Hi, I've been reading through some of the older threads and found a few people who had their brand new 380s lowered at the dealer where purchased. I've been considering lowering mine but am concerned about the warranty. Is that why these people (you know who you are) opted for the lowering with the dealer? For the warranty? What if I had it done elsewhere? Would the warranty be effected if not done by the dealer?
Secondly, of those who have had their 380s lowered, how much did you lower it? (I had my TF Magna dropped 2 inches and although it sometimes scraped, it still had more wheel arch space). I think 2 inches would be ideal for daily use. What does the wheel arch look like after a 2 inch drop?
Thirdly, does putting BIG rims (ie 19 or 20) on original springs, fill out the wheel arches a bit? I've heard some people say yes, but my money is on no.
Thanks for whatever responses I can gather. I know a few people (at least) have been down these roads already and should have a lot of input to offer me and any others also considering a height & rim upgrade.

If you lower the car yourself your only going to void the warranty on related parts... so they cant tell you your CD player stopped working because you changed the springs...

i lowered my car myself and have had the car back to mitsu for a few things and the only thing they said about the suspension was, "how the hell do you drive this thing around sydney" :D

geenerally when you put bigger rims on you compensate by putting on tyres with a smaller side wall so you get the same diameter as your old wheels which results in not having to change the speedo. i havent dealt with whacking on 19's or 20's so i wouldn't be too sure what happens there because the tyre would look like a small black rubber band wrapped around the rim if you had to do that i'm guessing.

geenerally when you put bigger rims on you compensate by putting on tyres with a smaller side wall so you get the same diameter as your old wheels which results in not having to change the speedo. i havent dealt with whacking on 19's or 20's so i wouldn't be too sure what happens there because the tyre would look like a small black rubber band wrapped around the rim if you had to do that i'm guessing.

see my pic? im on 20s.. haha rubber bands is exactly what they are... mine are the same rolling diameter as the stock 17s that come with the car....

see my pic? im on 20s.. haha rubber bands is exactly what they are... mine are the same rolling diameter as the stock 17s that come with the car....

Impressive for sure! But how much life, k's, would you expect to get from rubber that thin? That was another question I forgot to ask.

Impressive for sure! But how much life, k's, would you expect to get from rubber that thin? That was another question I forgot to ask.


well so far my tyres have done around 10,000kms... the front are getting a bit thin so ill chuck em on the rear soon and probably get another 10,000kms out of the set..so going on that 20,000kms per set...

i dont drive my car stupidly either, so, if youve got a heavy foot probably get less than me

that whould make a very expencive exercise. my 17" last 50,000kms on the rear and 30,000 on the front!

i doubt it would void the whole warranty of the car, maybe suspension parts? which would just be put under wear/tear n prolly not covered by warranty anyways

best way is to ask your dealer

as for rims, yes 19/20's would fill out the arches better, but theres nothing like a car lowered on decent sized rims, if your going to goto the effort/money of putting rims on the car then i would get it lowered

as for rubber life, depends on the tyre you buy and the way you drive, i have my hoon moments and normal driving habits which is probably abit more extreme then a grandpa driver (i love corners and changing down gears too much, so sue me :D) and ive got 10,000 out of the cheapest 18" tyres i could find and thats on the front, prolly got another 5000 in them but im gunna rotate tyres shortly coz its long overdue, rears still look brand new (about 80% where as fronts are more like 20%). so im hoping for another 10,000 out of them which is fine becoz i wont do anywhere that amount of KM's next year :cool:

well so far my tyres have done around 10,000kms... the front are getting a bit thin so ill chuck em on the rear soon and probably get another 10,000kms out of the set..so going on that 20,000kms per set...

i dont drive my car stupidly either, so, if youve got a heavy foot probably get less than me

haha that sux... i drive mine hard around corners and have done 10k so far and id say my tyres are still at 90% at least!!

i was talking to somone who has an xr6 t with 20's and the exact same tyres and size as mine and he's on he 2nd set first ones were good for 50k


id say i think it's 3 main things, 1 tyre compound. 2 urs is fwd mine awd... 3 tread depth, the wanlis have very deep tread...



yeah my tyres are cheap and suck, but they are tough quiet higher load rated and longer lasting than most in its size... not to mention much cheaper

the obvioulsy dont grip as well though...

