A new low

C

Chris_D

Elite
 Mostly Holland. Sometimes UK.
A broken front spring meant I was duty bound to swap in a new set.

The existing front and back springs look to have been replaced before to match the original M-Sport spec items but I decided to chuck in the Eibach Pro Kit on the front and keep the original rears.
The result is that it sits a bit lower at the front now. Not lower as in Starsky and Hutches' Ford Gran Torino, but lower all the same.
I think it looks ok and I don't notice any overall difference in the ride even though the front springs are definitely firmer than the outgoing ones. Feels more planted in the bends at speed perhaps but no detrimental effects at the rear, though I do drive like a nun mostly.

Leave as is, or go for the Eibach Pro springs on the rear too?
Bear in mind that I sometimes chuck 2 MTB frames on the back as well as gear in the boot and a passenger who is half my weight and the current rear springs cope admirably, so I'm wondering if I will incur any arch rub/bottoming-out if I go for the lower springs?

Before
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After
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My untrained eyes can’t really spot the difference with the springs but you F1 rear spoiler design is really state of the art! :D
 
DMike said:
My untrained eyes can’t really spot the difference with the springs but you F1 rear spoiler design is really state of the art! :D
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:lol:
It's a bit draggy tbh. Need to finesse the CFD a bit more...
:wink:
 
Stance and height look good, so for aesthetics I wouldn’t bother. Having springs on the rear with matching rates to the fronts would be the preferred way to go from a predictable performance point of view, but given the carrier duties sometimes required you may very well indeed be better off leaving it as is. The lower springs would probably be compressed to a point where they’re actually not able to perform as originally designed and with perhaps little room left to prevent rub.

Like that bike rack by the way! :thumbsup:
 
Barty said:
Stance and height look good, so for aesthetics I wouldn’t bother. Having springs on the rear with matching rates to the fronts would be the preferred way to go from a predictable performance point of view, but given the carrier duties sometimes required you may very well indeed be better off leaving it as is. The lower springs would probably be compressed to a point where they’re actually not able to perform as originally designed and with perhaps little room left to prevent rub.

Like that bike rack by the way! :thumbsup:
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I'm inclined to agree Barty, thanks for the input. Plus, there's the added constant risk with all-round lower springs of the underside scraping on the ridiculously high drempels they seem to be erecting here in NL these days! My mate in Nieuwe-Vennep has to park away from his house and drive the most incovenient route to get there in his R8 becasue of the road-mountains there!
Your E86 looks to be lower than stock, do you have any issues with the drempels?

Rack is a Dutch-engineered/made Saris Bones 3 btw. Nice and light and stows in the cabin without having to fold down while away riding. :thumbsup:
 
[ref]Chris_D[/ref], my E86 is on STX coilovers and runs a fair bit lower than normal. Ironically I seldomly scrape, but I do have to take the drempel design into consideration. Central islands? 2 wheels over the bumps, 2 on the side. Sharp or steep hump? Slight angle and use a slight blip of the throttle to lift the nose; drivetrain pull is sufficient to slightly raise the front, and every bit helps. An old police-trick, especially when coming off a bump :thumbsup:

My previous Alfa scraped more, but that has to do with the massive overhang in front of the wheels. The Zed has a better design in that regard.

Good to know about the Saris! Definitely on the shortlist for the coupe, though I like the look of seasuckers as well
 
buzyg said:
Like the rug Lar. Keep those old knees nice and toasty. :thumbsup:
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That's actually for my good ladyfriend Laura's little shivering knees, but she does like to remind me how useful it could be to stuff in my gob if/when I start talking b0llocks. :lol:

Barty said:
[ref]Chris_D[/ref], my E86 is on STX coilovers and runs a fair bit lower than normal. Ironically I seldomly scrape, but I do have to take the drempel design into consideration. Central islands? 2 wheels over the bumps, 2 on the side. Sharp or steep hump? Slight angle and use a slight blip of the throttle to lift the nose; drivetrain pull is sufficient to slightly raise the front, and every bit helps. An old police-trick, especially when coming off a bump :thumbsup:

My previous Alfa scraped more, but that has to do with the massive overhang in front of the wheels. The Zed has a better design in that regard.

