lowering the drive height

[montenegro]

after fitting a R5 motor and replacing all the suspension shox I am thinking of lowering the drive height, BUT by how much ? the workshop manual gives heights for 'normal' and ' poor roads' but there's no info on lowering for other uses. has anyone lowered theirs and what, if any were the benefits ? also to what height ???

 

[Tripyrenees]

I was thinking of lowering the rear of my car as it feels very spongy at high speeds and it actually looks too high.

What is the procedure to lower the rear end (and possibly the front to match) on a '79 4GTL.

Cheers
Ian

 

[Lobster]

Long time ago so I can't remember the exact method but I had a few MK1 R5s which were lowered.

I'd imagine the procedure for R4 is the same as R5 Mk1..... Theres a special tool for the fronts and they were straightforward. The rears, not so much. Obviously the rear torsion bars were pretty totally seized so we soaked them in penetrating fluid / diesel / WD40 / anything at all for a week or so then got the car on a two post lift and set about it with big hammers to drive the bar out. This took quite some time but worked in the end.

Worth noting that on the R5, if it was lowered it tended to upset the brake compensator a touch so locking the back brakes was fairly easy under heavy braking and they really needed uprated shock absorbers as well - Spax adjustables were good.

 

[montenegro]

hi tripyrenees, the workshop manual does give the procedure for adjusting the height but does involve having the special tools for griping the torsion bar. sus.311 sus.25-01 front sus.312 & sus.25-01 rear. these are not easy to come by !! I checked with a local renault garage and they still carry the tools and can adjust quite cheaply... guess that's the way to go. plus a rear anti-roll bar [bar stabilisatrice] is listed in the parts book ref 77 00 554 727 + the fixings [taquets de fixation] you could be lucky if you tried your local dealers ? or le bon coin as they were a standard fitting on the F4 7 F6

 

[Eoynteenie]

How low can a Renault 4 go before running into problems?

Only ask as I fancy getting my TL as low as my mates Mk1 Golf, this thing has had the front top mounts raised and the rear suspension is on drop plates to relocate the hub.

 

[montenegro]

hi, that I think would be best asked at a renault agent ? the manual doesn't give any indication for suggested heights. guess no one was thought daft enough to lower a R4 !!! let me know if you do approach a renault agent as I am going to fit a rear stabilizing bar first then go for a lowering. one thought I had, possibly the ride height for a R5 alpine would be similar ?? will check.

 

[Lobster]

How low can a Renault 4 go before running into problems?

.

Not certain on R4 but on a mk1 R5 you can go very low. I really must get around to scanning the pics of my old Le Car 2 at some point.

 

[elch101]

Usually the R4 is lowered 80-90 mm. Because this happens automatically by going one tooth back at one end of the torsion bar. But in my opinion this is really to much if you don't want a showcar bur a reasonable ride. And if you don't think about building special shockabsorbers. I guess 55 mm front and rear is a good compromise. And don't miss to correct the wheel rake after lowering. Put a distanceplate under the upper wishbonebeam - it takes 5-6 mm if you lower 55 mm.

 

[George Sword]

"Usually the R4 is lowered 80-90 mm. Because this happens automatically by going one tooth back at one end of the torsion bar. But in my opinion this is really to much if you don't want a showcar bur a reasonable ride. And if you don't think about building special shockabsorbers. I guess 55 mm front and rear is a good compromise. And don't miss to correct the wheel rake after lowering. Put a distanceplate under the upper wishbonebeam - it takes 5-6 mm if you lower 55 mm."

How do you achieve the 55mm drop if one tooth on the torsion bar gives 80-90mm? Also where exactly do you put the distance plate? I assume this applies to the front suspension only. Sorry for being so slow but further comments would be appreciated.

 

[angel]

elch101 is talking about one tooth at one end of the bar, only. But one end of the torsion bar spline has one tooth more than the other. By rotating the bar one tooth at both ends, the result is "vernier" (3mm per tooth) adjustment.
For the rear bars it is somewhat simpler, you simply have to set the rear arm to the specivied position, with a dummy shock absorber tool, then find the position where the torsion bar can be fitted freely at both ends. We have discussed it a lot of times earlier.