And to add to Andrews post, wheel alignment!!!!

The larger the rim and the lower the profile of the tyres, the more the car will be susceptible to misalignment from things like sharp bumps and pot holes. I know I've mis-alignment my front tyres a couple of times after some (very:D ) spirited cornering sessions.

It is sometimes cheaper to pay for a wheel alignment every few month then replace the tyres sooner. :)

Lowered 2 inches and running on 20in rims. See pic, fills out guards well and while some people on here say it should be lower the hight its at now is still sensible and drivable without scraping driveways and speedhumps.

The 20s dont give as harsh a ride as you would expect.

yeah these tyres grip the best out of any tyre ive had on a magna hence them wearing out extremly quickly... i can barely spin up 1st gear... and no chance of ripping 2nds anymore, doesnt even chirp

yeah these tyres grip the best out of any tyre ive had on a magna hence them wearing out extremly quickly... i can barely spin up 1st gear... and no chance of ripping 2nds anymore, doesnt even chirp


ahhh them kinda tyres.... be careful then, i had a car (modded 5series bmw) that would spin the 1-2 change chirp 3rd at 115k's then put some sticky tyres on it barley chirp 1-2 change and launched much much harder.....


the downside... too much off the line grip snapped the diff housing off the chassis!! so go easy on the box and diff..... lol... although for fast driving grippy tyres are much better than povo ones... although i was getting 5k out of tyres on the rear OMG, ahh thats lsd and manual, in a smallish decent powered rwd for ya...

Lowered 2 inches and running on 20in rims. See pic, fills out guards well and while some people on here say it should be lower the hight its at now is still sensible and drivable without scraping driveways and speedhumps.

The 20s dont give as harsh a ride as you would expect.

Sorry to hijack the thread. What kind of rims do you have on your avatar?

Also what tyre profile could we put to 380 without rubbing?

the downside... too much off the line grip snapped the diff housing off the chassis!! so go easy on the box and diff..... lol... although for fast driving grippy tyres are much better than povo ones... although i was getting 5k out of tyres on the rear OMG, ahh thats lsd and manual, in a smallish decent powered rwd for ya...

yeh mate, the same thing has gone through my mind.. ive heard the LSD in the ralliarts arent the strongest thing around so i limit the amount of hard changes etc i do :P

Sorry to hijack the thread. What kind of rims do you have on your avatar?

Also what tyre profile could we put to 380 without rubbing?

225/30/R20s wont rub.. 225/35/R20s probably wont rub either depending how much you plan to lower your 380

Sorry to hijack the thread. What kind of rims do you have on your avatar?

Also what tyre profile could we put to 380 without rubbing?

Rims are Voxx, tyres are 225/35/ZR20.

No rubbing.

yeah i only got 18's but they 235's and they used to rub on the flare kit (similar to ralliart flares) and take massive chunks out of the tyre, so i had to get the flares sanded back, next time im definately goin for 225's

225/30/R20s wont rub.. 225/35/R20s probably wont rub either depending how much you plan to lower your 380


Cheers for that.


Quote:
Originally Posted by aDe
Sorry to hijack the thread. What kind of rims do you have on your avatar?

Also what tyre profile could we put to 380 without rubbing?

Rims are Voxx, tyres are 225/35/ZR20.

No rubbing.

-----------------------

Where did you get those wheels? they're cool man

Has anyone run 225/50 or 235/50 on the standard 17 inch rims and suspension (380 VRX) Ive done 20000k's and recon I will only get around 30000k out of my original tyres.

Mike,

I've made some enquiries but that's all. 235 on standard is as wide as u can go. I'd like to do what Veearex has done but 1. tyre life frightens me 2. My accountant (wife, and she is one unfortunately) doesn't agree with forking out the cash.

There are no warranty problems, I've checked this out with my dealer before I bought.

If and when you replace yours let us know what u got - I'm sure there are better alternatives than Dunlop Sport.

