Lowering front suspension

I agree that it could be an inch (or more) lowered. However, it purely from an aesthetic perspective, though. It is nice that I have not had it scrape once. Places where my QP scrapes, the Cali does not. Furthermore, I am sure it will disrupt the ride too.

 

Dropping the car at the front only could seriously upset the balance of the car in effect moving the weight forward and lightening the rear end. If you are going to adjust it then I'd balance it front and rear to keep the rake angle the same

 

Novitec's spring kit sells for about $1400. That's a drop in the bucket for having the satisfaction that it's lowered the "right way." I believe Hamann sells a similar kit. In addition, they both sell wheel spacer kits which make the car appear a lot more aggressive.


If you want to really drop some coin, Novitec also makes an adjustable front suspension that raises 40mm - for $9K.

 

You'll want to drop both the front and rear. 1" will do wonders to tighten up the look of the car. It will handle better as well.

 

Garang- Take it to the dealer and tell him you want it lowered. No big deal and no new parts. You will have to have a full front and rear suspension alignment done as part of the lowering. Ride height is adjustable on all late model Ferraris.

Budget some money for repairing your front spoiler, because at 25 mm/1" lower, you probably will be scraping in places.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

Garang- That would be between you and your dealer, but springs are not exactly a high risk item, especially if they will install them for you. I think you will be surprised how much 15 mm lower will make a difference in how the car looks. It will look much lower. A full inch is a whole bunch and probably overkill on an already low car.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

i think this is a big mistake because it will lead to frequent bottoming out. the cali is a well thought out gt car. lowering will complicate your life every time you take it out. looks be damned!

 

+1 ... I hardly slow down for the railroad tracks near my office ... no problems in gas stations or most driveway entrances. This weekend at C&C I saw a very cool Lotus that had been lowered and the owner told me about hitting a filling point at a gas station just that day, and having to be very careful wherever he went because of the lowering. It really looked cool but I like driving worry free.

Rick

 

Thought about lowering but glad I didn't. I would have already needed to replace the front spoiler and repair the air dam winglets. The long hood makes it harder to judge when parking. Frequently I find the nose past the concrete parking blocks.

 

I am very happy that I got the front parking sensors just for that reason. I have to remember to turn them on when I pull into a parking spot but they work, if not a little too sensitive, which is just fine for me.

 

The front parking sensors is an option I wish I had gotten. I'll trade you my stitched cavallinos for your parking sensors---nah, forget it.

 

That would be a very hard decision to make. I almost want to ask the dealer to see if then can be removed and sent back for stitching this winter ... but then I would be without the car for a month and that would suck!

 

Can't you just pull the headrests out of the seats and send them back to Marenello to get embroidered? You may not be able to have the stitching on the rear seat but 2 out of 3 is better than nothing.

 

Good idea. I will ask MAG about it to see if it can be done this winter. I'm not about to do it now ... way too many miles to be driven in the finally warmer weather!

 

have you asked if the front sensors can be added? i think there are just 2 sensors in the grill and 2 on the front bumper. i think the 2 on the grill are the most important. i agree front sensors are an excellent option with such a long sloping hood.

 

On the 599, apparently the rear sensors are easy to retrofit, but the front ones not so easy. Not sure if the same story applies to the California or not. Is a rear view camera an option like I believe it is for the 458?

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

with the rear sensors i would question the necessity of the rear camera. i would also note that the camera is quite vulnerable to damage where it's located on the rear bumper.

 

That is exactly why you need both, so you don't ever hit anything! I use both all the time.

 

you might be right but i find the rear sensors to be sufficient.

 

Did you get an alignment done, and how does the car ride on the street? I am really struggling with the same decision Would love to see a pic.

 

Yes pic. I agree that the Cali would look good a bit lowered. The first time I scraped (I haven't yet!) I would kick myself in the ass.