jpearce
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Registered: 25th Oct 06
Location: plymouth
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whats the best drop for handling?
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alan-g-w
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Registered: 9th Nov 07
Location: Glasgow
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Depends on what other stuff you've got done, or are planning to do really mate.
Start with a 60mm drop all round on uprated shocks at least.
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jpearce
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Registered: 25th Oct 06
Location: plymouth
User status: Offline
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yeah mine is about 60-70mm atm but wasnt sure if this was too low for handling cheers tho (Y)
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Fonz
Premium Member
Registered: 12th May 06
Location: Newbury, Berks
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imo anything more than 50mm drop is for style and looks and not handling.
i droped 35mm on AVO full kit and couldnt believe the difference
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gavin18787
Premium Member
Registered: 22nd Feb 05
Location: Basildon, Essex
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ive always heard 40mm is the optimum. however it all depends on the setup could have a crap 40mm setup and a good 60mm one will be better................
If you just want a good handling setup I would go with a nice blistin (sp) 40mm setup on some 15" wheels with an uprated rear ARB 
Drives supercharged Tec with torque  
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sand-eel
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Registered: 15th Mar 07
Location: carluke/braidwood--IRNBRULAND
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quote:
Originally posted by gavin18787
ive always heard 40mm is the optimum. however it all depends on the setup could have a crap 40mm setup and a good 60mm one will be better................
If you just want a good handling setup I would go with a nice blistin (sp) 40mm setup on some 15" wheels with an uprated rear ARB
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john_c20xe
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Registered: 10th Feb 08
Location: Eastbourne, EastSussex
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i got sum cheapo coilovers on mine and compared to most kits out there its pretty dam good.
have removed the rear adjusters and the springs still sit fine and handels good
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andyc1234
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Registered: 7th Nov 06
Location: Lancashire
User status: Offline
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bilstein 60 front 40 rear is fooking ace. i got 80mm rear springs on now though but the cars still in pieces so not sure what it will be like
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Jake
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Registered: 24th Jan 05
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my old one was down 70mm on fk highsports and handled like it was on rails...until abit of understeer kicked in
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scottmmw
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Registered: 9th Aug 05
Location: Brotton, Cleveland
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im 60mm rear and between 45 and 50 on the front with spax coilovers. i got 16 inch SRI wheels which rub with them being ET40 but it sticks pretty well through the bends.
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jpearce
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Registered: 25th Oct 06
Location: plymouth
User status: Offline
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cheers for the advice guys 
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l15ter
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Registered: 1st Feb 08
Location: Berkshire
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quote:
Originally posted by Fonz
imo anything more than 50mm drop is for style and looks and not handling.
i droped 35mm on AVO full kit and couldnt believe the difference
Wrong!so what your saying is all these sports and performance cars being so low is for lows...forgot people with there ferraris are just for looks, seen loads of people take there ferraris to garages to get them highered up for handling.
Ground clearance is big part, strut braces play a good part adding strengh to the body structure, arb's being bigger will help, type of tyres your running on
[Edited on 09-09-2008 by l15ter]
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alan-g-w
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Registered: 9th Nov 07
Location: Glasgow
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Mine's down 60mm on front coilovers with uprated dampers and springs on the back.
Can be a bit skittish in the wet but in the dry will keep gripping until you're just being stupid.
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Fonz
Premium Member
Registered: 12th May 06
Location: Newbury, Berks
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by l15ter
quote:
Originally posted by Fonz
imo anything more than 50mm drop is for style and looks and not handling.
i droped 35mm on AVO full kit and couldnt believe the difference
Wrong!so what your saying is all these sports and performance cars being so low is for lows...forgot people with there ferraris are just for looks, seen loads of people take there ferraris to garages to get them highered up for handling.
Ground clearance is big part, strut braces play a good part adding strengh to the body structure, arb's being bigger will help, type of tyres your running on
didnt say that a Hilux is a better handling car than a Ferrari did i? neither did i say the HIGHER a car is the better the handling.
it was opinionated, which in the most part comes from being a member here and reading what is posted.
LESS of a drop seems more beneficial to handling than a slammed Corsa- my experience is only with Corsas.
Ferraris and the like are low as a factory spec and been set up for it, designed with low ground clearance in mind. if you wanted an aftermarket suspension set up on a Ferrari i would still recommend a smaller drop than slammed......cars as a general rule are not designed to be slammed to the ground, none are, so by doing so is bound to have an effect on the handling - we are dicussing lowering a car not raising it.
as you mention ground clearance is a major contributor. after a number of years as a CS member i have picked up that 60mm (or greater) drop causes great problems with speed bumps multipled with weight in the back. i have also read that a full Corsa lowered 60mm or more has been known to knock and bang on bumpier roads due to the suspension set up "bottoming out" - that can't be good for handling.
there is also a great deal of discussion in my time on the practicality of tyre choice, tyre width, and important profile pays a great importance when lowering a car purely as some choices cause rubbing - another factor that will not improve handling.
i should have said "imo anything more than 50mm drop is morefor style and looks and not handling" as this would be more accurate - and please note this is my opinion not fact, although it is an opinion based on what i have seen on CS
gavin18787 is right to say it is all dependant on what system you have but many would agree 40 (or at least less than 50) is the optimum
i hope that helps explain?
