why do car scene guys lower their cars to just a few mms off the ground?

[Deleted User]

Same when they dewiper the rear screen and debadge the car. LOL

King_Nothing

My car is debadged, makes it easier for me to polish the boot lid lol.

Strider590

alastairq wrote: »

I've tended to go entirely the other way....due to my liking for Classic Reliability Trials...where ground clearance is king! [and compromises in 'handling' are accepted and coped with]

However, all this [correct and useful] talk of lowering for improved handling ignores some outstanding examples of superior handling at normal [legal] speeds....e.g., the Citroen 2CV?

A well-driven example of which is difficult even for modern cars, to keep up with on twisty roads.

With its skinny tyres, and incredibly long-travel supple suspension [including a degree of self-levelling]...

But, of course a proper 2CV [not dolled-up fashion statement] is hardly cool on the street?

Having watched them racing at Mallory park, i'm not convinced......

However, out on the roads most drivers don't seem to know how to go around corners.

Example was the fool in an A3 that I was following home one evening last week, kept putting her foot down anywhere that I could have overtaken, she pulled away on a straight 40 limit (she was really gunning it), but then slowed to 25mph for a corner which I could easily have taken at 50 (or even 60 if I didn't mind a bit of tyre squealing). So just carrying on at 40, I went from being a way behind, to instantly where I was before as soon as I hit the apex.

A lot of people know how to use their right foot, but don't know how to go around a slight bend in the road.

Limey

I used to get sea sick in the 2CV.

The cheap ebay coilover kits are nothing but a threaded sleeve and hard spring (unknown spring rate) that slots over the stock shock absorber system. I had a set that I was given and I passed them on to someone else who thought they might be able to make use of them (nice set of coffee table legs).

Both my cars have tweeked suspension, the MR2 is on coilovers (not cheap ones) amongst many others. The Celica has slightly lowered springs (about 25mm), uprated shocks and thicker rear anti roll bar, it is still pretty comfortable on the road and an absolute hoot on the track. :cool:

Never been into the 'slamming' scene as I like my cars to have some progression before breakaway, also the reason I don't go for low profile tyres (more tyre wall flex=more feel of when you will lose traction). A 'slammed' car, may be great on silky smooth roads if set up right, however will lose traction if it hits a bump. Not good if that happens mid corner.

aileth

We watched a new mini that had been lowered to literally mms off the floor attempt to take on a speed bump in tescos this weekend.

The speed bump won.

Lum

Weird_Nev wrote: »

Lowering is NOT the same thing as "slamming". I've lowered 3 of my cars, a small amount. If you start of thinking: "I want better handling, how can I achieve that?" And the answer involves some component of lowering, you're probably ok.

If you start off thinking "I want my car to look SIK!" and that involves cutting 100mm out of your springs, you're probably on the route to ruining your car.

Basically this ^^^

It's not necessarily that the manufacturers stock setup is the best. These things are designed to a compromise, ground clearance, aerodynamics, comfort, handling and yes, appearance too.

A properly designed stock setup will achieve a decent balance that appeals to the average person, and therefore by extension to the widest range of people possible. For most folk the stock setup is fine.

Not everybody has the same priorities however, and some will choose to alter it to suit their own tastes or requirements.

This could be an off road enthusiast who raises their suspension for better ground clearance, or a track day type who sacrifices comfort and ground clearance for better handling by fitting lower, stiffer setups at a not insignificant expense.

And then, of course, there's the people who just want the look. They have no idea what they're doing and never track day their 1.2 Corsas, they have just seen that the Corsas in the Touring Cars are lowered and have a big spoiler bolted on the back. So they cut the springs and ruin the handling, then bolt some Halfords tat to the rear that is not set up correctly and is probably slowing their car down, but it looks a little bit like a touring car which is all they wanted. Some of hese people usually end up getting their 5 minutes of fame either on Barryboys, or due to a photo of their car wrapped around a bus stop appearing in the local paper.

Strider590

Let's not forget of course that manufacturers take into account the cars maximum load rating when setting the ride height, damping and spring rates.... Not to mention suspension geometry and stupid stuff like headlight alignment.

There's room to properly lower most vehicles if typically it's just used by one person and with an empty boot.
But you may regret it when you load up the car to go on holiday with the family.

Lum

Ahh, I remember that being a problem with one of my cars back when I was young and single.

I hadn't lowered it, but I had fitted a different exhaust (full system including the manifold, not just a bolt on noisy back box, just so we're clear) that being a bit larger meant the ground clearance was about half an inch less.

Never had a problem with it at all, except for if a certain person sat in the rear nearside seat then the exhaust would ground on this one speed bump on my road that exceeded the 75mm maximum height.

If I had 3 kids and a boot full of luggage then the car would have grounded every time, but that's not something that will be an issue for me anyway.

Gloomendoom

I attended the Trax show. There were an awful lot of small cars on display that looked like they had inadvertently reversed over a dustbin... or two dustbins in some cases.

skivenov

motorguy wrote: »

Coilover kits are now avail from £200 so anyone in 'the scene' will have that as a minimum. A spring kit is from about £120 so again theres not big money involved.

Yes there are prob still some who cut the springs but it does make for a terrible ride.

The other thing with the cheap kits is whilst they "fit" the car, there doesn't seem to have been any consideration about spring rates.

Which is always a good thing, give me something to laugh at when I see them bouncing down the road on their £100 kit.

The funniest bit is they think I'm strange for spending £400 on suspension that's not as low as theirs.