New wheels, lowered suspension - premium punishment?

jimjames

Strider590 wrote: »

You'll probably need to go to a specialist insurer, the mainstream insurance companies won't touch a lowered car with a barge pole. Whether done correctly or not, they'll assume it was a bodge, springs cut down, original shocks still in place, tracking not adjusted. Basically they'll assume it's a dangerous car.

When I bought my car it came with non standard wheels and was significantly lowered. Once insurance companies were aware of the mods they no longer wanted to quote.

Car now back to standard so next year will be much easier.

http://vw-golf-mk2-gti.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/vw-golf-standard-suspension-height.html

arcon5

Actually B makes no sense.


A lot of youngsters with bangers lower their car

Car_54

arcon5 wrote: »

Actually B makes no sense.


A lot of youngsters with bangers lower their car

Are you saying there's an age limit to having more money than sense?

Anyway, in my original post I said A or B.

iolanthe07

Why do people lower the suspension anyway? It only makes damaging the underneath of the car more likely over pot holes and badly designed speed humps. Seems utterly pointless to me.

arcon5

Car_54 wrote: »

Are you saying there's an age limit to having more money than sense?

Anyway, in my original post I said A or B.

No i'm saying most lowered cars are by younger people who often do not have more money than sense, just poor taste.

forgotmyname

They lower then because it makes the car look kool innit.

On the plus side with the rock hard suspension they have to slow down between the bounces from one lump in the road to the next.

If you get a boy racer in a lowered car wanting to overtake, Make them take the bumpy line.

BeenThroughItAll

zazou wrote: »

I'm thinking of buying a new set of wheels for a car I'm buying and possibly lower it a little bit.



<SNIP>

This isn't a performance hot hatch, just got a boring 4 cyl diesel taking almost 10 seconds to get to 60mph.

Why?


Seriously.


Why?

Retrogamer

iolanthe07 wrote: »

Why do people lower the suspension anyway? It only makes damaging the underneath of the car more likely over pot holes and badly designed speed humps. Seems utterly pointless to me.

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Why?


Seriously.


Why?

Probably the same reasons why car manufacturers put lower suspension / stiffer suspension on some of their performance models.
If done sensibly it can enhance the car's looks as well as it's handling characteristics

It seems odd that changing the way a house or garden or bicycle is set up to suit the person's needs or what they think is best is normal but as soon as someone changes something on a car, people can't understand why.

BeenThroughItAll

Retrogamer wrote: »

If done sensibly it can enhance the car's looks as well as it's handling characteristics

Gee, thanks for explaining that to me. I'm sure the OP's slow heavy diesel will benefit hugely from being slammed on 20s bruv innit.


People ask 'why !!!! around with wheels and loweing on your car' because:

• In 99.999999% of cases it simply makes the thing look stupid
• it very often increases unsprung weight since the majority of aftermarket wheels are heavier than standard, thereby compromising handling
• It make the car more susceptible to damage on our crap roads
• It increases the cost of insuring the car disproportionately to that of insuring a sportier standard model

People change their house around because whilst most houses differ from exactly what people want the investment in changing the house you own because you don't like the windows isn't viable, whereas if people really want fancy wheels and lower suspension, they could in all probability buy a sportier, faster, nicer specified version of what they have, or a different car, for less than the cost of buying, bolting on, and insuring the parts on their 1.0L shitbox.

Retrogamer

zazou wrote: »

I'm thinking of buying a new set of wheels for a car I'm buying and possiblylower it a little bit.
The wheels I'd get would perhaps be an inch larger but maintain the same diameter as they come from the same type of car but a different spec. The shorter springs would also be compatible with a higher spec car.

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Gee, thanks for explaining that to me. I'm sure the OP's slow heavy diesel will benefit hugely from being slammed on 20s bruv innit.

Perhaps you should respond in context to the points raised, rather than let your imagination run wild with your personal views on modified cars. The OP is merely suggesting fitting subtle parts to their car that come off a higher spec model. Still OEM

zazou wrote: »

People ask 'why !!!! around with wheels and loweing on your car' because:
In 99.999999% of cases it simply makes the thing look stupid

That's merely an opinion and varies from person to person.
For example I think Fiat Multiplas are stupid looking standard and or modified i know lots of other people do as well but i wouldn't go as far as to try and draw conclusions as to why someone would want to own one.

zazou wrote: »

it very often increases unsprung weight since the majority of aftermarket wheels are heavier than standard, thereby compromising handling

This is true, however the reduced flex from the smaller sidewall on the tyres and extra traction from increased width will provide improvements that offset the reduced handling from increased unsprung weight.
Aesthetics comes into it as well. Why do you think most modern cars come with heavier alloy wheels?

zazou wrote: »

It make the car more susceptible to damage on our crap roads

Yep. The same way buying a new standard performance hatch that has stiffer suspension to an eco model will

zazou wrote: »

It increases the cost of insuring the car disproportionately to that of insuring a sportier standard model

A lot of the time yes, but not always. I've a mix of cosmetic and performance modifications on mines and it raised my policy by about £60

zazou wrote: »

People change their house around because whilst most houses differ from exactly what people want the investment in changing the house you own because you don't like the windows isn't viable, whereas if people really want fancy wheels and lower suspension, they could in all probability buy a sportier, faster, nicer specified version of what they have, or a different car, for less than the cost of buying, bolting on, and insuring the parts on their 1.0L shitbox.

You've overlooked the main point i was trying to make. It's a hobby for some people and they enjoy doing it.