lowering springs
#1
lowering springs
Just ordered my new fit which should be in soon. Got some wheels picked out buy I'm dyin for some springs. All I came up with so far is rsr at less than an inch. Anyone got any leads or info on some springs?
#4
i already posted this picture elsewhere on the forum, but here it is again.
those are Kosei K1-TS wheels in 15 x 7, with a 38mm offset. the tires are 225-45-15 Hankook RS-3 that are one of the sets from my STC class 89 civic Si race car.
these are not the wheels that are going on the Fit though... you can read why i put them on in the newbies section.
but, i did compress the suspension by using a floor jack under the lower control arm 2.5 inches, and then turned the steering wheel back and forth lock to lock. plenty of clearance with no rubbing, and clearance for suspension compression when bumps are hit on the road while cornering.
you could go wider... but probably not a good idea.
just make sure you get the correct offset wheels. if you lower, and then have 45mm offset and have tires that wide, you may be close on clearance on the inside. if 35mm, you may have clearance issues on the fenders. i would suggest 38mm to 42mm for a 7 inch wide wheel. those should be fine even if you want 16 or even 17 inch wheels, if you are keeping the approx outside tire diameter of the stock tire. you will have plenty of clearance.
note: i would suggest not going too big on wheel diameter, as it will hurt performance, and our cars are already pretty weak. and it seems that a 205mm section width tire would be about optimum for the car. i would not suggest the 225's like i have unless you are doing corner track racing only with them. it did tend to wander all over the road with tires that wide.
bottom line, the wheel wells on these are huge. there are a lot of options that will fit with plenty of clearance.
as far as springs go, i forgot to study the suspension when i was swapping wheels on and off... probably because i have no plans for lowering due to the fact that we are not racing the car... we have better cars for that. but, on other cars, i have always used Ground Control/Eibach ERS adjustable collars and springs. available in almost any spring rate you would want. however, since i did no measuring or even noticing, i dont know if they can be used on this car.
but if you want simple drop springs, you will have to wait till the aftermarket catches up, as the car is too new for everyone to have developed parts for it.
Last edited by daveds50; 09-19-2014 at 01:40 PM.
#5
i already posted this picture elsewhere on the forum, but here it is again.
those are Kosei K1-TS wheels in 15 x 7, with a 38mm offset. the tires are 225-45-15 Hankook RS-3 that are one of the sets from my STC class 89 civic Si race car.
these are not the wheels that are going on the Fit though... you can read why i put them on in the newbies section.
but, i did compress the suspension by using a floor jack under the lower control arm 2.5 inches, and then turned the steering wheel back and forth lock to lock. plenty of clearance with no rubbing, and clearance for suspension compression when bumps are hit on the road while cornering.
you could go wider... but probably not a good idea.
just make sure you get the correct offset wheels. if you lower, and then have 45mm offset and have tires that wide, you may be close on clearance on the inside. if 35mm, you may have clearance issues on the fenders. i would suggest 38mm to 42mm for a 7 inch wide wheel. those should be fine even if you want 16 or even 17 inch wheels, if you are keeping the approx outside tire diameter of the stock tire. you will have plenty of clearance.
note: i would suggest not going too big on wheel diameter, as it will hurt performance, and our cars are already pretty weak. and it seems that a 205mm section width tire would be about optimum for the car. i would not suggest the 225's like i have unless you are doing corner track racing only with them. it did tend to wander all over the road with tires that wide.
bottom line, the wheel wells on these are huge. there are a lot of options that will fit with plenty of clearance.
as far as springs go, i forgot to study the suspension when i was swapping wheels on and off... probably because i have no plans for lowering due to the fact that we are not racing the car... we have better cars for that. but, on other cars, i have always used Ground Control/Eibach ERS adjustable collars and springs. available in almost any spring rate you would want. however, since i did no measuring or even noticing, i dont know if they can be used on this car.
but if you want simple drop springs, you will have to wait till the aftermarket catches up, as the car is too new for everyone to have developed parts for it.