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sand-eel
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Registered: 15th Mar 07
Location: carluke/braidwood--IRNBRULAND
User status: Offline
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[
Wrong!so what your saying is all these sports and performance cars being so low is for lows...forgot people with there ferraris are just for looks, seen loads of people take there ferraris to garages to get them highered up for handling.
that is one of the most ridiculous things you can say, ferrari's etc are meant to be low, corsa's are not.
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Rich7585
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Registered: 16th Nov 07
Location: Oxfordshire
User status: Offline
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Would have to agree with Fonz and Gavin18787, they speak sense.
There is no point in slamming a car, if you want it to use it properly in fast road terms. By which I mean round the twisties, A-roads etc, the quality of roads in the UK is just not good enough.
You need an amount of clearance to enable you to absorb pot holes etc or your just going to end up damaging stuff, bodywork etc.
If you want it to 'handle' on the motorway or round towns where the roads are better, by all means slam it 50-60+mm it will handle like its on rails, like l15ter said..........until you get to the first speed bump and you have to drive over it at <10mph, which gets annoying after a while!
I have an Astra sport on Billies and Eibachs (about 35mm down) and speed bumps are sometimes a pain, any more than mine would be hell! Fonz has been round the twisties in it and will testify to the handling.
If your a driver (and again i shall clarify what i mean, as in you dont want to stick tonnes of extra plastic to your car lowering the g-clearance, that you will then be bothered about breaking) and you want to use your car seriously as in motorsport or fast road, anything more than 40+ is superfluous. OR if all you interested in is compaing p*nis size go for 80mm!! then yours can be bigger than everyone elses!!
I dont know anyone in either of my motor clubs that slam their cars, it just doesnt give you any benefit over a 40mm drop.
If you want undisputably, credible advice, talk to Stuart Nichols at Online Autosport (01543 252010), hes an ex-rally champ and a good guy, has supplied alot of kit to our club.
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alan-g-w
Member
Registered: 9th Nov 07
Location: Glasgow
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Rich7585
If you want it to 'handle' on the motorway or round towns where the roads are better, by all means slam it 50-60+mm it will handle like its on rails, like l15ter said..........
quote:
Originally posted by Rich7585
I dont know anyone in either of my motor clubs that slam their cars, it just doesnt give you any benefit over a 40mm drop.
So what you're saying is that a 60mm drop is only for looks, but makes your car handle like it's on rails  you're kinda contradicting yourself there
Fonz, you are basing your whole argument against 60mm drop on having a full car, going over speed bumps or hitting pot holes - three things that don't come into the equation when choosing the best drop for handling only.
I agree about bottoming out, have had 5 people in the car on a 60mm drop. Rubbed with 3 in, so you can imagine the noises I was getting. Never happening again though as the back seats are being taken out.
Which will lead to better handling, no rubbing and maybe a bit off breath holding when going over abnormally large speed bumps - never had any probs with any before though.
I'm basing this on having adjusted my suspension lower at the back just 2 weeks ago - the difference was certainly noticable, felt a lot more planted and 'safe'.
[Edited on 10-09-2008 by alan-g-w]
[Edited on 10-09-2008 by alan-g-w]
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Rich7585
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Registered: 16th Nov 07
Location: Oxfordshire
User status: Offline
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With all due respect Alan, I didnt say that a 60mm drop was for looks only, that was implied by L15ter who through no fault of his own, misinterpreted Fonz's post.
I did however say that a 60mm drop will make it handle like on rails, wich it would.
However my point was that; driving a car like that in a situation that most of us face daily, driving to and from work on both urban and rural roads where the roads are not well maintained, pot holed, badly finished and then speed bumps etc. in towns, with a setup like that, it is more likely that you would damage things and therefore must be taken into account when deciding what sort of setup to go for.
It is also quite tiresome driving a vehicle with such a solid setup because of the extra leg work you have to put into slowing down, shifting, driving over, shifting etc. on a road with lots of speed bumps (((I dont mean to sound patronising to you in my response Alan, I'm trying to give our thread poster an idea of what I mean))). This is based on my own setup wich can be tiring depending on the ferocity of the speed bumps!!! Some I drive straight over, others give me problems!
I get no problems on the rural roads on my commute, with my setup and if any of you have driven in oxon you'll know that the roads really are cr*p! The ride is firm, handling excellent and I am never worried about hitting pot holes, etc. too fast, which I would if my setup were stiffer and lower.
Just out of curiosity, what manufacturer are you using Alan?
