Lowering Car

FRIKA · 29-08-2005, 09:58 AM

Im looking at getting my AU2 XR8 lowered. King Springs Superlows. 25mm front and 35mm rear.

Has anyone had the same done? If so did you encounter any problems.

The suspension joint told me that maybe ill need to fit in a front camber but that should be my oly problem??????????????????

cheers

Racecraft · 29-08-2005, 10:06 AM

I'd recommend rolling the guards.. mine scrapes on full lock but other than that no issues... I didnt need a camber kit either...

FRIKA · 29-08-2005, 01:47 PM

cheers.

ive been told that it only scrapes the guards when you have 18" rims. Mine
are only 17".

Are yours 18" and how low is you car?????????????? from the middle of the rim
to the guard?

mattsAU1 · 31-08-2005, 12:00 PM

i fitted king spring lows to my AU1 and didn't fit a camber castor kit and mine seems fine after 12 months
the only trouble i encountered was going from stock height you need decent spring compressors cause the spring a christmas tree shaped and it is a bastard getting the cheap spring compressors on there
i got 18's and haven't rolled the guards no trouble scraping on front or back even on full lock

FRIKA · 31-08-2005, 03:38 PM

Cheers MattsAU1,

How low is your card from middle of rim to guard?

mattsAU1 · 31-08-2005, 06:56 PM

tis 345mm give or take a few
370mm back again give or take a few
i did my best to keep it within RACV guidelines but am thinkin bout dumping it completely
can you or anyone else recomend an insurer that allows you to do this and still be covered
cheers

lv619 · 31-08-2005, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattsAU1

tis 345mm give or take a few
370mm back again give or take a few
i did my best to keep it within RACV guidelines but am thinkin bout dumping it completely
can you or anyone else recomend an insurer that allows you to do this and still be covered
cheers

Just Car Insurance... unlike RACV, the modifications just have to be legal and roadworthy, no 30mm bs etc...

FRIKA · 31-08-2005, 07:55 PM

Yeah im looking at 340mm front and 345-350 rear.

not sure about the insurance. I spoek to a guy that works for a suspension place and he has been in the industry 15+ years and has never heard of anyone being denied a claim because the car was to low.

My EA was illegal and i nearly wrote it off. Insurance covered the claim.

could be different now. that was with GIO i think.

Casper · 04-09-2005, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XR AYTE

Yeah im looking at 340mm front and 345-350 rear.

not sure about the insurance. I spoek to a guy that works for a suspension place and he has been in the industry 15+ years and has never heard of anyone being denied a claim because the car was to low.

My EA was illegal and i nearly wrote it off. Insurance covered the claim.

could be different now. that was with GIO i think.

Well, given I'm with RACV I know exactly what those dropkicks will say to you.. So I'll save you some time

:

If you ring them and ask they will tell you a 30mm drop is maximum. No worries, you already know that. Now, for fun, ask them to tell you what the baseline hight is, that is, the original stock height... prepare for 20 minutes of wasted time (make a coffee and have some snacks ready before you call).

End result... they have NO IDEA. They say you can drop it 30mm but wont say from what original height.

So the answer is?

Well, based on documentation I got from an Official Ford AU service manual (used by the dealer service area)the official factory figures are:
Front 367mm / Rear 377mm (for IRS fitted models)

Therefor the insurable ride height for your car is:
Front 337mm / Rear 347mm

So you can actually go lower than you first thought.

Quote:

Originally Posted by XR AYTE

Yeah im looking at 340mm front and 345-350 rear.

Anyhow, if you want the doc I got it off, go to www.aufalcon.com then the articles section. Theres an article called "Lowering - The insurance trap". Everything is explained in there along with a copy of the document.

Hope that helps.

JC · 04-09-2005, 12:23 PM

My service book also mentions the stock heights of 367/377. I've measured the XR8 (stock height) and it's 354 front, 370 rear from centre of wheel to wheel arch. The wagon is 340 front, 347 rear (not stock - superlows in front, reset leaves in back)

Bucknaked · 04-09-2005, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JCXR8

My service book also mentions the stock heights of 367/377. I've measured the XR8 (stock height) and it's 354 front, 370 rear from centre of wheel to wheel arch. The wagon is 340 front, 347 rear (not stock - superlows in front, reset leaves in back)

You suppossed to measure it not in the seated position.

JC · 04-09-2005, 12:38 PM

So you mean I should have asked you to get out of the car first?

