Install Suspension: There are thrills to be had!

Joined
13 March 2004
Messages
174
Location
Mountain View, CA
This is how:

After a typically physical install, I took the car out on the road, picked up my wife and set out for a nice meal. On the way, I crossed a set of train tracks and started wondering what the bump-thrump-clang-thrump noise was ? Maybe the coilovers needs to settle down.

Some more thumps later I realized that the noise is in sync with my speed and is only apparent at low speeds. Nothing comes to mind. No matter, stupid coilovers, taking a long time to settle.

Settle down for brunch and over a very tasty crepe, I mentally go over everything: brake line nuts, wheel sensor nuts, top mounts, bottom mount, top shock nuts. Check. Hmm, must be the springs! Maybe the helpers are helping with the noise as well. I still kept replaying the sequence in my mind as the noise was bugging me, finally, after the Nth replay, I realized something terrifying. There was something missing between lowering the car and driving away. You see, there are these pesky lug nuts :eek: to tighten!!!

I was lucky that after three miles of driving and a set of train tracks later, my wheels and car were still intimate. If they had fallen off, I would have had the lowest NSX ever. A remarkably way to DIY myself into the darwin awards :frown:. Glad my wife and I didn't end up in worse trouble (I remember lightly tightening the lugs when the car was in the air to get the wheels flush and this probably saved me)

Guess I am probably being saved for even more brilliant things in life. In any case, remember: DIY can always be made more exciting if you are stupid enough :tongue: I will have to remember to slap myself silly if I ever use "engine" and "DIY" in the same sentence.

ps: the KW V3s are real nice. Much more comfortable than the Koni + Zanardi set they are replacing. Somewhat lower than my old setup (which was already lower than OEM) as mine came from the box with the lowest height setting.

pps: Tightening with a digital torque wrench,it is best to make sure it is actually on. The 2 minute inactivity sleep of these snap-on techwrench's bring all kinds of fun into the activity.
 
Glad you had your wife with you if not you probably would've gone for a spirited drive which may have ended worse. Glad you caught it, happy motoring.
 
Did it on a Fiat, early in my mechanical self-taught years. Rear wheel came off at 35mph and I coasted to a stop in a couple hundred feet. I rode on the rotor till I stopped. A nice guy stopped my wheel and rolled it to me. I used 1 lug bolt from each of the other wheels, put it back on and never had another problem with it. Lesson learned :redface:!
Happy Motoring!
 
Back
Top