Discussion
HI all,
I have a 96 4.0 Chimaera and im getting some 17" Alloys soon for my little Blue Baby! I would like to replace the shocks for some Avo ride and hight adjustables, but was wondering how low i could go without imparing the handling or rubbing in the arches!
I suppose a bit of trial and error will be in order but i just wondered if anyone had past experience?
Thanks
Ross
P.S. I have just managed to put a pic on my profile if anyone wanted a look...
I have a 96 4.0 Chimaera and im getting some 17" Alloys soon for my little Blue Baby! I would like to replace the shocks for some Avo ride and hight adjustables, but was wondering how low i could go without imparing the handling or rubbing in the arches!
I suppose a bit of trial and error will be in order but i just wondered if anyone had past experience?
Thanks
Ross
P.S. I have just managed to put a pic on my profile if anyone wanted a look...
I agree. Lower the car and you will wreck the exhaust on match sticks let alone bumps, the spring rate will have to be significantly raised to control the body moevement which will make the suspension unberably hard and by fitting the 17 inch wheels and lower profiles, the ability of the tyre to compress and offer some succour is reduced. End result is a car that has incredibly hard suspension and will bounce/tramline and be a real pain. In addition all the extra stress will put strain on the suspension joints which encourages premature failure.
In addition you will also reduce the clearance available for the wheels. Don't forget to resetup all the suspension geometry when you have finished and inform the insurers of the mods.
All depends on how much you want to lower it though.
Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk
In addition you will also reduce the clearance available for the wheels. Don't forget to resetup all the suspension geometry when you have finished and inform the insurers of the mods.
All depends on how much you want to lower it though.
Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk
If you fit Nitrons they have a slightly stiffer spring, yet give a more supple ride. You should be able to get away with a slight lowering. Problem is they are prety expensive, and you'll want it all setting up by someone who knows what they are about. By the time you factor all that plus the wheels/tyres you will be out by at least £3k.
Don't worry, you'll probably find that the 17" will give an illusion of lowering the car anyway. Get them fitted and see how she looks before taking any drastic steps!
Don't worry, you'll probably find that the 17" will give an illusion of lowering the car anyway. Get them fitted and see how she looks before taking any drastic steps!
quote:
I would like to replace the shocks for some Avo ride and hight adjustables
quote:
was wondering how low i could go without imparing the handling or rubbing in the arches!
Sorry but I think you're making two mistakes there!
If you want to lower it for cosmetic reasons fair enough, but as others have said there's more to this than winding the spring seat down. Getting a good compromise between looks, handling and ride comfort is hard to get right and easy to get wrong.
Also, starting with cheap dampers makes a hard job even harder. IMO keep it reasonably standard and AVOs would be mediocre but OK if you're aren't too fussed about handling or ride quality. Start stiffening up tyres and springs and the deficiencies of the dampers become more apparent.
Don't lower the car! Its only 13cm of the tarmac as it is.
With 2 up and a full boot and fuel tank heading back from LeMans last year we regularly grounded out. Checked it on the ramp afterwards and the car was OK but I think any lower and the exhaust pipe would have been left behind. We were 'travelling'
at the time.
So if you want to drive around at less than 50mph or stay on dead flat roads with no depressions go ahead.
Personally it's low enough as it is. Oh, as mentioned earlier, your whole suspension geometry will have to be adjusted.
With 2 up and a full boot and fuel tank heading back from LeMans last year we regularly grounded out. Checked it on the ramp afterwards and the car was OK but I think any lower and the exhaust pipe would have been left behind. We were 'travelling'
at the time. So if you want to drive around at less than 50mph or stay on dead flat roads with no depressions go ahead.
Personally it's low enough as it is. Oh, as mentioned earlier, your whole suspension geometry will have to be adjusted.
Ok, you have all convinced me not to lower the car, BUT i am gonna get the 17's because i want the car to be different. Im seeing more and more TVR's around where i live and i want mine to be different.....theres no harm in that is there!!! Anyway, the car is a factory made kit-car made up from other cars so changing the wheels is hardly gonna spoil the look. I have chosen the wheels very carefully to keep in the style and year of the car! They are 5 spoke Fox FP6's in Titanium!
Thanks for all your advice
Ross.
>> Edited by twerlie on Thursday 25th April 15:08
Thanks for all your advice
Ross.
>> Edited by twerlie on Thursday 25th April 15:08
I dont know why you people get so uptight when people mention that the car is like a kit-car and is made from loads of other cars...! I LOVE the TVR and i always have, i know alot about the car, its history and how it works.
