Styling alloys and lowering - help?

[distortionrockets]

hey there

decided to save up for some alloys and lowered suspension for my 1.6 brava.
just wondering what would look best on a brava?

- lowered 60mm on 17" alloys (will this even fit?)
- lowered 40mm on 17" alloys
- lowered 60mm on 15" alloys

im thinking 17" alloys lowered 40mm...

if anyone has any photos that would be a great help!
which make of suspension would be best?
looking at springs and dampers for around £200-£250
also i cant find anyone who makes 60mm springs and dampers?

cheers!

 

[jug]

do not lower it 60mm on 15s. i've lowered 45mm on 15s and its so low that i cant go over speedbumps without scraping the exhaust and almost ripping the mudflaps off. i cant even get onto my driveway without the exhaust scraping the floor. kurbs are impossible and i have to avoid certain roads with big speed bumps. if you lowered by 60mm on 15s you would not be able to go over speedbumps at all, or even get up a ramp for your MOT (i really struggled in my mot)

60mm on 17s would work if you had the right offset and a tyre width of 195. i think this would look good. but a 60mm drop is going to be VERY firm, and will require differnt shocks (adding cost) and the 17s will need low profile tyres (45 max) further adding to the firmness. even a track car should not be this firm, certainly not a road car. a nasty pothole at speed could easily mean damage is caused.

17's on 40mm springs is the most sensible option of the 3. 40mm springs work well on a bravo. plenty of people have 17s with no trouble.

 

[distortionrockets]

il probably go for 40mm on 17"s
means i have a wider choice of alloys and i dont want it to scrape too much with people in the back etc.
also, i cant seem to find any 60mm springs and shocks so will forget that idea.

will i have to buy springs and shocks or just springs if i lower by 40mm?
i used to have an uno and i lowered it 40mm on springs and kept the original shocks. it was lower on the back than the front!! i dont want this to happen on my brava but again id rather save money...?

also looking for some 17" Fiat Claw alloys how much should i expect to pay second hand?

cheers

 

[jug]

standard length shocks are fine for 40mm springs.

the front should be a tad lower than the back with the springs fitted.

second hand claws with good tyres usually go for £300+, which is more than i'm willing to pay even though they are very sexy wheels.

 

[Helz]

Depends - you just mention looks. Do you want what will handle/ drive well or something that looks good but is relatively impractical? Jug puts it well with the example of speed bumps and there's rubbing and cornering at speed to consider as well.

 

[distortionrockets]

well i used to own a peugeot 306 before owning my brava, and i have to say the handling is pretty shocking compared to the 306.

so yes, my main aim is to improve the bravas handling, but i would also like to improve the looks so im lowing the car using 40mm shocks and springs. i know 15"s will handle better than 17"s but im doubting whether they will look big enough on my car?

does anyone know where i can find a strut brace for a brava?

 

[jug]

the 306 has a very capable chassis so dont expect the brava to ever feel as good.

does anyone know where i can find a strut brace for a brava?

they come up on ebay every now and then. the bravo brava or marea all use the same one so keep your eyes open and you should find one. i've seen at least 3 in the last year and i havent been looking.

despite the rumours, an alfa 145 strut brace does not fit.

 

[reaper1988]

Thought i wont bother making a new thread. How far can i lower mine as i have 16s on there now?

and i just found the ones off essex racing. 40mm would this be ok?

http://www.essexracing.com/product_info.php?products_id=843

 

[JoskeJTD]

On standard setup 40mm is fine. So yes 40mm is fine whether you have 15's, 16's or 17's.

 

[reaper1988]

Any help on how to fit it. Will i need to take the whole shock and spring out or can i slide it on from one end? Or will i have to take to a garage? I know i need a tool to compress it.

 

[jug]

to fit rear springs you

jack car up to just before the point where the rear wheel is lifted into the air
take nut off on bottom of shock
jack car up higher until shock is clear of trailing arm
slot old spring off
swap the rubber bit onto the new spring
slot new spring into position
slowly lower car until shock is back in position
bolt shock back onto trailing arm

you can do both rear springs very quickly

on the front its a bit more tricky. you need to remove the whole strut (strut = shock and spring and top parts all together).

you need to:
jack car up
remove wheel
disconnect brake pipe from bottom of shock
remove 2 nuts&bolts holding shock onto hub
remove 3 bolts holding strut onto suspension turrent (from inside engine bay)
remove strut (may need to force hub down out the way to get clearance)
remove plastic cover from top of strut
compress spring
remove strut top nut
remove strut top parts (keep them together in correct order)
slot old spring off
remove compressors
slot new spring on
compress new spring
refit top parts to strut
refit top nut
remove compressors
refit plastic cover on top of strut
get stut back into position on car
refit 3 bolts holding strut onto suspension turrent (from inside engine bay)
refit 2 nuts&bolts holding shock onto hub
reconnect brake pipe to bottom of shock
refit wheel
celebrate

TOP TIP! the top nut is often very difficult to get off. you are supposed to use a ring spanner on the nut while holding the shock shaft in position using an allen key (hex bit in a ratchet is much better). more than once i've been unable to do this. so before you do anything to the front end go to a garage and get them to loosen off the top nuts using a windy gun. all you need to do is prise the cover off the top of the strut and then the nut is there to loosen. have it on only hand tight and this will make life much easier later.

if you have abs sensors you will need to remove them before you can remove the lower of the 2 bolts holding the shock to the hub. this will almost certianly mean you have to damage or destroy the sensors because they never come off in one piece. they can be repaired using tinfoil, i've got a guide already posted in a thread somewhere so you can search for it if you need it.

 

[reaper1988]

cheers for that jug. Big help