Gallardo ground clearance
Discussion
I had an early Gallardo which was very low at the front splitter and would easily 'ground' over speed humps. I can't compare to a 430 but the 360 I had was a lot better in this respect and never gave any problems. Later Gallardo's can be raised at the nose automatically as has been mentioned so I assume thats solved the problem.
The G's front spoiler is low but the nose is short. You need to attack inclines at an angle to avoid scraping. In truth, most of the scraping noise is harmless - a plastic flange under the car usually touches first and makes a godawful noise but does no damage. Unless you have the lift, there are still some places you just can't go - but not many.
When I was lurking in the local Ferrari garage they had three 360s up on ramps in the stunning, clinical looking workshop. I noticed that every single one had scrapes on the front splitter, that's the only issue with moving these cars but the dealer understood that they were already there.
Ah interesting one this!!
My drive has a nasty hump @ the entrance, my 360 when standard wasn't too bad and would only ground occasionally (with passenger on board etc!)When i fitted the Challange Stradale suspension on it it was a lot worse. But the ramp angle was never a problem. (Think this is due to Ferrari designing the car with some airflow being allowed and encouraged underneath the car. so the nose is quite high!)My Gallardo on the other hand has no problem with ride height as such, it never grounds on my drive! But the ramp angle is terrible!!!!(I guess this is why they offer the front lifter on later cars!?)It's one of the main concerns i have when i take it somewhere new!! I must say the underneath design of the Gallardo was a disappointment after the 360 (Bit geeky i know!!!) But the rear Venturi seems to just be for show! as there is a big lip just before it starts that must really disturb the flow over it (In my view Lamborgini have just tried to stop any airflow underneath the car rather than trying to use it to create down force, just like my 3 door sierra cosworth!!)
Oh sorry for going on so much! Apart from that minor point i still love everything about the car
Ps i'm a helicopter pilot so i have studied airflow characteristics a bit hence my geekeyness!!!
Now what was the question again!!!!
My drive has a nasty hump @ the entrance, my 360 when standard wasn't too bad and would only ground occasionally (with passenger on board etc!)When i fitted the Challange Stradale suspension on it it was a lot worse. But the ramp angle was never a problem. (Think this is due to Ferrari designing the car with some airflow being allowed and encouraged underneath the car. so the nose is quite high!)My Gallardo on the other hand has no problem with ride height as such, it never grounds on my drive! But the ramp angle is terrible!!!!(I guess this is why they offer the front lifter on later cars!?)It's one of the main concerns i have when i take it somewhere new!! I must say the underneath design of the Gallardo was a disappointment after the 360 (Bit geeky i know!!!) But the rear Venturi seems to just be for show! as there is a big lip just before it starts that must really disturb the flow over it (In my view Lamborgini have just tried to stop any airflow underneath the car rather than trying to use it to create down force, just like my 3 door sierra cosworth!!)
Oh sorry for going on so much! Apart from that minor point i still love everything about the car
Ps i'm a helicopter pilot so i have studied airflow characteristics a bit hence my geekeyness!!!
Now what was the question again!!!!
As mentioned above, the Gallardo's ground clearance isn't an issue compared with a 360/430.
In truth, it's overhangs that cause most of the problems on supercars, rather than lack of ground clearance.
The 430's nose is around 8 inches longer than the Gallardo's, hence the comparatively huge boot. The G has a very short nose, even when compared with a 911 (the price for which is comedy luggage space).
If a 360 can get somewhere, a Gallardo will have no probs.
The "flange" is a sacrificial item, plus there are a couple of hard plastic pucks set into the corner of the bumper's underside as well.
In truth, it's overhangs that cause most of the problems on supercars, rather than lack of ground clearance.
The 430's nose is around 8 inches longer than the Gallardo's, hence the comparatively huge boot. The G has a very short nose, even when compared with a 911 (the price for which is comedy luggage space).
If a 360 can get somewhere, a Gallardo will have no probs.
