Just had the car lowered :-)) Questions...Thanks all !!

[Rad Hatter]

Just got the car back from the garage. (Pics later)
Much appreciated all those who contributed.
The car looks fantastic - can't get over how different one inch makes to the look. I added the skid rails too.

Took the car for a test drive....the noticeable difference is twofold.

1. Cant understand why but a MUCH Softer Bouncier ride- may need to buy firmer shocks down the road- keep stock I think though I wont be tracking the car - No tracks here ...anyone know why it would ride softer spongier?

2. The car just hugs the road and feels like its on rails .

Not tested the dreaded slope yet...

[vesnyder]

Rad - Just lowering should not affect the firmness of the ride - unless you are bottoming out the shock movement - and that does not sound like the case. Are you running with teh original struts? If so you should probably change them - makes a BIG difference in ride.

The rail feel is due to the lower center of gravity. That along with new shocks will help!

[cfries]

I just had mine done as well. I too feels soft in the rear of the car. thought it was just me.

[bbthomson]

cfries: There is low and then there is LOW...your car is very low in the rear...typically the rear is a half inch above the fronts. That said; to each their own.

Brent
______
70' - 911

[cfries]

thats what I was thinking, but I dont have the spring plates that are adjustable. This was done with the torsion bars. Does that mean I need to get adjustable spring plates?

[slodave]

Isn't there a possibility of over stressing the rear torsion bars on if it is that low? Tyson recommended that I only lower to the euro height. If I wanted to go lower, I would need bigger (stiffer) torsion bars. Don't the earlier cars have smaller torsion bars than my '84?

Dave

[bbthomson]

Adjustable spring plates will only raise/lower a half inch or so. You will need to adjust the ride height by the torsion bars. Did you do this yourself or did you bring it to a mechanic to do?

Brent
______
70' - 911

[cfries]

I brought it to a mechanic that works on Porsches. He told me this was the minimum adjustment the torsion bars would allow. Before this, it was about 1" above the fender well.

[Elombard]

I wonder if both you guys are running older shocks and the RHt change has caused a seal to blow and one or both of the shocks is bad or needs a rebuild. The only other thing I could imagine giving a bouncy feel is the alignment in the rear being wonky now and the toe is changing and making it feel fishy or something?

[Rad Hatter]

proir to the lowering - quite stiff great ...and now its squirmy and like driving a tractor - something's not right the rear digs in under accelleration and then on rough uneven road the front end bounces all over the place ...I can push the shocks up and down with ease by pressing on the rear .. ahem !

[Rad Hatter]

At 5am meeting up with the Lads for a dawn raid and will gve her a good working over and really test the handling ...

[Flyer88]

23.5 rear and 24 front. No rubbing and handles great!

[cfries]

Rad Hatter, thats exactly the same senario I had. Very stiff and handled great before being lowered, now, feels funny. Front end, same thing. I really need to take it to the track to see how it really acts. That wont be for another month. shocks were changed around '96 and the car has about 30,000 miles since then. Thats from the recipts I have from 2 owners ago. Maybe I need a wider/thicker torsion bar?

[SP2]

I am new to P-cars, but I just installed four Bilstein Sports on my 81SC and then had my car lowered to euro height. When I pushed down on my rear bumper with the old shocks, the car went down very easily. When I took the old green Bilsteins out of the rear, one shock was very weak. It had no dampering. Now that the new yellow Bilsteins are in the rear, it is difficult to make the car go down by pushing. Same thing with the fronts, very stiff.

My guess is that you have a combination of being too low and shocks that no longer work. If you have Bilsteins they will refurbish them for very little. I have seen many cars lower than mine, but my alignment guy said you really shouldn't go lower than euro. I have also read about bump steer. This is when the car is too low and when you hit bumps the car goes off line. You fix this with a bump steer kit.

But that's just my guess. Maybe somebody expert can chime in.

[eyue]

According to my mechanic, the rear of our car is softer compare to the front due to the weight distribution. Plus if the rear is too stiff, and when you do hard cornering, the rear will go faster and sudden: dangerous for not so experience P car driver or in wet condtion.....

[Rad Hatter]

nt

[eyue]

It's mother day and I have not done morning drive for a long long time..
And do you like the car's handling.....better than before ?

[Rad Hatter]

It is just so nimble and accurate- when I drove back from the garage after lowering the gas tank was empty (stupid me didnt check) no wonder the car was squirmy.

Mothers day -yep I was home by 930 am and took my baby Maya for a swim she's 8mths today !!

Catch you some time mate

[bigrubberjeep]

Originally posted by Flyer88

Whoa whoa whoa, what is that black thing in the back? Any more pictures of it?

[tobluforu]

My 72 is pretty low with pretty much all the right parts like adj shocks spring plates, monoballs, big torsion bars, yada, yada, yada, but man the white and red porsche above is super low. If you like it, does not rub and and feels fine then okay. But I do believe you should have your rear torsion bars re-indexed because that just seems to low. Looks as if he went 3 inches lower then before.