Ride height before and after Quick Strut Install

[MarkStock]

So I had failing original front struts on my 2004 Taurus with 70k and, with the Monroe 4 for 3 offer, decided to get Quick Struts installed on all 4 corners.

Prior to the install, I quickly measured the ride height. I was trying to establish whether to change the rears or not. They had been inspected and there was nothing wrong with them.

My front right was exactly at Ford spec. My front left was about a cm below this.

My rear right was exactly at Ford spec. My rear left was about 2cm below that.

Because the rear was also out of spec, I decided to go ahead with the rear install as well.

Well I got the car back, and the front left is a little lower than the front right, by less than half a cm.

But the rear left is still 2cm below the rear right.

I happened to have the old struts weighing in total 150lbs in the trunk, and verified that both left and right rear corners fell 1.3cm with that weight in. This matches the spring rating for the quick struts.

Any thoughts on whether a vehicle could inherently have a 2cm ride height difference between the right rear and left rear?

Or whether this has been caused by some kind of damage or other suspension component failure?

Would an alignment solve the problem?

Thanks!

 

[johnsmellsalot]

I put some Quick Struts on my Buick at 175,000 miles. The ride height up 2 inches. I thought about replacing the rear but I'm done putting money into that car.

 

[msmoke00]

Originally Posted By: MarkStock

Any thoughts on whether a vehicle could inherently have a 2cm ride height difference between the right rear and left rear?



Your fuel tank is probably in the rear. Is it biased more to one side than the other? Some lean to the side with the fuel weight. Just a thought.

 

[MarkStock]

Originally Posted By: msmoke00
Originally Posted By: MarkStock

Any thoughts on whether a vehicle could inherently have a 2cm ride height difference between the right rear and left rear?



Your fuel tank is probably in the rear. Is it biased more to one side than the other? Some lean to the side with the fuel weight. Just a thought.


Nice thinking. The filler hole is on the opposite side! The tank is half full at the moment.

 

[zrxkawboy]

I put Quick Struts on the front of our 05 T&C, and the height dropped considerably (at least an inch). I hadn't measured before, so I can't say exactly how much.

I did a very thorough visual comparison once I got the old ones off, and they appeared identical, down to the spring diameter (which I measured). After I got them on, I thought the front end looked lower, but couldn't say for sure, since I hadn't measured height. The alignment went fine; no problems noted by the shop. Later I went to drive it up on my ramps to change the oil (same ramps I had used in the past), and scraped the h3ll out of the bottom of the bumper...it would not clear the ramps.

 

[mechtech2]

Give it several hundred miles before any measurements - things have to seat, and springs lose their initial size rapidly [it won't be much].
Mercedes used different sized rubber spring mounts to adjust the height evenly. Maybe you could do something like this as a repair.

Any alignment comes LAST. [It won't affect ride height anyway.]

 

[Jim Spahr]

The first step in accurately measuring the ht. is with a full gas tank. then add air pressure to each tire while cold with an accurate gauge. Be sure it is at the fac. rec. pressure on the door jam or where ever the label is. Not the 'Maximum air pressure' shown on the tire! Now on a flat surface such as a parking lot , measure from the pavement to the top of the wheel well in the center. Measure again after the install and you have driven the car a while to allow the struts to settle. What MechTech2 says above is true. Things will settle and the new springs will sag a bit. the new rubber cushions will compress and so on. So take a third measurement after rechecking the tire pressure cold. The i cm diff. could be air pressure diff.

 

[MarkStock]

Thanks. Yes I've properly measured the tires when cold.

And yes I've seen a little change in the measurements after driving - the front seem to have gone down and are 0.5cm different side to side. Still slightly above spec but within tolerance.

But, the main issue is the (left) rear. The left rear is below spec and just outside the tolerance. The right rear is just above spec. So if the rear settles, the left will get worse.

I don't believe there is something wrong with the left quick strut or with the install because prior to the change, I also measured the left rear was out of spec / below tolerance and very different to right rear.

So I'm just wondering what other components should be investigated / measured.