lowered maser

[Budapeststu]

Hi All,

I've been away for a while, too busy with other things to get time on the forum. For that I accept all appropriate ridicule and will do my best to make amends in the coming weeks.

I promised Miles some pics of my car as it was lowered 20mm by Auto Sportiva in the summer. I think the car looks great, though I do have to be a LOT more careful about speed humps and the like now.

Thoughts?

Stu

 

[dem maser]

looks good stu...love the wheels..lowering is something ive never been in favour of as i like these cars as they are but that does look good like it is and im sure others will tell you the same
living in london dont think ill lower my car as i have difficulty already with humps and bad roads

 

[Peter]

I had my old 4200 lowered, it improved the ride by a huge amount, the car didnt roll quite as much when cornering. Was a real hard ride though.

 

[dem maser]

depends on the car..for everyday car id say dont do it but for weekend or 2nd car do it as itll improve the handling...

 

[Budapeststu]

Peter, I'm with you to be honest. The ride, whether in sport or normal mode is a little harsh. I do wonder sometimes if I did the wrong thing but I think Neil at Auto Sportiva would kill me if I asked him to put it back the way it was. The handling's improved immensely though and I keep focused on that fact by taking bends on country roads at speeds I would have been less confident to attempt before the mod.

 

[rotorheadcase]

Very nice Stu! I assume this was done by lowering the spring platforms rather than shorter coils? Is the car feeling stiffer overall or is it more a case of the ride being softer and compressing to the spring stops? I'm very interested in your opinion as it's reasonably high on my to do list and there is a lot of conflicting opinions on the boards as to the value from a performance perspective.

Regards,

Neil

 

[GransportFan1]

looks great lowered stu, really suits the car, nice one.

 

[Budapeststu]

Thanks, Adam!

Neil, as I understand it the springs are compressed, meaning that there is naturally less give in them when going over bumps. The feel is definitely that of being stiffer overall, there's much more of a sense of confidence when I turn into a corner. There's no wallowyness, the way there used to be, but the downside is normal mode is barely any less hard than sport mode now.

Like I said and dem maser also pointed out, for a daily drive the ride's now a bit harsh and mine IS my daily drive. On balance it's better this way because I wanted more of a sports car and less of a softer GT.

 

[Peter]

I thought the handling totally out weighed the hard ride. Set at standard height I thought the handling was pretty bad.

 

[Emtee]

Thanks for the pictures Stu. The car looks great! Mine's in to have all sorts done at the moment including lowering. I was thinking 30mm, but seeing yours I think I need to drop it less. Peter, how much did you lower yours if you don't mind me asking? Regards, Miles.

 

[Budapeststu]

Peter, I agree. After a day of driving around Budapest there's a part of me that regrets having the car lowered but the rest of me just waits for the next corner.

 

[Budapeststu]

Hi Miles! Long time no chat. What else are you having done? I would NOT lower by 30 mm. You'll have all sorts of issues with speed bumps and even potentially catching the underside on particularly bad road surfaces. That's happened to me, though I was going too fast and didn't see the undulation in the road in time. 20 mm seems to be plenty.

 

[Maser Sod]

The handling's improved immensely though and I keep focused on that fact by taking bends on country roads at speeds I would have been less confident to attempt before the mod.

Aha, you've just proved a long-held theory I had, namely that the 4200 handling is not inherently bad but in stock form it justs rides too high. (If you are brave, watch the Top Gear review on Youtube, see it struggle through that chicane).

I had my GranSport lowered by 30mm, whilst the ride seemed harsher, the thing felt on rails.

 

[Paco]

It certainly looks pretty purposeful, although (purely personal you understand) I'm not nuts about the black wheels on a light coloured car, I think it exaggerates the bulk of the body a bit - dark wheels look smaller than bright wheels - I'd like to see the same car on bright silver wheels.

No offence intended to Budapest Stu or any of the dark wheel brigade - it's just not my bag.

 

[Emtee]

Aha, you've just proved a long-held theory I had, namely that the 4200 handling is not inherently bad but in stock form it justs rides too high. (If you are brave, watch the Top Gear review on Youtube, see it struggle through that chicane).

I had my GranSport lowered by 30mm, whilst the ride seemed harsher, the thing felt on rails.

Must check my pictures of your Rame MS. 30mm on a GS that already sits 10mm lower than the CC. Was that on the stock springs?

 

[Emtee]

Hi Miles! Long time no chat. What else are you having done? I would NOT lower by 30 mm. You'll have all sorts of issues with speed bumps and even potentially catching the underside on particularly bad road surfaces. That's happened to me, though I was going too fast and didn't see the undulation in the road in time. 20 mm seems to be plenty.

Hi Stu. Yes, long time no chat. Hope all is well with you and yours?

My Maser is in to have clutch (with associated bearings), Larini back boxes, Larini H-pipe (already have the Larini sports cats), 68K service, braided brakes (and race fluid), lower, 25mm wheel spacers all round (hopefully F550M from Hill Engineering if they fit), oil flush and new oil sender and last but not least the FD DBW, which I'll have fitted afterwards.

Not looking forward to the bill! :-(

And then I've just got the lazy window, maf sensor, brake disks, Loudlink (already have it but need to fit it) bodywork and interior to sort!

Regards, Miles.

 

[Peter]

Thanks for the pictures Stu. The car looks great! Mine's in to have all sorts done at the moment including lowering. I was thinking 30mm, but seeing yours I think I need to drop it less. Peter, how much did you lower yours if you don't mind me asking? Regards, Miles.

Not sure the exact measurement, but I had it lowered to the same height as a GS. I was advised by Emblem that any lower may make it a little impractical.

 

[Emtee]

Not sure the exact measurement, but I had it lowered to the same height as a GS. I was advised by Emblem that any lower may make it a little impractical.

Thanks Peter.

 

[dem maser]

the GS is right...anything lower and using it will be tiring.....

 

[Woody]

Car looks great Stu - it looks well waxed and well loved!