Adjusting ZX rear ride height.

[citronut]

i think all that will happen with larger tyres at the rear is the wheelarches will on the tops of the tyres, i think your best bet is either fit a tow bar or see if you can find suspension assisters, like caravanning boys use

regards malcolm

[myglaren]

Interesting that a thread that started out as a query about suspension has headed off in the direction of adjusting the headlamps and a talking car!

All I wanted was to stop the car looking overloaded when I put something heavy in the boot.

I think the best bit of advice so far is to fit larger wheels at the back, or the converse, smaller ones at the front. Anybody got a spare sump pan.......

Handyman

It does tend to go that way.
The reason I mentioned the internal headlamp adjusters was that it was my impression that all non-hydro French cars were equipped with them to prevent just the situation you find yourself in and perhaps you had missed it.

[CitroJim]

Spring asisters for torsion bar suspension setups are nigh on impossible to obtain Malcolm It used to be the bane of 405 owners lives (including me) who tugged a caravan around.

As far as I know, the only way to up the height is to pull the torsion bars out and rotate them a couple of notches on the splines. It's a job though but a great opportunnity to replace the trailing arm bearings whilst you're about it.

As RichardW says, not a job for the faint of heart but somehow, Handyman, I don't think you fall into that category

Another thought. Try to get hold of a set of torsion bars and ARB from a sportier ZX (Volcane, GTi) as they might well be stiffer than the current ones. Failing that, the bars from a sportier 306 might do.

I like threads that drift around topic and veer a little off. Makes it all the more interesting I once used to visit a forum where the mods would not tolerate even a slight deviation from topic. It resulted in a thread lock and a telling off Made it all a bit sterile really. Everybody, and this is one of your admins speaking, please do continue It keeps threads lively, productive and a good read!

[James.UK]

When a lady friend bumped the front of my ZX (Aura) recently the body shop refitted one headlight aimed miles too high!

So I took it to my usual garage and my tame mechanic showed me that the lights have adjusters fitted to the outsides*, he corrected both lights in about 3 mins free of charge

* he lifted the bonnet, and ferkled around in gap between the light and the wing with a screwdriver of some sort, it only took seconds to alter the beam direction between checks.

He also told me that if I want to carry a heavy load in the back, to use the adjusters so my lights remain aimed ahead.. Apparently, according to him, that's precisely what the adjusters are there for..
.

[handyman]

Well after James' last comment, I will have to go and have a ferkle under the bonnet. Only thing is I do not know which car to do it in!

Handyman

[jeremy]

I think the ZX adjusters have plastic handles on them - so load compensation can be done without tools - and without interfering with the alignment settings.