The "flange" is a sacrificial item, plus there are a couple of hard plastic pucks set into the corner of the bumper's underside as well.
mhh said:
The G's front spoiler is low but the nose is short. You need to attack inclines at an angle to avoid scraping. In truth, most of the scraping noise is harmless - a plastic flange under the car usually touches first and makes a godawful noise but does no damage. Unless you have the lift, there are still some places you just can't go - but not many.
^^^^^Absolutely correct in my experience.
At the moment my drive isn't steep at all it has a slight hump. everytime I drove on/off it the falnge would catch and all my neighbours would stop doing their lawns and stare lol
What I have found is if I reverse onto my drive it catches so much less and approach from an angle to!
Tomorrow should be interesting as we finally move into our new house which has a steep drive leading up to the garage, my only hope is the scrapping doesn't get worse!
mc_blue said:
Thanks all - just wanted to check before we went to pick it up!
Very sensible, and more so than I was.
I'd ordered my car then remembered about a slightly iffy speed hump on the way to my house.
I ended up measuring the wheelbase, ground clearance and overhangs on a showroom car and making a wooden jig. I then walked round the corner with the jig and placed it over the hump checking that at no point did it deck out. Must have looked like a right nutter!
BTW, if you're ever around this neck of the woods at the weekend (B'ham) let me and Miyagi know and we could perhaps meet up at Sytner's for a coffee.
Thanks all, the lowest car we've transported was a 599 I've been told, never touched a 996 TT but that plastic splitter looks like a pain. The 575s are difficult sometimes too, only because of where the number plates are. Haven't moved any Aston Martins either but I've been informed that it is usual practice to have to remove/snap the number plate to get to the towing eye. The dealer supplies a new one FOC!
mc_blue said:
Tnever touched a 996 TT but that plastic splitter looks like a pain.
It isn't too bad, though a lot of multi-story car parks will grind it. I get through about 1 a year, so I treat it as a consumable item - they "only" cost £160-ish so not the end of the world and its a plastic clip on, not part of the bumper as such, so no repainting or actual bumper damage ever occurs.
Speaking as someone who has owned both cars, the Gallardo's ground clearance is considerably worse than a standard F360 ( Not a CS) that is simply a fact. Don't let it put you off the car but don't just accept glib comments from current Gallardo owners who are not actually in a position to answer your question. 
The point about short overhands I'm sure is to some extent valid but the car is very low believe me!
The point about short overhands I'm sure is to some extent valid but the car is very low believe me! crikeymikey said:
mc_blue said:
Thanks all - just wanted to check before we went to pick it up!
Very sensible, and more so than I was.
I'd ordered my car then remembered about a slightly iffy speed hump on the way to my house.
I ended up measuring the wheelbase, ground clearance and overhangs on a showroom car and making a wooden jig. I then walked round the corner with the jig and placed it over the hump checking that at no point did it deck out. Must have looked like a right nutter!
BTW, if you're ever around this neck of the woods at the weekend (B'ham) let me and Miyagi know and we could perhaps meet up at Sytner's for a coffee.
Heheh...I too measured the speed bumps coming up my road and also some nasties at work. Clearance was fine head on. Only problem I found was getting into the odd driveway, but then hitting at an angle without passenger makes all the difference.
Andy
mc blue,
From your profile I guess you are asking about putting a Gallardo onto a recovery truck. If it's the covered Iveco in your pic then you shouldn't have a problem. I had to have mine flatbeded to the dealer a few weeks back and the truck they sent had a tricky ramp angle but we got it on with no damage with only a couple of small wooden blocks in front of the ramps.
From your profile I guess you are asking about putting a Gallardo onto a recovery truck. If it's the covered Iveco in your pic then you shouldn't have a problem. I had to have mine flatbeded to the dealer a few weeks back and the truck they sent had a tricky ramp angle but we got it on with no damage with only a couple of small wooden blocks in front of the ramps.
Indeed - that is what I was alluding to; it went on fine and was one of the older models without the raising nose so that’s a result. Been looking at the fully-demountable route for our next recovery truck/vehicle transporter, I think that one of these bad boys will fit into our fleet quite nicely!
Edit - that is a fantastic Gallardo you've got there, stunning in white!
Edit - that is a fantastic Gallardo you've got there, stunning in white!
Edited by mc_blue on Friday 18th May 00:34
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