Ridetech Coilovers

I'm wondering why you cant put more preload on the coil to raise the car some? is there room for a 10 inch spring? or woukd that put the adjusting collar into the liwer a arm pocket? what spring rate did you get? 650 might not be enough on the 8 inch spring. ive heard 700lb spring or 750 if big blower and steel block. Im aware the ridetech system is designed for using a 03+ front suspension on a F100 truck. it was not built specifically for a crown vic, panther.

The kit I purchased had a pair of 700lbs springs. After talking to 3 different techs, the desired measurements is 12.5 inches between the upper and lower shock bolts. There is very little adjustability in shock height. As I learned the hard way, this kit was designed to lower the front end of the car to improve the driving experience. Two steps forward and one step back.
 
Thanks for info so far. what size front do you run.? and if no trouble,could you measure the height of the middle of front fender well from ground centered over wheel center. i dont drive mine daily, have a cut coil with factory shock. it's lowered but not slammed, I run the 255/45/18 in front. I've considered these andvtge QA1 set up but read alot of disappointed people with marauders that did not like qa1 set up. i believe their (naake susp. who built thd qa1 marauder set up recommended 450 rate spring and it required regular adjustment) Their system may be better with a 550 spring. Naake qa1 uses a progressive rate spring and ridetech uses a linear or constant rate spring.
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Thanks for info so far. what size front do you run.? and if no trouble,could you measure the height of the middle of front fender well from ground centered over wheel center. i dont drive mine daily, have a cut coil with factory shock. it's lowered but not slammed, I run the 255/45/18 in front. I've considered these andvtge QA1 set up but read alot of disappointed people with marauders that did not like qa1 set up. i believe their (naake susp. who built thd qa1 marauder set up recommended 450 rate spring and it required regular adjustment) Their system may be better with a 550 spring. Naake qa1 uses a progressive rate spring and ridetech uses a linear or constant rate spring.
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The Naake QA1 are 450ib linear not progressive. The shock travel is to short & causes the shocks to bottom out. I found them great for autocross not for every day roads speed bumps dips potholes ect.
 
The Naake QA1 are 450ib linear not progressive. The shock travel is to short & causes the shocks to bottom out. I found them great for autocross not for every day roads speed bumps dips potholes ect.

i dont believe qa1 are linear, they are tapered, I'm pretty certain they are progressive. ridetech are linear.
 
Ive installed the Ridetechs on 3 different Marauders coilover shocks must be set up properly or the ride quality will suffer big time , I've learned the specs Ridetech gives are nothing more than a starting point as with most coilovers , but once they are properly setup they are leaps and bounds ahead of oem Marauder shocks in every way , I can out perform a stock Marauder at every point of suspension travel , be it potholes , speed bumps or whatever the bottom line is there is absolutely no comparison to stock.
 
How much lower do the ridetech fronts make the car from stock? I'm lowered 1.5" in the front and i'm running 255/45-18's up front with no rubbing whatsoever, and i'm wondering if the ride tech stuff will lower the front more than 1.5" over stock?
 
How much lower do the ridetech fronts make the car from stock? I'm lowered 1.5" in the front and i'm running 255/45-18's up front with no rubbing whatsoever, and i'm wondering if the ride tech stuff will lower the front more than 1.5" over stock?

what springs do you have? cut p71? marauder factory front springs are different than cv, p71,marquis. ..
 
How much lower do the ridetech fronts make the car from stock? I'm lowered 1.5" in the front and i'm running 255/45-18's up front with no rubbing whatsoever, and i'm wondering if the ride tech stuff will lower the front more than 1.5" over stock?

My problem is more complicated then the standard application. With the Willwood front brakes a mild spacer is supplied that gives clearance between the caliper and stock MM wheel, it's a real tight fit, but no problems. Now that I have replaced the wheels with a set of Weld S71b wheels, (8.5x18) the equation changes. To my surprise the Weld wheel required a larger spacer (3mm) to clear the calipers. If you look closely at your front wheel well it's not equal in height from left to right, I wish I had a picture. The first inch or so is lower and that's where the problems begins for me. Because my offset using the spacers has changed I get fender rubs on the outside of the tire. Ridetech's documents states it lowers the car 1.5 inches.
 
To answer both of you, I have the Detroit lowering springs up front with KYB shocks and I will also be running the tce wilwood 14" front kit once I drag it out of my basement and install it on the car; the spacer you mentioned is included in the kit I have. I'm currently running 18x9.5" 05-09 gt500 wheels which don't rub at all. The ridetech's aren't height adjustable at all? The lowest part of my car currently is my exhaust so I'm used to avoiding driveways and stuff like that. I can't imagine the ridetech's will lower my car beyond where my current suspension sits. Thanks for your replies.
 
