I'm sorry....looks like King Kong sat on the car. The stock hight is just right.
Don't be sorry, it actually looks great. The stock height is just not right. Well, that's just my opinion, of course.
25mm lower with 17mm wheel spacers and painted matte titanium rims. iphone pic doesn't do justice. has lift kit. Image Unavailable, Please Login
That looks awesome, is it a pearl white? Not sure about the spacers, though... THAT would actually be worrying about the dynamics. If you're keeping the same wheels, by adding spacers you're putting more stress to the shock/spring. Anyway, no better pictures, I guess?
Roger, Your car (and garage) look fantastic! The parts were that I had to get new spring retainers. Funny... my wheels are out to get painted also and I was going mat titanium too. I have the sport sills and the color kinda clashed so Im going grigio gisha. Going for the european look and painting the US side markers too. Get to taking some better pics and thanks for everything! Rb
Hey buddy, was there anything special when it came to lowering the car with the lift kit. Does the lift kit work as before, or does it get compromissed after lowering it. I ordered mine with the lift kit as well and want to be prepared for when it gets here in a couple of months.
I was going to see if you wanted to go off roading, but apparently not. All kidding aside, it looks great. Now it's time to force BBS to make you some rims!
No more 4 wheeling for me. I am workin with a UK BBS rep as we speak. The wheels exist as a racing application only so we are trying that route. I'll keep you posted. If Gary's GTO wheels are missing... Don't check my house On more thing... Just ordered a set of scuderia wheel lug nuts in titanium in anticipation... 2K!!! I almost fell over!
from a Ferrari Dealer Parts & Service Director: There are a few major factors to consider in changing the stock ride height on a 458, its not quite as simple as it was on prior models. Since we have all had this question several times, myself and the other Ferrari service managers, as well as the factory, have come to some important conclusions: - The overall aerodynamics of the 458 are very precisely engineered for the current ride height. If the car is lowered it changes the air-flow characteristics both over and underneath the car. The problem is that even small changes can greatly affect the handling characteristics, especially at higher speeds when down-force is really coming into play. With the performance this car is capable of, its imperative that all of the air flow as designed. Remember that without big wings and spoilers, your undertray is doing most of the aerodynamic work and if the flow pattern changes down there, the car may not be pressed to the ground and become unsettled at a less-than-desirable moment. - Not having enough ground clearance also affects proper airflow to underbody ducting. Since the cars air intakes are located all over the place (including several underneath) you might be in a situation where not enough air gets into a crucial duct or heat exchanger. This could result in damage to engine, brakes, transmission, etc. - Changing the ride height greatly affects suspension travel and steering geometry. This can change or hamper the performance of sensors and systems controlled by steering angle input, yaw sensor angle and the like. Potentially this could cause a check engine light, suspension failure warning or other system errors. - On cars equipped with the factory suspension lifting system there is the additional challenge of working around the variable ride-height equipment already in place this usually cannot be integrated with a lowering kit and may have to be deactivated. - Any non-original part in the suspension may void your factory warranty. For example, if a problem develops with the electronic dampers, the repair may not be covered if the car isnt in stock configuration even if the non-original part isnt the source of the problem. - Lastly the lowered stance greatly increases the risk of damage both to the lower bodywork and to suspension components. Damage along these lines isnt covered by the factory warranty. For these reasons (especially the first one) I would strongly recommend keeping the car at factory spec. Sincerely,
If you're gong to run the car at 200 MPH, yes, keep it stock. But for most people who cruise around town never getting above 70 and most of the time less than 30, I don't see the big deal in lowering it if it makes them happy. Personally, I never change the ride height but I don't see why it makes a difference engineering wise to 99% of the public either.
To me the stance is not worth the oddity of a visually uneven tire/wheel well separation. Having said that I recently took in a substantially lowered Califronia and I thought it was an improvement. Different strokes for different folks on different wheels.
