Wedge Lowering a TR8

[Cheapsnake]

I love my TR8, but with stock suspension and 14" wheels it sits like an off-road vehicle. I'm looking at TS Imports springs which should bring it down about an inch, which I think should be just about right. I've already got a slight scuffing problem with my front tires (205/60's), but it's on the inner fenderwells at the sides so hopefully the lowering won't exasperate the problem.

Has anybody done this mod or any other mod to lower the ride height? I'd sure appreciate hearing your experiences and the final outcome. Thanks.

Tom

 

[Mickey Richaud]

Tom -

When I rebuilt my front suspension, I added the same springs. I'm running 14" Panasports and 195/60 Yokohamas. I'm very pleased with the ride height and the ride - firm, but not harsh. No problems with rubbing, but my tires aren't as wide as yours, and wheel offset may be different.

Mickey

 

[swift6]

Tom,

I have Ted's Springs on my TR8. I couldn't really tell you about a height difference though. My original springs were so sagged that it didn't really change my cars ride height. They did however, really firm up the handling. Like Mickey said, they are firm but not harsh.

I also have Ted's uprated swaybars and polyurethane bushes in the right places. The car went from cornering really well to extremely well! I'm really looking forward to going to a 15" wheel and a better selection of rubber. My current tires are 205/60R13's and are nothing special but will work well enough until I go to a larger wheel.

 

[tr8todd]

A nice set of springs, new dampers, urethane bushings and an uprated sway bar will transform your car. You will love the way it handles. Lowering will not effect your tire clearance. If they fit now, they will fit later. If they rub under full compression, they will rub under even less compression. Most TR8's that are modified, have rolled fender lips to accept wider tires. Some people will trim the lip a little where the tires rub. If you opt for that route, make sure you don't cut away the pinch welds. You will notice the bumps a little more in your kidneys. You might hear stuff bouncing in the trunk. Speed bumps come that much closer.(a real problem if you and the misses are plus sized) The biggest problem I have noticed is the car will have a tendency to follow the depressions in the road. I think this is called tramming. It sort of feels like the tires are in ruts. But this is only noticeable on roads with a very pronounced uneven surface caused by heavy truck travel. If you really want to go nuts, you can install adjustable perches on the front and jacking bolts on the back to adjust the ride height.

 

[PATR8]

I have Panasports (14") and 215s on mine. I used Ted's lowered 1" springs and Woodys poly bushings. I did roll the inner lips on my rear fenders to get rid of the slight rub I had. They do make the ride more harsh but autocrossing it helps allot.

 

[Guest]

At the last British Motoring Club of New Orleans annual car show, one of the TR8's entered was a beautifully detailed example that had some well-thought-out modifications. One of them was a gorgeous set of 15" mags with low profile tires. The wheels fit the look of the car well, almost as if they were OE. The whole appearance of the car was lowered and very appealing. I wish I had more information but you can see for yourselves under bmcno.org . Look under the 2006 show pics, page two of class winners. I am pretty sure that one of the pictured TR8 cars is the one. You will get a chance to compare pics of 14 vs 15 inch wheels.

Striking.

 

[Mickey Richaud]

To correct my earlier post, my tires are 205/60 Yokohamas on 14" Panasports. No problems with rubbing anywhere.

Mickey

 

[Cheapsnake]

Thanks guys. Great info. I do plan on going with the poly bushings. I'm not too concerned about a harsher ride since the ride (and handling) now is akin to a 57 Buick Roadmaster. And I am going to look into rolling the fenderwell lips, which shouldn't be too much of a problem because I've got some paintwork planned anyway.

Bill, that 8 with the 15" mags sure does look nice. The black sets off very nicely against the metallic silver.

Tom

 

[swift6]

This one belongs to another fella here in FC. It has been lowered more than Ted's springs will do by themselves. His rear tires are 225's on custom Epsilon wheels. The fenders are rolled. And no, the front spoiler is not stock. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

You can see the difference between his and mine here. Even if it is front vs. rear.

 

[JFS]

I used Woody Cooper's springs, shocks and front bearing washers. The car sits 1" lower in front. Avoiding larger speed bumps is a must. I used a spacer on top of the new rear springs to keep the rear the original height so the rear wheels won't rub on the tops of the fender arches when I pull my motorcycle camper (and I like the rake). I am very pleased with the car's handling (especially without the camper!). The wheels are old Boyd Coddington (before he had to refinance his business) billet 15".

 

[philman]

as long as you are replacing the springs don't forget the needle bearing upgrade to the strut assembly.

 

[Mickey Richaud]

[ QUOTE ]
as long as you are replacing the springs don't forget the needle bearing upgrade to the strut assembly.

[/ QUOTE ]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif Absolutely! Cheap upgrade.

 

[Cheapsnake]

JFS, any significant difference between Woody's springs and Ted's? And yes, the needle bearing upgrade is part of the plan.

That gold TR8 is sooooo nice, probably one of the best looking I've seen. He even made the spoiler look like it almost belongs there.

 

[tr7andtvr]

I have TS springs, 205-60-14 panasports, John Wolfes frame spacers 20mm for buick 4.1 fit. I don't have a rub problem in fact I could go to wider tires and or 15" wheels. The car sits about 1" lower in the front and 1.5" in the back The spacers made the car much more ballanced.

 

[swift6]

[ QUOTE ]
That gold TR8 is sooooo nice, probably one of the best looking I've seen. He even made the spoiler look like it almost belongs there.

[/ QUOTE ]

The car also has a pretty well built 3.5 litre putting out a little over 250hp. Its ride is VERY stiff. The front splitter is a BMW unit and he says it bolts right up to the front piece of the VB body kit.

I posted pics of the same car on a British forum and it was torn apart. Something about us Americans being addicted to aerodynamic body kits. They were especially hard on the rear spoiler set up.

 

[tr8todd]

Whether you buy suspension parts from Woody or from Ted, you are buying the same parts. All of the bushings come from British Parts Northwest, all of the headers come from Kirk Racing, etc. You should buy your parts from whoever you feel will give you the best service. Who will spend the time on the phone answering your questions? Who has the most parts that you may need at some point in time? I may be a bit biased because Woody is a friend of mine, but he should be your first call. He only works on TR7/8's and only sells parts for TR7/8's. He owns TR8's and actualy drives them. HARD!! He has many custom parts made for the cars. He knows what works and what is a waste of time and money. His passion in life is the TR8, not making money selling MGB and TR6 parts.

 

[Cheapsnake]

I bought my headers from Woody and he definitely knows his way around TR8's.

Shawn, that rear shot of the gold TR8 reminds me of an easy upgrade that any roadster should have - the plexiglass backdraft shield. I put one on mine figuring it might make a slight difference, but it makes top down driving a whole new experience. With the windows rolled up at 70 my wife and I can easily carry on a conversation. Of course, then there are the times you want the windows rolled down. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[JFS]

Cheapsnake, I don't know if Woody's springs are different from TS's springs. The "bearing washers" I mentioned are the needle bearing upgrades referred to by other posters. Woody is easy to talk to; you could either email him or phone him with any questions.

 

[swift6]

[ QUOTE ]
Shawn, that rear shot of the gold TR8 reminds me of an easy upgrade that any roadster should have - the plexiglass backdraft shield.

[/ QUOTE ]

I made one for my TR6 a few years ago. It definitely makes a difference.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif