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Old 11-13-2008, 05:31 PM   #100 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroMPG View Post
I have no idea why they made the ride height so tall!

One thought I've had is it's compensation for the car's small size. There seems to be a correlation between ride height and people's perception of safety. You used to hear people say that all the time about SUV's: "I love sitting up high!"

I suspect that this is why that todays cars are on average what seems like 4.5 " - to over 6" taller than cars from just a decade ago.

Have you ever seen a new Fit / Scion / or even a Prius next to an older Civic or Metro ?

I'm going to create a seperate post about this ( trying to get guesses as to why that the cars are becoming so tall and narrow ) It makes them look cartoonish.
( I had read of designers creating things larger for Americans increasing hip sizes, but it strikes me as odd that cars are increasing more in height vs. width )

Back on topic folks : About the wheel skirts, is it possible to create a lip that seals the gap when the wheel is turned, or does the arch of the turn prohibit this ? It seems like this would be a good way to keep air from catching the assembly and tearing it off .... then again you could use heavy duty springs like BassJoos
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