CS bottoming out on undulating roads

This is a problem with Challenge Stradales. Because it is really a luxury race car, it doesn't do all that well on public roads. It seems like any dip over 2 inches is going to cause a scrape.

Dale

 

I just spent $6500 replacing two wheels and an undertray panel. The CS quiet simply put does not belong on public roads.Great track car though.

 

i guess we pay enough taxes here in MA USA so that our roads get paved more than once a century . i haven't had any such problems, and i've driven on some pretty nasty back roads.

fwiw,
doody.

 

wow, i'm shocked by you guys. especially you in orlando where i lived for many years. that place is the flatest (new road) place on the planet. i go NUTS in my CS everytime i drive it - and it hasn't even been on the track. it's never out of "race" except going down my street and back up it merely because it rides better over the crappy pavement. the car has bottomed out much less than a handfull of times during my aggressive 1100 miles of street driving ownership - primarily in "race". and, it's all been on California roads which rank as some of the cruddiest in the country (orlando in specific and fla in general rank as some of the best).

 

manochevitz, mad dog 20 20,
i pound on it pretty consistently on very bumpy roads and i have never bottomed the car out. you guys must be slamming steep bumps at some wicked speed

 

I've never had the car bottomed out, but several times over sharp bumps - especially under power - I hear an alarmingly loud CRACK from the front suspension, sounds like Sosa connecting with a fastball for a home run. What exactly causes that? Any other CS drivers regularly experience this?

 

Speed bumps, potholes during night driving.

 

I never bottomed out once in the first 12,000 miles. Even when hitting a big pothole that bent the rim... even hitting some pretty big dips.

However, with a full tank of gas, two passengers, and luggage filling the entire rest of the car, flying through the French Quarter, I "gently" bottomed out the car several times.

But the statement that the Stradale doesn't belong on public roads does not fit my experience... the car is AWESOME on public roads... at least it is in the south from Louisiana to California and as far north as Colorado and Kansas.

Just be careful with a full load racing around the French Quarter!

 

My point should have ment that the CS is much more perceptable to incidents over the regular 360.Sorry about the overly anxious statement.

 

I reckon some conrod caps would make a great skid block.

They are the right shape and of course the Titanium makes awesome sparks.

Some simple rivnuts into the chassis at the right spot wouldn't hurt the car at all, then use the cap bolt holes to fix them on and Ta DA!!!

I've got several set's of old rods etc. keep your eyes on ebay. One day I'll get around to putting them on.......

 

i live in southern california where road conditions vary widely. lots of good roads, but lots of beat up roads also. i always drive my stradales in race mode no matter what kind of roads i'm on, and i tend to push hard. i can certainly imagine the car bottoming out like you have experienced, but i've never had this hapen to me and i've put almost 10,000 miles on my straadales. i wonder if there could be something wrong with the shocks on your car? what do you think? might be worth asking your dealer to check.

 

It is very easy to bottom out your CS in MA. I've bottomed mine several times, plus I bottomed out the stock 360 that preceded it a good number of times. Not much difference between the two as far as I can tell after about 5K miles in the CS.

What gets you in MA is the ridged roads - especially the little side roads in the countryside, since they are repaired so infrequently the bit of the road that the tyres don't run on tends to be anything up to an inch higher than the rest of the road. All it takes is a bit of raised road in a dip when you're pressing on and bingo a big graze on the bottom of your front bumper.

Having driven a number of FCA events in NE, I've in fact bottomed my 360 and my CS in pretty much the same place. I firmly believe that the CS is no less practical on the crappy roads that MA offers than the stock car.

 

I have the same problem w/ my 360 at speed.