NC3.75 return to standard ride height

Just bought a 63 plate Graphite Sport 2.0 which is altogether very nice but I think it’s lowered 30mm and it’s scraping on bumpy roads too much.

Partly country roads and probably partly too many pies but I can’t really enjoy driving as is.

Thinking of putting standard springs back on so my question is would -30mm springs have most likely retained the standard shocks?

The car also has an I.L. Motorsports back box and the centre pipe at its lowest point only has about 100mm approx ground clearance (unladen), so wondering if a standard exhaust would also be better? It’s certainly the pipe that is hitting the deck.

The standard suspension on that should be bilsteins sports shocks and springs. The shocks should be Yellow. I think you need to establish exactly what you have first as it would be wrong to recommend anything without knowing that.
Make sense?
Most of the aftermarket exhausts will be the same type of pattern so to give the same ground clearance.
Personally I would say the rear box won’t make any difference.
Standard mid pipe with cat and resonator box?
:slightly_smiling_face::+1:
PS if you look from one side of the sill to the other side (using your eyeline) you will see if anything is protruding lower than that.
If all the same it will just be the suspension.

The shocks are yellow. Squinting through the front wheels I can see a legible warning about explosion risk and what looks like Japanese script. When I have more time I guess I’ll try and check for part numbers to confirm standard shocks… however ride height measured front wheel centre to arch is around 33cm


With regard the exhaust the centre section looks aftermarket too…

I would say it is certainly the lowest point looking across from sill to sill

Looks a bit low that section of the exhaust, I’m guessing that’s why it’s catching. Mines little low for my liking but it’s not the exhaust catching more like the cross brace or chassis rail further up under the seat area.
It seems you need to get that exhaust checked out and maybe the springs.

They “Look Like” the standard Bilsteins to me with shorter springs on.
My suspension is all standard.
Your resonator box looks pretty standard too.
Pictures and what I have on mine, (As a comparison).
I have replaced my resonator with a SS silencer and all tucked up out the way, (standard centre Cat).
I have the Cobalt rear box and IL 4-1 manifold.
It does look like (can’t really tell) that your centre set up is actually too low and hence why its grounding?
Measured mine roughly and it’s just 0ver 100mm from pipe to floor.
Yours does look lower than that for some reason…
Nothing should protrude lower than the bottom of the sills and skid plates, (maybe a tad with brackets etc) in my opinion, (No matter what suspension set up).
Have you got both catalytic converters fitted?
The centre one will be next in line to the front after the resonator as your picture and the other one is in the manifold.

Thanks for the reply, and the pic is helpful
Definitely the resonator is lower than anything else around it but the bend in the pipe just before the backbox is about the same level and has certainly taken some hits.



Have owned now 2 NC’s and never had any scrapes on the exhaust, both have been lowered by around 30mm.
It’s as said looks like that’s hanging too low.

I really need to get the car up on a lift to check properly but I can’t detect anything but the exhaust looking scraped, which I suppose in some ways is good.

In answer to the question about the cat I can’t really see much apart from pipe in front of the resonator, but to be honest I can’t really see with the car on (and close to) the ground.

Unfortunately I"m struggling to see (short of some pipe bending) how the geometry of the pipe just in front of the backbox flange can change much, as surely the backbox itself supports that end of the pipe.

But I’ll get it looked at as the first step.

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@Scarletpimpernel just looking at your photos and do I detect some minor evidence of scraping on your exhaust pipe just upstream of the back box on your setup before your latest changes? Was that on standard ride height?

STD ride height on 17in wheels at the front is 351 to 400mm so yours is very much at the lower end and may possibly have been lowered by more than the 30mm you have identified. Any id on the springs?

I haven’t seen any markings on the springs, but I haven’t had the wheels off to have a good look. What would I be looking for?

Indeed! A bit of rather enthusiastic driving with a full boot and two up on a humpy bumpy road in Croatia :croatia:. Didn’t see it until too late. :roll_eyes:
Standard ride height and just would not go any lower for me. :+1:

Was that on the old “Magistrale” coast road??

Gosh, I can’t remember that. We did do the coast road mind. We did many miles and an absolutely wonderful trip. Did it all on the Goldwing first time in 2013 then in the 5 in 2018. (Preferred it in the 5 to be honest). :slightly_smiling_face:

That pretty much seals my decision to get some standard springs.

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On the OE springs a colour banded code, on after market usually a makers name or logo and part numbers.

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Magistrale is the local name for the old, super twisty coast road now replaced with a motorway that runs to the inside of the Velebit coastal mountain range

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Lowered springs are Eibach 11 55 010 05 VA/HA which are the individual part numbers for Pro-Kit from the Eibach website.

That is -30mm as I suspected.

Now had the car on a lift and it does look like it’s only the exhaust that’s been scraping.

That must be lower than standard then. As I said in an earlier post, both NC’s I’ve owned, both lowered I’ve had scrapes on stuff like cross braces but never on the exhaust, ever.

Well it is definitely lowered. The main scrape point on the exhaust is just on front of the Union to the backbox. Note that @Scarletpimpernel has apparently scraped the same place on standard suspension fully loaded. Appreciate that was on a bumpy Croatian road, but country roads on Oxfordshire are probably comparable in places.

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