A few things that have come up while working on the rear setup. I found that by positioning the lower shock mount about an inch back, and maybe about 1/2" outboard, I gain tons more clearance for the spring, sleeves,and collars. This will allow the spring to sit lower on the shock, and increase travel. This poses a few issues though. The first being that it will alter the "working lever length" of the suspension arm. This means the force applied by the spring will be placed on a farther point than the stock is, and spring rate will need to be altered. Also, I'm worried about the stock shock mount, and the trailing arm itself, being strong enough to hold up the amount of continuous force that the coilover setup will be putting on the end of the arm. Being that the original spring sits closer into the subframe, and it sits on a fairly beef section of the arm, it's very well supported.
To solve this issue, I have a tentative design to build a support for the underside of the trailing arm. Think of it as an exo-skeleton of sorts for the arm. It will bolt to the underside of the trailing arm, and will extend past the stock shock mount, repositioning the shock as stated above. From the bottom of the support plate, another triangulated support will extend rearward, and meet at the bottom of the new shock mount, offering even more strength. This piece will stiffen the trailing arm, allowing it to resist flex and bending in the center, and play a dual role by placing the shock where it will work the most efficiently. This piece will be part of the rear coilover kit, and may be offered separately. This is pretty much the only way a rear coilover like this will be safe, short of making a new trailing arm from scratch. I could do that, but it definitely won't be cheap.
I also have been thinking about offering a three point rear shock tower bar for use with the coilover setup. It will mount to the shock tops of course, and the lower bars will meet at the center of the trunk floor, between the shock towers. This will help strengthen the shock towers, and absorb some of the upward force from the springs.
To solve this issue, I have a tentative design to build a support for the underside of the trailing arm. Think of it as an exo-skeleton of sorts for the arm. It will bolt to the underside of the trailing arm, and will extend past the stock shock mount, repositioning the shock as stated above. From the bottom of the support plate, another triangulated support will extend rearward, and meet at the bottom of the new shock mount, offering even more strength. This piece will stiffen the trailing arm, allowing it to resist flex and bending in the center, and play a dual role by placing the shock where it will work the most efficiently. This piece will be part of the rear coilover kit, and may be offered separately. This is pretty much the only way a rear coilover like this will be safe, short of making a new trailing arm from scratch. I could do that, but it definitely won't be cheap.
I also have been thinking about offering a three point rear shock tower bar for use with the coilover setup. It will mount to the shock tops of course, and the lower bars will meet at the center of the trunk floor, between the shock towers. This will help strengthen the shock towers, and absorb some of the upward force from the springs.