Good to know about the Saris! Definitely on the shortlist for the coupe, though I like the look of seasuckers as well
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Sounds like you've got your Tyrollean traversing technique down. I can envisage however, a Dukes of Hazzard scenario if I attempt that particular technique. :cry: :lol:

I'd probably be going for the Seasuckers too if I had an E86. Those things work like a champ and weigh nothing.
However, I'd be wary of dropping a mountain bike by accident on the rear glass or roof, especially when coming back knackered from a ride as well as dropping sh!te/mud from the bike all over the paintwork if you've been out on the trails. I'd probably only use them for my road bike which I can pick up with my little finger (8Kg). 8)
Plus, even though the Bones is no F1 rear wing with DRS, it may be less of an aero drag than something perched on the roof.
Swings and roundabouts. :?
 
Chris_D said:
Sounds like you've got your Tyrollean traversing technique down. I can envisage however, a Dukes of Hazzard scenario if I attempt that particular technique. :cry: :lol:

I'd probably be going for the Seasuckers too if I had an E86. Those things work like a champ and weigh nothing.
However, I'd be wary of dropping a mountain bike by accident on the rear glass or roof, especially when coming back knackered from a ride as well as dropping sh!te/mud from the bike all over the paintwork if you've been out on the trails. I'd probably only use them for my road bike which I can pick up with my little finger (8Kg). 8)
Plus, even though the Bones is no F1 rear wing with DRS, it may be less of an aero drag than something perched on the roof.
Swings and roundabouts. :?
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It’s taken a fair bit of practice in an old knackered VW Lupo to get the technique down, but it pays dividend in the Zed now :lol: some bumps will still have me clench though… With everyone doodling about in increasingly massive w*nkertanks and old-people friendly lifestyle “SUV”s (nothing sporting about them, nor are they in any way more utilitarian than a regular estate other than having to bend your knees slightly less when getting in and out…), us car-folks really have got mountains to climb- literally. It’s as though those in power compensate for the increasing amount of high seated monstrosities by raising the bumps accordingly.

Good call on the aero drag. The MTB only gets used locally as I live dead center on the Heuvelrug, which is great for mountainbiking.

The road bike does see frequent transportation, but usually finds itself in the back of the Einser. With me being on my own from the very near future onwards, an alternative such as the Saris will be essential. Do they attach as easily to the coupe’s hatch as they do to the roadster? Can’t imaging hanging off the glass is the way to go, but perhaps that’s me being misinformed.
 
Barty said:
Chris_D said:
Sounds like you've got your Tyrollean traversing technique down. I can envisage however, a Dukes of Hazzard scenario if I attempt that particular technique. :cry: :lol:

I'd probably be going for the Seasuckers too if I had an E86. Those things work like a champ and weigh nothing.
However, I'd be wary of dropping a mountain bike by accident on the rear glass or roof, especially when coming back knackered from a ride as well as dropping sh!te/mud from the bike all over the paintwork if you've been out on the trails. I'd probably only use them for my road bike which I can pick up with my little finger (8Kg). 8)
Plus, even though the Bones is no F1 rear wing with DRS, it may be less of an aero drag than something perched on the roof.
Swings and roundabouts. :?
Click to expand...

It’s taken a fair bit of practice in an old knackered VW Lupo to get the technique down, but it pays dividend in the Zed now :lol: some bumps will still have me clench though… With everyone doodling about in increasingly massive w*nkertanks and old-people friendly lifestyle “SUV”s (nothing sporting about them, nor are they in any way more utilitarian than a regular estate other than having to bend your knees slightly less when getting in and out…), us car-folks really have got mountains to climb- literally. It’s as though those in power compensate for the increasing amount of high seated monstrosities by raising the bumps accordingly.

