finally, srt springs on stock struts

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Sun May 08, 2005 8:06 pm

i finally got my springs installed today with the help of a member of the local neon org (thanks shawn!)... to disprove any rumors here are the results.

front: .25" drop
rear: .75" drop

note: these measurements were taken immediately following the install (3.5hrs). the springs will settle a bit plus i didnt get around to doing an alignment at that point. for $52 shipped i think it was worth it (even if only to kill the rear end 'rake' - the car almost looks "normal" now because it doesnt have that ugly stance). the spring rate also increased 20lbs/in and 5lbs/in in the front and rear respectively. its not harsh its juuuuust right. id highly recommend this to anyone not looking to spend alot of money, want to keep their stock struts, lower their car a little, and share the common goal if ridding the 4x4 look.

BEFORE

AFTER

front - used to be 5 finger gap, now 4, from top of tire to fender
rear - used to be 6 finger gap, now 4, from top of tire to fender

05srt4clone · Post by **05srt4clone** » Sun May 08, 2005 9:06 pm

Looks good!

GTS · Post by **GTS** » Mon May 09, 2005 10:04 am

You dont need an alignment so i suggest dont waste the money.

The Camber on our cars is non adjustable so if you didnt tuch anything else you are ok. the result may have been ~.5° off if even so.

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Mon May 09, 2005 4:14 pm

still, and alignmnet cant hurt (just hit 45k). ordering f&r af/x strut bars and the 29f/24r hollow hotchkis sway set this week, cant wait!

GTS · Post by **GTS** » Mon May 09, 2005 5:46 pm

What are your first driving impressions with those new springs, i know you said they were just right but i want more.

You can get the crash bolts install one of them per strut and dial in 1° of camber to each wheel and this will help you a bit with cornering.

I drove my car through an AutoX course and damn it is soft.

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Mon May 09, 2005 9:27 pm

well stock spring rates were 150 front and 120 rear (i think, maybe 125)... the srt spring's increased spring rate is 170 for front and 5 more than my stock rear springs. i havent had time to really get on it yet. its not harsh at all, AND it killed the ass-in-the-air stance, thats all i can say thus far.

GTS · Post by **GTS** » Mon May 09, 2005 10:16 pm

that is exactly what i was looking for. I was planning to do the 1st gen but with FLINT MI my car barely survives as it is now.

I got a set of brand new SRT springs and i am hoping for a little drop front and a little more in the rear just like you.

I have bigger tires and they fill the fenders rather well so a tiny drop will be awsome.

Hopefully i can get them all on this friday. I will upgrade with pictures and may be you and me can do a how to and final results from an ATX and MTX total drops.

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Tue May 10, 2005 3:05 pm

im running 205/50-16 tires. they really fill the wheel well nice but id rather be on 205/45-16.... ill be going to Pirelli PZero Nero M&S tires once these go bad. the front drop is harldy noticeable unless you take measurements before/after. like ive said before, aside from the increased spring rate, by far the best thing about this install is that the back end comes down to a nice, even level. plus for $52 shipped i couldnt beat the price

GTS · Post by **GTS** » Tue May 10, 2005 9:17 pm

I am currently riding on 205/55/16 and i mean they are just great much of the soft ride is still there while stability has increased and it stops nicer.

I was planning to do 215/50/16 but that will be some time far into the future.

My goal with those springs was mainly to even the car out because it looks just the way i want it with a full trunk.

Your car turned out great and i am hoping that it all goes well with the rest of the project.

PS. Let me know if you need any endlinks for front or rear.

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Tue May 10, 2005 11:00 pm

no endlinks for me, just ordered the hotchkis sway set for $260 shipped!!! too bad hotchkis is out of stock so ill have to wait about a week and a half.

btw, anyone know anything about the rear tension struts through mopar? theyre $45 bucks but how much of a diff do they really make?

i swear, for less than $1000 (including shipping) this has been the most cost-effective buildup:
$200 AEM Intake, $250 ModernPerf 60mm T/B, $20 Booger bushings, $50 SRT4 Springs, $260 Hotchkis 29mm F/24mm R hollow sways = $780... debating on chrysler short throw for about $200. drove an '02 R/T with it and instantly fell in love with it.... that way ill have all my bases covered: engine, suspension, and drivetrain

J-Villa · Post by **J-Villa** » Tue May 10, 2005 11:50 pm

after checking out the srt springs on your ride i think i might do that to mine...will they work on sxt stock struts? or would i have to get like kyb or something

GTS · Post by **GTS** » Fri May 13, 2005 11:47 pm

No drop for me there. After installing the struts in my dad's shop ~3hrs with all sorts of tools i came to the conclusion that it was all for nothing.

I am up by a .25 in the front and exactly where i started in the rear so no drop for me there.

The SRT springs were brand new and ~1.5 in shorter than the stock both front and rear.

I like the back to NEW feel in the suspension because it feels energetic and stiff. I like it very much however i really would have liked it to go down a bit but ...