those are Kosei K1-TS wheels in 15 x 7, with a 38mm offset. the tires are 225-45-15 Hankook RS-3 that are one of the sets from my STC class 89 civic Si race car.
these are not the wheels that are going on the Fit though... you can read why i put them on in the newbies section.
but, i did compress the suspension by using a floor jack under the lower control arm 2.5 inches, and then turned the steering wheel back and forth lock to lock. plenty of clearance with no rubbing, and clearance for suspension compression when bumps are hit on the road while cornering.
you could go wider... but probably not a good idea.
just make sure you get the correct offset wheels. if you lower, and then have 45mm offset and have tires that wide, you may be close on clearance on the inside. if 35mm, you may have clearance issues on the fenders. i would suggest 38mm to 42mm for a 7 inch wide wheel. those should be fine even if you want 16 or even 17 inch wheels, if you are keeping the approx outside tire diameter of the stock tire. you will have plenty of clearance.
note: i would suggest not going too big on wheel diameter, as it will hurt performance, and our cars are already pretty weak. and it seems that a 205mm section width tire would be about optimum for the car. i would not suggest the 225's like i have unless you are doing corner track racing only with them. it did tend to wander all over the road with tires that wide.
bottom line, the wheel wells on these are huge. there are a lot of options that will fit with plenty of clearance.
as far as springs go, i forgot to study the suspension when i was swapping wheels on and off... probably because i have no plans for lowering due to the fact that we are not racing the car... we have better cars for that. but, on other cars, i have always used Ground Control/Eibach ERS adjustable collars and springs. available in almost any spring rate you would want. however, since i did no measuring or even noticing, i dont know if they can be used on this car.
but if you want simple drop springs, you will have to wait till the aftermarket catches up, as the car is too new for everyone to have developed parts for it.
#6
Thanks, Dave! That's really helpful. I think 15x7 with 225s would be plenty for me. Maybe 215. I don't plan on autocrossing it, but you never know. Lowering it would be more for looks than performance because the wheels gaps seem massive to me. I probably won't make any decisions till I've driven it for a while. It is, after all, supposed to be my practical daily driver while my mustang is the toy.
#7
Aword of advice, ok two 'words':
1. make sure the wheels you like fit your car for wheels size, weight, bolt pattern, offset (42mm imin), hub bore, and caliper clearance.
2. Limit you drop to an inch and a half to avoid suspension problems.
#8
ahhh... you saw my pic of the Spec Miata tires. that is actually a set of un-mounted ones, with the plastic Fit LX hub cap set in there... no actual wheel. i just thought it looked cool... stock LX with R-Compounds. so i took a pic.
Thanks, Dave! That's really helpful. I think 15x7 with 225s would be plenty for me. Maybe 215. I don't plan on autocrossing it, but you never know. Lowering it would be more for looks than performance because the wheels gaps seem massive to me. I probably won't make any decisions till I've driven it for a while. It is, after all, supposed to be my practical daily driver while my mustang is the toy.
not sure i would recommend the 225's though. they tend to wander around a lot. little groove in the road, and the car wants to follow it. 205's are probably what i will put on the car if we decide to put a set of wheels on it.
#9
that, i will agree with. the reason i jacked the suspension arm up 2.5 inches, is because i know i would never go that far. but it gave me a good idea of what the suspension will do when compressed by bumps on the road. the roads are not too bad here... but i have been to states that have pretty brutal roads. too low, and you are asking for problems.
#10
There are numerous suppliers of lowering springs; check ebay.
Aword of advice, ok two 'words':
1. make sure the wheels you like fit your car for wheels size, weight, bolt pattern, offset (42mm imin), hub bore, and caliper clearance.
2. Limit you drop to an inch and a half to avoid suspension problems.
Aword of advice, ok two 'words':
1. make sure the wheels you like fit your car for wheels size, weight, bolt pattern, offset (42mm imin), hub bore, and caliper clearance.
2. Limit you drop to an inch and a half to avoid suspension problems.
As for tires, 205 is plenty wide if you aren't competing. Wider tires are heavier and will reduce mpg and acceleration.
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