Mike,

I've made some enquiries but that's all. 235 on standard is as wide as u can go. I'd like to do what Veearex has done but 1. tyre life frightens me 2. My accountant (wife, and she is one unfortunately) doesn't agree with forking out the cash.

There are no warranty problems, I've checked this out with my dealer before I bought.

If and when you replace yours let us know what u got - I'm sure there are better alternatives than Dunlop Sport.


Knotched......I have yet to feel the wrath of my minister for finance and war and peace....she has no clue whatsoever of how much replacement tyres will cost......I guess I will cross that bridge eventually :bowrofl:

I was very happy to hear that HSV were offering 20s as an option with the new VE's....hopefully should bring the prices down a tad.

I've made some enquiries but that's all. 235 on standard is as wide as u can go. I'd like to do what Veearex has done but 1. tyre life frightens me 2. My accountant (wife, and she is one unfortunately) doesn't agree with forking out the cash.


Ouch! Ain't that the truth! (scary short tyre life, and the 'boss' who isn't interested in spending money on cars). I'm still waiting for the right time, to slide that plan into reality.

I have noticed that the prices of tyre and rim packages take a jump from 18s to 19s. 18s now sell for what 17s did a year or so back, but these days 18s don't look "huge" on a car, unless its slammed down - and I don't intend on doing that. 19s still look very good.

Another question: to those running 20s now, are these on daily drivers?

Another question: to those running 20s now, are these on daily drivers?

yep i drive my car every single day for work.... its not hassle what so ever. just got watch how close you park to gutters thats about it

Ouch! Ain't that the truth! (scary short tyre life, and the 'boss' who isn't interested in spending money on cars). I'm still waiting for the right time, to slide that plan into reality.

I have noticed that the prices of tyre and rim packages take a jump from 18s to 19s. 18s now sell for what 17s did a year or so back, but these days 18s don't look "huge" on a car, unless its slammed down - and I don't intend on doing that. 19s still look very good.

Another question: to those running 20s now, are these on daily drivers?
If you like an uncomfortable ride and your spine being broken every time you go over a bump, go for 20's. Otherwise just stick to 18's, they're the best compromise for safety, comfort, looks, price and performance.

If you like an uncomfortable ride and your spine being broken every time you go over a bump, go for 20's. Otherwise just stick to 18's, they're the best compromise for safety, comfort, looks, price and performance.


so you have driven a car with 20's daily then?

i must say that the 18's on my previous car gave a far worse ride than the current 20's on this car,

actually i've had ppl in the car say, that you cant tell its on 20's by the way it rides...

ur spine problem sounds more like a spring/shock choice thing than the diameter of your wheels..

so you have driven a car with 20's daily then?

i must say that the 18's on my previous car gave a far worse ride than the current 20's on this car,

actually i've had ppl in the car say, that you cant tell its on 20's by the way it rides...

ur spine problem sounds more like a spring/shock choice thing than the diameter of your wheels..

The fact that your previous 18's rode harder than your 20's sounds like a spring and shock problem to me. 20" rims WILL ride harder than anything smaller than them naturally - to keep the same rolling diameter your tyre sidewall is significantly smaller, therefore giving less flex and absorbance.

But I'm meh either way, couldn't have big wheels simply for the fact that the weight of them ruins your sprung weight ratio and makes your car handle like poo and before anyone talks about how well their 20" shod car handles, do some research about sprung to unsprung weight ratios.

Matthius

dude im talking about 2 different cars here....

my previous car had 14 17 and 18 inch alloys on it at some stage for sometime... im aware of the differences... and it was all on modified suspension...

there is also a some differnce in ride quality and road noise, not to mention grip between tyre brands as i had 2 sets of 17's and different brands of tyres on each set... i used to alternate every now and then when i was bored of the look....

the point being made is that the ride quality isnt as bad as ppl think, i'll gladly take you for a drive around so you can see for yourself, im NOT claiming it's anywhere near as good as stock on the factory 16's, but honestly it's not that bad, and i drive it and treat it just like a normal car regardless of the wheels.... i have bashed it off road a bit lol wanna see the muddy pics again....

so you have driven a car with 20's daily then?

i must say that the 18's on my previous car gave a far worse ride than the current 20's on this car,

actually i've had ppl in the car say, that you cant tell its on 20's by the way it rides...

ur spine problem sounds more like a spring/shock choice thing than the diameter of your wheels..
This just really shows your lack of knowledge of springs and dampers. Like you said, the 18's were on a different car so the comparison is redundant. And yes, I've driven a car with 20's as a daily, it was a Monaro and holy hell it rode like a gokart with rock wheels.

