Hi from new member with ride heigh question

[Ross_Ashley]

Hi,
I am in Leicestershire in the UK. I bought my beat about three weeks ago and I really like it.

I have noticed that the car looks lower from the back on one side than it does on the other. The front is fine.

I took a tape measure and measured from the floor to the edge of the wheelarch and found it to be 60 cm on the passenger side and 58 cm on the drivers side.

Can anyone suggest what this might be, I am thinking shock abosorbers might fix it?

Thanks,
Ross

[beardo]

Could be a number of things to be honest. Push down on both wheels and see if they settle at the same rate. A shot shocker will take longer to settle and be easier to push down. The suspension on the Beat is quite hard though so this might not be conclusive.

Welcome by the way.

[LawrenceHarding]

Worn shock absorbers do not affect ride height. Could be the spring has settled on the low side, worn or missing bushes, upper strut mount collapsed or something bent. Soft tyre??? Are you sure the floor you are measuring from is completely flat and the bonnet is fitted accurately. If the car is standing on a flat surface, one end is level and the other isn't perhaps the shell is twisted.

[Mylee]

Broken spring.

[beardo]

Worn shock absorbers do not affect ride height.

They did on an Alfa of mine last year. The seals were shot letting all the gas out leaving it slightly lower on one corner. A new shock fixed it. But like you say it could be other things aswell.

[Ross_Ashley]

Hi,
Thanks for all the replies and suggestions.

Today I jacked it up and took all the wheels off. When jacked up, all the hubs "hang" from the car at an equal distance on each side. There is no rust around strut tops and no bent suspension parts or sign of missing bushes or leaking shocks, tyre pressures are equal.

So I think its down to 17 years of one person driving it. I may replace the rear shocks and springs, or I may just leave it as it is, depends on how much they cost.

Thanks,
ross

[Mylee]

PM me if your interested in a set of original honda shocks and springs.

[TADO]

umm... maybe it was owned by a slightly larger than usual individual at some point? :p