KeneticEnergy

So my car sits a little low with the 1.3/1.3 Vogtland springs. i LOVE how it looks.




i HATE how i scrape getting in and out of the garage and some roadside obstacles (speedbumps & inclines). I believe its a small piece of the subframe. If anybody has any underbody shots of the car I can probably point it out.

in retrospect it would have been better getting KW coilovers and dialing the ride height perfectly.


I really like how the vogtlands handle and feel on the road so I want to stick with the brand. I'm considering either getting the .8 front springs or grinding/modifying the underbody of the car to make these 1.3's at least not scrape going into the garage. Or even grinding the garage entry lip a little bit because its a steep angled driveway and the garage slab foundation has that raise sharp lip which is what i scrape on.


I'm afraid the .8/1.3 will look a little high and do away with the slammed look I have. I am begrudgingly willing to try them out because of all the very positive things Sam Strano is saying about their handling.


Does anybody have pictures of their .8/1.3 setup after theyve settled? (no fresh install pictures please)

Let me know what you guys think about either modifying the underbody or grinding my garage.

Philostang

I have this combo, but I'm afraid all my pics don't really show a clear shot of the car (they're all either accelerating, cornering, or in the grass). The point of the combo is to level the car, and they do this nicely, as it came from the factory with the rear a bit higher than the front. This is confirmed when taking measurements from the fender lip to the wheel center (all even now).

FWIW, if you really like the current look and you only really scrape on your driveway, grind the curb!! I wouldn't hesitate. Unless, of course, you might be able to lay in a patch of concrete to take up the difference and make a permanent ramp for your car to gently ride up. Just a thought.

Good luck, your car looks great as is! Go Tungsten!

Best,
-j

Ok, what the heck, here goes:

EdwardGT

Here's a photo of my car with these springs. However, it's not an idea photo since it's on track tires - 305/30's. So there wheel gap looks bigger than with correctly sized tires.



Hope this helps,
Edward

KeneticEnergy

Thanks John & Edward!!

That's actually pretty good, it seems more flush fit than I would have imagined. I figure with my agressive offset wheel/tires it may fill the wheel wells very snugly.


Now I'm thinking I should have gotten then in the first place.


Damn you Mr. Garage Foundation Slab. You may have won this battle . . .

KeneticEnergy

PS - is there any way you guys can measure the distance from the hub center to the fender for me in both front and rear?

Kotobuki

I occasionally drag the bottom of my car going into the underground parking at my wife's job. It doesn't actually hit the frame though, it just clips the plastic shield right under the driver's seat that covers the fuel filter. I don't know if that's what's happening with yours or not, or if you're actually hitting the frame.

That said, if it's just the cover, don't worry too much about it. It sounds annoying when it happens, but it's not really gonna hurt anything. If it IS hitting the frame, I would not EVER suggest trying to modify it to clear.

Philostang

Kinetic,

I forgot to mention that my tires are also a bit smaller than OEM size (in the pic I'm running 245/40R18), so like Edward said, the gap is larger than it was with the old tires.

As for measurements, you're in luck. I took measurements after 500 miles of driving and all four corners came in at 15" flat. That was a recorded 3/4" drop in front and a 1-3/8" drop in rear). After another year I measured them at 14-3/4" on all four corners. So that's a solid 1" drop in front and 1-5/8" in back.

I'm reasonably sure that I had about the same amount of gas in the tank for both measurements (1/2 tank or so), but the second measurement may have had a bit more (3/4 tank maybe). Anyway, the key is that they have all acted the same.

Also, +1 on not messing with the frame. And +1 on suspecting that you are really only hitting plastic. Have you seen the wear marks to confirm the source of interference?

FWIW, I still think you should look into a short ramp...

Best,
-j

KeneticEnergy

I think it is the frame, it is absolutely a metallic sound. I did a quick check yesterday to look around and it's not the exhaust, it hangs higher off the ground than the frame and there might be a small plate bent or something.

i'll try to find a better picture of the underside or take one myself.

azrampage

I had these springs on my '07 Pony Pkg. for about two weeks and then removed them due to scraping issues (entrances to parking lots, speed bumps, etc.). They worked well in autocross events, but are too low for the street IMO. It may be that the rate is fine, but the progressive nature of these springs allows too much movement given their installed ride height.

Not sure what hit on mine, but it left a singular long mark in the pavement twice, like the end of a bolt would make.

Kotobuki

If it was in line with the left side of the car, it's probably one of the bolts that holds that shield on. One of the bolts that hold the shield on mount to the bottom of the frame rail, becoming the lowest point on the frame for I believe the entire vehicle. You can see the diagram here. The problem is the bolt labeled (2). It is pretty much smack dab in the middle of the wheelbase, making that portion of the frame the most likely to scrape, and then there's a bolt head sticking right down from it.

I dragged this once going into the garage with 4 rather large people in my car, which caused the plastic to bend backwards, and stick down. Now the tab some times clips the ramp, but I haven't hit the metal again.