40mm too low......!

[snakebite15]

Was driving home last light and came across some road works, beofre i knew it a small sign saying RAMP was 2 cars lenghs away, i hit the ramp doing 40 and it went bang! (the bangs just because of the car being lowered, it does that when i hit pot holes etc)... so i carried on driving but noticed a noise as if the rear window was open (the choppy kind of annoying noise, like flapping) when going at 60. I pulled over and looked underneath the front bumper and examined the damage...theres a plastic cover under the engine, i pressume this stops mud/water/ and other crap going up though the underneath, oh and protects the manifold etc, well this plastic cover has shattered at the front, and is just hanging on one side! It sucks as the RAMP must ov only been an inch max, if thats happened so easily whats going to happen next!? Cars booked in down Exeter for Friday to have parts fitted! Plus the ASH TRAY...bracket was missing ever since i bought the car (WIERD!!) and the lighter socket, drivers side window switch, air con lighting, MAF lights on, god theres enough all ready! So watch out you 40mm lowering people..this could happen to you! if you have to lower, perhaps 30-35 would be enough! im sure 17s wud look great on either of them

 

[BEOWULF]

what size wheels do u have on
as most people have 17"s or 18"s when they lower there motor

 

[SKRPhoenix]

I think you should get rid of that car and maybe buy a Vauxhall or something. Maybe we would get some peace round these ere parts.

I mean, taking a ramp at 40mph!

 

[slick]

Gotta agree... ramp at 40mph... i live in ramp central of a city and well i CRAWL over them, not even on the dial speed... even at standard height....

 

[Sisson]

it shouldn't matter as the wheels are in line with the sump guard, im lowered stupid amounts on coilovers and mine only scrapes if a go over a speedbump with a wheel either side,

Going over a ramp at 40 is stupid anyway.....

 

[jenk]

When they were doing the roads around the bull ring i hit what is now a speed hump at a good speed. Snapped a bar that keeps the rear wheel strait (god knows what its called) clean in half

Hitting ruts in the road at speed does some good damage

 

[snakebite15]

no, i didnt mean to hit the ramp! It was where Cormac are doing new road surfacing! and plus a tiny little ramp is hard to see at night! why shud i get a Vauxhal? i look after my car thanks, its not my fault that happened. And i drive slow over anyother ramps i.e sleeping policemen etc. god here we go again with people who just have to nag. dont worry about it was just saying. Does it look like i have alloys..there stanndard. am planning on getting alloys soon

 

[Icecavern]

Hitting one of those "ramps" they put in when resurfacing with any kind of stiff suspension, lowered or otherwise at that sort of speed will cause damage.

 

[Pabs]

i stop well in advance for the ramp, and then accel lightly over it, keeping the nose up as i go over the hump.

Not had any real problems at all, and I'm lowered by about 38mm at last measurements now (i think) - only problem is adding the splitter to the front of the bumper and then using multi-storey carparks :S

 

[slick]

no, i didnt mean to hit the ramp! It was where Cormac are doing new road surfacing! and plus a tiny little ramp is hard to see at night! why shud i get a Vauxhal? i look after my car thanks, its not my fault that happened. And i drive slow over anyother ramps i.e sleeping policemen etc. god here we go again with people who just have to nag. dont worry about it was just saying. Does it look like i have alloys..there stanndard. am planning on getting alloys soon

No its not the point that we have a nag...

its the point normally when they resurface the road a big sign is erected "RAMP AHEAD" this is your que to slow down!
If there was no sign and u didnt see it, its an accident and u live and learn...

its nothing to do with dropping 40mm loads of people have lowered cars and most never hit a thing due to the extra caution they have due to being lowered, its just being aware of ramps and potholes when u have a lowered car... if you dont want to look all the time then go back to standard height...

