Lowering in dubai

Wheels, tires, suspensions, brakes etc.

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usaf23
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Post by usaf23 » 10 Jan 2008, 6:55 pm

hey guys....want to know some basic information of lowering cars in dubai

how much is the normal cost to lower a car
new springs?
secnd hand sprngs?
coil overs?
please provide me de approix costs and places where good work can b done ..
whats good nad the bad of lowering..
herd the engine mounting gets spoiled due to lowering..

once i went to an irani fer showin my maz3...he said 1000 coz dis n dat..i knw it ws bull...HELP..:0

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Tamu
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Post by Tamu » 10 Jan 2008, 7:14 pm

i can tell you the pro's and con's of lowering but now exactly where to get it done.

1st of all there are 3types of lowering you can do.

-cutting the stock suspension: this is where the garage guy takes out all your four suspensions from the cars, removes the springs and cuts them. this is a fast cheap and easy method of lowering your car. but the prob is sooner or later you will start facing probs. i remember my suspensions bottle broke releasing the oil from its pump. you will start hearing sqeaky noises. and the worst part is your car will start bouncing like a hoar on every single tiny bump ur car goes over.

- the 2nd way is to heat your stock rims. the garage guy wont remove your suspension or neting. he will just go under the car and with a torch heat up the springs to get them lowerd. again just like the 1st method your car will face many problems. and in the ending you will have to replace your hole suspension..

-the 3rd method is the best. get online and search for lowerings springs specifically designed for your car. they wont harm your stock suspension and it will give you the stability, performance and the look that your car will need...

as for the price your irani buddy was charging you. it was ridiculous. you should be able to get it done with 500aed, but i could be wrong. you might want to go and check couple of garages out. and make sure the guy that is doing the lowering knows what he is doing.

i hope i was able to help you out buddy!!..good luck and check out the link below

http://www.drivewire.com/performancepar ... rokit.html
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/detai ... 44555.html

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prossett
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Post by prossett » 10 Jan 2008, 7:29 pm

Unfortunately modding a suspension is not easy - cutting and heating don't really work and should be avoided. That would cost under 500 Dirhams easy.

Swapping to used springs from another model is also not easy to fit or get the right effect.

Lowering springs can be bought online for around USD 150 the entire set of 4, so that's definitely better than the first three options, as Tamu also said.

While those will work fine for the look, and should not bounce too hard, they will not give you performance on curves. If you think about it, the suspension gets worked very very hard and more than any other piece of machinery on the car except engine internals! It's constantly up and down, up and down... so, after a few months those cheap lowered springs will sag and need replacing.

I'm afraid it's going to cost you big-time to get a good sports suspension, which not only lowers your center of gravity, but also gives you improved handling over time... there's no short-cut for suspension, sorry!

IMO for a street car that's the number one place to put your money - not power, not looks, not interior, not even brakes: it's all in the handling!

You'll be looking at 5k+ for a good set of adjustable coilovers... :(

If you're incredibly lucky, and your car model has a "sports" version, and you come across the stock R suspension, and it fits, then that would be the absolute best way!

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Eleanor
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Post by Eleanor » 10 Jan 2008, 11:15 pm

well to help u USAF -

if u get ur springs cut or heated - then make sure u save up some money to redo ur suspension in a few months, ur shocks would Blow as ur springs r cut to whtever height.

2nd - a good set of Coilovers and Shocks will come to you below the price, 5k (GC , Koni, Skunk2 )

i have just bought my sports suspension. the works, and im so waiting to install it. save up ur cash for the total suspension or just get the coilovers for now. i was gonna do tht too - but Rupesh said its better i get the whole set at once.and i did.so think think....

SD -

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prossett
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Post by prossett » 10 Jan 2008, 11:48 pm

I'm also trying to budget a suspension upgrade - what brand did you get and how much were they below 5k? Did you buy them locally or online? Hope you don't mind sharing the info - sounds like a great deal!

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Post by kingkenny » 11 Jan 2008, 6:31 am

prossett wrote:I'm also trying to budget a suspension upgrade - what brand did you get and how much were they below 5k? Did you buy them locally or online? Hope you don't mind sharing the info - sounds like a great deal!
rupesh , zlatco and me , both of us running custom build coilover which mean we get the shock and spring seprate !! you can get lowing spring or either coilover spring kit like ground control or shunk2(these are height adjustable) , then get the shock like koni ,kyb (adjustable or non-adjustable)....

good thing is lower cost , special spring rate front and rear for your need (add up more spring in front or rear will also change the car behave), free to choice the right shock to match the spring .

but it still have it down side !! let say you have to know what you are doing , enough research is a must .what is your shock spring rate front and rear , how stiff you want it too be , how much you add up the front and rear , any fitment problem.....myself have a bad experience when i get it install , it is totally custom and some stock parts is needed, hard to find someone to install , so the best is you know how to do it on your own and find a garage to help you out !!
matching the shock and spring are also very important, make sure the shock can handle the spring rate , i had experience with some bad coilover set , the spring are too stiff for the shock and it feel very bumpy and less traction , mean without the right shock even a super stiff spring doesn't have any good in performance.even to me , i think more shock than the spring feel better !!

prosett ,see that include a lot of risk , cars like civic has much much more experience than jazz in mod .i suggest you need serious think yourself before decide go for this .

modifty the suspension system need some real knowledge , coilover is just a part of it , it is better to know the whole thing and make a plan , know your goal , and serach all the parts if there is arrivable in the market , then do it step by step !!

sorry for the very long post , but i learn this stuff in a very hard way , i think i 've been enough trouble ,start from heat spring ,cut spring ,coilover and build a custom coilover , just wish no one else will experience what i experience !!

