NVRANUF

There's a lot of variation of opinion on car setup for track and street.
Castor, camber, toe-in etc... GT3 vs GT2 rear sway... etc

Question, in addition to all the other variables....do most folks retain the stock ride height, or have many lowered their car, and if so by how much? Keeping in mind street driving is still a mandatory activity!

Thanks

mental dental

If street driving is still a requirement then leave the ride height where it is; any lower and you'll be fitting a new front splitter after every drive!

fc-racer

The car drives really nice with a 15mm lowering from the factory height. Please note that some cars come higher than stock; the allowable variance is +5mm/-0mm; mine was about 5mm higher up front than the factory setting. There are pics in the archives somewhere of what the car looks like at 20mm and 15mm of lowering from the factory baseline.

C.J. Ichiban

mine was lowered at various heights between 7mm and 10 mm lower than the factory setting, can't remember exactly what I set it at but probably -10 in front and -9 in back

C.J. Ichiban

either way slamming the car too low is definitely not the move

roberga

North American specs the front height higher than EU. I had my guy put it at European specs. Works well.

tcsracing1

i raised my RS as high as i could adjust the bilstein damptronic coils.

i did it for ground clearance for tarmac rallying. It is actually practical for DD, however can anybody tell me the negitive effects of this? how much worse should the car handle on the track? will it make it stiffer?

i ask cause i never drove my car in stock trim or in lowered track trim.

SCAN Automotive

The suspension geometry built in to these cars benefits from a fairly low ride height, although you do need the proper shocks to work at that height as well. Basically, the stock PASM shocks, or even the Bilstein Damptronics don't have the proper droop limit, and won't handle a really low ride height. If you want to take advantage of the geometry benefits from being lower for track use, you have to run shocks accordingly (Moton, JRZ, etc.) that have static height levels at the lowered ride height, and have travel to work at the lowered ride height.

Basically, if you don't intend on upgrading your shock / spring package, you have to run close to factory euro height for everything to work ok. If you are open to 'upgrading' shocks, you have more options with regards to ride height and the related 'benefits' that can be had for track set-up and lowered ride height.

Camber settings are a function of ride height, tire choice and driver ability / preference. Toe settings are equally critical, and your car should be fitted with cup-type rear toe links if you intend on lowering the car much and tracking it.

If you are intending on street driving primarily, with the occasional track foray, you should stick close to factory ride height, consider putting in some toe links, and engine mounts at the most, and get someone who knows these cars really well to set up / spec your alignment. These cars were aligned very poorly out the factory doors, and benefit substantially from alignment improvements (done correctly, of course). The spec should be based upon your tire choice and the other factors presented prior.

This is a pretty loaded question that you ask...as you can probably tell.

It's also predicated upon your intended use of the car. Hope that points you in the right direction, not intended to confuse anyone ...

NVRANUF

Have some suspension bits and pieces on order (Thanks Alex and Dan... Sharkwerks!!), will sift through the search data to see which direction I'll aim towards...

Thanks for the input guys!! .... experience always trumps opinion!

PNUT

had mine lowered 10mm. after over 6,000 miles have not scraped the front spoiler yet. in fact i am thinking about going the full 15mm down.

mental dental

Why did they do that? Wouldn't it really alter the way the car handles?

Didn't realise that was another of the differences to Euro spec.

bob_dallas

DOT regs on bumper height. I had mine lowered back down when corner balanced.

NVRANUF

OK, so what exactly is the Euro ride height spec vs NA ride height spec for front and rear?


Thanks!

sws1

My car used to be at Euro ride height, but after having the dealer reset the alignment to my specs, they put at NA height. It was noticeable different, both in terms of feel and in certain approach ramps.

Took me a while to realize they changed the height, but it definitely felt a bit less stuck to the road at the NA height. When I have a chance, I will get it back to Euro height.

rickg87

Any suggestions for shops for this type of alignment work in north jersey?
I've used Princeton P in the past.