Benefits of 1 inch lowering on 1990 Integra?

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by aerohead

Fiat is currently producing a JEEP and Dodge RAM pickup with air suspension which lowers the vehicle for better mpg on the highway.
The air wants to see a car which is 5X as long as it is high.Anything you do to lower a car,moves it in this direction,improving it's effective fineness ratio.

I've read there is a sweet spot for ground clearance; lowering typically improves aero but there is a point at which further lowering starts to make the aero worse again.

[arcosine]

Subaru XT6 had an air suspension that automatically lowered above 55 mph. I would lower my Saturn, but it reduces the life of the CV joints. I would rather have stiffer springs and stock height. If the springs are too stiff, the car will bounce, since the stock struts are not strong enough for adequate damping.

[NeilBlanchard]

Frank, I think you're right -- there has to be a minimum height and an optimum height. I know with the Schlörwagen they tried a series of different heights, and it improved the Cd to raise it up.

[Krayzie]

Originally Posted by mcrews

anything more than an inch (IMHO) really deteriorates the ride quaility.

I will have to disagree. If you have ever driven in a car with proper coilovers (not the ones from ebay) you would know.

You shouldn't loose much ride quality as long as you don't cut your springs

[Sven7]

Originally Posted by mcrews

reakky, how often are you whipping thru turns as an eco-modder???

Maintaining momentum around corners to brake less going in and accelerate less going out. It's not going to help much on aero but when you're driving in a twisty area you'll be able to drive faster, possibly in a higher gear with lower RPM and higher engine load.

Also, you'll have tons of fun. Get someone from the local forum to come help you with the install, then give them beer.

An alignment will probably do you well anyway- chalk it up to regular maintenance.

My Rabbit's lowered 2" on Ebay coilovers with 4" ground clearance on the oil pan. It rides rough but the ability to throw it around corners is well worth the price and (sometimes) annoyance. And it looks a ton better. Got my alignment done by the guy widely regarded as the best in the area (Jeff the Alignment Guy) and it cost something like $114 because he had to put in rear wheel camber shims. You Teg probably has a better and more adjustable rear suspension setup.

[scivicblu83]

[QUOTE=Sven7;325454]Maintaining momentum around corners to brake less going in and accelerate less going out. It's not going to help much on aero but when you're driving in a twisty area you'll be able to drive faster, possibly in a higher gear with lower RPM and higher engine load.

Also, you'll have tons of fun. Get someone from the local forum to come help you with the install, then give them beer.

completely agree! my crx is lowered on ebay adjustable springs and i accelerate slow but when i hit a turn its like driving a go cart on the street, very very fun! as they say "the fun is in the curves" and so are gas savings when you don't slow down. oh and by the way, speed that is slow, say 50 on the straights is fast on the 35 mph turns, a good way to deal with tailgaters. if you drive a go cart!

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I've read there is a sweet spot for ground clearance; lowering typically improves aero but there is a point at which further lowering starts to make the aero worse again.

Thanks Frank.If you should happen to run across that one again,it would be a good one for us to chew on.

[Otto]

Eibach is an excellent brand of spring.

Maybe consider air deflectors for the front wheels, based on Hucho's picture of the Opel Calibra in the wind tunnel, which shows the bow wave airflow moving outboard at about a 60 degree angle. So, that air hits the front wheels/tires at a pretty gross angle, very draggy. (Try tuft tests at highway speed on your car.) Fair that flow and gain a bunch of slippery.

[twinair]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I've read there is a sweet spot for ground clearance; lowering typically improves aero but there is a point at which further lowering starts to make the aero worse again.

My guess is that this because shear forces increase the narrower the gap between two moving surfaces is (car bottom and road):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagen-Poiseuille_equation


Maybe this effect could be reduced if you had a snowplough shaped lip underneath the belly pan which directs more air away from the cars underside? (And then you may also need side skirts to prevent air from moving back again).

[aerohead]

The new FIAT/Dodge RAM 1500 with air suspension claims a 1% MPG HWY increase for a 1" drop.
The VW Jetta Hybrid 189-mph LSR claims no Cd reduction for its 'drop',just an improvement from smaller frontal area.