[flashgordon]

I am going to take my 04 Spyder in to have the Formula Dynamics springs installed and I need to tell the installer how much to drop the car. I am thinking somewhere between 1.5" and 2" to get better handling and appearance but still maintain some travel for potholes, bumps etc.

What do you guys think?

 

[MaseratiBoy]

I left it at what it lowers at the "regul;ar" setting. Perfect.

 

[pganmol]

I drop my car 1" and I think it look good and still have enough clearance for speed bumps and potholes. If you drop 2", be prepare to change the cat(the one connect to the header). It will get smashed soon.

pganmol

 

[dogdoc]

TOO LOW!!!!!!!!!!!! FOr ME!!!!!!!!!!!

I am at 1.25 last week for my 2004 GT Coupe; Lowered by Franz Blam racing; I do not think 2 inches is a good idea; the 1.25 looks perfect and I just put on the FD springs too............good luck!

 

[FormulaDynamics]

For some comparison numbers:
Most of our customers lower 1.25", 1.5" is considered aggressive but still drivable. I have one customer who claims he lowered nearly 3" ! However this is a track car and is highly modified. Our car is lowered 2" and I would not suggest lowering more than this for street use.

 

[stats007]

Can the car be lowered without changing the springs - if so how does it affect the Skyhook damping?

 

[haha]

Can the car be lowered without changing the springs - if so how does it affect the Skyhook damping?

yes... and yes.

if you have a spyder, i would seriously consider the FD springs instead. otherwise, lower it for 1.5" max...

 

[GregD]

I was just discussing this issue with a mechanic and he was going to check with his contacts to determine what the best setup would be.

He indicated that lowering the car more than 1/2 inch would cause problems with the headlights self leveling unit (he was going check on that).

Also he suggested it may be beneficial to change the shocks & add a better sway bar. (again he indicated there is a package available in Italy and would inquire about cost & benefits).

I am curious if the skyhook system would be altered and in what way? does it need to be re-configured if the car is lowered and/or shocks & springs changed?

I know there is a group buy and several of you have lowered your cars. did you have your electronics re-configured to accomodate these changes?

 

[pganmol]

.....He indicated that lowering the car more than 1/2 inch would cause problems with the headlights self leveling unit....

I don't think that our cars have headlights self leveling unit. At least, my 02 Coupe with Xenon headlights does not have that unit.

pganmol

 

[stats007]

By definition Xenon headlamps have to be self-levelling.

 

[MaseratiBoy]

My headlights have also never self leveled...

By definition Xenons have Xenon gas in hte bulb

 

[QP Sport]

Xenon leveling required?

By definition Xenon headlamps have to be self-levelling.

My MY07 QP's lights on startup move, so I assume this is the lights leveling (or maybe it is a wink? ) and it definitely has a headlamp cleaning system. Out of interest, I went to Wikipedia for info on Xenon's (HID: High Intensity Discharge) and they state (not that they can always be believed):

"European vehicles equipped with HID headlamps are required by ECE regulation 48 also to be equipped with headlamp lens cleaning systems and automatic beam levelling control. Both of these measures are intended to reduce the tendency for high-output headlamps to cause high levels of glare to other road users."

Not sure whether this is relevant to North American market, or whether the fact my QP has leveling means that other Maseratis sold in US / Canada will also.

Regardless, the question remains, if one has levelers, is this an issue when lowering car?

 

[Fastfreddy]

Parts 4 and 5 on the diagram are the self leveling units on 2002 Coupe (4200) with xenon lights.

http://eurospares.co.uk/partTable.asp?M=3&Mo=380&A=2&B=20199&S=

My self levelers don't seem to work either. In fact, there seems a frequent complaint that xenons don't shine far enough in front of the car plus a frequent statement that self leveling doesn't seem to be present. It would be very good to get to the bottom of this.

OOPS!!!!

I looked again, clicking on the parts # 4 & 5 on the above link and see clearly that the self-levelers (attitude adjusters) are NOT for USA and CDN cars. Guess we don't get that feature.

 

[GregD]

Well the mechanic Ive been talking to is from Italy, so that may be why he thought about the self leveling aspect. I always thought they were self leveling, but I may be mistaken.

 

[Fastfreddy]

Just to follow through on this line of thought relative to suspension lowering, in the USA there is no self leveling and headlight aiming is not supposed to be a provision (though reported here to have been achieved) so suspension attitude WILL have an affect on headlights. Go for that nose-up tail-down look and light up the road!

 

[QP Sport]

Self leveling and ride height

...I looked again, clicking on the parts # 4 & 5 on the above link and see clearly that the self-levelers (attitude adjusters) are NOT for USA and CDN cars. Guess we don't get that feature.

I too read more carefully and further in the Wikipedia article on headlamps (they make distinction between lights and lamps!) is the following:

"Internationalized ECE Regulation 48, in force in most of the world outside North America, currently requires such systems on all vehicles. The regulation stipulates a more stringent version of this antiglare measure for vehicles equipped with headlamp bulbs producing more than 2,000 lumens, such as Xenon headlamps; such vehicles must be equipped with headlamp self-levelling systems that sense the vehicle's degree of squat due to cargo load and road inclination, and automatically adjust the headlamps' vertical aim to keep the beam correctly oriented without any action required by the driver."

Not to belabour this, but does this mean that those of us with self-leveling headlamps need not worry about changing ride height as the lights, oops, I mean lamps self adjust? i.e. there is enough range in movement that they will correct for the change in suspension. Or is there a reference point which has to be adjusted around which the lamps level after changing suspension?

 

[Fastfreddy]

It seems to me that if one lowers all 4 corners the same amount, the suspension attitude will be unchanged so the headlights will be in the same area of motion. If one were to change the attitude, such as lowering just the front or jacking up the back like a drag racer, then one would have to know the range of motion of the adjustment mechanism. As long as the car's pitch, as it sits on the road, is about the same as stock, your non-USA car will adjust the headlights itself.

That's my guess and I'm sticking to it.

 

[stats007]

I imagine the sensor will need to be adjusted that lives on the rear wishbone if you do have self-levelling.

That said - the Skyhook coil over dampers look to be fully adjustable - has anyone lowered the standard car this way?

 

[Fastfreddy]

If you lower the car the same all around, the sensors will just think you have 4 fat people and luggage and adjust accordingly.

If you lower the stock suspension, you make the springs softer by reducing preload. Reports here have been that it is unsatisfactory as the springs are already seen as marginally soft.

 

[QP Sport]

...That said - the Skyhook coil over dampers look to be fully adjustable - has anyone lowered the standard car this way?

Elsewhere I posted some images of the coilovers from my 07 QP. As you can see they are not adjustable. Although earlier models had adjustable perches, I understand from my dealer, this is not found on later models (post 2006?). I don't know if this applies to all late model skyhook suspension, just NA, or select production numbers. Regardless, it is easy to check by just looking through the wheel spokes.