del sol suspension questions

meats50 · Post by **meats50** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 8:18 pm

So last time i posted on the site i was having timing belt issues. Fixed that problem and have been daily driving the car (about an hour commute each way). The tires were shot when I received the car. I figured Id try to make them last through the summer, but the inside of the passenger front tire was starting to show the steel belts. So I got tires mounted today. Here are my issues...

The tire shop said there is no way they can get the alignment close. The camber is way off all the way around. The car is lowered, this was done when I got it. From what I can tell they kept the stock strut and cut the spring. That is just a guess because Im not familiar with these cars, the coilover isnt adjustable, and the strut doesnt have any aftermarket company sticker or anything like that.

So my question is any of you guys know where I can get some stock springs on the cheap? Or recommend a good adjustable coilover set up? I think Im going to keep the struts that are under it and get just the sleeve and the spring if I go adjustable. Im looking to invest as little money as possible because I just dd this car and all im really wanting to do is get my suspension geometry correct so I dont prematurely wear tires.

I apoligize if these are dumb questions. I know alot of parts on these cars are compatible with other honda models, but as I said before Im not familiar with these cars. If the car goes back to the stock ride height im ok with that, as I said this car is my commuter. Thanks in advance for any advice.

HardCore97 · Post by **HardCore97** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 9:54 pm

there is no reason why they shouldnt be able to get the alignment close. what tire shop did you take it to?

meats50 · Post by **meats50** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 10:07 pm

plaza tire in perryville mo. Ive taken all my vehicles there for years including both my mustangs that are lowered and theyve always done a good job.

I think its the way this thing is lowered. He said there is aftermarket peices i could buy to get the camber correct. Which I understand, I have maximum motorsports coilovers, bumpsteer kit, caster camber plates, etc on my 92 mustang. All those parts in conjunction correct the geometry of a lowered vehicle. Im just looking for the cheapest route and assumed that putting stock uncut springs back on the car would be it.

Basically he got the toe correct which is the easy part. its the camber thats way out. the wheels/tires are tilted in at the top, out at the bottom and will cause the inner part of the tire to chop and then wear out. thats the only thing im trying to prevent. It doesnt bother me to raise the car back to factory ride height as i now scrape on everything lol. and it feels like the suspension bottom out on bridge approaches.

delslo · Post by **delslo** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 11:32 pm

1st. I am a del sol owner from Perryville.
2nd. I tried to give away my stock del sol suspension a while back, if I still had them, they'd be yours.

3rd. My understanding of camber is, that if your toe is correct, you aren't actually wearing your tire any faster with camber.

You get that impression because its the only part of the tire wearing, but the life of the tire is actually the same. What you do miss out on with lots of camber is, having the best contact patch possible, but if this doesn't concern you, I'd just leave the toe correct and drive it like it is.

meats50 · Post by **meats50** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 1:01 am

do you own the black del sol thats oin the corner up the street from plaza tire? not stalking you lol. just over there alot haha.

delslo · Post by **delslo** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 1:29 am

meats50;297774 wrote:do you own the black del sol thats oin the corner up the street from plaza tire? not stalking you lol. just over there alot haha.

No. That guy has had it since before I could drive! We always took good care of it.

I've owned 3. In order - A red one, a black one, and a red one (Current)

I moved to STL in 2006.

I come to town once in a while, if you see any of these pictured below, say hi!

Sorry to thread jack. I'm know others know more about suspension on here than I. Good luck sorting it out!

ymisoqt · Post by **ymisoqt** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 12:44 pm

delslo;297768 wrote:1st. I am a del sol owner from Perryville.
2nd. I tried to give away my stock del sol suspension a while back, if I still had them, they'd be yours.

3rd. My understanding of camber is, that if your toe is correct, you aren't actually wearing your tire any faster with camber.

You get that impression because its the only part of the tire wearing, but the life of the tire is actually the same. What you do miss out on with lots of camber is, having the best contact patch possible, but if this doesn't concern you, I'd just leave the toe correct and drive it like it is.

That is correct.

I run -3 camber on my del sol. My tires have lasted a year so far. I hate when people try to argue that it's the camber that eats through tires when it's really toe.

You might want to post what your budget is for suspension, it would be easier to steer you in the right direction if we knew how much you are wanting to spend.

meats50 · Post by **meats50** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 1:20 am

i did a google search and found jc whitney sells stock replacements. I can get all 4 for $100. Thats pretty reasonable i feel. Never ordered from jc whitney before lol.

I found a couple cheap adjustable coilover kits. But Im afraid that buying cheap, ill get exactly what i paid for. Plus im not familiar with any companys that are reputable when dealing with parts for these cars. So seems to me that going oe replacement fits my needs the best. As I stated before I just commute with this car. Its great for that. Small, fun to drive, good gas mileage. I just dont want to dump a ton of money into it. The car is already in kinda ruff shape. Looks good from a distance but up close it def shows its age. Plus Ive already dumped a small fortune in my 2 other cars.

ymisoqt · Post by **ymisoqt** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 3:02 am

Well if that's the case then get some replacement shocks and some aftermarket springs. Jc Whitney is a reputable company that's been around for a long time.