Ride height with 17 inch wheels

[cameron02]

Looks great

[andyl]

Originally Posted by FUNFER2

Looks great. Remember to add weight in the seats when you're in for alignment. As close to the driving weight. It DOES,..... make a difference, in such a light weight car as the cobra.

I noticed that my camber was off looking at the wear of the tire tread. Once I added the weight, the ware is now very even.

I used four sand bags, like from the hardware store for winter truck weight in the bed. Worked great.

I think I'd need 6 for me

[boxhead]

Hmmm, how much does a bag of concrete weigh?

[FUNFER2]

Most are either 40, 60 & 75 lbs. (don' take someone for a ride that you'll scare the piss out of them)

[JCoop]

Just a reminder, when setting up ride height, or doing 4 wheel alignment, or any suspension adjustments for that matter, don't forget to undo the sway bars so there is no load on them. Then, when all is set, lengthen or shorten the swaybar endlinks accordingly so they sit without load. Otherwise, all your adjustments will be for naught and could even result in some strange behavior during spirited driving in the twisties.

It is also best to measure the ride height from the fender lip, through the center hub, to the bottom rim lip; not the ground. It's more consistent, and the recommended optimum measurement is 23.5" for 17" rims..

[Merv and Sharon]

Looks good David. What kind of clearance do you have under the car now? I love the 'garage drives'!

[Merv and Sharon]

I just checked all my heights again. The wheel arch edge to floor measurements are the exactly same as PatrickT (above). However, given the variability in some of these body shells and their fitting to chassis, I think the 'look" of the car is only one consideration, and probably not an initial one in making adjustments.

The actual height of suspension components above the floor seem more relevant to the set up of the car. I measured from set points on my suspension to the floor and also down from the front and rear (each side) along the sill (from where the 'roll' of the Harrison body meets what is usually a long strip or moulding along the bottom 'edge'). These two sets of measurements would appear to be more relevant, I suspect than the wheel arch. The suspension to floor ones perhaps even more relevant. The sill to floor ones were 180mm Front and 200mm Rear. That is, to maintain sufficient (??) under car clearance (what ever that is decided to be by each of us at the lowest points - after rego) and also to obtain some hope of suspension equivalence from side to side and also avoid the dreaded 'droop'?

I would be interested in what other Harrison owners have found.

Merv

[spookypt]

Nice...really nice!

[Spoooky]

I'm running 17's on my Superformance and I am at 26 1/4" rear and 26 1/2" front. Rides great. This is from the ground to the center lip of the fender.

[LoBelly]

Nice ride there Spoooky

Have never seen a reverse rotation electonic speedo before - very smooth

LoBelly

[Spoooky]

LoBelly,

Thank you, I was the proto type that was custom made. My guages are right on the money as far as accurate. The company is Speedhut. They really work great.

[boxhead]

I had the wheel alignment done today, took it for a good drive and feels great.

I ended up setting the rear at 1 1/4 neg camber, 1mm toe out.
Front at 1 neg camber, 5 1/2 deg Caster and 1 mm toe in.
I wanted to get closer to 1 deg rear but with the car so low (now the rear lower arm is effectively longer) this was the most positive I could get out of the rear Camber setting.
So Aussie, when I eventually hit you up for tubular rear arms (will also get the FFR front uppers) I might need to get either the lower arm shorter or the upper arm longer.

[Merv and Sharon]

Makes a big difference. You will be busy with the Cobra in the the coming weeks in Alice with the Show and Shine on the 23rd and the Drags (?) on the 14/15? According to Imparja.

Merv

[boxhead]

Not sure about the dates you have listed Merv, but we have a car show next weekend (Saturday) and racing Sunday.
http://www.cadra.com.au/

I was to go bush on the Saturday - but have bumped it back one day as I have 1/8 scale off road car racing and car show (leaving Cobra on lawns at Casino and going racing) But then I am heading out to Pipalyatjara in South Australia on Sunday.
Will be dragging home an old Charger when I come home.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by boxhead

How does your car sit?

I would love to see some pictures and measurements.
I am playing with the height of my car at the moment (more playing tomorrow) and would like to see what others have done.
If a side on pic could be shown and a measurement from ground to bottom edge of wheel arch lip front and rear.

Mine is still in the shed (got dark before I had a chance to wheel it outside) but currently is at 25 1/4 inches rear (at this height the wheel is showing alot of neg camber so I will adjust this out before looking from a distance) and front is at 25 1/2. I still have plenty of ground clearance at these numbers.

But at this height the rear wheel arch has the droopy bum look (could just be caused by neg camber throwing the look out) and I am not a fan of the droopy bum.

Pics and specs would be great thanks.

Dave,

I appreciate that you have a Classic Revival, but you should be restricting the responses to your question about ride heght and pics showing the measurement from the road to the bottom edge of the front and rear wheel arch, to other Classic Revival owners only.

I did some experiments today on your behalf on three different Cobra makes, my R.M.C., a G Force and a Classic Revival. All three had differing wheel arch heights and mudguard shapes in the wheel arches, so unless your comparing a Classic Revival to a Classic Revival, your singing off the wrong hymn book and shouldn't take too much notice of the measurements supplied herein unless they relate to a Classic Revival.

Keep well pal,

Regards Baz.

[Merv and Sharon]

My thoughts too Baz, hence my question above to other Harrison owners/builders. The clearance under the car would seem to be the starting point and then balancing heights for each wheel and then having a look at wheel arch clearance and so on back and forth.

[boxhead]

Baz, I was looking measurements purely for a visual idea, that is why I specified 17 inch wheels.
Wheel height for 17 inch will be near the same for all 17 inch wheels on Cobra's and a guard measurement shows how much clearance or overhang is showing on the wheel at the measured height.
That is why I wanted a pic to be supplied with the measurement.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by boxhead

Baz, I was looking measurements purely for a visual idea, that is why I specified 17 inch wheels.
Wheel height for 17 inch will be near the same for all 17 inch wheels on Cobra's and a guard measurement shows how much clearance or overhang is showing on the wheel at the measured height.
That is why I wanted a pic to be supplied with the measurement.

Sorry Dave,

Just trying to help out. By the way, I have RTA inspection this coming Friday 7.5.2010. Fingers crossed. It's only been 2 1/2 years. I'm a lot closer to 70 now than when I started and it's certainly taken it's toll, but I know it's going to be worth it in the long run.

Baz

[Rob. Smith]

Hey Baz,
GOOD LUCK with the inspection. The tension builds and the relief is wonderful when it's all over. I even felt ok when they say 'you need to do this' because that's all you need to do to make them happy...they won't look any further.. I'll be thinking about you on Friday.

[greg schroeder]

I have a few pictures and measurements in my photo gallery, but not very technical.