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I am using the fenders as appearance, but I will be using the factory spec and measuring point under the chassis
for proper set up.
that photo turns my stomach; sorry about the damage. I am definitely going to get a set of protection plates AND
avoid all parking blocks.
Then keep the measurements to yourself...but post proper chassis measurements. Thats the reason for the handy worksheet link: Height Adjustment Worksheet
Its the newbies that cant/wont search or read manuals that will oft do things wrong, because it was highly detailed how to do it wrong somewhere.
Like a real winner on FB whose solution to to leaky radiators was really low pressure caps "because its less stressful"....and people ran with it.
did that damage occur with protection plates??[/QUOTE]
Protection plates are for front ending up curbs, or into driveways...wont help with this. I dunno, if you _need_ plates, yer too low. But thats just me. Plus knowing what bad suspension geometry feels like at speed...I dont like being too low (or high) either. Which is why after a mountain of other things on the car, im finally to suspension refit this weekend and one of the to=do's is to free up the collar nuts, and raise it properly. A lot of small issues with the car will go away.
This is when you capture the edge of the spoiler at the tires..over a curb.etc, and then attempt to back up...
The spoiler will drag and go OVER an obstruction, but once over it, will not back over it...its caught.
you'll need ppl to lift the car to get free, or a jack...or, if not paying attention, rip it off and break things.
did that damage occur with protection plates??
I dunno, if you _need_ plates, yer too low. But thats just me.
I'm sorry, I'm not seeing a half inch of ride height making that big of a difference. I scraped the S spoiler driving my 81 all the time and it was stock. After years of knowing when my nose is, I have yet to damage in any way the S spoiler in my 79 which is 2+ inches lower than my 81.
I scrapped the nose of my 87 one time, stock ride height and no spoiler.
Some parking curbs are higher than others. Just the other day I watched a C63 AMG, bone stock, rip the nose over a parking curb. That same curb would hit well above the spoiler of a stock S4.
Yes I know the lower you are, makes you more susceptible to damage. But some make it sound like these are high riding sedans being dropped 4-5 inches. These cars are already low at stock height.
Bottom line, need to be careful no matter where your ride height is.
I dunno, if you _need_ plates, yer too low. But thats just me.
I'm sorry, I'm not seeing a half inch of ride height making that big of a difference. I scraped the S spoiler driving my 81 all the time and it was stock. After years of knowing when my nose is, I have yet to damage in any way the S spoiler in my 79 which is 2+ inches lower than my 81.
I scrapped the nose of my 87 one time, stock ride height and no spoiler.
Some parking curbs are higher than others. Just the other day I watched a C63 AMG, bone stock, rip the nose over a parking curb. That same curb would hit well above the spoiler of a stock S4.
Yes I know the lower you are, makes you more susceptible to damage. But some make it sound like these are high riding sedans being dropped 4-5 inches. These cars are already low at stock height.
Bottom line, need to be careful no matter where your ride height is.
Sometimes I think road building codes or something are odd....different cities, etc...?
Because anywhere here in bay area I only have 2 actual spots Ill just so barely graze if I dont come to almost a full stop....and then these parking blocks are only about a finger too high for me usually.
at the front height measuring points my front left is 158mm and front right is 156mm. (is this much too low?) the difference from left to right
at the wheel well is 3/8" tires are 1/2" taller than stock. when I sit in the driver seat, left to right height is equal. here is latest alignment spec:
t
caster was maxed and this was the best they could do. is there a direct correlation between being too low and caster out of spec?
if I raise the front to spec, which would require nearly an inch of adjustment, how much body height would that translate to. wondering if
that relationship factor is higher or lower?
Your alignment is fine- nothing to worry about there. There is an interaction between camber and caster but cannot remember how it works - I have a feeling if you set more camber you can get more caster- I can get 5 degrees of caster when running 2 degrees of camber. Nowadays I am running less camber- about -1.3 degrees and still see 5 degrees of caster.
My ride height is around the same as yours but I have springs that are 25% stiffer [and bash plates and aluminium floor pan]. My bash plates have paid for themselves! The key criteria as far as I am concerned is to keep the factory specified front to rear differential 7mm that is clearly spelled out in the WSM. The roads here are excellent and the only real problem are speed bumps and I only make them a problem because I go over them like most 4x4's- occasionally I overcook it and Carl's bash plates pay for themselves yet again!
If the roads are rough where you live I would not like to run round on that ride height with stock springs. Just remember if you increase the ride height the front wheels will toe-in some.
at the front height measuring points my front left is 158mm and front right is 156mm. (is this much too low?) the difference from left to right
at the wheel well is 3/8" tires are 1/2" taller than stock. when I sit in the driver seat, left to right height is equal. here is latest alignment spec:
t
caster was maxed and this was the best they could do. is there a direct correlation between being too low and caster out of spec?
if I raise the front to spec, which would require nearly an inch of adjustment, how much body height would that translate to. wondering if
that relationship factor is higher or lower?
Refer to the motion ratios in the spreadsheet. And stop measuring fenders, and posting fenders. You're causing someone in the future headaches.
Raise the front 1", body goes up 2.
Raise the rear 2", body goes up 1.25"
Now, if your car is all evenly low, and you raise it evenly, the resulting corner weight shifting wont be a real issue. If, like me I have one rear corner that is REALLY low, I will have to raise the opposite front corner another few mm to compensate.
If you want these numbers to be correct sitting still -and- when in motion (bumps, high speed cornering, etc) then you should be at spec or within the margin provided.
Caster...too much can leave a big 'dead spot' at the middle of the wheel going straight, too little and you get other interesting effects.
Its all complicated geometry where one things depends on many other things. And they all start with suspension height being correct, or close.
05-03-2018, 02:03 PM
