I have bought DropZone lowering springs, but they have sat in my garage for a year, as I am back and forth on the idea of lowering the car.

I would love the look, but I am unsure of whether I want to put them in because I'm worried about hitting the front of the car on the road. Also, the car is a daily driver...

So for those of you with lowered cars, do you ever find yourselves hitting your front bumper on the road/speed bumps?

Thanks

 

The only time I scrape, if I don't slow down for speed bumps and dips. If I hit? I deserve it, because I wasn't paying attention & driving right.

The only other issue is driving somewhere new, that has dips or bumps. And then it is just a learning curve, for the new location.

And no....I don't regret lowering my car for even 1 second. In fact...I want to go lower! And thanks to my Ground Control Weight Jacks instead of just lowering springs, going lower is just a wrench turn away.

 

I've got sportlines on my Formula and wish it were a little lower.
I don't have GFX so I have a bit more clearance than a TA or Z28.

 

I'm on Sportlines and do scrape the front of the car. It doesnt bother me though as I already knew it would happen. The part that is bothering me is hearing my brand new ceramic coated longtubes touch the tops of speed bumps. I'm actually considering building a small roll bar going across the frame rails that just hangs down farther than the headers

 

yeah i also have sportlines on mine...wish it was lower in front end....due to hood (fiberglass) best it is..only time i have ever scraped was lower crossmember (cradle)...my stupidity...going to fast. most of the time i drag exhuast tips....i don't think you will have problem on speed bumps...only steap driveways or inclines for places.

 

It's really the air dam and the round cover under the very front nose that rubs, usually. And that you can avoid by attacking speed bumps and driveway inclines at an angle.

The biggest PITA is getting on ramps and jacking. I have Eibach Prokit (1" drop), and in the front, my jack just barely clears - but since it's hard to use an old jack to slowly let the car down, when it comes down the gfx will hit the jack. I compensate by just parking on 2x10 chunk first. For the ramps, I use the driveway incline, drive partially up, the nose raises, and then I put the ramps under.

The tip of the nose really is no different - at stock height it hits most all curbs anyway, so you should be used to knowing by now where the front of your car really is.

 

My opinion is that a daily driver is best left at stock ride height, or at most, lowered only slightly. My IROC is lowered a couple inches, and if it was a daily driver it would make me crazy. I have to be very careful with things like speed bumps, driveway entries, steep hills, etc. There are certain places in my area where I know to avoid, and others that require special attention because of required approach angles.

My GTA, which is more frequently driven, is still at stock ride height for a reason.

 

see my nose front end is not as long as your guys type...in fact its at least 3-4 in shorter...so i never have the nose drag issue

 

bad pic but you get the idea

 

Thanks guys...I'll have to do some more thinking. I drive my car with a lot of care, but at the same time, I don't want to have to be looking for every bump on the road.

PS 89ROC-Z, was your IROC that made me want to lower mine ^_^

 

i'm on drop-zones, and it would SUCKKKKK for a dd, don't go that low, you will regret it, it makes driving annoying at times

 

Just one more comment I forgot to make earlier... when I'm driving my IROC, I even have to be very careful of the crown in some roads. If I'm on a road where the "tire" areas have managed to settle, I've got to watch what I'm doing so that I don't scrape my oil pan & exhaust.

 

The dropzones are pretty bad. They are more for looks than usage. We put some on my friends 92 and being in New Orleans doesn't help either. On the interstate it's not too bad unless we get to a rough spot on the road…but he has managed to knock the exhaust welds loose a few times. So…if you are looking to lower it, I would go with a much better spring by Eibach so that you can get look and performance.

 

I drive mine with no problems, just got to be a good driver

 

Or you live in a place that doesn't have crap roads, hills, high curbs, and other such obstructions. It's got nothing to do with being a good driver... just your tolerance for bullshit. My IROC has been lowered for 10 years and there's not one single mark in my front air dam, but it sure is a pain in the *** worrying about how I have to approach everything.

 

I have drop zones and like them. They gave my car a nice stance with the skinnies in the front and the 275's out back. I do scrap once in a blue moon but thats because I have a true dual exhaust and it hangs lower. With a stock exhaust setup I dont think you will scrap at all.

 

I never managed to scrape either my oil pan or trans pan, even driving over an AC curb to park. I do have quite a few marks on the exhaust though, and I think the crossmember has touched a few times. I had my car so low for a while that given the lack of having stiff enough front springs or correct suspension geometry I would scrape the front air dam under heavy braking. It was a little too bouncy (running on the front bumpstops) and even with thin bumpstops it was just too low. I will say it was extremely low though at the time. Never had much of an issue with speedbumps, and only bad dips from crossgutters I had to navigate on a slight angle sometimes. No issues while driving though aside of the braking.

Right now both of mine are what I would consider a stock height, but not because I think lowered is bad but just because they're not lowered. I have a brand F that is even lower but the nose is short and never comes close to the ground. I scrape just about everything under the car with it though, speed bumps are the worst culprit I've come across with it.

 

I have to question a performance vehicle you cannot drive without slowing down????
I guess if you are building a show vehicle, them by all means make it low & drive it slow. No doubt it looks good, but functionally is questionable.

If you are into performance, keep it about 26.5-27.5 (preferrably at the high end) at the fender lip (measured on a Firebird, I think the Camaro fender lip is slightly lower)... basically no more than a 2" drop. Personally I prefer to be able to drive my car as fast as I want to without fear of damage, or bottoming out in a fast turn & losing control.

Make your decisions wisely.....

 

Performance handling cars aren't 4x4's though. To increase handling, you must sacrifice ground clearance.

Are some of us going beyond what is really needed? Maybe. But we are willing to deal with the bad road/road dip issues that come with the low stance.

 

Only time I would slow down is when 99% of the other people did as well. The rest dont even slow down for speed bumps.

 

My car measures 26 3/4" front & 27 1/2" rear at the fender lip. It has been a DD for over eleven years now. Haven't had any issues with it. You just have to be careful and watch where you are driving. There are some driveways and such that you have to take at an angle instead of head on to keep from scraping. I've never hit my crossmember, air dam, or tranny pan. My exhaust has scraped a few times on speed bumps though.

 

Bad pic..? LOL I use this pic as my desk top background ! AND as my GOAL for my Z28. Stone