Driveway Clearance?

[topazsparrow]

I'm buying a new FR-S this weekend from out of town. I've got pretty steep driveway and It only now occurred to me.

I used to get up without scratching on my 1990 240SX, does anyone know what the overhang would be in relation to such a car?

I'm honestly not sure what I will do If I can't make it up without rubbing. I might have to move!

[RT87]

It's not that bad, just angle yourself. I'm lowered by about an inch and have never scraped.

[velin86]

Try to go down at an angle?

[mrlewistan]

if you want, ill take a pic of my drive way for you tomorrow with the car sitting over the curb. i havent had any issues.

[cdo221]

Google tells me your 240sx has a ground clearance of 4.3"... the FR-S has a 4.9" ground clearance.

There are other factors involved too... mainly how close the front tires are to the front bumper (the closer to the front the tires are, the less likely you'll scrape). But, given that you have an extra 6" of height with the FRS, plus I personally feel the front tires are pretty close to the bumper, you should be OK.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by topazsparrow

I'm buying a new FR-S this weekend .........I'm honestly not sure what I will do If I can't make it up without rubbing. I might have to move!

Hello topazsparrow and CONGRATULATIONS on your up-coming purchase.

I too have a challenging driveway. As you can see, mine is the apex. I don’t think your front end will scrape, however, like mentioned, for the first time at least, step over it one wheel at time.

Or attach little rollers under your car ….

humfrz

PS - WHY are my posts so "FAT"? How can I fix them in the future (anybody ....??)
TIA

[BlaineWasHere]

My FR-S is white, the underside of my front bumper is black. Life is to short to worry about that shit.

EDIT: also my driveway is 3X as extreme as poster above. I can't even get in without 3-wheeling, which is interesting in a RWD car. Oh yeah my car is pretty low too, rub the pinch weld on speed bumps often.

[root]

Stock height I've found doesn't scrape except maybe the most extreme ramps. The overhang is pretty good. The front underbody pans do scrape on bump stops before the dam hits anything. That makes me cringe as its metal scraping sound.

[smbrm]

Depending on where you live, are you talking about driveway slope or curb slope? Curb height and slope can be challenging sometimes. I have no problems with my curb slope going in, either straight or angled. No problems going out on an angle, one front wheel down at a time. Going straight out however is a different issue. When both front tires drop off the curb ramp at the same time,(doesn't seem to matter how slow you go) weight momentum compresses the front springs and can cause momentary bottoming out of the frame not the bumper. Why anyone would want to lower this car where I live, I cannot understand?

But you make your choice of what you want to live with.

[zaptorque]

do a barrell roll (press z or r twice) and you should be fine

[WolfpackS2k]

I would suggest having someone observe you when you pull into the driveway the first time to see how close you are to scraping (or if you will scrape). If your driveway is impassible it's not the end of the world. You will just have to construct a ramp that reduces the angles. You start by measuring your car's approach and departure angles and make sure the ramp you build reduces the incline of the driveway to a figure less than that.

I had this problem at my last house (a rental) with my S2000. Photo evidence:





I built a ramp using 2 4'x8' sheets of plywood braced underneath with planks of 2"x4"'s. I liked using wood b/c it flexs a little bit. Make sure the wood is weather treated (or stain it yourself) and it should last a while. Mine lasted 2 1/2 years and conveniently fell apart just a week or two before I moved out.

[topazsparrow]

Pictures:

[WolfpackS2k]

I think you'll be just fine at stock ride height as long as you're not coming in over 10-12 mph.

[kthxbai]

OP You should be fine with stock height and @WolfpackS2k explanation is right on point. My parent's driveway is about 1/4 the length of this driveway and just as steep. When I took my car home for Christmas, it made it up the driveway without even coming close to scrapping. Now put 2 adults and 2 kids in the car and tried to reverse out of the driveway straight on was a different story

Needless to say, if it's just you in the car you'll be just fine. I am more curious how you will get up and down the driveway when there is snow on the ground....