Compressing coilover struts by hand - any danger in "bottoming out"? - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

1Cor10:23 · 12-24-2014, 12:07 PM

Hi all,

I was testing coils (off of the car) today for how it responds to changes in damping adjustments by compressing the struts by hand with the springs off.

It occurred to me that the front struts (since no bump stop) have quite a bit of travel - is there any danger in compressing them by hand to essentially "bottom out"? Wanted to know as with springs in at full compression, I don't think the piston can retract as far as you can push it in by hand.

Weird question, I know.

Thanks!

mav1178 · 12-24-2014, 01:51 PM

No, unless your hands have the strength of the Hulk.

-alex

murdoc · 12-24-2014, 02:05 PM

The last few sets of shocks I bought came with the shafts fully compressed and strapped down.

1Cor10:23 · 12-24-2014, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murdoc

The last few sets of shocks I bought came with the shafts fully compressed and strapped down.

Both fronts and rears?

murdoc · 12-24-2014, 03:15 PM

Yes. These were OEM style shocks from koni and tokico.

Don't slam them with a hammer or anything, but the way I've always tested low pressure shocks to see if they were good when they didnt have springs on them was to compress them and see if they extend themselves again smoothly.

1Cor10:23 · 12-24-2014, 03:34 PM

@murdoc cool, thanks for sharing your experience

just curious if it's the same with coilovers since it seems the potential travel length on my front strut (ohlins) far exceeds that of the rear (which has a bump stop)

murdoc · 12-24-2014, 04:19 PM

That's a good question.

Manufacturers are usually pretty good about letting you know not to break things, e.g. every coil-over or shock I've bought has told me not to spin the shaft with an impact wrench, but none have said not to over-compress the shock.

I'm sure that without a severe impact force you won't damage it.

mav1178 · 12-24-2014, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1Cor10:23

just curious if it's the same with coilovers since it seems the potential travel length on my front strut (ohlins) far exceeds that of the rear (which has a bump stop)

Don't flip out over this... the fronts are inverted struts so there won't be a traditional bumpstop.

-alex

1Cor10:23 · 12-24-2014, 04:31 PM

@murdoc I was actually a bit surprised at how light the reading material was with my Ohlins, probably what you get when they were originally written in a different language. Ironic though, that all the best brands (KW, Tein, Ohlins, etc.) are all foreign and suffer from the same issue.

The other problem that led me to compress my shocks by hand in the first place was the lack of explanation that the Ohlins technically only have 20 usable clicks of adjustment but the adjuster can actually keep on clicking WAY beyond the 20. I wasn't exactly counting and went from end-to-end. Afterward, freaked out a bit that it should only go 20 (instructions have a recommended for road use of ~10-20 clicks soft but no mention of limit) so I tried compressing by hand while varying the adjustments just to check that everything was still okay - hence this thread topic - after compressing front struts for what seemed to be way more travel than rear (due to bump stops) and "bottoming" them out when on a soft setting.

@mav1178 Thanks for the supportive words - I'm pretty OCD about this stuff...really should've done some more reading before fidgeting with everything, particularly the adjuster and going full soft. Would suck if broke it before even installing haha

CSG Mike · 12-24-2014, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1Cor10:23

Hi all,

I was testing coils (off of the car) today for how it responds to changes in damping adjustments by compressing the struts by hand with the springs off.

It occurred to me that the front struts (since no bump stop) have quite a bit of travel - is there any danger in compressing them by hand to essentially "bottom out"? Wanted to know as with springs in at full compression, I don't think the piston can retract as far as you can push it in by hand.

Weird question, I know.

Thanks!

By hand? No, but don't put too much force on it at the ends. It's a hard impact (such as hitting a large bump at speed, or a pothole) that will damage the dampers.

1Cor10:23 · 12-24-2014, 11:32 PM

@CSG Mike thanks Mike - what do you mean by "at the ends"?

12-24-2014, 12:07 PM	#1
1Cor10:23 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Drives: '13 Whiteout FR-S (M/T) Location: GTA Posts: 1,205 Thanks: 492 Thanked 392 Times in 238 Posts Mentioned: 14 Post(s)	Compressing coilover struts by hand - any danger in "bottoming out"? Hi all, I was testing coils (off of the car) today for how it responds to changes in damping adjustments by compressing the struts by hand with the springs off. It occurred to me that the front struts (since no bump stop) have quite a bit of travel - is there any danger in compressing them by hand to essentially "bottom out"? Wanted to know as with springs in at full compression, I don't think the piston can retract as far as you can push it in by hand. Weird question, I know. Thanks! __________________ \|1Cor10:23 \| Whiteout FR-S \| Form Follows Function Build\|

