Lowering Logic...

[Niraj]

I'm a pretty active club member, as most will know, so i'll start by saying...

I did do a search, but couldn't find what i need answered.

Here's my question, with background knowledge included.

The IS Sport in general has a setup which is 15mm lower than the IS SE.

i. If one was to lower a car on springs 30mm on the SE, we are in effect achieving only 15mm lower if sat next to a standard IS Sport.

ii. If one was to lower a car on springs 30mm on the Sport, we are in effect achieving 45mm of lowering if sat next to the standard SE.

Does this mean for one to acheive 30mm of overall lowering on an SE in comparison to the Sport, one would require it to be lowered by 45mm. (Obviously not achievable with springs)

However coilovers, can achieve this with far greater effect.

Can somebody (Mat? Tony?) Please advise...

(Please excuse one's posh accent in this post)

[Fidgits]

worth mentioning - it wasnt until 2001 the Sport got different suspension setup to the SE..

So, on a pre-2001 sport (and SE) the drop would be 30mm.

On a post 2001 sport, the drop would be 15mm.

(as the springs were already 15mm lower than 'standard')

[MacRS200]

worth mentioning - it wasnt until 2001 the Sport got different suspension setup to the SE..

So, on a pre-2001 sport (and SE) the drop would be 30mm.

On a post 2001 sport, the drop would be 15mm.

(as the springs were already 15mm lower than 'standard')

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Thought that the pre 2001 sport was 10mm lower than 'standard' :duh:

[Niraj]

worth mentioning - it wasnt until 2001 the Sport got different suspension setup to the SE..

So, on a pre-2001 sport (and SE) the drop would be 30mm.

On a post 2001 sport, the drop would be 15mm.

(as the springs were already 15mm lower than 'standard')

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Does this mean that when most people on here talk about having a 30mm drop they are referring to having this done on their SE?

I was honestly thinking it would be quite possible to achieve 30mm of drop on a 2001+ Sport Model quite easily without affecting the geometry a great deal. Aside from camber obviously.

[Mr Morse]

Coils are the only option if you want to go slammed!

I run -55mm front and -80mm rear (over standard)

But going this low creates a problem of -ve camber, which means the tyres will wear real quick unless the camber is corrected.

[Fidgits]

erm, thats what i said...

and people dont talk about a 30mm drop - they refer to springs with a 30mm drop - which is a relative figure. And since originally all models had the same suspension height, then thats what the figure relates to.

Of course, that isnt to say, a 2002 Sport on coilovers hasnt been dropped 30mm less than standard sport, which would be 45mm over standard couldnt be refered to as both..

But basically, take the numbers as from 'standard suspension height'

[MacRS200]

Coils are the only option if you want to go slammed!

I run -55mm front and -80mm rear (over standard)

But going this low creates a problem of -ve camber, which means the tyres will wear real quick unless the camber is corrected.

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Mines -35mm and the rear camber adjustment is "maxed out" and I have too much -ve camber on the rear but it's not that far out of tolerance.

[Niraj]

does this mean that if a Sport owner regards his 30mm drop as the optimum setup, than an SE owner can lower his 45mm to make both cars appear identical?

[Zee007]

I'll give you my view.

Your logic is incorrect.

The New Sport's sit 15mm lower because of uprated springs and NOT because of anything else. Therefore, by replacing Sport springs with say TTE springs (-30mm), the car will drop a further 15mm bringing the total to 30mm and NOT 45mm as stated.

Therefore, an SE and Sport stood next to each other, both with TTE springs will in fact be the same height.

Just some more basic information on Lowering springs which may give you a bit more insight ...

The standard springs on your vehicle are normally wound, meaning that their coil pitch stays the same all the way up the spring. The majority of aftermarket spring manufacturers produce "progressive-type" springs. These are the best type to get because the coil pitch gets tighter the closer to the top of the spring you get giving the spring increasing resistance, the more it is compressed.

For normal driving, you'll use mostly the lower 3 or 4 winds to soak up the average bumps and potholes, but when you get into harder driving like cornering at higher speeds for example, the springs are being compressed more so they resist more creating better stability. You want to reduce the suspension travel at the top end of the spring resulting in less body roll, and better road handling.

The fact that the springs are progressively wound is what accounts for the lowering factor. The springs are NOT made shorter - they're just wound differently. Of course the material that aftermarket springs are made of is usually a higher grade than factory spec simply because it's going to be expected to handle more loads.

Hope this helps.

[Niraj]

I'll give you my view.

Your logic is incorrect.

The New Sport's sit 15mm lower because of uprated springs and NOT because of anything else.  Therefore, by replacing Sport springs with say TTE springs (-30mm), the car will drop a further 15mm bringing the total to 30mm and NOT 45mm as stated.

Therefore, an SE and Sport stood next to each other, both with TTE springs will in fact be the same height.

Just some more basic information on Lowering springs which may give you a bit more insight ...

The standard springs on your vehicle are normally wound, meaning that their coil pitch stays the same all the way up the spring. The majority of aftermarket spring manufacturers produce "progressive-type" springs. These are the best type to get because the coil pitch gets tighter the closer to the top of the spring you get giving the spring increasing resistance, the more it is compressed.

For normal driving, you'll use mostly the lower 3 or 4 winds to soak up the average bumps and potholes, but when you get into harder driving like cornering at higher speeds for example, the springs are being compressed more so they resist more creating better stability. You want to reduce the suspension travel at the top end of the spring resulting in less body roll, and better road handling.

The fact that the springs are progressively wound is what accounts for the lowering factor. The springs are NOT made shorter - they're just wound differently. Of course the material that aftermarket springs are made of is usually a higher grade than factory spec simply because it's going to be expected to handle more loads.

Hope this helps.

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That's spot on... the perfect answer i was looking for, which has made everything clearer, the skies are now blue, the sun is shining, and everything in the world is good again :)

Thanks :D