Just had my Tanabe GF210 Springs installed 2 days ago (Monday, 8/26/13)
Now from what I understand, after installation, the FRONT is supposed to have a 1 finger (1 inch) gap, and the REAR is supposed to have a 1.5 finger (2 inch) gap.
Even if that is not true, the fitment of my springs seems a little off to me. Please enlighten me if you know what it is supposed to look like.

Here are some pictures I just took of my car a few minutes ago.

Front (Driver Side)
In this pic I can barely squeeze 1 finger in there. (giggity!)


Front (Passenger Side)
I can easily squeeze 1 finger in the given space. (giggity!)


So for the front, the driver side is dropped a bit more then the passenger side. Nothing too extreme though. Should I be concerned? Or is this normal.


Rear (Driver Side)
You might not be able to tell from the angle, but I can barely fit the tip of my finger in the 2 pics shown below.



Rear (Passenger Side)
I can easily slide my entire finger in the gap, even 2 fingers go in more then 1 finger can on the drivers side.



Basically, both the front and rear on the DRIVERS side are sitting lower then the PASSENGER side. Is this normal? Should I be concerned?
I have still yet to get my wheel alignment. Will everything balance out after the alignment? Or should all my wheel gaps (front, rear, driver side, passenger,) already have even gaps.

Thanks for the help guys, appreciate it.

 

If your car is out of alignment then that could cause it.. When they stand the wheels up it should even everything out.

 

I have GF210's as well. I notice when it is parked on any sort of uneven ground it throws the wheels gaps all over the place. Make sure it is on even ground.

Also alignment should help.

 

Give it some time to settle and then update us on what it looks like.

Takes about 1 week for your springs to settle in.

Does your wheel pull to the right?

 

Could be the alignment for sure. After installing the same exact springs on my Z a few months ago my front oem shocks went out quickly after so it may be this as well.

 

They will always sit a little off

 

9k, not that I've noticed, no.
But before the drop, my car did drift to the left.

***
Alright, so I should just wait until after I get my alignment to see if it evens out.

Speaking of alignment, everyone says to get a wheel alignment after about 1-2 weeks.

Does anyone have a more specific time frame? Like after xxx Miles? Thanks.

 

It's best to try to purhcase an alignment whereby you can return at least 1-2 times more without additional charge. Your springs take time to settle out. So, you may want to have it re-aligned after 2-3 months.

 

I messaged you!! I have this same exact setup but with more aggressive wheels. I know people will tell you that you don't necessarily need front camber arms for this setup. I will tell you personally after driving on this setup for years that front camber arms make a world of difference in how smooth the car will drive. You already know you need a rear camber kit (spc) and toe bolt. Like some people have mentioned it could be uneven for a couple of reasons. The ground is uneven where you park, It could be uneven even if it appears even to your eyes. Your shocks could be a little more warn on one side making it a tad bit lower. Also, the car will never be exact on all 4 corners unless you go with a coilover and adjust it on each wheel.

 

it will never be exact, but wait till springs settle to make final judgements

 

A properly designed and manufactured spring will not need a break-in period to 'settle'. In order for the spring's length to change, you need to compress it far enough to exceed the yield point of the material, and you cannot compress a properly designed spring far enough to do that.

If springs required a break-in, auto manufacturers would go nuts with their cars sitting all catty-wampus on the dealer's lots.

When you install coil-overs on the rear, you're putting the weight of the car on the rubber bushings that normally carry only the loads imposed by the shock absorbers. Those bushings will settle in because they weren't designed to carry the dead weight of the car.

Keep in mind that the OEM shock absorbers don't put much force on the bushings while the car is just sitting, whereas the coil-overs put the weight of the car on the bushings all the time.

One thing a lot of people forget is that you shouldn't tighten the lower bolt on the rear shock until the car is back on the ground at the normal ride height. That will cause the bushing to twist as the suspension is loaded, and may lead to early failure of the bushing.

 

Did you get the springs new or used?