Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hi

I would like to some feedback on the right height. To me looks too high but it might be normal. It's an S4 on an Spyder chassis with spax adjuatable coil overs.

Does it look high? If i wanted to lower it are different springs an option?

Many thanks

It's a little hard to tell as the arches are non standard. This is how my standard S4 sits. Looking at the sill to ground reference it looks like the modded arches make it look like it sits too high. Lower springs may help but with the trade off with ground clearance etc.....tread carefully.

Thanks

Yes it has 26r arches. It's on 14 inch wheels. Yours looks to fill the arches more but then they are squared off...

The standard middle position is to have the suspension arms horizontal at rest (that is, car loaded as it will be used). This would translate in closer to symmetrical and minimal geometry changes for small variations around that point. This brings as a consequence a certain chassis clearance and boy height (according to tire walls etc). To optimize road behavior this is what I would go for.

If the body height is still deemed to large (body too high), one can get race suspension arms that lower the body yet operate around the correct rest position. They look like they are bent, while the standard ones are straight.

Roughly scaling your wheel`s size to the sill to floor distance, your ride height looks about right. It`s your arches that are way too big. Just look at the distance between the top of your rear arch and the top of the wing and compare that proportion to the S4 pic. You really don`t want shorter springs, higher profile tyres would look a bit better but I think you just have to live with the big arches or spend alot on bodywork to reduce the size of the wheel arches.
Jim

Can you get a good idea by measuring the ground clearance under the front chassis tube?

You appear to have an adjustable Spring seat so can adjust the height of the car if you need too are you sure they are spax the shape of the shock at the bottom and alloy construction they look like protech. Nice looking car by the way.
Ian

Yes i think they might be protech. Looks like the spring seat is at the bottom though? How could.i adjust this to lower the car?

Thanks

To lower the car you lower the spring (which holds the car up), so you screw down the castellated nuts on the perch using a C-spanner or the like.

they look like they are almost all the way down: you may only get 5mm as it is (+/-2 ). You may cheat and get more by removing one castellated nut, (or event both and replacing them by a suitable thinner platform where the spring should find a way to rest flat and centered - if it came to that I would rather do something with the springs and keep the adjustment capability - there is always the "poor man" quick adjustment, using a torch, one way only, or get a pair of shorter springs, should start around 30-40 pounds)...

They look as though you may get a couple of turns lower but not much DO NOT cut the spring down as this is not good practice I have the TTR shocks and as std the sprint sits nose up I lowered this for a level stance too low and you are grinding the manifold away on the Tarmac
Ian

Correct ride height results in horizontal front, lower wishbones and rear A-arms. This results in best handling. Wheel arch distance from the tire is a cosmetic issue.

Bill

Quite right, Bill. I was commenting solely on cosmetics.

Thanks to all who have responded