how low shall you go??

[tangerinedream]

hi all im toying with the idea of lowering the car a bit more,

im interested in your measurements from wheel arch to ground to see what i can get away with.
with 18" wheels fitted?

 

[Jason.s]

Arches and wheel clearance arent asmuch of an issue as the sump and subframe really. Top of the arch to ground on mine is a fraction under 23.5" all round. Underside scrapes on most shorter speed bumps. Bumper scrapes if im not going slow enough coming back down the bump. Roads with a curve ie most country roads and so on my subframe scrapes. Nearly sh*t myself the first time i did it in fear of needing a new sump and being stranded in the middle of nowhere lol.

Im on 17s but the difference between 225/45/17 and 225/40/18 is only 1.45mm.

 

[OldRedEyes]

Jason, i have to ask why would you want to go so low that all this happens?

There is a guy in my village who has a Prelude so low he has to slow to a crawl and straddle the speed bumps in the village, what's the point?

 

[Oranoco]

24.75" front, 25.25" rear. And it's too low and annoys me so will bring it up about an inch all round.

Car's on 225/40/18's

 

[Jason.s]

Jason, i have to ask why would you want to go so low that all this happens?

There is a guy in my village who has a Prelude so low he has to slow to a crawl and straddle the speed bumps in the village, what's the point?

To be honest i probably worded it like it happens every 5 minutes of driving but its really only certain types of speed bumps and i never really travel on country roads all that often. I only really have to look out for big drips in the road or raise drain covers and the like. But then they could cause problems for a car only on a set of 30mm springs for instance. Plenty of examples of that actually on the 8L A3/S3 forum.

If i go to a show although my car may sound low, its is actually up in the clouds compared to the majority of cars there even if they arent running air or hydraulics. Im at the limits of how low i want to go because unlike some people i cant afford to and dont really want to replace my sump and 5 litres of oil every other week.

My Civic used to be pretty low. The flange for the manifold onto the middle section used to be about 2.5"s off the floor and would regularly spark off the road on small dips. The manifold runs under the sump so that was always protected..You just used to have a flat bottomed manifold after a few months lol.

When i first got my A4 the arch gaps were so massive (isnt a sport) i used to hate it to look at. Replaced the wheels when old tyres were duff and it looked even worse. Now i get so much more satisfaction looking at it and think its a much better looking car than it ever was.

 

[aragorn]

You can only go so low before it starts negatively affecting the drive on REAL roads. If your scraping bits of the car then its too low, irrespective of how it looks. Just because some ******* in the VW scene think their cars Wikkid because its so low they cant turn the steering wheel more than 30degrees from centre, doesnt mean its something thats desirable.

I recon around 25" is optimal. The rear of our car currently sits around there after the rear springs shortened themselves and it looks good. Fronts up in the sky at 26.5 or so and looks crap.

Much lower than 25 and its going to be scraping on everything.

 

[S4_dan]

I think mine has been lowered but not sure by how much as it was like this when I got it. But compared to any other A4 Avant i've seen locally mine is alot lower.

Doesn't catch on the road UNLESS I'm really driving her hard on the road near my home, there is slight incline and if I hit it at 45mph or more, the car takes off the road and lands in the dip but the road then goes up again, so as a result i get a scrape from the front somewhere. Shat myself the 1st time but its not the sump thats catching!!

Rest of time the car is fine and I think it has been subtly lowered without compromise. Its sitting on 225/45/17 S4 alloys.

I'll measure ground to arch heights tomorrow.

Dan

 

[morgan88]

I have an A3 8L and got it on lowering springs. I lowered it by 40mm. I too really don't see the point in having your car as a tarmac scrapper. My original spring on the rear was beginning to look as though it was ready to go. Priced up a spring coming in at £45... or a set of lowering springs for £50.

Ordered some FK's and fitted them, car looked really good. Had them on for a while and tend to get the odd few scraps under the car from time to time. I hit a ditch in the road and wrote my sump off. All the oil poured out, luckly I was only around the corner from home so made it back. I had to quick steel the cracks and fill it back up with oil. Has a tiny leak still but just bought a new sump from ebay. I was looking for a steel for about a month now but no joy. Hopefully this one stays ok.

Breaking parts is just one of the joys of having your car lowered I guess

 

[adidasandy]

Here is my mates Golf, it's not that low.

 

[floyd 1.8 turbo]

You can only go so low before it starts negatively affecting the drive on REAL roads. If your scraping bits of the car then its too low, irrespective of how it looks. Just because some ******* in the VW scene think their cars Wikkid because its so low they cant turn the steering wheel more than 30degrees from centre, doesnt mean its something thats desirable.

I recon around 25" is optimal. The rear of our car currently sits around there after the rear springs shortened themselves and it looks good. Fronts up in the sky at 26.5 or so and looks crap.

Much lower than 25 and its going to be scraping on everything.

Bit harsh calling them *******, Just cos you don't agree with a lowered car. Cars look better low....fact, my cars have all been pretty low and the handlings been fine and I've never smashed a sump! Touch wood!!

 

[aragorn]

Floyd mate, when you first fitted the coilovers to your car, you were quite literally driving around on the bump stops. Dont you think thats a bit stupid?

Drive your "slammed" car down the A701 that i frequent every other week then tell me it handles well! Because its a real road, that needs a car that actually has some suspension travel otherwise you'd be bouncing off the stops every 30seconds and probably wreck the car or suspension in the process. In my car its fantastic fun, 50+ miles of proper decent twisty windy road that you can have a blast on.

My cars lowered, but its lowered a sensible amount then means it remains usable and can be driven properly. Cars like that golf pictured above, or ones slammed as much as yours was when you first fitted the coilovers simply arent useable, and most certainly do not handle well.

 

[adidasandy]

Thats why it's dragged only lol

 

[floyd 1.8 turbo]

Floyd mate, when you first fitted the coilovers to your car, you were quite literally driving around on the bump stops. Dont you think thats a bit stupid?

Drive your "slammed" car down the A701 that i frequent every other week then tell me it handles well! Because its a real road, that needs a car that actually has some suspension travel otherwise you'd be bouncing off the stops every 30seconds and probably wreck the car or suspension in the process. In my car its fantastic fun, 50+ miles of proper decent twisty windy road that you can have a blast on.

My cars lowered, but its lowered a sensible amount then means it remains usable and can be driven properly. Cars like that golf pictured above, or ones slammed as much as yours was when you first fitted the coilovers simply arent useable, and most certainly do not handle well.

I know what your saying, and yes when it was first done it was stupid...undrivable even. But that was with them wound right down as low as it would go, since then it's probably been raised about 2 inches and now is fine, even over speed humps. I do plan to go about 10mm lower when the weather picks up and I've got my new wheels on

At the end of the day I guess it's down your own personal opinion.....so we're both right!!!

 

[floyd 1.8 turbo]

 

[aragorn]

Drive that properly down a road like the 701 and you'd have no arches left.

Then all that expensive bodywork would be down the toilet, for the sake of fitting some wheels that actually fit the car!

 

[A3AH]

You can only go so low before it starts negatively affecting the drive on REAL roads. If your scraping bits of the car then its too low, irrespective of how it looks. Just because some ******* in the VW scene think their cars Wikkid because its so low they cant turn the steering wheel more than 30degrees from centre, doesnt mean its something thats desirable.
.

Someone who talks sense