Scraping my forward bumper. Solutions?
 

My driveway has a dip where it meets the street, and no matter how slowly I drive, I scuff the two nose points.

Anyone have any luck with bolt on lips or dams that can take the scuffs more gracefully than the car, itself? At some point, I may pour some more concrete, but until then, I want to minimize damage.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ecd271a4a0.jpg

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is it possible to approach the dip at an angle?

Hmm? can you enter the dip at an angle? can you fill it with dirt or sand for now?

Good idea, I too scrapped tS twice and now I do a reverse at an angle and park slowly (1st gear) in my driveway. By the way, I practiced hill start here.

Maybe 2 bits of timber, they only need to be 200mm wide and as long and high as you need.

Watch leaving anything permanent for liability sake.

And dirt or sand may cause issues with local council, or wash away the first time it rains.

You could always get a cheap lip kit like the baysonR sti lip. It's under $100 and will keep your bumper protected. Otherwise you are gonna want to hit it at an angle like everyone else is saying.

You could try a ProTEK skid plate, dont know how high up on those points your scraping at

http://www.protektskidplates.com/

If you can't get a good approach angle a lip will just increase your issues not solve them. By extending the bumper down and forward you reduce your clearance even more. Best case scenario you just rip the lip off. Worst case it hold and breaks the bumper clips creating sag.
The bottom of my bumper is worn down from scrapping but it can't be seen so I just live with it.

Thanks all. I'm backing through an iron gate flanked by two brick columns. I live in a downtown neighborhood with street parking, so my driveway gets other street-parked cars right up to the edge, so angling in is unavailable, most of the time. It rains so much here in Houston that sand or gravelwould just be washed away, and the boards would be a trip hazard that I don't want to be liable for.

I understand that adding material will only make it scrape more, but at least it would be a consumable scrape vice a permanent one.

I'll look into the mentioned dam. Thanks again.

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go in backwards thats how i have to get into my friends driveway

Be OK if the lip just wore away but the extra pressure on the bumper which it attached to could cause some serious damage under the wrong circumstances. The attachment points on these bumpers are not great.

Maybe I'll get a lift kit...

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Same problem as OP at my new place. This is my life now :)

Go big!

https://78.media.tumblr.com/3ad8de26...fv0do1_400.gif

certain coil over companies make air lifts for the front only for this type of issue..but that's an expensive route to go.


maybe get some steel plates you can put down that don't block waterflow?

That's not a bad idea. [emoji106]

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Just be wary if your going that path.

The clearance with air cups is a issue I believe, they install them on a Supra, but there's more clearance with them.

They talk about them here for a bit at 1:30

https://youtu.be/zXTDIsTsrEU

I actually was talking about the steel plates. Good info, though.

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Move.

I use ISC Surface Guard Tape on the front/bottom surface of my bumper. If you scrape bad enough it will get pulled off, but gives pretty good overall protection.

Maybe some of your neighbors are having the same issue and you could pool funds :)

https://i2.wp.com/store.spanishranch...0%2C1072&ssl=1

Works as long as you are not someplace that gets snow. One snowplow pass and things could go horribly, horribly wrong in a hurry.

I've had good results with this stuff http://www.aquaphalt.com

I always scraped at the end of my driveway at anything over a very slow roll. I filled in the dip with this stuff, and it's fine now —*I can coast through in second gear if I want. I used my pressure washer to clear all the dirt out of the dip, then filled with this stuff.

Many municipalities frown upon you filling in the gutters though.

just remove the junk from the trunk and the rear seat and the car will be lifted enough.

Or just buy a can of plasti dip and apply as necessary. It should protect the bottom enough.

I have the same issue. It's on the bottom of the car so no one sees it, so I've learned to just live with it. Besides, it's just plastic.

Any weight removed from behind the rear wheels is going to lower the front.




I actually passed on an otherwise nice house because I scraped my FRS bumper on the driveway lip. That damage still makes me sad every time I change the oil....

Buy an SUV.

Some alternative options if you really must keep the Twin:

I've got a pretty good case of saggy bumper :(

I really want to rally mine out like this when I get the car paid off. There's one running around my area that's lifted a good 2+" and I think it looks like a whole bunch of fun.

Hold on.... "I really want to rally mine out.." why so bothered about scarping the bottom of the car if that is the end game?

Ehh, I'm not too worried about scraping it up but I don't want to knock anything (else) loose or damage the exhaust. If I was really worried about it I wouldn't spend time playing around on dirt roads as often as I do especially after I switch back to the winter wheels and tires soon. The front bumper is probably already a lost cause if I don't pull it off soon and replace a few of the clips.

Bet you aren't so fond of gravity now are you?

No, that is not how it works. Not even remotely. Any weight removed from anywhere will raise the car a bit. Remove 100 pounds and it should stop the car from scraping on anything but the worst entryways or hills.

The moment about the rear axle has to be 0. Sum the force vectors on both sides, the remainder is supported by the front axel as an upwards force.

By decreasing the weight behind the rear axle you reduce that part of the force vector sum. Meaning the front actually has a greater force on it, since the moment around the rear axel must still be 0.

Greater force on the front, more spring compression.

Even if it raised the car equally I doubt that a 3.5% weight reduction spread across the whole suspension would make any real difference in ride height at all. Certainly not enough to prevent scraping unless you were just touching by a c-hair.

Well, I never said anything about scale. Just relativity. Of course it won't change by any noticable amount. We are talking 50lb vs a total of 2750lb.

I didn't imply you did say anything about scale. I was just adding to your comment.

Smartass :)