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Sat May 14, 2005 8:34 pm

E3EsXt02 wrote:after checking out the srt springs on your ride i think i might do that to mine...will they work on sxt stock struts? or would i have to get like kyb or something

from what ive heard, the rear end on models starting becoming lower and lower as the years progressed. 00-01 had the highest, then 02-03, and now 04-present have the lowest rear in stock form. as for GTS,i dont know why you didnt get a drop, i measured mine before and after and my numbers clearly show that it dropped even in the front.

im definitely enjoying the higher spring rate. you wont need new shocks with that little of a drop, if you get any at all. at most youll need an alignment. if you mark your strut bolts your alignment wont be too off from stock.

GTS · Post by **GTS** » Sun May 15, 2005 4:13 pm

Well measured again today and i am down to 2.5 in all around from 2.75. That was a surprise.

The car rides as if it was on rails. Love it its just the way i wanted it. THe ride is still rather smooth but stiff.

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Sun May 15, 2005 4:29 pm

GTS wrote:The car rides as if it was on rails. Love it its just the way i wanted it. The ride is still rather smooth but stiff.

exactly what i thought. its a tad bit firmer, but i wouldnt go as far as to say "harsh." glad it was somewhat worth the effort (so it wasnt just me that thought the car initially sat higher). i so cant wait for these hotchkis sway bars... still like another week yet.

GTS · Post by **GTS** » Thu May 26, 2005 3:24 am

Here are a few pics of the drop after about a week or so.

[img]

jailed · Post by **jailed** » Thu May 26, 2005 7:28 am

Where did you purchase your SRT 4 Springs at? I am considering this options for my 2002 ACR. This sounds like it might be the way to go as I am also going to plus size the rims and tires.

GTS · Post by **GTS** » Thu May 26, 2005 11:13 am

SRT Forums.

Here is a link of a bunch of offers that i got just before i bough my set.

http://www.srtforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135157

You can get a set for ~50ish shipped.

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Thu May 26, 2005 3:36 pm

yeah i got mine for $52 shipped. these are awesome now combined with my hotchkis sway bars

jailed · Post by **jailed** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 1:21 pm

Purchased a set for $40 delivered. Probably put them on in the next two weeks. Maybe do rear one week then front but will take before and after pictures of the measurements to confirm drop.

quicksilvr · Post by **quicksilvr** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 9:01 pm

GTS wrote:You dont need an alignment so i suggest dont waste the money.

The Camber on our cars is non adjustable so if you didnt tuch anything else you are ok. the result may have been ~.5° off if even so.

I was just reading through this thread (good thread by the way), and I saw this. Camber on our cars is indeed adjustable. With any significant drop you should also use a camber bolt kit that will allow the camber to be adjusted to the proper specs. I lowered my first neon about 2" and didn't bother with the camber. While being obvious even to the naked eye, the wheels were negative cambered enough to wear the tires out real fast on the inside. When I lowered my second (and current car) I bought the bolts and had them installed when the car was aligned. Tires wear correctly and the car handles better, although I would suggest about a degree of negative camber in the FRONT wheels only. Helps alot with handling, and doesn't affect tire life too dramatically.

The caster on our cars is not adjustable. The camber is.

All that said, GTS is correct in saying that with only a small drop an alignment and camber adjustment is not needed, which is the case with SRT springs. So you're good to go.

jailed · Post by **jailed** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 6:40 pm

Well I installed a set of SRT 4 springs on my 02 Neon ACR last Tuesday. A week later, I have lost 1/2 inch up front and 1/4 inch in the rear. This is a small improvement and only time will tell if its the right amount for me. I have also picked up a set of 1st gen ACR springs that I might install to see how that goes but right now I think I will see how things go with SRT 4 springs.

dblsg · Post by **dblsg** » Wed Jun 15, 2005 1:54 am

i'm sorry but 1/2 inch isn't even noticeable to me.

jailed · Post by **jailed** » Wed Jun 15, 2005 8:18 am

I was suprised with the results. I measured cafefully before the drop. I also set up the springs on the ground before the install and while the front ACR spring and the SRT 4 spring were about the same height the rear springs showed considerable height difference. I placed a level on both front and both rear springs. The new front were maybe a 1/4 inch off from stock ACR but the back was off level by a large amount. Also, I had to compress the front springs to reinstall them while the rears did not require compression to reinstall. I built a nylon strap for each rear spring to keep them on the perch, just in case. Just looking at them I would have thought that a larger drop would have occured in the rear. I even removed the wheels to ensure that the rear springs were seated properly.

dblsg · Post by **dblsg** » Wed Jun 15, 2005 1:11 pm

jailed wrote:I was suprised with the results. I measured cafefully before the drop. I also set up the springs on the ground before the install and while the front ACR spring and the SRT 4 spring were about the same height the rear springs showed considerable height difference. I placed a level on both front and both rear springs. The new front were maybe a 1/4 inch off from stock ACR but the back was off level by a large amount. Also, I had to compress the front springs to reinstall them while the rears did not require compression to reinstall. I built a nylon strap for each rear spring to keep them on the perch, just in case. Just looking at them I would have thought that a larger drop would have occured in the rear. I even removed the wheels to ensure that the rear springs were seated properly.

thats because of different tension strength