BAT Kit installed - Way Lower in the REAR?

[SilvaSVT98]

Spoke with BAT, told "ERIC" my concerns with the rear sagging and he wasn't much help at all. He said that he's shipped out 8 kits this month and that i'm the only one that has complained with this issue. He then suggested that the shop that installed the kit must have not installed it correctly; that they might have forgot to put the BUMP STOPS in - can that cause the sagging? He then sent me the instructions on how to measure ride height "properly," and that should "shed some light." I was a bit irritated because the height is what it is - too freakin low. So here is what the car looks like.

If indeed the shop forgot to put components back on the rear suspension - which parts would they be? I don't know the anatomy of suspension (ie: strut bumper?) I did put new strut mounts in with this install.

 

[striker2]

first, you need to learn how to post pictures. go to photobucket.com and create an account (its free). then upload your pictures to them, then post the "img code" in a post here.


now, leaving the bump stops out is not going to change the ride height since the car doesnt ride on the bump stops. they are only used to prevent you from bottoming out the shock. what were his instructions for measuring ride height? and what did you measurments did you actually get?

 

[Redlineracer12]

Either way something is definitely not right if you ask me.

 

[SilvaSVT98]

IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f221/silvabjeffrey/P4260005.jpg[/IMG]

 

[LUCA]

Comparision:
Yours:

Mine:

A different angle:

At most, mine probably only have about 8,000 miles on them.
I'd go take some measurements for you but the car is on jack stands right now. Not that those measurements would/should be exactly as yours but it might have been a starting point or reference for you.

Hope you get it straightened out!

 

[todras]

That kit looks precisely like it was installed in reverse order. Not right even if the springs are where they should be.

 

[SilvaSVT98]

here are BAT's instructions for measuring "RIDE HEIGHT."

mine are as follows:

FRONT (from center of the wheel to the top fender): 14 inches
REAR (from center of the wheel to the top fender): 12.5 inches

Thats a 1.5 inch difference from front to back. I'm going to call BAT tomorrow once again. They were basically talking to me like I'm the only one that has had this issue and that they didn't seem they were down to work something out with me. I'm thinking send me a new pair of rear springs and do a comparison. This is an overall negative experience.

 

[Chris@CTA]

Here are the measurements of my 1998.5 Contour SVT

Front wheel opening to centre of wheel: 13.5"
Side Skirt (front lower edge) to ground: 4.25"

Rear wheel opening to centre of wheel: 12.5"
Side Skirt (rear lower edge) to ground: 5"

If I remove the battery from the trunk, 38lbs, the ride height barely changes. When I remove battery and spare tire from trunk, the ride height only changes about a 1/4" higher.

Observation, the front end on your ride seems to be too high, and that is probably exaggerating the the back end being much lower than it actually is.

I have had my BAT kit on for 6 1/2 years, and the front end was high in the beginning but then it settled and gives a fairly decent stance.

Pictures showing the ride height over the years.
Autumn 2007

Autumn 2006

Summer 2004 (rear weight reduction from previous year pic, lighter sub box, but some weight added back due to aftercooler water storage tank and pump in trunk)

Autumn 2003

Autumn 2001

 

[todras]

That last pic looks identical to his.

 

[Tex]

Observation, the front end on your ride seems to be too high, and that is probably exaggerating the the back end being much lower than it actually is.

My thoughts exactly. Your rear looks good IMO, but your front almost looks higher than stock.

 

[Chris@CTA]

That last pic looks identical to his.

Exactly the point of my post. The last pic is the same day the suspension was installed, but you can see over the years how the suspension settled, longer for me due to the lack of driving. Look how much lower the front is in the more recent pics compared to the earlier pics. I'd say the front end settled an inch or more lower than when the kit was first installed.

 

[todras]

Odd that my kit never looked like that. I had ST200 struts though and now have Koni's. Could be due to the struts BAT uses. I guess he should wait a longer and have more evenly matched tires.

 

[xdetroitx]

you have to remember the rear wheel well is lower than the front, tomorrow i will get a measurement on mine (new BAT kit and mounts).

 

[todras]

It doesn't matter. We all know this. The BAT kit still is supposed to give a raked look.

 

[xdetroitx]

in most of the pics on this site the front end looks higher than the rear. mine looks lower than the front also. lets start a "lets see your svt with bat kit installed thread" and i bet they will all look pretty similar.

 

[tigerbalm]

I just got my BAT set installed wednesday. Mine looks ok to me although i do want to measure it. Have the light levels on your headlights moved from where they used to be?

 

[SilvaSVT98]

in most of the pics on this site the front end looks higher than the rear. mine looks lower than the front also. lets start a "lets see your svt with bat kit installed thread" and i bet they will all look pretty similar.

Thats a darn good idear. I'm gonna try to snap better pictures when I get home on monday (with the most leveled ground/minimal glare). I'm curious. I am going to try to be patient and give the front springs another couple of weeks to settle, since they've only been on for about a little over than a couple of weeks. If i'm not happy, I was thinking about some Eibachs, but what a waste of money on this "kit" that I thought was going to be the end-all-be-all.

As far as the headklights, i wouldn't know because I didn't think about doing a before and after comparison because i didn't foresee encoutering this problem. Hope all worked well for TIGERBALM.

 

[tophe7d]

Retouching on an earlier suggestion: The Install process... The springs are supposed to be located in the the seat of the strut as well as the upper plate. What if for some strange reason they are not seated correctly and sitting on top of the little notch that they're supposed to sit in? Also, is there some type of rubber insert that is on the seat or plate that could be adding to the overall ride height?

From my experience with my Focus, I've accidentally installed the springs incorrectly on the struts. I noticed it before I installed them on the car and corrected it, but it did happen. Also, there were special poly inserts in my kit for the rear springs that I decided not to install to help lower the car for my application. Not to mention, the car was no longer street driven, but you get the point. If I remember correctly, the rear poly insert was like 1/4" to 1/2" thick. Any type of spring rubber/insert or mount will definitely increase/decrease ride height.

I would have someone knowledgeable of our cars (perhaps a local member in your area) just take a peak and see what a second opinion gets you.

Good luck,

Chris

 

[SilvaSVT98]

Retouching on an earlier suggestion: The Install process... The springs are supposed to be located in the the seat of the strut as well as the upper plate. What if for some strange reason they are not seated correctly and sitting on top of the little notch that they're supposed to sit in? Also, is there some type of rubber insert that is on the seat or plate that could be adding to the overall ride height?

From my experience with my Focus, I've accidentally installed the springs incorrectly on the struts. I noticed it before I installed them on the car and corrected it, but it did happen. Also, there were special poly inserts in my kit for the rear springs that I decided not to install to help lower the car for my application. Not to mention, the car was no longer street driven, but you get the point. If I remember correctly, the rear poly insert was like 1/4" to 1/2" thick. Any type of spring rubber/insert or mount will definitely increase/decrease ride height.

I would have someone knowledgeable of our cars (perhaps a local member in your area) just take a peak and see what a second opinion gets you.

Good luck,

Chris

did you mean "BUMP STOP" for the Poly Insert? I've ordered new ones from fordparts.com and was just going to insert them IF i was going to put new springs in. So for the final word, do BUMP STOPS really affect ride height? Because if so, i'm going to take this car to the shop again and drop another 200.00 just to get these in.

 

[tigerbalm]

i put new dust covers with bump stops on both front and back. I'll get some pictures posted soon of mine but i just had someone hit me in the friggin parking lot of my apartment complex.