thanks :)

 

Cheers

Free

Edited December 4, 2010 by cackal

[B.L.Z.BUB]

This should be a sticky and every new ke70 owner/member should be made to read it.

[snotyellowke55]

 

Firstly it seems the AE86 front strut conversion is the way to go, it looks fairly easy and I like the fact I can put some bigger anchors on too! Question is - Is it legal? (In Tasmania.)

 

You're using direct swap components by the same manufacturer from the same era. That in itself is not prima facie 'illegal' - just 'defectable' depending on the cop. I've had issues with both my 'rolla and my Soarer. The way I have gotten around any trouble is I have stated the parts utilised are from the same floorpan of vehicle (i.e. my JZZ30 Soarer is essentially half JZA80 Supra now - same chassis, different body :laff: )

 

Cops here, in my experience, are largely misinformed, and arrogant - a combination I don't have any tolerance for, and thus when modifying my 'rolla I have used direct swap bits. A cop asked at a breatho station if my suspension components were stock. I said it was, and pointed to the "Toyota" labelling / embossing on the components - then he was none the wiser (AE86 struts).

 

If you just don't do stupid shit like, as you said, chopping the coils, you shouldnt have too much trouble. Tassie is not like Sydney or Melbourne where cops hand out defect notices like condoms at family planning centres.