cyborg123:
Siena's nairaland manhoodposts lives on.

Jarus:
Because of the area(bad road, pot hole-ridden) I was living then, I did for my Honda Civic in 2009. I never experienced any effect.

och12:
Hello Jarus, I stumbled on this thread and your post because I'm currently researching on the pros and cons of raising my Honda Civic 2009, same as yours.
As you know the ground clearance is not good at all for our roads and its imperative it is raised in order not to destroy the belly.
I guess you no longer use the car , but please guide me on what your experience was like after the raise and any other helpful tips I should know. You can also recommend your technician.

Thanks in advance Sir.

Jarus:


No side effect. It was done well and worked perfectly.

och12:
Thank you for your prompt response.

Please can you recommend the technician that worked it out for you?

This is the most detailed explanation I have ever read about this raising of suspension thing, I just raised my 2011 Toyota Camry and I absolutely regret it, I can see about 50% of the effects you wrote here already.

Frizzy, I have been in the automobile game for very may years, longer than some people on here have been alive. Besides doing regular servicing and maintenance, I also cater for the aftermarket sector, where a lot of custom / bespoke work is carried out. Between 1994 and 2003, I worked closely with Leda Suspension. Now Leda is a suspension outfit, up there with the likes of Lotus, when it comes to handling, they're up there with the best. Both are consulted by the main auto manufacturers in the world. They also build and design suspension for Motorsport Teams.

I have built systems both for road and off-road use. Raising the suspension of any car, above the stock (non-Sport version) is a recipe for disaster. You raise the ride height, you alter the roll axis, you increase the centre of gravity. On a ratio, a raised VW Golf II will be higher than a Range Rover Sport. Because the RR is wider, if both are compared on a pre-determined scale, the RR will be lower than the Golf, which is a lot narrower. In simple terms, divide the height by the width. SUV manufacturers do their best to counteract the effect of the vehicle's height on handling, by making the track wider and the engine / transmission mounted as low in the chassis as possible.

When a car is lowered, the suspension becomes stiffer. You raise it artificially, it becomes softer - lots of bounce, body roll, not good. Bear in mind, these "raised" cars driving on Nigerian roads have stock anti-roll bars. A VW Golf II 1,3 does NOT have anti-roll bars, raising this is dangerous. We're talking of a lot of metal and weight above the axles. Drive such a car, and have to take evasive action at speeds as low as 25 mph. Then compare the same action with a similar car, with the standard suspension, at a higher speed of 30 mph. Big difference. The "raised" car will have lots of body roll in corners, very unstable. The lower car will handle the altered path better.

I understand the reasons for raising cars in Nigeria - bad roads. But at the same time, the roll-over risk on bad roads, with lots of adverse camber (sideway tilt) is great. All cars have a set "tilt angle". This is how many degrees the car can tilt before the risk of roll over becomes an issue. Raising a car reduces the tilt angle, so assuming the natural tilt angle is 57 degrees, you've effectively reduced it to about 45. This is based upon a car with just the driver. In Nigeria, 6 in a car is common, the risk factor is higher.

What dampers (shock absorbers) will be used on a raised car? The rams are designed to work within a set scale. If the car is raised, the dampers stop working, period. This is why these raised cars have such a harsh, bouncy ride, there's simply too much travel in height for the rams to work. At this increased height, you could remove the dampers, and you wouldn't notice they were gone, it's that bad.

A raised car driven on a fairly smooth road, on a windy day will feel unstable. I don't know how high TMB is, but the effects of cross-winds on a high bridge are greater, even with a standard, or lowered car. With a raised one, the car will have a tendency to "wander", not hold a straight line. Lastly, in Nigeria, the majority of drivers want a car that has as low fuel consumption as possible. A lower car is more streamlined, so less drag at motorway speeds. A raised car will lift at the front at motorway speeds, causing drag and increasing fuel consumption (the steering will also feel light and vague).

Sorry to get technical, but this is what I do, and I'm getting my points across. To cap it all, with a raised car:

01) Higher centre of gravity, greater roll-over risk.
02) Altered roll axis / tilt angle, greater roll-over risk.
03) Less aerodynamic, more drag, front end lifts at motorway speeds, greater fuel consumption.
04) Lateral stability at motorway speeds is reduced, especially if driven in cross-winds.

How much is a little? An inch or two? Either of these options are too long for the stock dampers to operate. Most cars have alternative springs - Sport (lower and stiffer) Standard (higher and softer) Heavy Duty (Higher and stiffer). Beyond the tallest springs fitted to a particular model, there's no other safe way to raise a car. It would make more sense to fit a slightly taller tyre, and make sure your exhaust and fuel tank are tucked as high up as possible in the chassis.

I'd prefer damage to the vehicle's under carriage, than having my car deviate from it's set course, if I hit an unexpected bump with a "raised" suspension, or had to take sudden evasive action with the same modified suspension. There are cheap options - older Peugeot 504 / 505. These have higher than average ground clearance as standard, and are dirt cheap. Heck, some folk will even give them away.