Suspension, Brakes, Drivetrain discuss the wondrous effects of boost and your miata...
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Control arm bottoming out on body

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 09-23-2016 | 12:00 PM
  #1  
aidandj's Avatar
Thread Starter
SADFab Destructive Testing Engineer
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 18,642
Total Cats: 1,866
From: Beaverton, USA
Default Control arm bottoming out on body

xidas+spherical tophats
700/400
Xida bump stops
Delrin bushings

Name:  6xEAa1p.jpg
Views: 144
Size:  611.0 KB

Name:  MZlR0Mk.jpg
Views: 107
Size:  629.2 KB

Anybody seen this before?

Current plan is to trim the body and see if that helps.
Old 09-23-2016 | 12:32 PM
  #2  
afm's Avatar
afm
Senior Member
iTrader: (3)
 
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 983
Total Cats: 508
From: Berkeley, CA
Default

Why not try some bump stop packers in the short term before cutting metal out near the shock tower?
Old 09-23-2016 | 12:42 PM
  #3  
aidandj's Avatar
Thread Starter
SADFab Destructive Testing Engineer
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 18,642
Total Cats: 1,866
From: Beaverton, USA
Default

Because i'm lazy and would rather cut than pull a shork. Also i dont want to lose travel. I think I should be able to trim it out a little bit and be fine. I believe the lower is also contacting the subframe somewhere.
Old 09-23-2016 | 12:57 PM
  #4  
afm's Avatar
afm
Senior Member
iTrader: (3)
 
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 983
Total Cats: 508
From: Berkeley, CA
Default

Packers are slitted so you can pop them on the shaft without pulling the shock.

Maybe not the ultimate solution, but it gives you time to investigate without cutting up your car.
Old 09-23-2016 | 12:58 PM
  #5  
aidandj's Avatar
Thread Starter
SADFab Destructive Testing Engineer
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 18,642
Total Cats: 1,866
From: Beaverton, USA
Default

Ahh, i'll look into those. I really don't mind cutting the car. And it looks like as long as I bend that lip back up it shouldn't matter a whole lot.
Old 09-23-2016 | 01:53 PM
  #6  
x_25's Avatar
Elite Member
 
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,822
Total Cats: 141
From: NorthWest NJ
Default



But yeah, the packers are just cut plastic ring things that you pop over the shock shaft. You could probably make some with whatever you have laying around.

That, or stiffer springs to keep from bottoming out.
Old 09-23-2016 | 01:55 PM
  #7  
aidandj's Avatar
Thread Starter
SADFab Destructive Testing Engineer
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 18,642
Total Cats: 1,866
From: Beaverton, USA
Default

I doubt stiffer springs will help. Unless they are like 2000# springs. These are from hard slams, not turning or anything.
Old 09-23-2016 | 02:23 PM
  #8  
codrus's Avatar
Elite Member
 
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 5,187
Total Cats: 859
From: Santa Clara, CA
Default

Stop offroading your Miata?

--Ian
Old 09-23-2016 | 02:31 PM
  #9  
Twibs415's Avatar
Senior Member
iTrader: (8)
 
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 615
Total Cats: 115
Default

im not surprised with this at all. more spring will help for sure. i ran around 3 degrees camber once out back and hit a curbing just right that the bolts holding the shock mounting area to the frame cut into the backside of my rim.

also gen2 ftl
Old 09-23-2016 | 02:37 PM
  #10  
aidandj's Avatar
Thread Starter
SADFab Destructive Testing Engineer
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 18,642
Total Cats: 1,866
From: Beaverton, USA
Default

You really think an extra 100# of spring will help this.....thats not how this works.

Why gen2 ftl.
Old 09-23-2016 | 02:46 PM
  #11  
afm's Avatar
afm
Senior Member
iTrader: (3)
 
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 983
Total Cats: 508
From: Berkeley, CA
Default

I'll take a photo of my LR corner with the exact same parts at full bump w/o spring for comparison tomorrow.
Old 09-23-2016 | 02:48 PM
  #12  
aidandj's Avatar
Thread Starter
SADFab Destructive Testing Engineer
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 18,642
Total Cats: 1,866
From: Beaverton, USA
Default

Do it with and without a bumpstop too if possible so I know how much the bumpstop has to compress to get to this point.
Old 09-23-2016 | 02:58 PM
  #13  
afm's Avatar
afm
Senior Member
iTrader: (3)
 
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 983
Total Cats: 508
From: Berkeley, CA
Default

You're killing me.

But seriously, I think there's no way I can photograph that perspective showing the bumpstops with the billet mounts.
Old 09-23-2016 | 02:59 PM
  #14  
aidandj's Avatar
Thread Starter
SADFab Destructive Testing Engineer
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 18,642
Total Cats: 1,866
From: Beaverton, USA
Default

Don't need pics. Just measure from the top of the billet mount to the top of the shock when control arm touches body.
Old 09-23-2016 | 03:06 PM
  #15  
Twibs415's Avatar
Senior Member
iTrader: (8)
 
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 615
Total Cats: 115
Default

iv handled both gens and gen 2 have a cheaper build quality.


what ride height are you out back. and did you go from nb top hats to billets and the contact is a side effect?

Reply
Leave a poscat -1 Leave a negcat
Old 09-23-2016 | 03:12 PM
  #16  
aidandj's Avatar
Thread Starter
SADFab Destructive Testing Engineer
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 18,642
Total Cats: 1,866
From: Beaverton, USA
Default

Always been on billet.
Old 09-23-2016 | 03:16 PM
  #17  
afm's Avatar
afm
Senior Member
iTrader: (3)
 
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 983
Total Cats: 508
From: Berkeley, CA
Default

Gen 2s have bigger pistons and are doubly digressive. No idea what world that's "FTL" in.

Ride height also doesn't matter here.
Old 09-23-2016 | 03:49 PM
  #18  
Twibs415's Avatar
Senior Member
iTrader: (8)
 
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 615
Total Cats: 115
Default

excuse me i get caught up in perceived quality and value too easily.

back to the topic

what are our options here.

bent arm thats bowed. shock body is too short. bump stop is too short. upper shock mount is too high.

the idea of more spring is to keep the suspension off the bump stop as much as we can.

can you pull the spring out and check for contact when the shock is just touching the bumpstop?

Old 09-23-2016 | 03:57 PM
  #19  
aidandj's Avatar
Thread Starter
SADFab Destructive Testing Engineer
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 18,642
Total Cats: 1,866
From: Beaverton, USA
Default

Arm could be bent. I could put a straight edge on it tonight.

I'm far too lazy to pull the spring out. If I go that far I'm just going to cut where it is hitting.

AFAIK i am the only person with this issue, which theoretically rules out shock, bump stop, and upper shock mount issues.

I wonder if there are just differences in each chassis.
Old 09-23-2016 | 04:26 PM
  #20  
mmmjesse's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 574
Total Cats: 44
Default

either stop doing sweet jumps or dont be so stanced bro.

JJFU. I have never seen that kind of contact before and i have had some dumb low miatas in the past.. Do you know when it did it? i imagine you would have felt it bottom out.



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:39 PM.