Lowered suspension & alloy wheels!

JustinR1979

OddballJamie wrote: »

Erm... I've been driven around Rockingham by Mel C's half brother.
True Story.

I've lowered 2 of my cars and still let them warm up before redlining.
True story.

Spicy_McHaggis

Hanna_angels wrote: »

Yeh in retrospect it may have been cheaper to get the S-line from the start. But if one already has a solidly reliable A3 SE and know its history, it maybe better to modify that than part exchange it for a bottom of the barrel A3 S-line with many potential expenses and unknown history

Hello darkmatter, why not just announce yourself instead of starting another bullsh!t thread?

JustinR1979

Why do you redline it when the engine is cold?

red_eye

ben_m_g wrote: »

A little bit of misinformation here, I have been taking cars apart and modifying friends and my own cars for years. So hopefully I can assist,

Restoring your suspension, this depends on how it has been done. Some people cut the springs (a stupid thing to do) so just putting original springs on will restore the ride height.
4cm is a standard drop height so you have a good chance that the shock absorbers are original, again just swap the springs back are you are golden.

Alloy wheels. NO changing one wheel will not make it the wrong size as long as you have a large enough tyre depth. and NO just changing one will not do anything for the insurance.
Luckily for you Corsa's are still popular with the modification crowd, and you should be able to swap them online for free (if not with cash your way depending on the value of the wheel) with someone who is looking to modify his/her car.

If you just want steels, check the scrap yards as these often come with tyres for between £20 - £50 per set.

If the lowered springs with increased spring rate had a fight with the standard shocks, the shock will lose.

I would change the shocks at the same time, and I would negotiate with the garage that since the old springs have to be removed from the front shocks (mcpherson strut) and new fitted it would be easier to fit new springs on new shocks.

on the other hand if it was fitted with uprated shocks I would keep them on.

red_eye

Tobster86 wrote: »

I'd personally consider replacing the vehicle as there's a good chance the head gasket could go soon.

The same mentality that causes someone to want to lower a vehicle's suspension also causes them to frequently rev it to the red line when it's cold.

That could also be said about people that keep their cars stock, remember most look after their cars more than what a non modder would do.
when was the last time you changed your brake fluid or anti freeze?
besides £130 for a head gasket is a lot cheaper than replacing car.

Tobster86

red_eye wrote: »

That could also be said about people that keep their cars stock, remember most look after their cars more than what a non modder would do.
when was the last time you changed your brake fluid or anti freeze?
besides £130 for a head gasket is a lot cheaper than replacing car.

Brake fluid January last year. Antifreeze last August; about to be done again as I'm in the process of replacing the timing chain guides, which is quite an extensive job.

Car is a stock BMW 540i. I'm also a performance enthusiast, but did the logical thing of buying a car that was already fit for purpose when it left the factory.

JustinR1979

Tobster86 wrote: »

Car is a stock BMW 540i. I'm also a performance enthusiast, but did the logical thing of buying a car that was already fit for purpose when it left the factory.

I lowered my E36 M3, gave it a nicer stance and better handling.
Was an M3 not 'fit for purpose' when it left the factory?

Tobster86

JustinR1979 wrote: »

I lowered my E36 M3, gave it a nicer stance and better handling.
Was an M3 not 'fit for purpose' when it left the factory?

Yes it was, and I doubt your claim; otherwise BMW would have specced it like that in the first place.

JustinR1979

Tobster86 wrote: »

Yes it was, and I doubt your claim; otherwise BMW would have specced it like that in the first place.

You'll do 'til darkmatter returns

Tobster86

JustinR1979 wrote: »

You'll do 'til darkmatter returns

I'm not trolling, it's an honest opinion!

A lot of time, effort and expense on the manufacturer's part goes into what ultimately determines a vehicle's ride height. Changing it from the original specification simply will not have any overall net improvement on the vehicle's behaviour.