damages from bottoming out for being too low
 

My car is only lowered half an inch, but the tire I am using is extremely small (25"). Therefore I bottom out easily. The cat seems to be taking the worst blow of all. Has anyone actually damage their car mechanically from bottomg out due to being too low or scraping? I just want to see if i can keep driving like this. There are only so many bumps I can avoid

I bent the ali plate under the engine and also the fabricated assembly under the gearbox by taking the car over the ripple strip at Winton Raceway - had to replace both following a visit to the wreckers !!

Taught me to drive better !!

I use 649mm tall tyres on the road and 635 on the track "just" to give a bit more clearance on the road, but I do have the luxury of track-day rims.

Road tyres are 245/40R18 and 275/35R18 a\nd track-tyres are 265/35R18 all round.

I have also had to repair the exhaust system from excursions over the ripple strips and am now on my second lip.

That said, my damage has not been what I would call "structural" because none of the actual chassis has taken a hit - all been sacrificial bits and at the end of the day - down to driver-error (or excessive enthusiasm and/or lack of mechanical sympathy).

I rip my O2 sensors out every month or so. The way my test pipe bungs are aligned they seem to hand just low enough to come in contact with the ground. At least they're cheap to replace...:shakes head:

Make a patch, weld that hole, install the bung in a different place!

I have my sensors disabled with UpRev, but if one is missing (ripped out) thats when I get a CEL. But this is something I may do :tup:

thought you lowered guys thought lowering your car was cool for the sparks.

:icon18:

I ripped a hole in one of my catalytic converters once...

I lowered mine not for the "being" low part, but for the improved handling characteristics the Swift Spec-R springs supply. Being 1" lower is a side-effect, not the objective.

By the way, I never scrape anything other than the chin spoiler and then it's very rare. Why? I know how to drive.

When I got ran off the road the grass in the median nearly ripped off my entire Zele front bumper, destroyed the CF lip, and ripped off the plastic under shroud. Exhaust has flex pipes so even though I scrape at times I'm not worried about structural damage nor has any been done yet.

And yes ken the sparks are hella cool!

i knew it! :tup:

tmi :shakes head:

on my lowered G i smashed the lower engine cover or shroud as you guys call it running over a hubcap which i thought i could clear... :shakes head:

otherwise im pretty careful with parking lot entrance ramps/curbs and stuff and dont scrape. slowing down and approaching on an angle.

but i do survey roads in my dd before taking my G and Z anywhere. my dd's lowered on swifts. no scrapeage :icon17: i think mr.onzedge has a point about driver skill. :stirthepot: but then i did damage my G's lower shroud. :crying: it's all fixed now. :D

too bad i dont have any picts to show you guys. lol