Will be taking delivery of my GT next week. A friend last night warned me to be careful, it's not as high off the ground as I may think. Still need to be alert. My Alfa 4C is very low and unfortunately I've experienced some scraping and bottoming out during my learning period.
I've not bottomed out, but I have scraped my front spoiler going in and out a driveway or 2. I now take those slower and at an angle to minimize as much as possible.. I've also learned that I can't go forwards out of my driveway, only backwards.
Other than that, hasn't been much of an issue for me.
The GT has a good bit of rake to it, meaning that there is a bigger wheel gap in the rear compared to the front. One thing we do with our lowering kits is even this out a bit because even if you lower the car say 3/4" in the front. If you lower the rear a bit more, it helps to tip that nose back up as the front axle acts as a pivot and surprisingly you have a good bit of clearance with our kits at the nose (where it matters most on this model) compared to other options.
For other Maserati's like the Ghibli / QP6, they tend to scrape more in the middle. The GT however is typically always the nose that has an issue. Learning to take things at a bit of an angle can help in many cases but certainly not every case. The stock height car can drag a bit here or there but with a bit of common sense it gets around pretty well without issues. Honestly our lowered cars get around just fine in *most* cases. There are a few cities out there of course that seem to have very high speed bumps and angled driveways that just make it tough for anyone with a sports car.
I’ve got scrape armor. Its basically is a bolt on extra protection for the bottom of the bumper/skid plate. I wished it wrapped around the front/sides more, even if just a little. I will say I pulled into a parking lot when it was raining and there was an enormous hole (didn’t see it cause it was full of water) I bottomed out very bad and the scrape armor protected the bottom of the bumper. A big issue with these cars is how low the front is and if you accidentally run into a curb or something similar, it could damage/crack the front/side of the bumper. The scrape armor is also supossed to help with driveway scapes, just as long as it’s not too steep or you may still hit/scrape the front of the bumper. So you still have to be extra careful but it’s good for a pothole you may not see or the occasional driveway scrape
Will be taking delivery of my GT next week. A friend last night warned me to be careful, it's not as high off the ground as I may think. Still need to be alert. My Alfa 4C is very low and unfortunately I've experienced some scraping and bottoming out during my learning period.
Always at an angle, you learn that rather quickly too.... Everything I have is low, so angles are a must. Scraped the GT once when I first got it, but that has been the only time.
Now its just built in, you won't even have to think about it after a while!!! And CONGRATS! :thumbsup:
There's a hotel I stay in fairly regularly with a multi-storey car park. (Do you guys in the US have those?) Anyway my license plate is deliberately the lowest point on the car and sacrificial....
Anyone here young enough to have grown up during the "lowered Honda" era can take their Maserati anywhere they want to go without even the risk of scraping LMAO
I recently (March) bought a 2014 GT MC Conv and still own my Alfa 4C Spider, so I get where you are coming from. I find the GT actually is a bit more of a challenge to drive as it relates to this. Although the nose of my 4C has been pretty banged up over the last 3 years, being aware of the difference in overhang on the GT, I have used the same caution as mentioned... slow and at an angle. So far, no issues other than a few rubs. Completely different cars to drive for sure. Love them both though!
You are the perfect guy to help me! I need ramps to get my 4C out of my driveway .... are you saying I need them for the GT also? It's as low as the 4C?? What about speed bumps?> I ALWAYS take angles when it comes to the 4C, didn't realize I need to do the same with the GT.
I think the issue is that the nose overhang is long as opposed to being too low. The GT has enough clearance to get over standard speed bumps as I go over them everyday at my work parking garage. The GT front lip can also clear most regular concrete parking stops.
You won't be disappointed! Excited for you man! Yes, the car rides higher, but the overhang is what you need to watch out for. It isn't that bad, but going from the tiny 4C to the GT takes some getting used to. Still trying to learn how far the nose is compared to the 4C. It is a much bigger vehicle. But you will come to figure it out. Enjoy my friend!