Ride Height?

[speedfreak68]

Whats a safe ride height for a street car? I've never built a car before,and I have no idea... I just don't want to scrape everywhere I go. heres a couple pics of the car..
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/04/springbreakchargerand46chev033-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/04/springbreakchargerand46chev035-1.jpg
Thanks
Martin

[armourmark]

You are going to want at least 3" of clearance at the lowest part of the car.

[rjsjea]

I've always heard 4.5"-5" for a street car

[dadto2jays]

I would have to also say 3-5 at the lowest part of the bottom...

[speedfreak68]

I'm afraid that my deep sump oil pan will have to go...

[LSx_88_Ciera]

It really depends on more factors than just static ride height. You have to consider wheelbase, spring rates, and overhang length. An example of this is my 74 Formula vs a friends 68 Charger RT mine sit approx 2 inches lower yet he has more trouble than I do because of my higher proportionally spring rate, shorter wheelbase and overhang. Given the length of your car I would not go under 5" unless it is sprung very heavily.

[speedfreak68]

Thanks for they comments guys, I'm gona have to go home and do some measuring. I can see what you mean by wheelbase and overhang effecting it alot.

[JRouche]

3 inches is pretty low. 5 inches is a good height for parts in the center of the car. Parts that are very close to the suspension. Say like an oil pan can get away with a lil lower height if slow speed bumps are a concern. So 3" might work there. As the tire rolls over the speed bump the oil pan will rise at the same rate as the body and tires. Where a part in the center of the car. Say mufflers will drag over the bump.

Like parts that are further away from the suspension, like my header collectors, will hit that same speed bump because the collectors are well past (to the rear of) the suspension. My collectors are the lowest hanging part (hate them). And Im considering some new headers because of that, oh, and because I have had to adjust them for the front suspension work and the ceramic coating is compromised.

If it werent for the collectors then 3" would clear everything else. All my other parts are flush with the rockers. 3" is in the weeds though, rocker hight. Pretty low. 5" is not a bad look.

Speaking of bad looks. You car is NOT that. Your car looks good. Its hard to tell from the pic. But I think I see a lil red hanging down below the headers? Must be a pretty tall oil pan? That dude might be a road scraper... JR

[rrunner68]

Last I measured, I was 6 inches from subframe to ground. I never measured the underhang stuff.

[speedfreak68]

3 inches is pretty low. 5 inches is a good height for parts in the center of the car. Parts that are very close to the suspension. Say like an oil pan can get away with a lil lower height if slow speed bumps are a concern. So 3" might work there. As the tire rolls over the speed bump the oil pan will rise at the same rate as the body and tires. Where a part in the center of the car. Say mufflers will drag over the bump.

Like parts that are further away from the suspension, like my header collectors, will hit that same speed bump because the collectors are well past (to the rear of) the suspension. My collectors are the lowest hanging part (hate them). And Im considering some new headers because of that, oh, and because I have had to adjust them for the front suspension work and the ceramic coating is compromised.

If it werent for the collectors then 3" would clear everything else. All my other parts are flush with the rockers. 3" is in the weeds though, rocker hight. Pretty low. 5" is not a bad look.

Speaking of bad looks. You car is NOT that. Your car looks good. Its hard to tell from the pic. But I think I see a lil red hanging down below the headers? Must be a pretty tall oil pan? That dude might be a road scraper... JR

Theres no engine or exhaust on the car yet. The oil pan I have for my 451 is a 7qt deep sump. hopefully next time I'm home I can set the engine in and see how bad it is. thanks for the compliment though. I think the red that you are seeing is the innerfenderwell that I had to make, I made it long and haven't trimmed it yet...

[mikedc]

Geography might affect this question too.

In my experience guys from Los Angeles have a slightly different idea about what is "streetable clearance" than guys from colder Appalachian states back east.


My two cents - 5 inches minimum for a Charger that lives in the real world. Somebody might pop up swearing they're fine with less but I'm just saying what I would do.





Another thing to consider is where the car bottoms out.

Suppose the car catches a hard bump and fully compresses the suspension. Everybody thinks about that one. But have you thought about what would happen if the tire was blown out right then, or just compressed down to the rim lip?

The moral of the story is that the bumpstops need to stop the car's downward motion early enough to prevent the chassis from digging into the pavement when there are no tires on the rims. A lot of hot rodders don't plan for this when they set up the ride height of the cars.

[speedfreak68]

You do have some really good points about blowing a tire, I think that I'm high enough if that happens. I think I was five inches from the rocker but I didn't measure from the rear crossmember...It might be a little too low.

[Hotchkis]

Another issue with height is when you have the car loaded up. If you are going to a car cruise and have friends in the back, that can make a pretty substantial difference. One of our test cars is the blue Challenger in our latest ad. The owner drives the car every day, and while she says it's fine when it's empty, she has to be careful if the trunk is full of slicks or tools or groceries, and that's only an inch lower than a stock car.

VX-B0AtfobA


You definitely don't want your oil pan to be your lowest point! At least if it's exhaust, you'll just rip a muffler off.

[speedfreak68]

With this car I won't have anyone in the back seat because there isn't a back seat (it didn't come with one when i got it). About all that I plan to have in the trunk is the fuel cell, is 22gal so it will add quite a bit of weight. My oil pan worries are over, today I found out that my 7qt pan won't work because its a front sump... so i'll just get a stock rear sump pan and that probably won't hang down too far. By the way that video of the challenger is pretty impressive!! :cheers:

[rjsjea]

What kind of suspension you got there?