Good call on the aero drag. The MTB only gets used locally as I live dead center on the Heuvelrug, which is great for mountainbiking.

The road bike does see frequent transportation, but usually finds itself in the back of the Einser. With me being on my own from the very near future onwards, an alternative such as the Saris will be essential. Do they attach as easily to the coupe’s hatch as they do to the roadster? Can’t imaging hanging off the glass is the way to go, but perhaps that’s me being misinformed.
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Nice, I try to get over to the Heuvelrug as much as possible. Park up in Doorn and do a clockwise route over to Rhenen and back. That reminds me, I need to get my trail pass renewed for there.
The Veluwe is my fave place though. I'm off up there at the weekend for some gravel-riding. Planned a Komoot route of 80Km but probably going to ad-hoc it at some point. Just beautiful up there this time of year!

The Bones' weight distribution is mainly through the 6 rubber feet and the main load-bearing ones will be the ones on your bumper. THe straps are mainly just for 3-axis stability. It all works great on the E85 bootlid and I put squishy rubber bits between the rubber feet and the car's panels and use bits of cut-up innertube on the strap hooks and never had any issues.
Of course you don't want to go hooning away from the lights or take the bends like Max Verstappen with it all attached but you don't have to drive like a nun either. I take the wheels off the bikes to aid weight distribution. 3 in the boot and one strapped to the top of the rack.
Definitely the best choice for MTB's in my opinion. :thumbsup:

We need to see some pics of the Seasuckers if you get those! I don't think anyone on the forum has opted for those or posted pics yet. I could be mistaken but I haven't seen any..... :?
Thing is tho; if you do MTB and roadbiking and get a Bones then there's no real need to get SeaSuckers in my opinion as the Bones does both bike types well. The only advantage would be that they're smaller/lighter/easier to stow maybe, but that's no big deal with the Bones either.
 

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[ref]Chris_D[/ref], the Veluwe is absolutely lovely to ride. It’s been too long since I’ve been on the MTB there. Trails around Doorn, Zeist and Rhenen are great too, often well-maintained also.

I hear what you say regarding the Saris negating the need for Seasuckers, and I agree. Main question I have to ask myself is whether I need the ability to transport the MTB or just the road bike. I can cycle to the Doorn/Rhenen/Zeist trails no problem, so it would be a rarity for me to bring the MTB.

Just to bring it back slightly on topic: I’d think a pair of sea suckers would be less of a load on the rear than the saris, given that the latter hangs behind the car and as such uses quite a long lever to “pull” on the rear suspension. Can’t see it being a realistic issue though, unless you have two very large occupants and a boot full of heavy gear. Mind, some of my friends from my days as a rower still weigh over 100kg (and little of that is fat), so it’s not entirely impossible to overload the rears I guess :lol:
 
Barty said:
[ref]Chris_D[/ref], my E86 is on STX coilovers and runs a fair bit lower than normal. Ironically I seldomly scrape, but I do have to take the drempel design into consideration. Central islands? 2 wheels over the bumps, 2 on the side. Sharp or steep hump? Slight angle and use a slight blip of the throttle to lift the nose; drivetrain pull is sufficient to slightly raise the front, and every bit helps. An old police-trick, especially when coming off a bump :thumbsup:

My previous Alfa scraped more, but that has to do with the massive overhang in front of the wheels. The Zed has a better design in that regard.

Good to know about the Saris! Definitely on the shortlist for the coupe, though I like the look of seasuckers as well
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Being an ex gokarter, I automatically left foot brake over obvious bumps and blip the throttle also to balance the chassis. I have always done it in any car, without giving it much thought. Used to get funny looks from work colleagues sat in the passenger seat, who hadn't been in a car with me before. :)
 
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