Originally Posted by
Loren
On the rear, the only bolts you're loosening that secure something that could bind are the lower shock bolts. Not a bad idea to get the rear suspension compressed to static height before torquing those bolts. Easiest way to do it would be to put the rear up on ramps. If you happened to loosen the pivot bolts at the front of the rear axle, then those should also be torqued under static load.
On the front, the upper mounts are free to rotate, no problem there. On the bottom, you're only taking the two strut-to-hub bolts out. There's no pivoting happening there at all, so nothing to worry about.
IF you removed the lower control arms for some reason, the inner bolts on the lower control arm are pivot points that could bind if the bolts were torqued with the suspension at full droop.
It's all pretty simple to understand if you just step back and look at it and think about how it works. What you're trying to avoid is torquing down a pivot point with the suspension drooped. If you do that, then that pivot point will bind and potentially hold the car up higher than it should be until either that bolt slips, or the bushing that is in-play wears in or breaks. It can be really bad for the bushings.
I'm intentionally not using the term "preload" because that has a somewhat different meaning when you're talking about setting up height-adjustable spring perches. (but, I know what you're talking about)