After having coilovers on the car for a few weeks I have some questions for the knowledgable mechanics and gurus that have worked with suspensions.

Looking at the pictures below for reference. The D2s came setup from the factory with the springs sitting up againts the top mount as shown in Image A.

Image A



Image B



After thinking about the installation I am bringing up this question. Is it better to have the springs flush with the upper mount or would it be better to have the springs resting loose an inch or two from the top mount as shown in image B?

I know this has been discussed off and on over a few threads, but with pictues that we can all see hopefully we can all get on the same page.

 

you never want the coil to be unseated

for best spring and coilover performance you need to set it so there is no pressure on the spring when the shock is fully extended, but still need to have the spring be completely seated on the upper mount

does that make sense??

they actually make helper springs which are used for this exact purpose. This is greately utilized in off-road coilover applications where we use extreme travel coilovers

 

Yes. It makes sense. But with the spring sitting all the way up, how does this affect pre-load on the strut? Basically, if you cross over a bump and the car is shot up from the spring, there is no shock left to keep the tires from leaving the ground.

Does this make sense?

 

In image B you will not have full strut travel which is the purpose of having a true coilover setup like the D2's. I have mine set so when the car is jacked up my springs sitt firmly against the top mount.

 

I keep tuning the D2s and I cannot find a happy medium. People are telling my that they set it to all the wya soft and it feel like stock. If I turn all the way soft, I bounce all over. This means the suspension is resting on the springs more than the shocks right.