Ive installed the Ridetechs on 3 different Marauders coilover shocks must be set up properly or the ride quality will suffer big time , I've learned the specs Ridetech gives are nothing more than a starting point as with most coilovers , but once they are properly setup they are leaps and bounds ahead of oem Marauder shocks in every way , I can out perform a stock Marauder at every point of suspension travel , be it potholes , speed bumps or whatever the bottom line is there is absolutely no comparison to stock.

What ridetech are you are referring to HQ ?
What length springs ?
What spring rate ?
Do you feel compressio & rebound adjust are necessary ?
Thanks again
 
I just pulled the trigger on the HQ coilovers. Sales rep says they come with a 650# linear spring.

Fun fact: $697 shipped when buying online. $797 when you call them and talk to a live person. The sales rep was honest about it and cool when I said I'd like to save $100.
 
what if you want 700 lb spring, how one could get them whilst online ordering? $100 bucks is a hundred bucks for us panther folk.
 
You can't specify the spring rate online as far as I could tell.
The sales rep I talked to, John, said they can be spec'd through him.
He was rather helpful so if you're looking to talk to a live voice, give him your money as they do work on commission according to what he told me.
 
What ridetech are you are referring to HQ ?
What length springs ?
What spring rate ?
Do you feel compressio & rebound adjust are necessary ?
Thanks again

Yes HQ series , You need to call Ridetech with any concerns , I don't recall the spring length , as far as spring rate I would definitely get 700lb springs they adjust easier and give a better ride than the 650lb springs on a Marauder , rebound and compression adjustments are definitely necessary (Ridetechs are 32 way adjustable) if you aren't familiar with how to adjust coilovers , or know someone who is these are not for you.
 
I installed mine yesterday. Pics here since MMN doesn't resize and they're hella big (and yes that's a Moog arm, yes I greased the balljoint, and yes I know it's filthy, that's what happens when KYBs oil everything down): https://imgur.com/a/AL4En

With a decent impact gun, install is surprisingly easy and took only 2.5hrs from first spun wrench to first cold beer (with a road test and tool cleanup between): remove brake caliper and rotor, disconnect sway bar links, remove upper control arm, remove old coilover, install new coilover per instructions, reattach everything else

RideTech's own website says that 'fitment on an actual Crown Victoria has not been verified' and that it was made for vehicles doing a Crown Vic suspension swap. So, let me reassure you: I encountered zero issues with fitment.

One thing you'll want to understand is that the "tools required" section of the instructions is laughable at best. You'll need a full compliment of metric and standard sockets, impact gun, and a SPANNER WRENCH which you can buy from Ridetech, Summit, etc. or just borrow one from your pals like I did.

Speaking of the spanner, the first height dial-in was close, but too low on the passenger side. That required the car going up in the air twice on that side for adjustments, but finally ended with what I felt was a perfect stance.

My first reaction on the road test was utter speechlessness. Granted, I was going from completely trashed suspension to brand new expensive pieces, but...holy hell, these things are great. I had heard warnings about ride harshness, but to me, the ride is what this car should have been from the factory. Ridetech suggested going 20 clicks on the adjustment valve from full firmness, and that 21-24 clicks would probably be too soft for most applications. I went 19 and didn't even bother trying 20 or 18 to see if there was a noticeable difference. I like the 650lb spring, maybe I'd like a 700lb spring better as others have suggested but whatever...

Going forward:
1. There is no lock-in mechanism provided with the Ridetech hardware (pardon the expression, there's probably a trade term but I don't know it). On the large spring retaining nut, there is a threaded hole where it appears a 1/4-20ish bolt can be snugged down to tighten that nut. I have no idea. I will be calling Ridetech on Wednesday for verification. It doesn't look like anything would move out of place but I'm not certain.
2. Need to order SPC camber bolts and get an alignment done. With the cut coils, I was able to get close to the Carfixer alignment specs. Way lower now, so...no.
3. I have new tires ordered and will have them mounted/balanced on Thursday morning. Since the 7 year-old Dunlops on the car are pretty bald, ride height and wheel well clearance will change. As such, I'm keeping the spanner wrench I borrowed until that time.
 
Looks great Adam!..I ordered mine as well, got the 700 lb springs, the price you got isn't online anymore. With the added weight of a blower etc..700 should be fine. 650 should be fine for n/a car as well. I asked if spanner wrench came with and they said yes..but maybe that is due to the $100 more price. What tires size did you go with? I have the 255/45 up front and have the camber bolts installed.
 
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