Lowering your car in order to increase fuel economy - Page 9

SVOboy · 08-15-2006, 12:25 PM

Iono what the auto parts stores are telling you, but it sounds like they're full of it. I wouldn't mind a 1" drop on stock struts if you got some decent springs, but crappy springs will kill at any level of drop.

They do have adjustable shocks that lower, but what they prolly mean are adjustable stiffness, like my tokico illuminas or kyb agxs. Koni Yellows are adjustable both by height and stiffness, but there's not point putting a stock spring on a yellow and adjusting down the half insch it allows you. I generally measure from tire to wheel well to make sure things are even.

ZugyNA · 08-15-2006, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryland

I've been asking around at the auto parts stores about lowering, and they said that if you want to lower a Honda 1" that you can get lowering springs, --Ryland

Or...you can install a pair of these on each spring for less than $40. They aren't that easy to get in there...but they both lower each spring by one coil and stiffen it even more by acting as stops for the coils above and below.

Need to watch for interference with sheet metal and so forth...and snug them down good so they stay on opposite sides of the spring.

I had these on a sports car with crapped out struts and it still handled real well.

SVOboy · 08-15-2006, 04:59 PM

"these" I wonder if you're talking about those little stop things. Saw them once on a 49 ford hemi...

MetroMPG · 08-15-2006, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZugyNA

Or...you can install a pair of these on each spring for less than $40

A pair of what? (Maybe you posted a link that didn't come through?)

GasSavers_Ryland · 08-15-2006, 07:43 PM

the reason you don't want a bicycle with soft shocks is that when you are "standing" on the bike to pedle harder, like going up a hill, the shocks are compressing every time you pedle and are absorbing the energy you are trying to put to work, this is why quality suspention parts for bicycles come with a lock out, to "turn off" the shock and make it extreamly stiff.
with cars, you do want, to a point, soft suspention so that the tires will role over bumps and dips smoother without making the whole car move up or down that fraction of an inch, hitting a bump is like going up a tiny hill, and if your whole car has to go up that half inch, or whatever it's going to take more energy, from what I've read, stock honda's come with suspention that is tuned for traction, not for comfert, their struts are designed to let the wheels recoil back to the pavment faster then they lift, thus the ride feels "rough" because you feel more of the tiny bumps.

ZugyNA · 08-16-2006, 03:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

A pair of what? (Maybe you posted a link that didn't come through?)

Might have to right click to see the pic? It's there.

MetroMPG · 08-16-2006, 05:20 AM

Got it now - thanks. Interesting.

I've been experimenting with a 1-inch drop recently. You'll all laugh when you see how I did it. I'll see if I can get a pic in the next day or so.

EDIT: should have said I've been "playing" with a drop - no experimenting involved