lowering kits

tcsmileysign.gif
 
hi im here...lol...bloody computas , as anyone got any advise on setting up a lowing kit for a MK1 ford focus ....cheers robbo
 
Welcome, or Welcome back, as the case may be.

Considering the name of this section is, "Say Hello & introduce yourself", you will probably get a better response if your question is asked in a different forum area. Being new to TorqueCars myself, I'm not familiar with the layout yet.
 
RacerZ said:
Welcome, or Welcome back, as the case may be.

Considering the name of this section is, "Say Hello & introduce yourself", you will probably get a better response if your question is asked in a different forum area. Being new to TorqueCars myself, I'm not familiar with the layout yet.
Click to expand...

You are the first person I have come across who has actually noticed this! :lol:
 
Good point, so I moved it to Wheels, suspensions and tyres and thought I left a temp copy, but it seems to have gone completely.
 
hi there we have been told not to lower more then 30mm we have got coilovers with addjustable rings , just waiting for new shocks to arrive cheers ...steve
 
robbogto said:
hi there , been told it might upset the handling if you go lower
Click to expand...

Not at all mate. It all depends on how everything is setup, and how it's been lowered. A decent set of coilovers will allow you go low, the only issue being wheel clearance. Once fitted just make sure you have a full 4 wheel alignment done.

Generally, lower equals better. It's all to do with the centre of gravity being lower. The only downside is that lower will also sacrifice practicality so you just need to find a balance.
 
robbogto said:
hi there , been told it might upset the handling if you go lower
Click to expand...

Sometimes we get "told" wrong things. The hard part is determining which is wrong and which is right.

It also depends on what's important to you. For some, it's all about "looks". For others it's what "performs" best. And of course there those that don't have a clue what they want and do stuff anyway.

For me and my Datsun 240z, it's only what performs best out on the track.

For a street car, you need to consider things like bumps, potholes, driveway ramps, speed bumps and the normal unevenness of the road. There's no point in bashing the underside of your car on small bumps. It doesn't look cool nor does stopping in the middle of the Blvd.

Lowering the car also effects the camber, caster (not much) and toe. If you go too low this can't be trimmed out with a normal alignment.

A lower center of gravity is always a good thing. But, there is also a thing called "roll center". Quite often when a car sits too low, the roll center is compromised and forces the car to actually have more body roll. Not a good thing.

I want to mention "droop steer" and "bump steer", but that will just add confusion to an already complex subject.

Spring stiffness is part of the equation here. Others have found out the hard way that if you don't increase the spring rate, the car will bottom out to easily.

And there are things like anti-roll bars. Sway-bars as some call them, help keep the car flat in a turn. They don't alter the ride height, but they usually add to a stiff, bumpy ride.

An entire thread can be devoted to shocks alone. Shocks need to be matched to the travel and ride height of the car. The damping also needs to be considered. Shocks are a two-way damper with bound and re-bound. The manufacturer has pre-set both of these. Some really expensive racing shocks are user adjustable. Just changing shocks can make a big difference.

So, why didn't I mention any specifics?
Each make and model of car is unique. The is no one best rule that fit's all cars equally. Generally, lowering a car one inch (24 mm) is safe in all respects.

Please keep in mind that to change any one thing of the suspension will effect all other parts of the suspension. The original designer had a hard job at making what he/she thought the best compromise would be for most people and most driving styles/habits.

There are plenty of good books on suspension theory and design. For cars that are popular enough, there are books devoted to that specific car. Yes, I own a few, but I don't claim to understand what I read.
 
Prince said:
Not at all mate. It all depends on how everything is setup, and how it's been lowered. A decent set of coilovers will allow you go low, the only issue being wheel clearance. Once fitted just make sure you have a full 4 wheel alignment done.

Generally, lower equals better. It's all to do with the centre of gravity being lower. The only downside is that lower will also sacrifice practicality so you just need to find a balance.
Click to expand...
thanks for that mate all information is helpful on deciding which way to go in setting the focus up, 1 for looks but most of all to be safe.......cheers steve
 
RacerZ said:
Sometimes we get "told" wrong things. The hard part is determining which is wrong and which is right.

It also depends on what's important to you. For some, it's all about "looks". For others it's what "performs" best. And of course there those that don't have a clue what they want and do stuff anyway.

For me and my Datsun 240z, it's only what performs best out on the track.

For a street car, you need to consider things like bumps, potholes, driveway ramps, speed bumps and the normal unevenness of the road. There's no point in bashing the underside of your car on small bumps. It doesn't look cool nor does stopping in the middle of the Blvd.

Lowering the car also effects the camber, caster (not much) and toe. If you go too low this can't be trimmed out with a normal alignment.

A lower center of gravity is always a good thing. But, there is also a thing called "roll center". Quite often when a car sits too low, the roll center is compromised and forces the car to actually have more body roll. Not a good thing.

I want to mention "droop steer" and "bump steer", but that will just add confusion to an already complex subject.

Spring stiffness is part of the equation here. Others have found out the hard way that if you don't increase the spring rate, the car will bottom out to easily.

And there are things like anti-roll bars. Sway-bars as some call them, help keep the car flat in a turn. They don't alter the ride height, but they usually add to a stiff, bumpy ride.

An entire thread can be devoted to shocks alone. Shocks need to be matched to the travel and ride height of the car. The damping also needs to be considered. Shocks are a two-way damper with bound and re-bound. The manufacturer has pre-set both of these. Some really expensive racing shocks are user adjustable. Just changing shocks can make a big difference.

So, why didn't I mention any specifics?
Each make and model of car is unique. The is no one best rule that fit's all cars equally. Generally, lowering a car one inch (24 mm) is safe in all respects.

Please keep in mind that to change any one thing of the suspension will effect all other parts of the suspension. The original designer had a hard job at making what he/she thought the best compromise would be for most people and most driving styles/habits.

There are plenty of good books on suspension theory and design. For cars that are popular enough, there are books devoted to that specific car. Yes, I own a few, but I don't claim to understand what I read.
Click to expand...
thanks for the information helps a lot ......cheers ..steve
 
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