Pedders XA Coilover ride height

[_R_J_K_]

Hi guys. How do the Pedders coil overs compare to the Shockworks coil overs ?

The Shockworks ones will be way better, you'll also have more ability to get a setup that suits you a bit better if you're after something more comfort oriented. They're also built in Melbourne so support is good and Shockworks can rebuild them for you. Pedders will probably be with the likes of the Taiwanese BC and Tein models, usually with more of a one size fits all kinda deal.

 

[myksomerville]

Were you adjusting them with the handbrake on?
Did you make any adjustments to the base or did you just adjust the spring perch?
The springs being captive is also not as much of an issue on coilovers - mainly because of the VE's better IRS compared to the past Commodores - but also because of how small the diameter of the springs are vs the thickness of the shock absorber casing, that and they usually have helper springs or some kind of sleeve or platform for the springs to index to on the top or the bottom.

Handbrake was on. I adjusted by loosening the bottom collar then screwing the thread into the base using the top collar (not the lock ring). Bottomed out and relaxed 1/4 turn.

 

[_R_J_K_]

Handbrake was on. I adjusted by loosening the bottom collar then screwing the thread into the base using the top collar (not the lock ring). Bottomed out and relaxed 1/4 turn.

If you didn't lower the spring perch then that's the next step - ideally you probably would have done the perch first. The base sets the total overall length of the shock and shortening them (depending if Pedders set them up to do this out of the box) can mean the wheel has enough travel to make full contact with the body, although that's kind of worst case.

Take the handbrake off when you're doing stuff like this, it has enough tension to hold the wheels in the position they were in on the ground while the car is in the air.

 

[myksomerville]

If you didn't lower the spring perch then that's the next step - ideally you probably would have done the perch first. The base sets the total overall length of the shock and shortening them (depending if Pedders set them up to do this out of the box) can mean the wheel has enough travel to make full contact with the body, although that's kind of worst case.

Take the handbrake off when you're doing stuff like this, it has enough tension to hold the wheels in the position they were in on the ground while the car is in the air.

Wouldn't lowering the spring perch affect the preload? I've followed the recommended process:

Assemble onto the rear strut mount
Fit remote adjustment knob
Preload 3mm
Lock spring perch
Release lower collar
Adjust height by rotating spring perch to screw body into the base (keeping preload)
Tighten everything and lock off collars.

I understand that they should settle after a while, but 20mm seems unlikely to me.

 

[lmoengnr]

Have you driven it yet?

 

[07GTS]

may settle bout 10mm or so, the pedders is not ment to be altered by preload, they must have adjusted the rears a little more back when i first got them u could go real low then after those leaked i got the second rears with fixed leaking issue and u couldnt go as low just to where i set mine too now, maby they have done another alteration and lost some more lowness out of it

 

[MrBags]

I think something changed with them because I have had 3 sets and the first 2 you could definitely get it down low, my SS has the rears as low as they will go and it’s perfect for me but not as low as my Caprice was with older ones.

 

[_R_J_K_]

Wouldn't lowering the spring perch affect the preload?

Preload doesn't really do anything, the only preload that's needed is the weight of the car on the spring. If you buy MCA or Shockworks this is the way they will tell you to adjust the ride height instead of using base adjustment. Were they Pedder's instructions?

Conversely, compressing the spring doesn't change the spring rate either.

 

[07GTS]

the mca have a little tensioner spring so when the height is loosened to lower the vehicle the spring dosnt fall out of its place, pedders dosnt have this

 

[myksomerville]

Preload doesn't really do anything, the only preload that's needed is the weight of the car on the spring. If you buy MCA or Shockworks this is the way they will tell you to adjust the ride height instead of using base adjustment. Were they Pedder's instructions?

Conversely, compressing the spring doesn't change the spring rate either.

I got them 2nd hand so no instructions came with them, but every video or how-to for Pedders into VE said to preload. There are a range of opinions about how much preload, so I went to the lower end.