 

[snakebite15]

standard height....?? no chance! its staying dropped! my golf mk3 was dropped 60mm and i loved it! I do forgot sometimes that its lowered, as i remember with my golf...i did a few hundred pounds worth of damage to the underneath! Will 17s raise the height of my car up off the ground or not? even if just a couple centermeters might help? The sign was at the last minute, and in the grass so couldn't see it till it was too late! Yikes, 40mm and your putting a splitter on, around my way that would not be a good idea. My mates got a cosworth with a carbon fibber splitter, its sitting about an inch off the ground! nasty to smack that into a multi story' car park ramp!

 

[Pabs]

The splitter is only a problem if u drive around like a nutter IMO - take things slow and u won't do any damage

 

[Sisson]

Will 17s raise the height of my car up off the ground or not? even if just a couple centermeters might help?

It depends on the profile and size of your current wheels to the profile of the new ones

 

[slick]

yeah as aboove, all depends on the profiles... I've got 19"s and they have the same diameter as the standard wheels just less rubber profile and more alloy!

I would say, like i do around my way, beware road works and slow down at them... i see road works i slow down weather its ramped or not, as normally roadworks mean debris on the floor and wet tar... which both i have a pet hate for, as tar is a git to remove and wastes the hours i spend detailing the car and two the debris has taken a windscreen out already and given me numerous chips and dents in my splitter and grills...

So slow down on the road works and ur be fine.. just be more careful!!

 

[Sisson]

What tyres have you got on your 19's? did you have 17's or 18's before?

 

[snakebite15]

ok cool, i never thought ov debris and tar at road works!! That reminds me, iv got 2 chips in my windscreen from about 4 months ago, what should i do? phone up the RAC for them to do there 'magic' filler stuff?? the chips aernt to bad but one big rock the whole thing will shatter i recon, think its on a time bomb at the moment!

 

[aphix]

could it also be a problem assosiated with running standard squishy shocks and just changing the springs out?

RE the windscreen.. i think if your fully comp most insurance companies will "repair" the damage without requiring you to pay your excess..

Rob

 

[Red LCR TDI]

Going back to your alloy question about 17's, i switched from the standard 15" ones (which incidentally happen to be in the for sale section with 3 new tyres ) to the 17" Cupra R ones from the limited edition diesel.

Before getting them, i worked out that they were a tiny bit smaller when using 225/45 rubber. Only resulting in a 1mph decrease at 70 (on the speedo), so if you put 17's on its not going to make any difference to the ride height unless you dont use low profile tyres.

IMO if your not worried about the speedo getting affected, ( i assume it wont recalibrate unless you have VAG-COM) stick on some big wheels if you wanna change the ride height. OR alternatively fork out for an expensive low front bumper, that way you'll always be cautious about how fast you're driving anywhere near a bump.

 

[Sisson]

i went from 205/45/16 to 215/40/17 and the diameter difference is 13mm,

even using 205/40/17 the difference is 5mm in diameter.....

 

[Sam20v]

ok cool, i never thought ov debris and tar at road works!! That reminds me, iv got 2 chips in my windscreen from about 4 months ago, what should i do? phone up the RAC for them to do there 'magic' filler stuff?? the chips aernt to bad but one big rock the whole thing will shatter i recon, think its on a time bomb at the moment!

I wouldnt bother with the filler. if you have the £50 excess on your insurance you may as well go for a new one, that aint a lot of cash.....
screens dont tend to "shatter" anymore, they just crack, or if a large rock impacts, they crack like a spider web! good job cos in the past have you ever tried to clean up those B"stard little cubes of glass from old smashed windows!!!

Lowering..............40mm aint a prob, i have never grounded mine or caught it on anything. just have to be vigilant at bumps......if there was no sign i would get onto the principal contractor at the road works.......but for legal reasons i would imagine there was a sign.
In fact i kinda enjoy slowing the peeps down behind me so i can coast over the humps sometimes infuriates them!!!! I would never be able to have a car as standard (suspension wise) again!