why is there so much wheel gap? - Page 2 - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

jschendel · 07-26-2012, 05:04 PM

I think most reason for the ride height is for avoiding scraping. I would think most consumers dont like having to zigzag over speed bumps, down driveways, etc.

And room for wheel travel

Spaceywilly · 07-26-2012, 05:05 PM

If it was lower they would've had to use stiffer springs to prevent it being in the bump stops constantly, so it would've had a worse ride. With the stock macpherson strut setup, the only way to lower the ride height is to use shorter springs, which sacrifices suspension travel. They chose ride quality and ideal suspension tuning over appearance.

Shagaliscious · 07-26-2012, 05:06 PM

They did it just to piss you off.

rcm47 · 07-26-2012, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reeves

Wonder if the TRD springs will drop the car to this "ideal" height?

It should, chances are that they are going to be the exact same as the eibach pro-kit except with "TRD" stamped on them.

reeves · 07-26-2012, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spaceywilly

With the stock macpherson strut setup, the only way to lower the ride height is to use shorter springs, which sacrifices suspension travel. They chose ride quality and ideal suspension tuning over appearance.

And having to drive downtown alot, with so many dips, potholes + broken pavement, I really appreciate this!

Shizuma · 07-26-2012, 05:29 PM

Simple answer is the car is designed to be driven on the street thru a wide array of different road conditions without the body hitting thing or the ride being so harsh no one wants to drive it daily. As much as people think these crazy drops look good (and IMO they look awful) they also negatively impact the ride quality of the car and cause the car to be prone to damage on the front end, heck even my 2005 Dodge Magnum which is a full size station wagon and not lowered scrapped the bottom of the nose in some places, a lowered BRZ/FR-S in those same places wouldn't have a nose anymore after driving in those areas.

I've seen enough ricers with smashed up bottom lips that I would never consider lowing a car.

07stealth350z · 07-26-2012, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hanzo

Actually a lot of cars have wheel gaps:

Indeed they do. It's not uncommon. 1 of my favorite cars is one of the worst offenders of excessive wheel gap, but the car sits soo low that I don't even worry about it.

fatoni · 07-26-2012, 05:59 PM

i think its worth mentioning that wheel gap has nothing to do with cog, ride height or even suspension travel

ayilar · 07-26-2012, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reeves

And having to drive downtown alot, with so many dips, potholes + broken pavement, I really appreciate this!

+1. I own a C350 rather than a 328i because the latter's ride quality with the Sport Package was poor on local roads (the Bimmer was better on good country roads, but not by enough to make it worth the trade-off).

Even if my BRZ is not my DD, I still will drive it on more than just mirror-smooth surfaces.

BlaineWasHere · 07-26-2012, 06:36 PM

I've never seen so much misinformation in one thread in my whole entire life!

It's just like everyone pulled a guess out of their ass and posted it up!

With all the stupid guesses I'm surprised no one brought up pedestrian laws in Europe which dictate the bumpers have to be really very high for small cars like this, therefore the body can't be really low without distorting the shape of the car.

Spaceywilly · 07-26-2012, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatoni

i think its worth mentioning that wheel gap has nothing to do with cog, ride height or even suspension travel

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlaineWasHere

I've never seen so much misinformation in one thread in my whole entire life!

It's just like everyone pulled a guess out of their ass and posted it up!

I love being snide as much as the next guy, but posts like these don't really help anyone. Do you care to enlighten us, all knowing ones?

BlaineWasHere · 07-26-2012, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spaceywilly

I love being snide as much as the next guy, but posts like these don't really help anyone. Do you care to enlighten us, all knowing ones?

I edit my post to ad some sort of constructive element... lol.

fatoni · 07-26-2012, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spaceywilly

I love being snide as much as the next guy, but posts like these don't really help anyone. Do you care to enlighten us, all knowing ones?

i wish i had an answer but i just dont. if i had to guess, it would be that it is simply easier for them to make a car when they take wider tolerances in certain aspect so there is more room to make things work. i know its not constructive but i just dont think its right to perpetuate concepts that arent founded in anything other than assumptions.

nix · 07-26-2012, 11:44 PM

The cars go to all sorts of markets even places without sealed roads so they jack them up by an inch or two in stock form.

Toyota has a habit of doing that more than others. When I imported my current supra (bone stock) it looked like a wrc car.

07-26-2012, 05:05 PM	#16
Spaceywilly ZC6A2B82KC7J Join Date: May 2011 Drives: 2002 WRX Location: Providence, RI Posts: 1,632 Thanks: 361 Thanked 727 Times in 236 Posts Mentioned: 7 Post(s)	If it was lower they would've had to use stiffer springs to prevent it being in the bump stops constantly, so it would've had a worse ride. With the stock macpherson strut setup, the only way to lower the ride height is to use shorter springs, which sacrifices suspension travel. They chose ride quality and ideal suspension tuning over appearance. __________________ Straights are for fast cars. Turns are for fast drivers.

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07-26-2012, 05:29 PM	#20
Shizuma Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: 2015 Dodge Challenger SXT Location: Salem, MA Posts: 190 Thanks: 7 Thanked 54 Times in 29 Posts Mentioned: 2 Post(s)	Simple answer is the car is designed to be driven on the street thru a wide array of different road conditions without the body hitting thing or the ride being so harsh no one wants to drive it daily. As much as people think these crazy drops look good (and IMO they look awful) they also negatively impact the ride quality of the car and cause the car to be prone to damage on the front end, heck even my 2005 Dodge Magnum which is a full size station wagon and not lowered scrapped the bottom of the nose in some places, a lowered BRZ/FR-S in those same places wouldn't have a nose anymore after driving in those areas. I've seen enough ricers with smashed up bottom lips that I would never consider lowing a car.

07-26-2012, 05:59 PM	#22
fatoni Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Drives: miata, mazdaspeed protege, ls430 Location: socal Posts: 4,416 Thanks: 599 Thanked 1,443 Times in 787 Posts Mentioned: 28 Post(s)	i think its worth mentioning that wheel gap has nothing to do with cog, ride height or even suspension travel

07-26-2012, 06:36 PM	#24
BlaineWasHere Grip>Drift Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: FRS Location: NorCal Posts: 3,472 Thanks: 782 Thanked 1,749 Times in 918 Posts Mentioned: 53 Post(s)	I've never seen so much misinformation in one thread in my whole entire life! It's just like everyone pulled a guess out of their ass and posted it up! With all the stupid guesses I'm surprised no one brought up pedestrian laws in Europe which dictate the bumpers have to be really very high for small cars like this, therefore the body can't be really low without distorting the shape of the car.

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