12-24-2014, 03:34 PM	#6
1Cor10:23 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Drives: '13 Whiteout FR-S (M/T) Location: GTA Posts: 1,205 Thanks: 492 Thanked 392 Times in 238 Posts Mentioned: 14 Post(s)	@murdoc cool, thanks for sharing your experience just curious if it's the same with coilovers since it seems the potential travel length on my front strut (ohlins) far exceeds that of the rear (which has a bump stop) __________________ \|1Cor10:23 \| Whiteout FR-S \| Form Follows Function Build\|

12-24-2014, 04:31 PM	#9
1Cor10:23 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Drives: '13 Whiteout FR-S (M/T) Location: GTA Posts: 1,205 Thanks: 492 Thanked 392 Times in 238 Posts Mentioned: 14 Post(s)	@murdoc I was actually a bit surprised at how light the reading material was with my Ohlins, probably what you get when they were originally written in a different language. Ironic though, that all the best brands (KW, Tein, Ohlins, etc.) are all foreign and suffer from the same issue. The other problem that led me to compress my shocks by hand in the first place was the lack of explanation that the Ohlins technically only have 20 usable clicks of adjustment but the adjuster can actually keep on clicking WAY beyond the 20. I wasn't exactly counting and went from end-to-end. Afterward, freaked out a bit that it should only go 20 (instructions have a recommended for road use of ~10-20 clicks soft but no mention of limit) so I tried compressing by hand while varying the adjustments just to check that everything was still okay - hence this thread topic - after compressing front struts for what seemed to be way more travel than rear (due to bump stops) and "bottoming" them out when on a soft setting. @mav1178 Thanks for the supportive words - I'm pretty OCD about this stuff...really should've done some more reading before fidgeting with everything, particularly the adjuster and going full soft. Would suck if broke it before even installing haha __________________ \|1Cor10:23 \| Whiteout FR-S \| Form Follows Function Build\|

12-24-2014, 11:32 PM	#11
1Cor10:23 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Drives: '13 Whiteout FR-S (M/T) Location: GTA Posts: 1,205 Thanks: 492 Thanked 392 Times in 238 Posts Mentioned: 14 Post(s)	@CSG Mike thanks Mike - what do you mean by "at the ends"? __________________ \|1Cor10:23 \| Whiteout FR-S \| Form Follows Function Build\|

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
What's the hand signal for "You have your own lane idiot!"?	Vracer111	Off-Topic Lounge [WARNING: NO POLITICS]	22	04-01-2014 03:54 PM
"Clicking" or "knocking" caused by rear seat pull down lever.	husker741	Issues \| Warranty \| Recalls / TSB	6	11-27-2013 02:30 PM
"My Dealer told me {insert dumb idea}" (was "Toyota/Subary Partnership Cancelled?")	levifig	BRZ First-Gen (2012+) — General Topics	48	08-09-2013 06:34 PM
Which Markets have "GT86" and "Toyota" badges on trunk?	Tanuki	Scion FR-S / Toyota 86 GT86 General Forum	20	02-10-2013 05:23 PM
Anyone else try running "square" tires on "staggered" wheels?	hamlet	Wheels \| Tires \| Spacers \| Hub -- Sponsored by The Tire Rack	21	12-19-2012 12:59 PM

12-24-2014, 01:51 PM	#2
mav1178 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Drives: 2005 Toyota Camry Location: 91745 Posts: 6,562 Thanks: 493 Thanked 6,099 Times in 3,030 Posts Mentioned: 95 Post(s)	No, unless your hands have the strength of the Hulk. -alex

12-24-2014, 02:05 PM	#3
murdoc Sometimes I'm wrong. Join Date: Mar 2013 Drives: '13 FR-S/'96 240SX Location: Frederick, MD Posts: 366 Thanks: 92 Thanked 316 Times in 152 Posts Mentioned: 5 Post(s)	The last few sets of shocks I bought came with the shafts fully compressed and strapped down.

12-24-2014, 03:15 PM	#5
murdoc Sometimes I'm wrong. Join Date: Mar 2013 Drives: '13 FR-S/'96 240SX Location: Frederick, MD Posts: 366 Thanks: 92 Thanked 316 Times in 152 Posts Mentioned: 5 Post(s)	Yes. These were OEM style shocks from koni and tokico. Don't slam them with a hammer or anything, but the way I've always tested low pressure shocks to see if they were good when they didnt have springs on them was to compress them and see if they extend themselves again smoothly.

12-24-2014, 04:19 PM	#7
murdoc Sometimes I'm wrong. Join Date: Mar 2013 Drives: '13 FR-S/'96 240SX Location: Frederick, MD Posts: 366 Thanks: 92 Thanked 316 Times in 152 Posts Mentioned: 5 Post(s)	That's a good question. Manufacturers are usually pretty good about letting you know not to break things, e.g. every coil-over or shock I've bought has told me not to spin the shaft with an impact wrench, but none have said not to over-compress the shock. I'm sure that without a severe impact force you won't damage it.

User Name		Remember Me?
Password