20COUGAR00
CEG'er
maybe your back is fine and there's a problem with the front, maybe the front has to go down more.
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BAT Kit installed - Way Lower in the REAR?
- Thread starter SilvaSVT98
- Start date
todras
Pretty fly for a white guy *cowbell*
tophe7d
CEG'er
Bump Stops do nothing for ride height. All they do is limit the travel distance. The piece I was talking about was a donut shaped polyurethane insert that insulated the spring from the subframe. Unfortunately I don't have a pic for you. Sorry.
posthuman63t
Veteran CEG'er
I plan on getting my suspension put on Saturday, and I'll post some pics up here for a little more comparison.
If mine is low in the rear and higher in the front, then we will just assume it take some time to settle as chris showed in his sequence of pictures. If not, maybe a little more investigating has to go on.
If mine is low in the rear and higher in the front, then we will just assume it take some time to settle as chris showed in his sequence of pictures. If not, maybe a little more investigating has to go on.
SilvaSVT98
New CEG'er
thanks posthuman.
If you got your new strut mounts from BAT... can you do me a favor and compare the new ones you have now with the old ones they'll give back? The stock ones i have in my possession after installing the new ones "seem" quite thicker. Maybe its just men. BTW- the stock strut mounts look "fine" to me, i guess it wasn't necessary but a "might as well" measure.
If you got your new strut mounts from BAT... can you do me a favor and compare the new ones you have now with the old ones they'll give back? The stock ones i have in my possession after installing the new ones "seem" quite thicker. Maybe its just men. BTW- the stock strut mounts look "fine" to me, i guess it wasn't necessary but a "might as well" measure.
SicSE
Veteran CEG'er
A five-page long thread and you STILL haven't done what was suggested in the first reply? Wow.
It looks normal to me.
It looks normal to me.
SilvaSVT98
New CEG'er
Hey "SmartGUY"SicSE...
TRUE ride height is measured from the center of the wheel to the top of the fender AND those measurements were posted. So that was Done and Done. Not sure if you read the first page and then the last page of this thread Cliff's Notes style, but Chris from CTA and I have compared our "ride height" measurements. And the reason why I want to see a comparison with someone else's kit installed is so i can order a NEW PAIR of springs from CTA and have them at the quick for the next install since BAT wasn't trying to do anything about my dislike with the 700.00 I just spent with them. TG money is not an issue.
Reebs
meester super sleuth
Forget your BAT's and get some K sports! :laugh:
I think it is just the way BAT struts are and not an installation error. On another note, I loved my BAT springs on koni struts because is sat really really low in the front. :shrug:
I think it is just the way BAT struts are and not an installation error. On another note, I loved my BAT springs on koni struts because is sat really really low in the front. :shrug:
mattsBLK99cSVT
Hard-core CEG'er
mmmmmm ksports :drool: has anyone had problems with them? my friend who owns a honda says the struts are notorious for blowing out and he'd never put them on his car
Reebs
meester super sleuth
I haven't heard anything bad about them and they are brand new on my car so I'm not worried. They handle better than ANY suspension setup I've ever had on a Contour... and I've had a ton of setups! stock svt, Koni sport, k sports, konis/bat, konis/ground controls, stock/handr, stock/eibach, etc...!
SicSE
Veteran CEG'er
Sorry to ruffle your feathers there Silva, but it bites me in the ass when people on here ask for help, but then don't follow good advice.
Our rear fenders are cut lower than our fronts. Consequently, the above way of measuring is more practical for a Contour to determine if the car IS sitting low in the rear. Even being able to compare your measurements to someone else's doing it the "right way", I would still be curious what measurements the above method would yield. But hey, that's just me.
lightngsvt
CEG'er
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2003
- Messages
- 52
I just got BAT's kit installed on my 98 CSVT about 3 days ago, mine does not sit lioke yours does. I would say my car sits level, if anything it may be just s tiny bit higher in the rear. Im extremely happy with the way my car sits and the BAT kit in general. I also run 215-45-17 tires (new) on ST200 rims.
Before the BAT kit my car sat like yours but I had 3 broken springs and one blown out shock and a bad rear sway bar link. Not anymore. BAT wasnt the most customer focused company I have dealt with but I cant say I have any realy complaints with how I was treated or their kit.
Mt car measure
Ft- 14.5", 5" (skirt)
Rr- 13.5", 5.5" (skirt)
Before the BAT kit my car sat like yours but I had 3 broken springs and one blown out shock and a bad rear sway bar link. Not anymore. BAT wasnt the most customer focused company I have dealt with but I cant say I have any realy complaints with how I was treated or their kit.
