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New Bilstein struts and shocks on my 855R wagon. 850 1995

posted by  someone claiming to be Allan on  Sat Jul 12 12:35 CST 2003 [RELATED]

Recently had right front strut noises at 103,000 miles and decided to replace
everything with Bilsteins (including upper mounts) which were ordered from IPD.
I had everything installed at a local Wheel Works because they would re-align
the car under an existing warranty.
Just picked up the car and it looks at least 1" lower in the rear and possibly
higher up front. I took a measurement from the edge of the wheel well to the ground and now have 26" up front and 24" in the rear.
It looks like the rear tires will be rubbing on the wheel wells if I put any significant load in the rear of the car.
Has anyone experienced this configuration change with Bilstein?
Is there anyway the installer could have messed with the spring height?
Does the 855R use a different shock than a 850 turbo?
...any suggestions would be appreciated.
I'll be asking the same questions when Wheel Works opens tomorrow.







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    New Bilstein struts and shocks on my 855R wagon. 850 1995

    posted by  someone claiming to be gordon_w on  Sun Jul 13 18:46 CST 2003 [RELATED]

    I'm guessing that the installation was done correctly. I have the Bilsteins on front and rear. I didn't do any measurements before the switch from stock but the whole car did appear about an inch higher. There have been many posts that report the same observation. It seems that the hi pressure in the Bilsteins contribute to the increase in ride height. I would suggest that you have the rears replaced with Bilsteins as well. Good luck.








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      New Bilstein struts and shocks on my 855R wagon. 850 1995

      posted by  someone claiming to be Allan on  Mon Jul 14 04:18 CST 2003 [RELATED]

      Gordon,
      Unfortunately I did replace the rear shocks with Bilstein's at the same time.
      My main concern is now the car is noticeably lower in the rear.
      I'm trying to find out from IPD if I ordered the wrong shocks or why the ride
      height would change so dramatically.
      Do you know if the 855 wagon uses different rear shocks than the sedan?
      I assume I can fix the front height with sport springs but I'm really confused
      about the rear.
      Thanks







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    New Bilstein struts and shocks on my 855R wagon. 850 1995

    posted by  james_a_sousa on  Sat Jul 12 15:18 CST 2003
    Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
    last visit: Thu Oct 23 18:51 CST 2014
    [RELATED]

    Our '96 855R measures 25-1/2 inches in the front and 25 inches in the rear. With 17' Volans, I measure 1-3/4" beween the wheel and the opening in the front amd 1-1/8" in the rear. (These measurements do not jive!) When viewed from the side, the Isabel has a definate rake, rear to front.

    My driveway is uneven, I'll measure in a parking lot tomorrow.

    The car has 97,000 miles on it and we have owned it since October and 91k miles.

    I do not know if any of the suspension has been changed since new.

    I was surprised to find the front higher than the rear.

    Good luck figuring out your car's stance.
    --
    3 8s & 2 7s 740,000 miles total








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      New Bilstein struts and shocks on my 855R wagon. 850 1995

      posted by  someone claiming to be Allan on  Sat Jul 12 15:54 CST 2003 [RELATED]

      Thanks for your reply James.
      I have roughly 1.75" clearance in the front and less than .25" clearance
      in the rear. It looks like they reversed the springs during the install, however I don't know if that is possible.
      Bottom line is that I now have a reverse rake on the car and obviously
      something is not right.

      Appreciate your input.







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        New Bilstein struts and shocks on my 855R wagon. 850 1995

        posted by  james_a_sousa on  Sun Jul 13 15:48 CST 2003
        Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
        last visit: Thu Oct 23 18:51 CST 2014
        [RELATED]

        Allan - Now I'm sorry that I measured my car!!!

        To center of wheel well-

        Left Front 25-1/4..........Right Front 25-3/8 Not too bad

        Left Rear 25-7/8..........Right Rear 25-1/8 Duh!

        Clearance to tire -

        Fronts about 1-3/4..........Rears about 1- 1/4

        I guess that I'll have to look into the tilt in the rear of the car.

        I'd love to know how your tale plays out.


        --
        3 8s & 2 7s 740,000 miles total








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          New Bilstein struts and shocks on my 855R wagon. 850 1995

          posted by  someone claiming to be Allan on  Thu Jul 17 12:46 CST 2003 [RELATED]

          James,
          Well...I was responsible for the change in the rear ride height!
          The 855R wagon has self-levelling shocks which means that the shocks and springs support the weight of the chassis. If you install Bilsteins on the rear
          the original springs have to take all the weight and they are not capable of that. I now have a new set of over-load springs on the rear and the ride height
          is almost back to where it started. The car is a little higher in the front with Bilsteins (25 3/4") and about the same in the rear (26").
          Overall I'm very happy with the ride and handling, it's rock solid and I feel every bump! The guys at IPD were very helpful.

          Cheers







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          New Bilstein struts and shocks on my 855R wagon. 850 1995

          posted by  someone claiming to be Allan on  Mon Jul 14 04:36 CST 2003 [RELATED]

          Thanks James,
          My wagon is higher on the right rear by approx 1/2"
          I'm measuring from the floor of my gagage to the center of the outside
          edge of the wheel well.
          It's 24" on the left and 24.5" on the right????
          Don't know if I'm doing something wrong but this has become interesting
          to say the least.
          I'll let you know the outcome.






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