Those with 120mm Ride Height on the Street

[apk919]

Originally Posted by LastToy

I really don't feel like starting all over and redoing all my work. The service manual says you can lower it down to 120mm for track use. (Different alignment numbers). So now I am contemplating leaving it where it is or raising it back to 130.

I may be wrong but I think when Lotus recommends a ride height, it assumes 330lbs of "passengers" in the car. My experience is that 330lbs lowers the car ~10mm. I have the Lotus Sport Ohlins and it was originally set at 130mm (slightly lower front & slightly higher rear) w/o any weight added to the car. Front tires have rubbed through the wheel well liners and have started to rub through the headlight housing. I track my car. I've seen Exiges w/ Lotus Competition package (left at factory ride height, which I think is somewhere between 120mm and 130mm w/ 330lbs in the car) that also rubbed against the front wheel well liners.

My wheel well liners have had holes in them since my second track day. I just tape them up with duct tape before each track day and make sure the wires going to the headlights are properly routed and not being chafed.

[agirls]

I lowered the car as mentioned then *attempted* to corner balance it. My end result with a little more than 1/2 tank and my weight was (now these may not be 100% accurate as the scales I was using did not have adjustable legs)...

LF 123 mm 429 lbs RF 126 mm 411 lbs
LR 124 mm 694 lbs RR 126 mm 664 lbs.

I have not had any trouble with the height so far other than getting onto the alignment rack. I now have a chunk missing off my front splinter. It's covered with tape at the moment till I get it fixed. Someone who was not a newb probably would have balanced the car better but hopefully it'll handle fine. I'm sure my driving limits the car, not the other way around. The only thing that bothers me is the front splitter is noticeably lower on the driver side than the passenger side. Driver side is 106mm off the ground and passenger side is 120mm off the ground. No idea why so different.

I'm happy with the height so far. The high front end was starting to bug me, now it looks right.

[apk919]

Originally Posted by agirls

I lowered the car as mentioned then *attempted* to corner balance it. My end result with a little more than 1/2 tank and my weight was (now these may not be 100% accurate as the scales I was using did not have adjustable legs)...

LF 123 mm 429 lbs RF 126 mm 411 lbs
LR 124 mm 694 lbs RR 126 mm 664 lbs.

I have not had any trouble with the height so far other than getting onto the alignment rack. I now have a chunk missing off my front splinter. It's covered with tape at the moment till I get it fixed. Someone who was not a newb probably would have balanced the car better but hopefully it'll handle fine. I'm sure my driving limits the car, not the other way around. The only thing that bothers me is the front splitter is noticeably lower on the driver side than the passenger side. Driver side is 106mm off the ground and passenger side is 120mm off the ground. No idea why so different.

I'm happy with the height so far. The high front end was starting to bug me, now it looks right.

That's strange... if your measured ride height is only 1mm different left to right, your splitter should not be 14mm different from left to right. Did you measure both sets of heights under the same conditions? Did you set the ride height with equal ballast in the driver's and passenger's seats?

[agirls]

Originally Posted by apk919

That's strange... if your measured ride height is only 1mm different left to right, your splitter should not be 14mm different from left to right. Did you measure both sets of heights under the same conditions? Did you set the ride height with equal ballast in the driver's and passenger's seats?

All measurements were taken with 140lbs of weights sitting in the driver seat, nothing in the passenger seat.

I just remeasured the front splitter with nothing in the car and driver side is 112mm and passenger side is 120mm. I have a warped splitter I guess.

[apk919]

Originally Posted by agirls

All measurements were taken with 140lbs of weights sitting in the driver seat, nothing in the passenger seat.

I just remeasured the front splitter with nothing in the car and driver side is 112mm and passenger side is 120mm. I have a warped splitter I guess.

What do you get when you measure from the bottom of the clam (in front of the wheel, but behind the splitter) on each side?

[agirls]

(Unloaded) The difference between the sides measuring the front silver under panel is 1mm, measuring the clam directly in front of the wheels difference of 4mm, and the splitter difference is 8mm.

[apk919]

Originally Posted by agirls

(Unloaded) The difference between the sides measuring the front silver under panel is 1mm, measuring the clam directly in front of the wheels difference of 4mm, and the splitter difference is 8mm.

How flat is the surface that you're measuring from?

[agirls]

Ha Ha, Not on a gravel road! :P

[apk919]

Originally Posted by agirls

Ha Ha, Not on a gravel road! :P

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Originally Posted by apk919

Well, if it's the 211 in his avatar pic, then 95mm would be just about right...

Yep - thats the one.
Drive it fine on the street and car parks are ok. Some bumps you do need to approach slowly and/or at a diagonal angle and only once I had to ask passenger to get out for clearance