race vs street height

[Rock2000]

I get the impression most people are building the Gen3 coupes with street height settings, but I'm curious what the comparison is. Is race height a brutal ride on the street? Do we have pics of the two to compare? I get the impression changing this setting later in the build is not a reasonable option?

Thanks

[csmith]

At least in my mind, more than anything, it's just impractical. Bumping/grinding against curbs, speed bumps, railroads or any other number of things would not be fun, and could really end up costly.

[Ltngdrvr]

Depends on how much gap between the tire and wheel openings you're willing to put up with compared to the lower ground clearance.
I don't think the ride would be that much harsher, except if you bottom the car out on something.

[edwardb]

Agreed the issue isn't ride comfort. Theoretically shouldn't be any difference between the two. The issue is ground clearance as already mentioned. I set mine in the street height settings and have the ride height at 3-1/4 inches front and 3-3/4 inches rear. I wouldn't mind if the P275/35ZR-18 and P315/30ZR-18 tires were slightly tighter in the wheel wells. Pictured below. But this is the lowest I'm comfortable with driving on the street. I haven't had any issues in now almost 4,000 miles. But I avoid speed bumps entirely. Curbs and parking lot stops need extra care. Race height for a street driven car could be very difficult. Factory Five only recommends it for a track only build FWIW. And yes, would be somewhat extensive to change after the fact. Mechanical changes plus a new alignment.

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/ab234/edwardb123/Coupe_Cropped.jpg?width=590&height=370&fit=bounds (https://app.photobucket.com/u/edwardb123/a/186cc666-68d0-4881-b53c-af005ffe3552/p/22784f44-8bd5-4588-bfef-1fd022fb7fa4)

[GoDadGo]

Wow Paul; 3.25" is rather low compared to the typical MK-4 ride height settings.
Is the radiator bottom lower than the actual frame or is it also at 3.25".
I think most folks set their Roadsters at or about 4.00".
Talk about riding low, but then again it's a Type-65.

[Erik W. Treves]

Mine is also at 3.25 - over 6000 miles that way - I am a little higher in the back though - 4.00 inches. I measure right at the bottom of the radiator frame area - it's the lowest point of the car out front ... I have never scraped... so far :)

[edwardb]

Wow Paul; 3.25" is rather low compared to the typical MK-4 ride height settings.
Is the radiator bottom lower than the actual frame or is it also at 3.25".
I think most folks set their Roadsters at or about 4.00".
Talk about riding low, but then again it's a Type-65.

The Coupe build manual says "4½” at the front and 4½” at the back" but at that height just doesn't look right. Mainly the wheels/tires in the openings. I moved mine down to the measurements previously posted. As low as I wanted to go and with an acceptable look. Has been fine as long as I'm careful. The bar under the radiator in the front is slightly lower than the frame where I took the listed measurements. These are all the reasons why I always recommend the street (vs. race) settings for a street driven Coupe.

[Logan]

1. Ride quality/comfort is not a direct cause of ride height. Street or race height will ride the exact same (because same springs, shocks, and swaybars). Unless you bottom out more due to the race height (you will).

2. You can already lower the car about as much as you'd want while using the Street Height settings. That is my recommendation.

3. If lowered to a 2" ride height for a smooth racetrack, when the car is at full cornering load the lateral square-tubes of the chassis will grind against the ground. The 1.5" square tubes under the seat pan, just ahead of the rear tires. They can be cut down manually or allowed to grind until they self-clearance, but neither is a great solution. Raise the car slightly.

4. You can change between chassis Street/Race height in an hour, but it will change your alignment, and require that to be entirely redone, so not really a trackside option to change heights using the chassis holes. If you need to change height slightly when racing, better off adjusting the spring perches. If you have a bumpsteer kit, you will have minimal toe change through suspension travel arc.

5. Level chassis heights (front and rear) are common. But don't overlook the potential effects of rake. Sometimes 1/4" higher in the rear will have a noticeable affect on handling. Whether that's good or bad is entirely up to the driver.

[Rock2000]

Street height it is. I'd like to take it to the track a couple times, but that's likely it. For me, it probably is more about looks. I see some pics and they just look too high. But sounds like I can go as low as I'd want to.
Thanks.

[Ltngdrvr]

Street height it is. I'd like to take it to the track a couple times, but that's likely it. For me, it probably is more about looks. I see some pics and they just look too high. But sounds like I can go as low as I'd want to.
Thanks.

Run taller tires.
Most of the cars I see have such short tires they would never come close to filling the fender openings no matter how low you set the car.

[flight_83]

Run taller tires.
Most of the cars I see have such short tires they would never come close to filling the fender openings no matter how low you set the car.
agreed, a taller sidewall will allow you to tuck the tires more without sacrificing ground clearance.
a more spendy option that im taking is air ride.

[Logan]

Be careful if you choose to run taller tires. They can/will get very close to the chassis tubes in front of the rear wheels (backside of the cockpit).

If they're tall AND wide, that's worst case scenario for getting interference to the chassis. If they're tall but not super wide, you can simply space them out and have the clearance you need.

For tall + wide tires, plan to run higher ride heights or else notch the frame. One example of a way to notch the 1" tube is pictured in my build thread (link below), although there are other ways to modify the chassis to gain clearance that could be stronger.

Air-cups on coilovers is a solution for changing height by ~2" at the push of a button, but mostly intended for getting over speedbumps or into a steep driveway. Not ideal to drive around on them at their extended height. And their lowered height may look great but be too low to drive on. Air-bags which replace the coilovers (true Air Ride) would work too, allowing you to set the height of the car anywhere you want with the onboard controls and compressor, and be safe to drive at any height as long as it clears the ground and the tires don't hit the chassis anywhere. But airbags don't exactly have the performance of regular coilover suspension.

There are always compromises in engineering, your task is to decide which compromises to make to best suit your needs.

[Rock2000]

Just out of curiosity, is there a difference between a low height from the street suspension setting, vs a high height from the race setting?

[flight_83]

Air-bags which replace the coilovers (true Air Ride) would work too, allowing you to set the height of the car anywhere you want with the onboard controls and compressor, and be safe to drive at any height as long as it clears the ground and the tires don't hit the chassis anywhere. But airbags don't exactly have the performance of regular coilover suspension.

That used to be the case but these days it depends on the brand. Airlift has the performance series which are single adjustable just like any normal coilover. only a matter of time before someone makes a double in which case the only variable is spring vs bag.