Im not a typical Essex boy who just wants to change the apperance of the car, i just want some induviduality.
Im not a typical Essex boy who just wants to change the apperance of the car, i just want some induviduality.
Twerlie
Are you sure you're not Campbell in disguise?
Or did you just go to the same skool?
Just kidding mate!
Please post a pic with the new wheels. Personally I think titanium might suit the car better, depends on the car coloir of course. I was just moaning on another thread this week that the standard wheels can look a little "stark" on some cars, eg red ones.
I don't think 17" is excessive - certainly 17" Speedlines look mighty fine on the Chim.
As for those suggesting that 17" wheels won't suit the proportions of the Chim, can I suggest they take a good look at a Cerb with the 18" Spiders. There's only 10" between the two (where have I heard that before?), and most people agree the Cerb looks the mutts nuts with the 18" on.
Are you sure you're not Campbell in disguise?
Or did you just go to the same skool?
Just kidding mate!
Please post a pic with the new wheels. Personally I think titanium might suit the car better, depends on the car coloir of course. I was just moaning on another thread this week that the standard wheels can look a little "stark" on some cars, eg red ones.
I don't think 17" is excessive - certainly 17" Speedlines look mighty fine on the Chim.
As for those suggesting that 17" wheels won't suit the proportions of the Chim, can I suggest they take a good look at a Cerb with the 18" Spiders. There's only 10" between the two (where have I heard that before?), and most people agree the Cerb looks the mutts nuts with the 18" on.
Have a look at kerniki's chim in the owners profile
www.pistonheads.com/members/showCar.asp?carId=1255
I believe they are 17" wheels, they do suit the car and if all you want is a different 'look' I can't see the harm in that (subject to insurance, smart wheels do make a car more attractive to thieves you know!!).
Harry
www.pistonheads.com/members/showCar.asp?carId=1255
I believe they are 17" wheels, they do suit the car and if all you want is a different 'look' I can't see the harm in that (subject to insurance, smart wheels do make a car more attractive to thieves you know!!).
Harry
I have 17" Kahn RSR's fitted and in my opinion the whole look is more balanced than with the standard 15"/16" setup. The wheel size fits the overall dimensions of the chimaera better than the original wheels.
As has been mentioned on this thread, the 17" wheels will give the impression of a lower car, because they will fill the wheel arches more.
As for lowering and changing shocks, I suggest you drive your car for a month with the 17"s and decide for yourself on the ride quality/tramlining.
I found steering to be more direct/exact, the ride was suprisingly less bumpy than previously and tramlining is significantly reduced. This is on roads I have travelled regularly, so I konw the areas where improvements have shown through.
Part of this will be due to swapping old tyres for new though.
Just my experience.
As has been mentioned on this thread, the 17" wheels will give the impression of a lower car, because they will fill the wheel arches more.
As for lowering and changing shocks, I suggest you drive your car for a month with the 17"s and decide for yourself on the ride quality/tramlining.
I found steering to be more direct/exact, the ride was suprisingly less bumpy than previously and tramlining is significantly reduced. This is on roads I have travelled regularly, so I konw the areas where improvements have shown through.
Part of this will be due to swapping old tyres for new though.
Just my experience.
twerly,
I saw kerniki's machine and I'll concede that it looks the bollox, please post pics when yer done. I think, maybe cos of the more traditional looks of the Chimaera, it is easy to fit wheels that spoil the look....some sold by dealers!
s-willy, lets see a pic in your profile
>> Edited by apache on Friday 26th April 13:44
I saw kerniki's machine and I'll concede that it looks the bollox, please post pics when yer done. I think, maybe cos of the more traditional looks of the Chimaera, it is easy to fit wheels that spoil the look....some sold by dealers!
s-willy, lets see a pic in your profile
>> Edited by apache on Friday 26th April 13:44
OK joking asside, thoughts on wheels, well Apache and I both went down the raceLine RL-7 route on our Griffiths (presumably) because at the time they were standard fitment to the 4.5 Cerbera and keep to the TVR style. As the Chimaera is a very simlar shape to the Cerbera I see no reason why these should look out of place on a Chimaera however I think sourcing them is now a problem? As has been said the spider wheels would also look good on a Chimaera but I presume are pretty well unobtainable in 4 stud fixing pattern? As long as you choose a complimentary style I see no problems with 17" all round. Rich...
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