Random Lowering Idea of the day

[NotSoSlowSHO]

So this funky thought popped into my head today....

Besides hood clearance, why couldnt I simple raise the strut mounts on the towers? As in, cut the tops of the strut towers off, weld in an inch or so of new steel, and reattatch the tops?

Simple way to get lower, while retaining a non-harsh coil spring rate. Alignment might be tricky.... but what ELSE am I forgetting???

Please tell me Im crazy

 

[sdpatt]

.... but what ELSE am I forgetting???

Please tell me Im crazy

You will be seriously compromising the structural integrity of the body that is necessary to support the majority of the SHO's weight. Don't take this thought any farther than this thread. Please.

And besides that, the hood won't fit.

 

[HyperMikeD!]

Or...just shave 1/2 off of AL SFBs ;0)

Im with Scotty...Leave it alone.

 

[K-Dawg]

Or...just shave 1/2 off of AL SFBs ;0)

That won't lower the car. It will raise the subframe/engine in relation to the body.

Yes, raising the strut towers would work to lower the car. An added benefit would be that you would be able to have more available suspension travel for the same ride height. The strut towers are highly stressed, and would you would want them to be pretty strong if you were to do this.

I might have a picture of a SLO that had this done. I'll have to check the other comp.

 

[HyperMikeD!]

Its amazing to me the lengths that people will go to just to F' something up!

Just buy some lowering springs and be done with it.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

Its amazing to me the lengths that people will go to just to F' something up!.

Its amaizing to me the lengths that people will go to cut down new ideas without providing an ounce of reasoning.

Just buy some lowering springs and be done with it.

Not low enough. And I want to avoid cutting coils that are already "lowering springs". because the ride typically goes to ****.


K-Dawg:

If you can find that pic, it would be great! Send it to me by email if you want, or just post it here

 

[AutoSHO]

I'm with Mike and Scott on this one - That is a very significant portion of the structure in the front end of the car. Altering that sounds like a very good way to put your life (or others) at risk should it fail. While it may only be supporting around 800-1000 Ibs on either side while at rest, the load while moving can get considerably higher, especially under hard braking or even on a very bumpy road.

Cutting dead coils out of a lowering spring will have no effect on the ride unless you move into a more harshly damped area of the strut's travel by cutting said coil. The Intrax can get very low if you cut a coil or more out of them.

 

[K-Dawg]

Obviously the car is bagged. I don't really know anything about the car though.

Something else to consider when lowering to the extreme is that the suspension geometry gets screwed up. I believe the roll center gets lowered (or is it raised?) the more the car is lowered. Although the center of gravity is lower, the bod roll may be increased by the change in roll center.

If you are going to go to the trouble to raise the strut mounts, then you may also want to look into raising the lower control arm mounting locations also. However, the transaxle will still be located in the same place, and you may run into some interference problems with the halfshafts. Not to mention, the joints will be running at quite an angle, possibly shortening their lives.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

Thanks for the responses and the pic, these were just ideas that my mind kept chewing on

Ive thought about bags....

 

[DHMag]

That won't lower the car. It will raise the subframe/engine in relation to the body.

shaving the AlSFBs will make the subframe sit closer to the body, thus creating a lowering affect.

relocating the strut tower doesnt increase strut travel. im with Scott and Mike on cutting the strut towers apart.

 

[sdpatt]

You can go too low for proper handling and tire wear. That "bagged" red SLO in the picture above is suffering from the inability of the strut suspension design to compensate for the geometry of the lowered ride height. That looks like a good -3.0+ degrees of camber on the radiacally lowered front end. That will sacrifice tire life, handling and seriously reduce the contact patch for maximum braking. In other words, all show, no go (or stop).

I suppose that my engineering roots rule my thoughts on the issue. To reduce the performance and safety of a car just for the extreme appearance is not only foolish, but dangerous. To each his own. Beauty is in the eye of the belowerer.

 

[silverknight]

from what ive read about tuners running bags is that when properly inflated, the bags actually handle very nicely. when dropped all the way or raised all the way the ride is somewhat bouncy, since u dont have much travel when there is no air. when driving ur never going to be dropped all the way like that, well, unless ur doing a slow cruise. most guys have a ride leveling controller so u can have a set prefered height where u have ur car for everyday driving.

the strut tower idea is bad tho, only because it is such a crutial point.

and btw, ur not the only one thinking of odd ways to get every inch closer to the ground possible

 

[nc89sho]

one advantage though would be increased suspension travle. usually the downfall of lowering vehicles is that you loose quite a bit of suspension travle and also throw off the stock suspension geometry. if you were to move the subframe up in relation to the body and move the strut tower mounts the same amount, the stock suspension travle and geometry would be exactly the same as stock, but with a lower center of gravity. just my $.02

 

[JTSHO]

ahh...now theres an idea, but how far could you ACTUALLY take both to keep relation the same between the strut tower and subframe?

 

[silverknight]

more info about the airbaggin.. from what ive been told, u can use the lincoln continental airstruts and they fit into the strut towers. i know a bunch of guys use the taurus mcpherson strut setup and was told the reverse is possible.

for mine i have everything except for airstruts, gauges and switches. i have tanks, compressor, valves, lines (big enought to make it a fastbag setup) just need to find compatible struts.
anyone know of any aftermarket faster airbags that will fit?

 

[Slo-Sho]

Its amazing to me the lengths that people will go to just to F' something up!

Trudat!

 

[AutoSHO]

shaving the AlSFBs will make the subframe sit closer to the body, thus creating a lowering affect.

I don't think so.

The only thing shaving the subframe will do is improve negative camber and halfshaft joint angle by raising the LCA mounts and the whole engine/transmission assembly. The strut towers are not related in any way to the subframe, and they are what truly determines ride height. All you will be doing by shaving SFBs is raising the effective Center of Gravity in the front end of the car.

 

[K-Dawg]

Darn it, Kenny, I'm actually starting to like this idea. Here's how I would do it (as long as you don't mind having an intake and maybe strut towers poking through your hood:

Remove the subframe bushings completely, and rig up some kind of way to raise the strut mounts. The first thing that came to mind is somewhat like the top half of a "ring-style" SFB, only larger diameter, welded onto the top of the existing strut tower. I don't know if this would be strong enough or financially feasible. The only issues I see with removing the subframe bushings are clearance between the steering rack and firewall, and the sway bar mounts and firewall (and obviously the hood and intake). I don't think any of these would be that difficult to overcome. IIRC, Glen (yellowsho, Hack) was planning to do something with a manual steering rack. Is the rack setup on the Gen IIIs about the same as the Gen I/II's? Maybe that would work. And of course this is going to be a racecar, so you're going to have coilovers with high spring rates, so you won't need a swaybay. And what's cooler than an intake peeking out the hood?

O, and shaving the subframe bushings will not lower the car. Period.

As already said, shaving them, or removing them is for the purpose of retaining somewhat correct suspension geometry.

The reason for raising the strut mounts is to effectively lower the car more, while retaining more strut travel.

 

[DHMag]

I don't think so.

The only thing shaving the subframe will do is improve negative camber and halfshaft joint angle by raising the LCA mounts and the whole engine/transmission assembly. The strut towers are not related in any way to the subframe, and they are what truly determines ride height. All you will be doing by shaving SFBs is raising the effective Center of Gravity in the front end of the car.

then why did my front end raise 1/4" when i installed the Al SFBS ?

 

[K-Dawg]

Dale, I don't see how it could have. The subframe doesn't support the weight of the car.