I love the look of the lowered SVT in the pics posted on this site. However I wonder about damage to the ground effects panels in city driving. Heck, it is all I can do to keep my panels from hitting parking lot bumps, speed bumps, and the like! Yikes! Anyone have any input on this? How many more road and parking lot hazards will one encounter if the car is lowered another 1.25 to 1.75 inches? Thanks.
PS: What about clearance for the wheels? My stock tires have burned up one wheel well guard already! Gulp!
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1998.5 Silver Frost Metallic Contour SVT
No mods yet.
It took me a while to
learn the car after I had it lowerd. One nasty scratch in the rear side panel from parallel parking and the front bottom from one of those concrete parking thingys on the floor... I went in ok, but when I backed out, it caught the bottom of the bumper and made a nasty sound...
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David Z.
Silver E1 #4808 w/stuff
http://daplace.spedia.net [This message has been edited by david z (edited July 17, 2000).]
"... I went in ok, but when I backed out, it caught the bottom of the bumper and made a nasty sound..."
That happens to me also if I am not careful and my car is not lowered. It seems to go in fine when the tires are warm, but after they cool off some the car lowers accordingly and you will scrape when you back out. Ouch!
Do you have to drive the car diagonally over speedbumps and into driveways? I've seen several Honda fools doing this in their cut-spring rigs.
Thinking about Eibachs. Any trouble at the carwash?
Tristen
E1 SVT
I can't stress this enough to people, please take the time to wash your own cars. Those places with machines (save your money and wash your car with a sander) are very bad for the paint and those hand wash places (save your money and wash your car with a grinder) can you imagine how many cars they wash with one mit? small rocks/gravel get stuck in the mits and then can scratch your paint as they wash it... this can also happen if you drop your mit while washing your car...
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David Z.
Silver E1 #4808 w/stuff
http://daplace.spedia.net
I will ask again to those that may venture to a car wash now and again. Personnaly, I have never had problems with car washes and I am sure that anyone that has ever seen my cars thinks that they are brand new. Working full time and fathering twins does not allow for hand washing my car. Thanks for looking out for us. Again, Any trouble with car washes and lowering springs?
You really have to watch out. I scraped my front air dam on a divider, and the dealer wants $280 to fix all the damage (I also popped the retaianing screw in the wheel well). My car is stock.
!!!!
Mad Dog
my contour with an SVT body kit has been lowered with Intrax springs, cut 2 coils out back, and 1 1/2 up front, now the car sits about2 1/2 inches of the tarmac, and yea manuevering is a must, but im used to it, and the looks, everyone thinks its on airbags, then theyre amazed 'man how do u drive with it that low?'
got a 'too low' ticket a couple times
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1998 Contour SeSVT
SVT body kit
18x7 white Team Dynamics Motorsports
Toyo Proxes 215/35/18
Intrax springs cut to hell
J&S Xtreme shaved door handles, antenna, hood squirters, SE emblems, trunk lock, rear panel body seams
J&S Xtreme Audi silver with blue pearl
SVT white faced gauges
2.25 dual exhaust with ss pro series mufflers and HKS style ss tips
Viper 500 alarm
clear headlamps
white Ford emblems
full vinyl grey and white interior
SOON:
all aluminum APR GTR style wing
BMW Z3 vents molded into hood
[This message has been edited by brent (edited July 17, 2000).]
I have NEVER taken my 'tour to a car wash place. I've seen what those brushes can do to one's clearcoat. I wash mine by hand. I've had it professionally detailed twice in almost two years. My apartment manager does not allow carwashing on the premises. I have gone weeks between washes because of this. I would rather keep the dust on it than risk taking it to a mechanical car wash. Lucky for me I have a silver SVT and it does not show the dirt like all the other colors, especially the red and black ones. I would be willing to bet that a lowered SVT could suffer badly at some of the mechanical mangler wash facilities around. Not worth the risk!
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1998.5 Contour SVT - Silver Frost Metallic (Frosty).
No mods yet.
I learned the hard way brought it to a car wash and took it home noticed huge gouge out of my rim. Looks like they missed the track when bringing it in. Sucks and I can't prove that they did it but I know they did. So wash your own car!!!!!
Ryan
99SVT
KKM, SCA cat-back
I have a feeling that most of you are from the West coast or warmer climates. Have you ever been to New England? The weather is very unpredictable. The DPW salts the road even when there is just the chance that it may snow out. While I am about as fanatical as you can get when it comes to my car( my wife does not even drive it), I have found a local car wash that does a great job. I will be sure to let everyone know if I have trouble at the car wash as it seems that most wash by hand.