[John Wright]

Check out the Canton road race pans...they flare out to the sides and are baffled pretty good....and on my motor it still has plenty of room to get the oil filter in/out, whereas some other pans almost trap the filter.

[speedfreak68]

What kind of suspension you got there?

Its a schwartz chassis for the b body mopar, good stuff!

[rjsjea]

Its a schwartz chassis for the b body mopar, good stuff!

:)Very cool.....

[Norm Peterson]

You probably shouldn't scrape anything if both tires on the same side of the car were flat - I think SCCA Solo rules require this for some classes. But it shouldn't be necessary to consider much of any suspension bump travel simultaneously with that.

The car in the thumbnail probably wouldn't pass the above criteria, not as far as clearance to the aftermarket sta-bar chassis brackets was concerned, anyway (the center section of the bar itself would not clear a standard diameter drink can laying on its side). I fabbed quite a few replacement sta-bar brackets for that car.


Norm

[Bjkadron]

A lot of it depends on road quality in your area. For example, the roads are bad around here and I am running a really soft spring rate so I have to jack the front end of my Duster (stock torsionbar setup) almost all the way up! But I don't like to slow down for bumps or anything else so adjust accordingly.

By the way... Sweet charger!

[speedfreak68]

A lot of it depends on road quality in your area. For example, the roads are bad around here and I am running a really soft spring rate so I have to jack the front end of my Duster (stock torsionbar setup) almost all the way up! But I don't like to slow down for bumps or anything else so adjust accordingly.

By the way... Sweet charger!

ya I'm hopeing that I get assigned someplace with good roads,(so I can keep it low) I plan on going into the trooper academy when I get done with college.

[JRouche]

A lot of it depends on road quality in your area.

Good point. I forget some of us are on some pretty old roads for the street car. Im used to my 100mph freeways in So Cal. These freeways are good for 100mph in a yugo (down hill yup) :) JR

[speedfreak68]

most of the roads back home are dirt...I gotta get away!

[Bjkadron]

most of the roads back home are dirt...I gotta get away!

DIRT IS THE BOMB! Haven't you seen the dukes of hazzard?:drive2:

haha! Seriously, they are great! As long as their is no traffic...

[speedfreak68]

DIRT IS THE BOMB! Haven't you seen the dukes of hazzard?:drive2:

haha! Seriously, they are great! As long as their is no traffic...

haa ya I grew up on a farm so I've had my fun on them, but Ive also seen the damage they do to paint...

[Bjkadron]

haa ya I grew up on a farm so I've had my fun on them, but Ive also seen the damage they do to paint...


True true...

[406 Q-ship]

Good point. I forget some of us are on some pretty old roads for the street car. Im used to my 100mph freeways in So Cal. These freeways are good for 100mph in a yugo (down hill yup) :) JR

Are you kidding So Cal freeways suck the big wangdoodle!! California wasted gas tax dollars on everything but actually fixing the roads. Most of the other western states have freeways that are as you described but in California I have damn near been bucked off the freeway at 65 by a seperation joint.

I agree with all that has been said here on ride height. The wheelbase, suspension design, spring rates, shocks, what hangs down and where under the car is the determining factors along with road quality or if the local government uses speedbumps. The front crossmsmember is the lowest point of my Chevelle and it is approximatly 4" off the deck, my Monte Carlo is really low at 3" to 3.5" off the ground and has been known to bounce the front crossmember off the pavement at street dips.

[John Wright]

Ive also seen the damage they do to paint...
...and to headlights/windsheild of the car behind.

[speedfreak68]

Are you kidding So Cal freeways suck the big wangdoodle!! California wasted gas tax dollars on everything but actually fixing the roads. Most of the other western states have freeways that are as you described but in California I have damn near been bucked off the freeway at 65 by a seperation joint.

I agree with all that has been said here on ride height. The wheelbase, suspension design, spring rates, shocks, what hangs down and where under the car is the determining factors along with road quality or if the local government uses speedbumps. The front crossmsmember is the lowest point of my Chevelle and it is approximatly 4" off the deck, my Monte Carlo is really low at 3" to 3.5" off the ground and has been known to bounce the front crossmember off the pavement at street dips.

3-3.5 off the ground,WOW thats pretty low. Bet it looks goooood though!

[speedfreak68]

...and to headlights/windsheild of the car behind.

haha ya that too!

[monteboy84]

Here in MN? 12 inches, minimum.

Just kidding, but we had an 88 Trans Am GTA for a few years that was stock ride height and would still scrape the nose on a regular basis if you weren't cautious of every parking lot entrance. It was 6 inches or so as memory serves. Obviously you can go lower than that, it's just with every inch you drop you're increasing the number of places you're going to scrape.

[406 Q-ship]

3-3.5 off the ground,WOW thats pretty low. Bet it looks goooood though!

If you look in my PT garage there is a picture of it with taller tires to get the crossmember up a bit, so it would no long bounce off the pavement. I cringe when I think of the sound it made the first time it happened.

[speedfreak68]

If you look in my PT garage there is a picture of it with taller tires to get the crossmember up a bit, so it would no long bounce off the pavement. I cringe when I think of the sound it made the first time it happened.

Man you have all kinds of good looking toys. That monte looks pretty badass! I really like that shade of blue