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john_c20xe
Member
Registered: 10th Feb 08
Location: Eastbourne, EastSussex
User status: Offline
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mine deffiantely handels better than a standard corsa so yeh corsas are menta be low
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alan-g-w
Member
Registered: 9th Nov 07
Location: Glasgow
User status: Offline
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Rich - sorry, see what you mean now. It just so happens that the roads around here aren't TOO bad, just barely drivable with the setup.
I'm not entirely sure on what setup it is, was on the car when I got it. Who knows, maybe it's not even down 60.
I'm assuming it is as I'm running 15's with 45 profs and the tyres are just at the edge of the top of the front arches and the rears tyres are sitting in the arches. Maybe wrong, anyone able to maybe confirm my suspicions?
Who does the suspension with blue dampers and red springs? To make sure of manufacturer. Would check, but the sticker that's there is fecked.
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l15ter
Member
Registered: 1st Feb 08
Location: Berkshire
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Fonz
quote:
Originally posted by l15ter
quote:
Originally posted by Fonz
imo anything more than 50mm drop is for style and looks and not handling.
i droped 35mm on AVO full kit and couldnt believe the difference
Wrong!so what your saying is all these sports and performance cars being so low is for lows...forgot people with there ferraris are just for looks, seen loads of people take there ferraris to garages to get them highered up for handling.
Ground clearance is big part, strut braces play a good part adding strengh to the body structure, arb's being bigger will help, type of tyres your running on
didnt say that a Hilux is a better handling car than a Ferrari did i? neither did i say the HIGHER a car is the better the handling.
it was opinionated, which in the most part comes from being a member here and reading what is posted.
LESS of a drop seems more beneficial to handling than a slammed Corsa- my experience is only with Corsas.
Ferraris and the like are low as a factory spec and been set up for it, designed with low ground clearance in mind. if you wanted an aftermarket suspension set up on a Ferrari i would still recommend a smaller drop than slammed......cars as a general rule are not designed to be slammed to the ground, none are, so by doing so is bound to have an effect on the handling - we are dicussing lowering a car not raising it.
as you mention ground clearance is a major contributor. after a number of years as a CS member i have picked up that 60mm (or greater) drop causes great problems with speed bumps multipled with weight in the back. i have also read that a full Corsa lowered 60mm or more has been known to knock and bang on bumpier roads due to the suspension set up "bottoming out" - that can't be good for handling.
there is also a great deal of discussion in my time on the practicality of tyre choice, tyre width, and important profile pays a great importance when lowering a car purely as some choices cause rubbing - another factor that will not improve handling.
i should have said "imo anything more than 50mm drop is morefor style and looks and not handling" as this would be more accurate - and please note this is my opinion not fact, although it is an opinion based on what i have seen on CS
gavin18787 is right to say it is all dependant on what system you have but many would agree 40 (or at least less than 50) is the optimum
i hope that helps explain?
yea i was taking the piss..but i think i would know what im talking about, im a vehicle technican and im studying motor sport, i know what im on about
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l15ter
Member
Registered: 1st Feb 08
Location: Berkshire
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by sand-eel
[
Wrong!so what your saying is all these sports and performance cars being so low is for lows...forgot people with there ferraris are just for looks, seen loads of people take there ferraris to garages to get them highered up for handling.
read the whole thread first!
i was taking the piss
that is one of the most ridiculous things you can say, ferrari's etc are meant to be low, corsa's are not.
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alan-g-w
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Registered: 9th Nov 07
Location: Glasgow
User status: Offline
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I would have thought the lower your car the better your handling full stop.
If you're lowering your centre of gravity every time you're lowering it then how can 40mm be better than 60mm?
Plus every sort of motorsport you watch on a track the cars are scraping their arses on the ground.
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corsa_nation
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Registered: 27th Dec 04
Location: Wiltshire
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by alan-g-w
I would have thought the lower your car the better your handling full stop.
If you're lowering your centre of gravity every time you're lowering it then how can 40mm be better than 60mm?
Plus every sort of motorsport you watch on a track the cars are scraping their arses on the ground.
But the track cars aren't corsas with JUST a suspension kit fitted. I think the argument was about the best handling/overall performance/practicality option on mixed road types.
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alan-g-w
Member
Registered: 9th Nov 07
Location: Glasgow
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by corsa_nation
quote:
Originally posted by alan-g-w
I would have thought the lower your car the better your handling full stop.
If you're lowering your centre of gravity every time you're lowering it then how can 40mm be better than 60mm?
Plus every sort of motorsport you watch on a track the cars are scraping their arses on the ground.
But the track cars aren't corsas with JUST a suspension kit fitted. I think the argument was about the best handling/overall performance/practicality option on mixed road types.
Point still stands - JUST a suspension kit , whether 40, 50 or 60, is still going to help on a road car, correct? And the point I was taking from that was that the lower your car, the better your handling.
I know it's a massive generalisation and would love to have someone who knows what they're talking about comment. I'm just going on my limited knowledge of the subject
[Edited on 10-09-2008 by alan-g-w]
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