Which Top Mount Setup For My Coilovers?

[Phil 0]

Ok I have the following 2 options ready to be fitted with my Bilstein coilovers

 

Option 1: Concentric top mounts as below

 

 

 

 

Or Option 2: Compbrake Eccentric mounts:

 

 

 

Ideall I would like the castor/camber adjustability with the ecentric mounts but they seem a lot smaller and generally thinner than the concentric mounts I have.

 

Also, to fit them I would have to chop off part of the top spring pan alloing with mount to sit further down the damper so I have some thread out the top:

 

 

On the concentric mounts the top spring pan fits inside the top mount bearing and feels much stronger.

 

I run slicks so could do with the camber but would rather not have to buy adjustable wishbones!

 

Any help guys?

[tom_m 0]

personally i'd go with the eccentric (not from experience, but i'm working to fitting a set to mine)

Edited August 29, 2006 by tom_m

[Jonmurgie 2]

Your second option is the the exact setup that I ran for a good 18 months and it was great, I've now gone onto AST's which are even better but I had them adjusted to fit with the eccentric mounts.

 

As you have then, it seems stupid not to go for them, just have the top collars turned down a little to suit and your good to go

[Sam 4]

Or get the proper top hat style nuts?

[Phil 0]

Sam, what are the proper top hat style nuts? I take it you dont mean the nut on the far right in this picture?

 

 

My other gripe with the eccentric top mounts is that the middle diameter of the bearing is wider than the shock. There is an insert (second in from the right) which allows a snug fit, but this doesn't fit all the way down the top mount bearing, only half way down. Could this be a problem?

 

I have some top spring mounts without the top collar but they are for 2 1/4" springs and my springs are 70mm ID Peugeot Sport tarmac jobbys...

[Guest Nuno205Rallye]

Why are you putting the top nut upside down?

 

 

Why are you putting the insert on top off the Top Mout instead of below, between the spring pan and the bearing (where it belongs) ?

[Phil 0]

Nuno, now that would make more sense haha! Thanks for that, it would solve the insert problems as well!

[Phil 0]

Ok futher to Nuno's common sense, I have assembled them what I think is the correct way:

 

 

Which is all well and good except that the small insert sits on a collar on the bilstein insert:

 

 

Which leaves no thread for the top nut to grip onto (only gets 1 turn!)

 

 

 

Also, this leaves a gap between the lowest point the top spring pan will locate onto and the top mount bearing as seen on the first picture..

 

Do I have the wrong type of bilstein inserts for eccentric top mounts?

[Sam 4]

You could probably get away with machining out the centre bore of the bottom top hat spacer which would work if it leaves enough thread for the top nut to tighten down.

 

But yeh you have the short top inserts for a standard top mount, ideally you need long tops for these mounts but you could make it work with some engineering.

[Phil 0]

On the special tuning site, the long top spindle doesn't appear to have any more thread than mine though: http://www.specialtuninguk.co.uk/acatalog/info_7234_.html

[tom_m 0]

what happens when you take the space out completely?

[Phil 0]

what happens when you take the space out completely?

 

Then the top spindle of the Bilstein insert is thinner than the hole in the bearing of the top mount, so there would be some play!

[Guest Nuno205Rallye]

First you get a piece of wet'n'dry and you sand down the rust that you have in the spindle (a shoelace wrapped arround the sandpaper 1 and a 1/2 turn does a good job and keeps your spindle round).

 

Then you measure the thickness of the spindle and you machine the little insert so that it glides all the way down to the top hat... and voilá.

 

 

Better to machine the little insert than machining the spindle, Bilsteins are more expensive than that little washer.

[SPGTi 2]

First you get a piece of wet'n'dry and you sand down the rust that you have in the spindle (a shoelace wrapped arround the sandpaper 1 and a 1/2 turn does a good job and keeps your spindle round).

 

Then you measure the thickness of the spindle and you machine the little insert so that it glides all the way down to the top hat... and voilá.

Better to machine the little insert than machining the spindle, Bilsteins are more expensive than that little washer.

 

 

Exactly what I did with the same setup but using 2.25" springs. Works perfect

 

Steve

[cybernck 402 1 Cars]

O/T but what camera are you using? it's got a good macro and nice DOF .

[Phil 0]

First you get a piece of wet'n'dry and you sand down the rust that you have in the spindle (a shoelace wrapped arround the sandpaper 1 and a 1/2 turn does a good job and keeps your spindle round).

 

Then you measure the thickness of the spindle and you machine the little insert so that it glides all the way down to the top hat... and voilá.

Better to machine the little insert than machining the spindle, Bilsteins are more expensive than that little washer.

 

 

Exactly what I did with the same setup but using 2.25" springs. Works perfect

 

Steve

 

Thanks guys, that seems like a sensible solution and I will give it a go!

 

 

O/T but what camera are you using? it's got a good macro and nice DOF .

 

I have a Canon 20D, for those photos (and other general under the car in the garage bashing around work) I just use the standard Canon kit lense. Not a macro lens by any means!

[James_R 3]

GEt soem wet and dry on the top of the strut to clean off the surface corrosion, the collor shoudl be a very snug fit and slide all the way down. When I fitted this set up to my nova, I have to heat up the lower collar to let it slide down, then the top not shoudl have plenty of room.

 

Just make sure the circlip is facing downward.

 

The improvement in caster will make it worth the work over concentrics.