Quote:
Originally Posted by Angie
They were designed with aesthetics in mind, by messing around with the proportions the essence of the car is lost. I think the 240s are beautifully proportioned, someone once described them as 'kinetic sculpture'. Also the practicality of a good ground clearance is lost by lowering, often one hears lowered cars scraping across speed bumps, what's the point?!
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Each to their own, i preferred the looks of the facelift 140-series to the 240 series with the round headlights but with square or rectangular headlamps, the 240 becomes better looking - until the early 80s facelift that gave them the slightly curvy rectangular headlamps then they looked bloated.
As for ground clearance, given the number of speed humps and potholes, it's a necessity in most places, also having an aversion to paying for chiropractors, i prefer a slightly higher ride height with more comfort these days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BicycleBoy
Apparently they go round corners faster on lower suspension, but the really lower ones are just a different aesthetic and probably don't corner well at any speed.
Perhaps the air-lift suspension isn't such a dumb idea for lowered vehicles, as it at least offers the option of driving the car at the correct height, and lowering whilst static, rather than trying to find a compromise spring height.
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It's all about lowering the centre of gravity which reduces weight transfer and lower springs tend to be stiffer as well, transferring any weight transfer from corniering into the tyres for increased grip. Reduced body roll is allegedly a benefit too but i prefer stiffer anti-roll bars on standard suspension to give a compliant ride in a straight line with improved cornering ability.
An air lift suspension system that can be adjusted while driving gives the best of both worlds allegedly, certainly the only car i've traveled in that had that facility (from the factory which might have some influence) gave a really smooth ride with taut handling.
One other benefit of air suspension is if it deflates when parked, it helps reduce the risk of catalytic converter theft as the tea-leaves can't get their trolley jacks under the car - obviously not applicable to most 240s and anything older than 1992 in general but could be useful for some.