Rear coilovers, top mounts.

[Kelv]

Having just fitted a set of AST's, I've noticed that the main body that comes through the top mount is a couple of mm larger.
I've drilled out the flat washer part of the upper and lower bushes that they attached through the turret to, but I'm curious about the small collar section that you normally fit between them.
without it there, the upper and lower bush endlessly tighten to the point that they dissfigure themselves, has anyone found any small collars to use as a replacement, or are you running them without the collar atall?


Cheers.

 

[Kelv]

 

[Kelv]

Someone must have encountered this!?
no responses!

 

[BIGASH]

I have got AST's on the rear and standard bushes I don't understand mate but if you can explain then I'm happy to help

 

[Kelv]

On the standard shocks the upper bush(s) that hold them in place are in two pieces, the upper and lower section, but with a thin collar that is more or less pushed between them to hold them as a complete unit.
then the upper shaft section of the shock slides through this and the top but goes on.

with my AST's, the upper shaft section is to big to go through these bushes, so I've had to open them out 1-2mm, but obviously the collar is to tight aswell, but to open this out is going to be a challenge as there isn't enough meat on them to enlarge them to that level.

so what have you done, just fitted the upper and lower bush and binned the collar between them?

with the collar now missing, when you tighten the top nut on the shaft it will keep going until the rubber section of the bushes has pretty much deformed under compression.
The collar must be there for a reason in the first place, but with the AST's being larger than the standard shocks this part can not be fitted

 

[Kelv]

Googled picture.

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/8672/img00021200903041326.jpg

you should have 2 of the rubber mounts and one of the metal collars on each shock.
but the metal collar is not big enough for the AST's to fit through.

 

[Bobby.]

Why don't you ask Curtis. He will know.

 

[Kelv]

He was about to go away to Donnington for a good few days when I spoke to him last.

and with so many people claiming to be running decent coilovers I couldn't have been the first to encounter this issue so hoped someone could have simply said ill be okay without the collar or that I need a part from company X to make it fit perfectly.

 

[BIGASH]

Sorry for the slow reply mate! How odd, I had a ball ache with mine because I was trying to fit them with the KW rear bushes but then was told I needed stock Renault ones.

When I finally got some standard ones they just sailed on so i'm afraid to say something doesn't sound right. Have you got a picture of the thread mate? It should be exactly the same thread as the standard Renault shocks as it uses the same nut. Off the to of my head it is M6 metric fine 0.75mm pitch

 

[Toastfrenzy]

Think mine also went on without any issue - may be the threaded bit has increased\dia in size on the rear AST coilovers - do you have sportline II's? Used the same nut that was on the standard shocks.

 

[Kelv]

Worryingly, they are a 100% perfect fit on the standard rear shocks aswell.
unless for some daft reason the 182 cup rear shocks are a couple of mm thinner

 

[NathanRose]

I've got exactly the same problem, was there any solutions for this ?

 

[Kelv]

No mate, nobody at AST could help with it atall.
i ended up running the top and bottom rubber mounts without the small collar between them.

obviously doing this now means that the rubber sections are crushed beyond being usable when you tighten them up but no other way around it.
not really ideal from the market leading coilovers for a clio

 

[Adam.]

Drill out the standard bush bit or get something slightly thicker machined up?

 

[NathanRose]

Thanks for the reply mate, yeah honestly can't get my head around it they are made for the car,
so surely you would think they would be the same size strut And everything as standard shocks

 

[NathanRose]

Kelv do yours still do the job fine like that? No creaking or noises from the rear ?

 

[Kelv]

Creaking, yes.
but they were last used on a stripped out 182 in anger around the ring, so a few creaks and groans were to be expexted, but saying that they have done perfectly.

they are now on the Trophy which hasn't been used as yet, I'm tempted to chop the body work strut mounts out and have something new fabricated to suit a little stronger, we will see