[Giallo Edizione]

So I got my car up on ramps and got under there to measure diistance from spring footing to bump stop and its less than 1/2" with the Eibachs' installed. So that's not helping the ride. OTOH what I've been able to read is bump stops are a good thing. So the question is how much to cut to clear typical travel so they are engaging only when needed. As we know, they are mounted on a hard plastic base that can't be cut and the flexible part of the bump stop is only 2", so given the car is at least 1 1/2" low, most of the stop would have to be cut off to be equivalent spacing, in which case the bump stops would be largely irrelevant and the hard plastic base would likely shatter over time.

Now that being said the travel distance of the Eibach springs is much less than the stock springs with similar compression conditions. If you look at the Eibachs with the weight of the car on them, you will see that the upper tight coils that have the rubber surrounds are completely compressed at rest. That means only the lower half of the spring is actually under load on bumps. See the attached crappy iphone picture. That's not very much spring but I guess Eibach figured that is enough.

So the question is how much bump stop to remove and if it will make any difference in the ride?

 

[Mr. Pickles]

I cut one inch off mine.

 

[Triumph]

I cut one inch off mine.

I think I will do the same.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

right at the second crinkle.

The reason I did this despite the directions saying I didn't have to was that I've had Eibachs before and had problems with bumpstop contact in the past.

 

[Giallo Edizione]

As Chip Foose said, anyone can bolt stuff on, it takes a real man to cut up his car. So I went under with a razor knife and cut them off at the second nub, about 7/8" of material-see attached pic. ( OK he probably meant something a littel more x-treme that this...)I did it by jacking the car up to get the load off the springs and pulling the rubbery end through the widest coil just enough to hack the end off. Not pretty, but no one is going to see it. I took a another picture after the test drive with the full weight on the rear suspension. The bump stops are now about 1 1/4" above the footing by my best tape measurement . I diid not measure the stock spring distance from stock bumps. It was approximately ahalf an inch or less clearance with Eibach's and stock bumps.

The ride is definitely improved. Not what it was stock, still bumpier but not as harsh as it was with full bump stops. More forgiving, or supple or some adjective like that. However, it still hits hard on a sudden short dip in the roadbed. I will say it leans more on the curves than with full bump stops. I tested it around the double highway cloverleaf under speed a couple of times aroiund and some of the lean and understeer has returned. The bump stops must have helped keep the rear more upright on hard curves when they were full length given there was less than 1/2" of clearance standing still. Its not on the edge of control like the stock setup, more of a controlled drift where with the full stops it was flat and on rails with ever so slight understeer. Can still snap the rear right around with a little bit of braking in the turns though.

I think the shorter bump stops is the way to go. Not removed just shorter. Replacement stock bumps can't be very expensive to take it back to stock if needed. Or some crazy glue.

 

[fjhuerta]

That's it. I'm cutting mine!

 

[JsnVR6Corrado]

I did not measure the stock spring distance from stock bumps. It was approximately ahalf an inch or less clearance with Eibach's and stock bumps.

The ride is definitely improved. Not what it was stock, still bumpier but not as harsh as it was with full bump stops. More forgiving, or supple or some adjective like that. However, it still hits hard on a sudden short dip in the roadbed.

I measured mine and it was 2.5" of clearance for stock bumpstop and stock springs.

Is the ride good enough that you are happy to keep the springs now or are you still going back to stock?

When you did your install were you able to see how the white plastic bumpstop holder was attached to the body of the car? Too me the only reason for the plastic to be there is for a visual check to see if the car has ever bottomed out severly enough to crush into the white plastic piece.

Your car was basically riding on the bumpstops, did you notice any deformation in the white plastic piece?

 

[Giallo Edizione]

I measured mine and it was 2.5" of clearance for stock bumpstop and stock springs.

Is the ride good enough that you are happy to keep the springs now or are you still going back to stock?

When you did your install were you able to see how the white plastic bumpstop holder was attached to the body of the car? Too me the only reason for the plastic to be there is for a visual check to see if the car has ever bottomed out severly enough to crush into the white plastic piece.

Your car was basically riding on the bumpstops, did you notice any deformation in the white plastic piece?

I could live with the car as is now. My wife still complains about the ride and she doesn't like the look-she thinks the lower profile diminishes the car. Its so easy to change the springs that I may change to stock in the winter and back to lowered in the summer. Subject to Abarth.

That's the clearance with full weight on the springs? Wow, big difference. The white plastic base attaches to the car from with a rubber nipple that presses into a hole the frame. The white plastic piece was not crushed or deformed but probably would have been if I had hit a deep pothole at speed. The Eibach springs have far less travel than the stock springs. You can see in my pic only 50% of the coils are available at rest. So less clearance between the bump stop and the footing with the Eibachs makes sense.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

We're just cutting the rear bumpstops, not the front. Eibach supplies smaller front bump stops. I don't recall plastic caps on the rear.

 

[JsnVR6Corrado]

That's the clearance with full weight on the springs? Wow, big difference. The white plastic base attaches to the car from with a rubber nipple that presses into a hole the frame.

Yup, full weight, not sure how much gas was in it though and as you know, not easy to get an accurate measurement but I was probably within 1/4".

