Roadster ride height question

[JohnK]

I was checking out the GT40 replica kits over at RCR the other night, and noticed that they offer as an option a hydraulic suspension lift that will raise the front end a bit to clear speed bumps, etc. Digging a little deeper, these are lifts made by Ramliftpro (https://www.ramliftpro.com) that can be added to any coilover and can raise the suspension anywhere from 40mm to 1.25" at the flip of a switch.

That led me to the following question about roadster ride height. If you had the ability to raise the front end (or both ends) an inch or so at the flip of a switch to clear low speed obstacles, would you set up the roadster at a different ride height? To put it differently, what's the main driver of ride height on the roadster? Is the recommended ride height actually optimal from a handling standpoint, or is it the lowest you can get it and still reasonably clear speed bumps with the 4" tubes? FWIW - I have the 18" wheels. I'm still early in my build, so this would be the ideal time to add these.

[GoDadGo]

Most folks set the front between 4.0" to 4.5" for the front and 4.5" to 5.0" for the rear.
I'm at or around 3.75" on the front and 4.25" on the rear, but that is because my springs have settled.

https://youtu.be/CaRlqMmKIzk

Hope This Helps!

[Jeff Kleiner]

I run a front chassis height of approximately 3 3/4" and my air dam is lower than that. Except for the time I went off track and took an "agricultural excursion" I've never had a problem with anything rubbing.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=124019&d=1509280517

Jeff

[edwardb]

I have mine set about the same as Jeff's but without an air dam. I do avoid speed bumps, although there aren't many around here compared to other places I've been. The only place I've been surprised is on a driveway entrance or two (not mine...) where a rolled curb combined with a slight incline touched the underneath in front. Just need to watch for that and go at an angle instead of straight on and usually not a problem. I really don't think the ride heights as low as 3-3/4 inches warrant anything special if you're careful. FWIW, I found my new Gen 3 Coupe build needs to be a bit lower, otherwise the gaps above the tires in the wheel wells look too wide. I have mine set at 3-1/2 inches front, 3-3/4 inches rear. So actually lower yet.

[Avalanche325]

I am running 4" front and rear. I keep the rear low for better rear traction in autocross and the track.

[CraigS]

12 years at 4" or less at the front and have only scraped once. I am not sure there is room for this on an FFR.

[rich grsc]

No by all means, go spend $2000 on something so useless.

[Straversi]

I bet the 33 hot rod and truck builders would be interested. Have you seen that low long front overhang on the F9? Hope FFR makes something like this available for that one.
Thanks for posting. Something to keep in mind for future builds.
-Steve

[JohnK]

Thanks everyone. I think the 18" wheels in particular, with the lower-profile tires, tend to need a slightly lower ride height for the tire to fender lip gap to look right to me. I've seen some cars with 18's that look great and others where I thought they could stand to be lowered another 1/2" or so to look right to me. Of course, photos can sometimes be deceiving. It sounds like everyone is generally happy with the ride height they're able to achieve aesthetically without causing ground clearance issues.

[Jkviper]

I am building a Superlite SLC and have the ramlift pro. We normally run a 4-4.5” front ride height but the front overhang is quite long on an SLC and there is also a dropped floor pan to get the seats down low so the ramlift pro will help clear driveways and speed bumps. With a short front overhang of a Cobra set at 4” ride height you probably don’t need it.

[edwardb]

Thanks everyone. I think the 18" wheels in particular, with the lower-profile tires, tend to need a slightly lower ride height for the tire to fender lip gap to look right to me. I've seen some cars with 18's that look great and others where I thought they could stand to be lowered another 1/2" or so to look right to me. Of course, photos can sometimes be deceiving. It sounds like everyone is generally happy with the ride height they're able to achieve aesthetically without causing ground clearance issues.

You're right. 18's of course have a lower profile. But that doesn't mean the overall diameter is much different. Just looked at the specs for the 17's (Nitto) I had on #7750 and the 18's (BF Goodrich Rival S) on #8674 and my new Coupe. They're within very small fractions of each other. All around 25.5-inches diameter. Differences will vary from brand to brand. But really don't think wheel size is a major factor here. Sounds like the ones you were seeing have different ride height settings.