I REALLY want to lower my F430, the fender gap is large and the car really does sit high, BUT, due to the reasons above (referred to the 458 but same issues Im sure with a F430) I will be leaving my suspension bone stock. But my goodness, the 458 looks great lowered
This is a great summary to help anyone make an informed decision. Personally I wouldn't want to alter what the factory gave me as all the exacting specifications relating to aero, cooling, clearance has a real purpose to achieve a certain optimum result. In my mind any slight alteration would be toying with the purity of this engineering techno-masterpiece. Had the engineers wanted the 458 lowered by another 1 inch they would have designed it that way in the first place.
Not necessarily. Different countries have different requirements on crash standards, bumper heights, etc. Ride height in one country could be completely different than another just to follow the government mandates.
Doesn't everyone at some point, even if it's just once, try and see just how fast their car will go? I've done that with almost every car I've owned or driven.
That's what the county jail is for! Actually, the fastest I've been in my f430 was 110 and the 458 about 90. Yes, wimp is my middle name.
ok, cant take it anymore! after reading this post i honestly cant believe the amount of misinformation some folks take to heart and then spread onto others. first off, i own a 458 that HAS the front lift and has been successfully lowered with no ill effects. i performed the lowering myself, which requires new springs front and rear when you have the lift system. it requires you to completely remove the factory dampers, not all that difficult actually. paulys statements from a "tech" are incredibly inaccurate, especially the one about lowering the car with the front lift. NONE of that statement is true.I know this from personal experience,not from some "tech" that heard it somewhere. actually ferrari frowns on modifications so i assume thats where the "tech" gets his "beliefs" Using the new springs combined with the factory dampers lowers the car, you really dont get to choose the amount of drop. You have a small window of 15mm from min. lowering to max lowering. Totall amount lowered is about 1.75" in front and 1.5 in the rear with the aforementioned min and max. Another words, you can lower the front 1.5 inches plus or minus 7.5 mm. As for peoples comments about "leave it alone, its perfect the way it is" that may be true for you, but there are some of us that like to personalize our cars. Lowering the car absolutely enhances all the parameters of the vehicles dynamics,PROVIDED it is properly set up afterwards.If you dont think this is true take a look at the ride hieght on the 458 challenge.Based on almost the identical platform as the street going italia. Why would the race teams lower the car if it didnt enhance its performance?Why are sports cars lower in general? the more air over the car and the less under it generates INCREASED down force. Again, look at a nascar front splitter, it actually scrapes the ground so almost all the air goes over the car,pushing it down. Now keep your comments about the 458 not being a race car and "how much more performance do you need" to yourselves. to ME the 458 looks ridiculous in its factory delivered state. So lowering it was a no brainer esthetically and for performance. Both of which have been greatly improved (my opinion). Although the 458 is a special car, it is still a production model.With that said, if you really believe the there are no gains to be had and the factory settings are the end all..well sorry to burst your bubble,but its how they sell the 458 scud.Same car, just better. Just a side note, my dealers "tech"told me most, yes most of the cars he sees come through with incorrect alignments and unbalanced corner weights. Some food for thought for all of you driving around thinking the factory knows best.
The factory settings are there for the factory, not necessarily for the best performance of the owner. What they want is the least risk to machine and driver to protect themselves. If you want average settings, that's fine. Others want to take things more to the edge. But the idea that the factory settings are the best for performance is bogus. It's the best to cause the manufacturer the least headaches. Don't blame them if they try to talk you out of them. Who wants headaches? And if you do get undercarriage problems from hitting something, why should Ferrari fix them for free if you change the spec? They warn you and that's that. Sticky7 is right.
thank you mr.mayor, also remember that ferrari cant just void your warranty because you changed something. they must prove the modification caused the problem. i do understand that to some it might not be worth the hassle, but i say its your car, spent allot of money,do as you wish. I wish i could post pics,(computer stupid) of the know it all factory geniuses welding! you would be scared!!!!!! or all the plastic clips that where never pushed into their respective holes, or the missing hardware securing the wheel wells in place. Please, if you do nothing more than drive your car from the confines of the drivers seat,you have no justification commenting on the "pinnacle of perfection" (im sure you all got that letter). Spend some time under it,REALLY look at the way the car is assembled.You may have another view of ferrari perfection. Dont get me wrong,the performance of this car is amazing,but....ask yourself how and why does the billion dollar aftermarket exist. Not hating on ferrari, just speaking honestly about what i see and have experienced owning my 458.