I am probably going to take the bumpstop and the white plastic piece out of mine when I do springs. There is roughly 6.5" between the metal frame and the spring seat. If I get the sportline kit that is a 2" drop that still leaves me with 4" of travel before it hits the frame. That will never happen unless I take it off a "Sweet Jump".

Looking at your pictures, the metal frame portion where the bumpstop attaches is hidden up inside your "dead" coils.

I guess the only concern with not having the bumpstop is that if I were to bottom out hard then all the impact goes to the frame.

 

[Giallo Edizione]

Yup, full weight, not sure how much gas was in it though and as you know, not easy to get an accurate measurement but I was probably within 1/4".

I am probably going to take the bumpstop and the white plastic piece out of mine when I do springs. There is roughly 6.5" between the metal frame and the spring seat. If I get the sportline kit that is a 2" drop that still leaves me with 4" of travel before it hits the frame. That will never happen unless I take it off a "Sweet Jump".

Looking at your pictures, the metal frame portion where the bumpstop attaches is hidden up inside your "dead" coils.

I guess the only concern with not having the bumpstop is that if I were to bottom out hard then all the impact goes to the frame.

I'm no expert, as I'm sure is painfully obvious, but I did some research and having no bump stop is really not a good thing apparently. It slows the compression slightly so that compaction to a fully compressed spring does not happen suddenly, but rather has some damping graduation to that point or to stop the spring compression just before full compression. You only have the amount of travel available in the spring. The free space between the coils on the pro-kit springs for instance is way less than 4". Bottoming in the rear is caused by the spring being fully compressed on itself, not the suspension hitting the frame. Now with a 2"+ drop, yes, you pretty much run out of rubber to cut off on the bump stops so a different bump stop would need to be fabricated.

The bumpstop mount is simply a hole in the frame on the same surface that the upper spring facing is attached to.

There might be a way to remove the rubber bump stop section, cut the white plastic base shorter and then re-attach the rubber part. Finding out will cost a bump stop.

 

[fjhuerta]

So, that's why I felt "no damping" and then "lots of damping!". It was the bumpstop!

See? Forza can't teach you everything about cars.

 

[JsnVR6Corrado]

I'm no expert, as I'm sure is painfully obvious, but I did some research and having no bump stop is really not a good thing apparently. It slows the compression slightly so that compaction to a fully compressed spring does not happen suddenly, but rather has some damping graduation to that point or to stop the spring compression just before full compression. You only have the amount of travel available in the spring. The free space between the coils on the pro-kit springs for instance is way less than 4". Bottoming in the rear is caused by the spring being fully compressed on itself, not the suspension hitting the frame. QUOTE]

Do you think you can compress the eibachs untill all the springs touch without jumping railroad tracks? Looking at your pictures I would say there is 2" maybe 2.5" of space between your coils. That is a wild guess because scale is hard to tell in photos.

 

[Giallo Edizione]

I'm no expert, as I'm sure is painfully obvious, but I did some research and having no bump stop is really not a good thing apparently. It slows the compression slightly so that compaction to a fully compressed spring does not happen suddenly, but rather has some damping graduation to that point or to stop the spring compression just before full compression. You only have the amount of travel available in the spring. The free space between the coils on the pro-kit springs for instance is way less than 4". Bottoming in the rear is caused by the spring being fully compressed on itself, not the suspension hitting the frame. QUOTE]

Do you think you can compress the eibachs untill all the springs touch without jumping railroad tracks? Looking at your pictures I would say there is 2" maybe 2.5" of space between your coils. That is a wild guess because scale is hard to tell in photos.

I honestly have no idea. The springs are pretty short but they are stiff. I think you are more likely to bottom when hitting a pothole or deep and sudden dip in a road at speed than jumping the tracks, especially with stock shocks instead of matched and compesated shocks.

 

[Giallo Edizione]

Do you think you can compress the eibachs untill all the springs touch without jumping railroad tracks? Looking at your pictures I would say there is 2" maybe 2.5" of space between your coils. That is a wild guess because scale is hard to tell in photos.[/QUOTE]

Oh and I did once jump railroad tracks when I was a kid. My friend bought a beat 55 or 56 Olds Holiday and I laid down in the back seat while he went at a classic track jump. The car and I went airborn, all four doors flew open when we hit front frame first and thankfully my buddy was able to keep that beast under enough control that I didn't slide off the vinyl bench seat into a ditch.

Couple of days later a cop pulled us over for no other reason than to tell my friend if he ever saw that beater on the road again he'd have it towed and crushed.

 

[CanadianTurbo]

^^Epic story!!!!

 

[Tweak]

I for one definitely want to see the after pics IF you ever do anything remotely near that with the 500.

 

[Giallo Edizione]

I for one definitely want to see the after pics IF you ever do anything remotely near that with the 500.

Not going to happen. Forrtunately time and experience has faded that wonderful sense of invincibility.

 

[Tweak]

Not going to happen. Forrtunately time and experience has faded that wonderful sense of invincibility.

Worth a shot.

 

[fjhuerta]

So... 7/8"s, right? Somehow, the ride on my car is far, far better than when I installed the springs initially. I'm keeping the Eibachs. If this helps even more, I'll do it this week-end.