the whole deal at our dealer includes and alignment to get it set properly Ya Vic I posted earlier I believe us lowering the cars here in the States brings it real close to Euro Specs and it's all about the headlights. Same with Porsches.
Anyways, great thread guys, really appreciate you taking the time to post some pics and comment. My car arrives fri or sat, and i reckon she's going for a 22mm drop
I'm not sure, the Scuderia here are quite low,let's say acceptable,but the 430,especially spider are reaaally high!
So here was the explanation I got from my Service Tech. If it helps anyone out cool. He's my Ferrari guru. He is referencing an article or thread I copied him about someone lowering their 430 much lower than he was going to do mine..........This was from a year or so ago but very relevant for the OP's question IMHO "They mention damage to the shock due to lowering. If you lower the vehicle extremely with stock springs then yes there is the opportunity to damage the shock if they run out of travel. 1.5 is mentioned in the article. I have never lowered the 430 more than 22mm (18-22 depending on corner weights we are trying to balance out and actual ride heights) on the shock which is 8/10ths of an inch. That is why we go no lower and anything lower than that the car scrapes and bottoms out all over the place. This also leaves 55-65 lbs of preload in the spring. We have been lowering the 430 this way since 2005 with no shock failures. Keep in mind that the ride height we are lowering to is a production spec for some markets. The 430 Challenge car has the same shock body although not electronic and we run those with springs with no preload and the car is lowered over 2 inches. We have had no external shock failures we have had internal shock failures due to fluid overheating but that is due to the fact they are not equipped with remote reservoirs and is not related to the ride height. If they are lowering the car 1.5 then the only reason they are not bottoming the shock is that the spring is so stiff it will not compress that far and essentially makes the car a go-cart. That sounds great but if you make the car that stiff it becomes extremely unforgiving and difficult to drive at the limit, not to mention unpleasant as a street car. One thing to keep in mind is that the shock must be paired with the spring. A stiffer spring will overload the shock particularly in the rebound direction as the spring will cause the shock to extend at a faster rate than with a softer spring. Generally unless someone is putting a lot of track time in and is a very accomplished driver they cannot tell the difference between either spring combinations. The 430 is an extremely stiffly sprung car for a mid engine street car, the scud even more so. I have no history with this particular company but Eibach makes a great product. Were you considering these for the Scuderia? The Scuderia is delivered much lower and we are lowering only 12-16mm (¼) Spring rate is changed less than 12lbs of preload and the springs in the Scud are significantly stiffer than the conventional 430. If changing the springs is something you wish to do I am happy to work with you to do that keep in mind if Ferrari chooses to inspect the vehicle due to a warranty concern, which they can. They will void portions of the warranty for aftermarket components. Ferrari is very particular about any Scud repair. I have to fill out reports for any Scuderia warranty repair or concern noted by our service department. We have had zero shock failures on the 430 and have lowered many. Keep in mind if we lower the car with factory springs it is easily reversed. It is significantly more expensive and labor intensive to replace the springs and corner weight the car and just as time consuming to reverse it if the ride is to stiff"
I lowered my 430 with the stock springs and the result was terrible,even at stock ride height in some road bumps the front facia impacted very hard. I have lowered 6-7 430,s with AFCO ad HYPERCOIL springs with execent results like mentioned before it is necesary to realign and cornerbalance this is very easy in the 430,s.
Thanks so much for the above post on ride height - very informative - I never lowered any of my Ferrari's - 360, CS, 430, Scud - too much of a pain in the butt on road, bump clearance - I scrapped my CS numerous times
H2oskier: Where is it that you go? I live in Kitsap County. I do not have a 430, but your information was very informative. Kind of off topic here.. but is the 430 shocks and springs the same as a 360? not in what they do, but the dimensions and build of them. I would almost think the 430 suspension would be an upgrade if they are similar.
I've attached a crappy cell phone pic of mine lowered about 1" on stock springs/shocks. The ride quality feels about the same as when it was at the stock height. I haven't had any problems bottoming out over bumps/dips in the road. I also installed skid plates in the front because even at the stock ride height, it was pretty easy to drag the front due to the long overhang (even when rock-crawling out of driveways). -mike Image Unavailable, Please Login
Mike looks good! Did you drive her hard before and after to see if there was truly any bottoming out? Thanks!
Thanks! I don't drive crazy on the street, but I don't use it to cruise around either. I haven't taken it on the track (have another car for that), but it's been completely fine for aggressive street driving. If anyone is having problems bottoming out on the street your roads must *really* suck and/or you dropped it too low (just like any other lowered car). -mike
That is true. But I will blame it on the road before I blame it on my lowered car. haha. Roads in washington are so horrid. I have had a few lowered cars and it is amazing how even new paved roads aren't even smooth anymore.. I guess road workers are proud of having a paycheck rather than taking pride in their work. I-5 here.. forget it haha. There is a section of I-5 that I swear is made out of concrete blocks they put in to make a road. It works your suspension so much, that you might as well have bought rally suspension with the separate reservoir so it doesn't over heat. Any who! Keep them pics coming, they are beautiful!
I drive all of my cars everywhere. Downtown Seattle sucks and you have to be careful but almost every car I own is lowered.
Thanks man! Yeah I've lowered all my rides and the one thing that bugs me a little bit about the M6 is how harsh the ride can be when I'm driving over a soft sink in the road. I feel the bump back all throughout the car but that's probably because I've shortened the electronic dampener control distance with the springs. It looks like the F car will sit just right and not loose to much spring control if I keep her at 22mm. Appreciate the feedback
haha, yeah. I5 is the worst one ever. Hate 85th street in ballard. But Sorry to not make my question more clear. I was asking where do you go for your servicing?
Speaking of lowered 430's how much do you think my dealer will charge to touch up under my 430's front bumper? I was showing a friend my car tonight and was driving a little too spirited I suppose and bottomed out my front bumper (it's not the first time). You can't see it unless you look under it but it's pretty scratched up under there so I think it's time to get touched up. Another friend who was watching said sparks flew lol so I guess it was worth it
go to your dealer and add the plates they install inderneath the front bumpers. 700 or so and you wont see the marks youve already made and just scuff the plates from now on