Hi,

I am the owner. Yes the lift did remove the bottoming out.

Here is an excerpt (modified) of Message 13343:
====================================

The mod took me 4 hours total (because I did not know what to do but
it should take less than 2), cost $13, 4 bolts to remove. See:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/honda-hybrid/files/rearlift.jpg

Donut material: I used plastic plank used to build deck or porch
floor. It is a replacement to wood and is is grey or lite blue in
color. 1 inch thick, 6 inches wide and usually 8 foot long but I
bought a 4 foot long($13). The plastic is entirely from recycle and is
filled (no special core).

Donut build: For each spacer I drilled a hole with a 2 inch hole saw.
With a Dremel tool, I made the hole conic to fit the Insight body tube
(2 3/8 one side and 2 3/4 the other side if I remember). Then cut the
outside circle with a jigsaw to make the "donut spacer". Sanded to
look nice.

Centering ring mod: Once fitted to the body stub, the existing rubber
centering ring on top of the spring was a little loose because of the
lower position. I cut a strip of plastic from a RubberMaid box to put
inside the rubber ring. This keeps this rubber ring in the center
around the car's body stub, therefore the spring also. The strip is an
arc to fit nicely (1 inch wide and about 12 inches long)

All pieces (spacer and strip) only have compression forces, nothing
moves.

Insight work (See Service manual page 18-26):
- Jack the body of the car. Remove the rear wheels
- Put a jack under each side of the rear suspension beam
- Remove the lower bolt holding the shock.
Remove the bolt from the clip holding the
brake line in the middle of the suspension beam.
- Lower the axels so that the spring is free and you remove it from
the car
- Put the newly made spacers, plastic strips, rubber centering rings,
springs and jack both side of the axel. Put the 4 bolts back. And
wheels. Voila.

It was easy and wish I had thought about it before. It makes the
Insight a "normal" car (in regards to suspension)


Yves.
P.S. If you need more info, you can contact me.


--- In honda-hybrid@yahoogroups.com, Art Isbell <spam1@h...> wrote:
> On May 20, 2004, at 4:58 PM, Bob Luckin wrote:
>
> > I love the car but I wish it had something close
> > to rear springs.
>
> Check out rearlift.jpg at
> http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/honda-hybrid/files/. One
Insight
> owner installed rings that lifted the rear of his Insight about 1"
> which he claims has solved his bottoming-out problem.
>
> Aloha,
> Art Isbell
> 2000 Insight A/C #559
> Original owner: 49.5 mpg over 9,500 miles
> Me: 66.9 mpg over 5,500 miles
> Driving style REALLY matters!