Like I said, for the original poster, 18's are, IMO, the best compromise for safety, comfort, looks, price and performance. That's on a Magna, maybe on a 380 you could step up to 19's or even 20's due to the different suspension setup and weight of the vehicle.

Ouch! Ain't that the truth! (scary short tyre life, and the 'boss' who isn't interested in spending money on cars). I'm still waiting for the right time, to slide that plan into reality.

I have noticed that the prices of tyre and rim packages take a jump from 18s to 19s. 18s now sell for what 17s did a year or so back, but these days 18s don't look "huge" on a car, unless its slammed down - and I don't intend on doing that. 19s still look very good.

Another question: to those running 20s now, are these on daily drivers?

Car is a daily driver, mostly Hwy to and from work. Rides like a dream.

TLike I said, for the original poster, 18's are, IMO, the best compromise for safety, comfort, looks, price and performance. That's on a Magna, maybe on a 380 you could step up to 19's or even 20's due to the different suspension setup and weight of the vehicle.

You've definately got it right with 18s... they are the cheapest, and - although I don't know as much about the mechanics of suspensions setups, etc - I think probably the best for the car overall.
19s and 20s do look awesome on a car when its lowered a bit, but it seems you are putting much more stress on all the components just for "the look". Don't get me wrong, for those that have "the look", it's a great look and I would never critisize anyone for going that way.

Like you said, the 18's were on a different car so the comparison is redundant. And yes, I've driven a car with 20's as a daily, it was a Monaro and holy hell it rode like a gokart with rock wheels.


:bowrofl: my comparison is redundant.... what was it that you were driving daily again? a monaro :nuts: i have been in a VY on 19's and it wasnt as nice of a ride, spring/shock choice!

my previous car on the same vehicle with the same suspension i was able to compare 14" alloys/steelies 17" and 18" alloys and there were differences, ride quality was one one but there were other differences more noteable than that...
the fact is you have never driven or been in my car, and if your ever in town i invite you to take it for a spin to see for yourself, you will be supprised... it drives pretty damn nice, no not like stock... but far better than you would think by looking at the specs of it..

after you have driven it you can then say whatever you think... but it's also unfair to make another comparison with another magna, as no one has my springs and exact combo of rim/tyre and awd driveline. The spring rate is what initially makes the ride a reasonable one.

Sure champ. I can say my car does 0-100 in 3 seconds and rides like a Jaguar too. Your comparison is redundant because you can't compare that old car with 18's to another car with 20's, which, I was never doing, I was answering your question if I had driven a car with 20's as a daily driver. If you think it's comfy, good onya. Our opinions differ, get over it.

my TR magna with 16s and lowered 2 inches was far more harsh than my ralliart with 20s and lowered 1.5 inches is.. dunno why... but the ralliart lowered with 20s is just not as harsh as everyone around here think it is...

im with andrewd.. anyone ever in my area there more than welcome to jump in my car and see for themselves

my TR magna with 16s and lowered 2 inches was far more harsh than my ralliart with 20s and lowered 1.5 inches is.. dunno why... but the ralliart lowered with 20s is just not as harsh as everyone around here think it is...

im with andrewd.. anyone every in my area there more than welcome to jump in my car and see for themselves


Same here, I invite anybody in the Canberra region to come for a spin in my 380 with 20s to see what they think.

However, I can not compare what its like against a standard 380 as I have never driven or been a passenger in one. What I can compare it against is my previous drive, a VX SS, standard FE2 suspension with standard 17in rims. The 380 is much smoother on the 20s even. Go figure.

The invite is open, only to happy to offer.