Mt car measure
Ft- 14.5", 5" (skirt)
Rr- 13.5", 5.5" (skirt)
Last edited:
posthuman63t
Veteran CEG'er
Day after install...
SVTMiG
CEG'er
OK, first...sorry for dredging up a thread this old, but I'm experiencing the same issue. Silva, any new words 10 months later? I did a search on suspension looking for commentaries on spring perch height. Last weekend I installed 4 new Eibach Pro-kit springs on 4 new BAT struts with all new mounts. I reused bump-stops and dust covers. I have not measured either way mentioned here yet, but I am a bit disappointed in the look.
The reason I was searching for spring perch differences is that I've read other brand struts having that issue. When I assembled the rears, I did not have to compress the springs to get everything on and I thought that was odd. But I figured (if memory serves me) the BAT's were compatible with stock springs so a shorter, higher rate spring may not need that pre-load. I'm tempted to slap a stock SVT strut back in 1 rear corner with the Eibach spring and measure the difference, but I don't have time till next weekend. But by then I hope to have an alignment so I probably won't touch it.
Anyway, I went to breakfast with my wife this morning and ended up loading the car up on the way back. Trunk empty, 4 adults and 1 small child. I ran into a store and coming back out I was in awe of how much rear tire had disappeared into the wheel well. I took it VERY easy on bumps the rest of the way.
The reason I was searching for spring perch differences is that I've read other brand struts having that issue. When I assembled the rears, I did not have to compress the springs to get everything on and I thought that was odd. But I figured (if memory serves me) the BAT's were compatible with stock springs so a shorter, higher rate spring may not need that pre-load. I'm tempted to slap a stock SVT strut back in 1 rear corner with the Eibach spring and measure the difference, but I don't have time till next weekend. But by then I hope to have an alignment so I probably won't touch it.
Anyway, I went to breakfast with my wife this morning and ended up loading the car up on the way back. Trunk empty, 4 adults and 1 small child. I ran into a store and coming back out I was in awe of how much rear tire had disappeared into the wheel well. I took it VERY easy on bumps the rest of the way.
SilvaSVT98
New CEG'er
some updated pictures for you... one year after installation
after all my ranting... went through the box that this stupid Car Audio Store gave back to me with all my stock parts (yes, thats right, my in-a-hurry-dork self went to the nearest place to have them put it on- what?), and I noticed they left the rear strut mounts on the STOCK struts. Sped my car over to a random mechanic who is my best friend between me and my SVT up until this day and had him put it on instead. So, 200 dollars down the drain from the 1st shop, the car is riding nice, looking nice (as everyone's pictures they've posted for me, thank you guys) and up to what it should be. AND, i found a great mechanic... so all in all, glad it happened.
after all my ranting... went through the box that this stupid Car Audio Store gave back to me with all my stock parts (yes, thats right, my in-a-hurry-dork self went to the nearest place to have them put it on- what?), and I noticed they left the rear strut mounts on the STOCK struts. Sped my car over to a random mechanic who is my best friend between me and my SVT up until this day and had him put it on instead. So, 200 dollars down the drain from the 1st shop, the car is riding nice, looking nice (as everyone's pictures they've posted for me, thank you guys) and up to what it should be. AND, i found a great mechanic... so all in all, glad it happened.
Silver Bullet
CEG'er
The first shop installed without the rear mounts? :shrug: How could that be? the rear mount is top hat for spring and strut assembly holding it all together?
SilvaSVT98
New CEG'er
that is what they did though. i pulled them strut mounts off, brought it to BUD and said, "hey, i think they forgot to put these in the rears, and can you put these new bump stops in too?" He did and 2 hours later, viola... problem fixed. No butt sag. Took the car 1.5 inches higher and evened out the front.
rollinstylee
Hard-core CEG'er
This couldn't be what happened. Perhaps you are explaining it incorrectly, or mistaking the strut mount for something else. It is literally impossible to install a rear strut without the mount. The mount not only holds the strut assembly together, but it also attaches it to the body of the car. The shaft of the strut would not be captured by anything without the mount...it's just...not possible. Now, one of the top hat pieces I can see being technically possible (albeit mind-boggling stupid) to neglect installing, however the mount would have had to come off your original struts to get to those, and you said the mount was still on your old struts. Something does not add up here.
SilvaSVT98
New CEG'er
CORRECTION: Spring Seat
Item 7 on this link:
http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1b/d5/59/0900823d801bd559/repairInfoPages.htm
Silver Bullet
CEG'er
Ok makes sense now. You should have went back again to first shop and demanded at least half of your money back for botched rear installs. After all you already took your car back a second time for them to correct and they missed it again. If they refused refund, take photos and have 2nd shop detail on your bill what was done and why. Small claims court would have been a slam dunk but maybe you waited too long to do now.