Lowering a California

I wouldn't adjust the ride height off the stock suspension. The spring rate on the factory springs are made for the factory ride height, and get bouncy once lowered. Novitec makes a nice lowering kit for the car that replaces your factory adjustable springs with a set that's made to have a much higher spring rating to make up for that lower stance you're looking for.

 

Anyone got before/after pics of a lowered Cali?
T

 

The wheels/body were obviously changed on this, but hope this gives you some kind of idea! Let me know if I can help with sourcing anything for you.
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The Novitec springs do lower the car 1" - 1 1/8". The effect is exaggerated on our Novitec build as the wheels are a larger diameter.

 

Of course, I can get you anything you need at anytime. I am going to send you a PM now.

If anyone else needs pricing, please shoot me a PM!

 

I lowered mine 20mm (3/4") on the stock suspension. It looks like a factory drop when you get larger wheels since the gap looks bigger due to the lower profile tires. Haven't had issues with it bottoming out or noticed any real degradation in ride quality. With the suspension in normal mode, the car feels like it handles better and less body roll. I was thinking of getting springs but I didn't want too much of a drop.

 

I lowered my 2013 Cal30 by 7/8" on the stock springs and did spacers too. Initially I lowered it by around 1 3/8 - 1 1/2" which looked great but I was bottoming out in undulations at speed, over speed bumps and on bad roads. Down 7/8" still looks great, has not degraded ride quality from what I recall from prior and has been quite manageable over bumps and on bad roads. I posted some pics a while back that you can take a look at.

 

You can lower on stock springs but I think Travis is right. I suspect the stock springs, especially on non-HS cars would be way too soft if you lower the car on them. From my experience they had a somewhat crashy ride over rough pavement at factory stock height. The car will likely bounce off the shocks a lot more often at a lower ride height. The springs need to be stiffer at a lower height. FWIW, my dealer actually lowered my car slightly when I upgraded my Cali30 to the HS-Pack which includes stiffer springs and the ride is even more comfortable than before.

 

I had our local dealer install H&R Springs & Wheel Spacers, lower about 1" front & rear and then re-align. Here are before and after pics. I wish the front would be lower, but the only way to fill the gap would be to go to larger diameter wheels/tires.
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Here's my cali on H&R springs lowered close to 2.5" with 21/21" HRE RS100M wheels. It may not be to everyone's taste, but I love the way the car sits and luckily I have lots of experience driving this low as all my cars have been significantly lowered.
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Stunning! Love the wheels - one of my favorite aftermarket wheels. Sadly, where I live, if my cali were that low, I'd be leaving a trail of bits and parts my entire route...

 

I was lucky to get my springs a few months ago from a listing on eBay, even knowing they had been discontinued. I contacted almost all vendors on eBay until I was able to confirm an "in-stock" inventory of the springs on hand, where I was lucky to find one last company with a leftover set in stock.

As for the wheels, HRE's vendors are your best bet and there are tons online and through the forums. Unfortunately the price quote you received are accurate, but when you dive deeper into the quality, process and customer service, I believe you are truly getting what you paid for.

Good luck.

 

Looks like Vivid Racing have the H&R springs for the 08-11 Cali at a good price.

 

Hm. In that case they should really remove them from their website...

 

We've worked with Novitec for many years and have been using their springs with great results! I feel they provide an exceptional blend of ride comfort and enhanced agility on top of the more aggressive stance.

I will PM you our pricing on this Sport Spring Kit if you are interested.