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prossett
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Post by prossett » 11 Jan 2008, 8:16 am

Thanks kingkenny - any dirham figures that can help guide me? Online I see just lowering springs for USD 129 up and then coilovers jump to around 1k (US! :| )

You guys are track pros, so your suspension is critical - I'll be happy with simpler stuff for street.

Here's a really good website that shows all the effects of suspension adjustments: http://www.wtrscca.org/tech.htm

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Post by kingkenny » 11 Jan 2008, 2:56 pm

prossett wrote:Thanks kingkenny - any dirham figures that can help guide me? Online I see just lowering springs for USD 129 up and then coilovers jump to around 1k (US! :| )

You guys are track pros, so your suspension is critical - I'll be happy with simpler stuff for street.

Here's a really good website that shows all the effects of suspension adjustments: http://www.wtrscca.org/tech.htm
a good set of coilover usually expensive , but has it own reason .

simple stuff ....let say get the lower spring or only do the shock(better adjustable) alone , to do it right , both can increase the performance a bit , but not much , probably won't give you a sec different in a minute lap .

lowing spring , are more for look , thought you probably feel fasster at the first impression when the car is lower, but actually not much . if you only do the spring , try to keep some ride height as possible , don't lower it too much,what i heard is lower it less an inch or a inch and half is still good , reason it you don't want to mass with the suspension geometry .( for those who maxium lower the car and like maxium gain in performance , they do the whole suspension , upper arm ,lower arm ,control arm ,roll centre.....sample : rupesh)

to do the shock alone , usually this is for some higher model like CTR ,S2000 ,EVO !stock already has a good spring rate , like to keep stock height and comfort(stock car already low) and increase in traction , so adding a adjustable shock (some aftermartket shock is 100%-200% bump and rebound stiffer), cheaper and easier . your suspension will feel stiffer , also feel like the wheel stick to the ground all the time !!

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Eleanor
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Post by Eleanor » 13 Jan 2008, 7:12 am

prossett wrote:Thanks kingkenny - any dirham figures that can help guide me? Online I see just lowering springs for USD 129 up and then coilovers jump to around 1k (US! :| )

You guys are track pros, so your suspension is critical - I'll be happy with simpler stuff for street.

Here's a really good website that shows all the effects of suspension adjustments: http://www.wtrscca.org/tech.htm
i think when u read it was 129$, thats for each.
i got my full suspension from,

http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com

SD -

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Post by stone-head » 13 Jan 2008, 9:31 am

just my 2 cents here,
Image
when lowering down u should consider the result as in the diagram , best practice is the use of adjustable toe control rod , & they ain't cheap
another way to over come this , is fitting coil-overs with adjustable top pillow , to minimize
wheels toe in like these
Image
LOL , heating coils while still fitted is the most stupid thing I've ever heard , even this is the
1st time I know such stupid things , sure we see hilarious things here in UAE :mrgreen:

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prossett
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Post by prossett » 13 Jan 2008, 11:42 am

Very clear diagram - thanks, stone-head.

Would it be fair to say that lowering less than 1 inch would not incur in that problem, while lowering over 1.5 inch would definitely need attention?

You guys believe that I've never lowered a car??? :| Only lifted! :D Max was 6" but that was a real pain - if you lift up to 1.5" it pretty much doesn't mess with your suspension set-up, just more ground clearance, so I imagine the same would apply to lowering...

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Post by stone-head » 13 Jan 2008, 12:24 pm

balancing & calibrating suspension at professional steering balance garages
shall help to adjust the toe in of wheels , if u have adjustable suspension
elements ( tie rods , toe-camber or coil overs ) sure can be manipulated
to achieve optimum traction , as I saw they use laser guided equipments that
are fitted on the rims directly , & then start to move this side a bit , that a bit
n so on.
poor me , still no best traction or wheels alignment correctly , when I got my
nismo trailing arms , bushings & coil overs will redo aligning again :arrow: :arrow:

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Post by kingkenny » 13 Jan 2008, 3:52 pm

as i know , even a stock car have some adjustment at the suspension !!
like most FF drive car , usually they have front toe , rear toe and camber adjustment !!

what i suggest is if you are into handing and care your corner speed , that's good to do some change and custom your alightment ,even a brand new car , i suggest is to have a four wheel alighment and customize your own setting after proper break in . of course , this is only for those who understand what it is , and know what you need !!

reason is simple , cause most of the stock car come with very save suspension setting , most likely toe in a little bit , it help to stable at straight line , alway turn understeer rather than oversteer , this is good for daily drive but boring to me too !!

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prossett
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Post by prossett » 13 Jan 2008, 4:07 pm

OK, let's find a real simple series of diagrams that show adjustment for front toe, rear toe and camber adjustment - not just explaining what they are, but how to do the adjustment...

EDIT: OK, best I can find is this site on using the "string method" for do-it-yourself alignment of camber and toe.

Good photos and clear directions: http://www.c-speedracing.com/howto/alig ... gnment.php

Image

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Post by kingkenny » 13 Jan 2008, 10:01 pm

first to understand what is camber , toe , caster : http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direc ... gnment.jsp



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