Bucknaked · 04-09-2005, 12:41 PM

You have to ask nicely

xr8 007 · 04-09-2005, 08:43 PM

Matts AU, did u change ur shocks aswell?? How does the AU feel now on the road, any differences in the handling department?

mattsAU1 · 05-09-2005, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xr6007

Matts AU, did u change ur shocks aswell?? How does the AU feel now on the road, any differences in the handling department?

nah left them the same cause i was only going down 30mm or so but now i know that RACV cant technically prove how high my car was from factory im thinkin bout going to super lows
handling is much better
there is a rondabout near my place that is sorta a good test (provided you dont get caught)
at stock height i was able to go through it at bout80-85kms/hr and the *** was all over the place with stock rims too i might add
with the 18*8's and the king spring lows i can hit it and accelerate through it at about 120kms/hr so you be the judge
i reckon its pretty good and it stuck to the ground like to a blanket
will prob replace the shokers if i do end up going any lower though

StevenAu2 · 05-09-2005, 04:46 PM

I fitted my Au2 forte with King superlows and koni adjustables.No probs with scraping on 17 x 8s.I have had probs with the camber kit fitted,im going to replace it with a Whiteline one (apparently doesnt use shims).
Im with Just Cars Insurance and i told them the car was lowered and they didnt want any specs of how low at all.

FRIKA · 05-09-2005, 05:33 PM

sounds good.

ill see how i go first with just the king superlows and cross my fingers that nothing else is required.

i spoke to guy on the weekend with an au2 xr8 and he said pretty much ok only when going up kerbs on driveways and when steering fully locked that it scrapes the guards.

StevenAu2 · 05-09-2005, 07:01 PM

You shouldnt have any dramas with scraping on full lock.Are you going to fit superlow springs with stock shocks? I didnt think you could.

JC · 05-09-2005, 07:21 PM

If you look at the monroe site, the shock spec for low, superlow or SSL is all the same. Even konis, the spec is all the same. The difference in putting in a lower spring is in the rebound rate - ie it affects the rate of the shocks, as a ;ower spring generally reacts quicker than a stock spring, and the shock may not fully handle this increase. So if you go standard shocks like monroe, you will always end up with a harsher ride. If you go with adjustable konis, at least you can adjust the comfort setting so it's not so harsh.

justa6 · 05-09-2005, 08:32 PM

Just make sure you go low enough. I went lows and now superlows, now thinking of getting customs. It has 19s under it and has never scraped. It was chopping out inside fronts so had to put a camber kit in it

xr8 007 · 05-09-2005, 10:13 PM

I've asked this a few times and never got an answer! I had a look in the monroe catalogue and the listed shcokers for a lowered AU are the same as the schokers on a standard XR6. The front ones are the same regardless of it being a standard falcon, lowered falcon or tickford falcon. so my question is, if i have a Xr6 with the short shocks on it anyways why would i need to change them if they are going to be the same thing!!

Casper · 05-09-2005, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xr6007

I've asked this a few times and never got an answer! I had a look in the monroe catalogue and the listed shcokers for a lowered AU are the same as the schokers on a standard XR6. The front ones are the same regardless of it being a standard falcon, lowered falcon or tickford falcon. so my question is, if i have a Xr6 with the short shocks on it anyways why would i need to change them if they are going to be the same thing!!

It was answered a few posts up:

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattsAU1

you can but it bounces around all over the place not very safe

The stock XR shocks are not the nicest ones to have with superlow springs. They dont match up very well as far as rebound etc is concerned.

xr8 007 · 05-09-2005, 10:21 PM

so Casper what brand schokies do u think is suitable for an AU XR??

MATTSAU1, any before and after pics of your car?

Casper · 05-09-2005, 10:35 PM

Depends on what you can afford.
I've actually heard that the Monroe GT's ware a good match (but dont have a huge lifespan - 50,000kms is really it but you get what you pay for) but Koni's have to still be No1.

JC · 05-09-2005, 10:45 PM

XR6007 - find a shock manufacturer that lists a shorter shock for low/superlows, and that is the shock you should get. I don't think you'll find one though. I know there was some for the E series, but haven't seen any for A series at all. Adjustable shocks (eg Konis) would therefore be your best bet as you can adjust the setting to suit the springs. The adjustable does not refer to height, but comfort settings, from sport (hard) to comfy (soft). Note that the term "soft" is used in a relative sense when talking lowered springs - it's all hard, just not as hard on a soft setting.

xr8 007 · 06-09-2005, 09:06 AM

Thanks Casper and JC, its cleared a bit of my confusion.

Well monroe have the GT and also the sensatrac available!! Should the front ones be changed to, considering its going to be a standard replacement

Oh and how much are koni's?

FRIKA · 06-09-2005, 11:25 AM

I rang several suspension places and asked if I was to put superlows on would i need to change my suspension. Not one of them said i did.

One place said that Koni i think have just bought out a short front shock to
enhance the ride.

Who knows wether any of them are telling the truth??????????????????

StevenAu2 · 06-09-2005, 11:44 AM

Konis are awesome shocks!!!! Im thinking of upgrading my adjustables(the ones you have to take out to adjust) to the ones you can adjust with the dial thingy ontop.When i ordered mine they didnt have any of the adjustable ones with the dial ontop in the country.

FRIKA · 08-09-2005, 10:31 AM

thanks for everyones help

Today is dump day. Cant wait to see the result after work.

Mel · 08-09-2005, 10:42 AM

Damn, was going to say I'd swap you your stock XR springs for my King Spring Super Lows if you were in Melbourne!!!