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Tricks To Get Into Evil Driveways With A Lowered Car

vidospace
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vidospace Mentor

vidospace

Posted
Posted

OK so I stupidly went out and got a hot looking front bar for my R34 before getting my suspension done. The bar scrapes just a touch on my drive way no matter how I seem to turn the wheel. Once I was able to get in without scraping but I cant figure out what I did right! Now my car is back from the shop getting the SK kit fitted and it will be lower again (not by much but maybe 1 inch). The drive way is a dip basically. Our road is curved in the centre and then the drive way banks up over the pavement before flattening out in our property. So you can see my issue. Over speed bumps I know to go at an angle and all is fine but I need to know how to go at an angle and then when to turn back straight or opposite to get over such dips without killing my kit? Suggestions?

If worst comes to worst I might need to install a metal grill between the road and the drive way to even out the angle. But that might be overkill!

some_cs_student Veteran

some_cs_student

Posted
Posted

I have a very steep driveway so here's how I get in / out, but its only possible because my driveway is really wide, it can fit two cars side by side (nearly :yes:).

On the way out: drive onto the nature strip, reverse back on a sharp angle to stick the rear towards the road, then change it the other way full lock, I often do drive a little onto the other side of the kerb because the rear of the car is high enough off the ground. Sometimes forwards / backwards one more time to get the angle right and then gently across the road and it just makes it.

Getting in, completely different, I drive on the wrong side of the road because one side of the driveway is less steep then the other, turn late and sharp and the bar *just* makes it (and I"m heading straight for the wall so I stop, I then reverse and go in the 2nd turn :)

Every driveway is different, I've seen a few people make ramps (usually illegal under council law) and someone who had a WRX had a "cross over" built by his council (cost some serious $$$), another person got a free cross over made because she was near a council that did it for free :)

Personally I'm really tempted to pull out a ramp and drive onto it and take it away afterward.

Oh how lows your car? My one was 8cm from the ground when I put the Japanese suspension in, raised it to 13.5 and now its about 11.5 or 10.5 at the front bar...

Good luck!

bt23 Enthusiast

bt23

Posted
Posted

My one is pretty much sitting 10cm at the front and sides but the shape of my front bar sticks out at the lip which caused me a lot of grief during my first couple months owning the car (I had to eventually get it re-fiberglassed + resprayed). I still occasionally sand the paint underneath from scraping some driveways but nothing too drastic.

I live in a cul-de-sac with a very steep curb but mastered it by just keeping in mind to take a big angle. For some of the driveways with dips, you could also try reversing in. Some driveways you may just have to completely avoid altogether. It's just part of having a lowered car.

Hang in there...

P.S. There is no shame in getting a mate to step outside and check as you attempt to drive up. Sure, onlookers might think you are a wank, but at the end of the day you are saving unnecessary stress and money!

Phobic Collaborator

Phobic

Posted
Posted

just smash it up there and keep repairing the bumper haha, nah the best way is just go up it at an almost parrallel angle it helps when you have wide wheels that stick out the guards because they go up the curb before the bumper hits

vidospace Mentor

vidospace

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Well guys, got the car back today. Its about 1cm lower than it was before (just purrrrfect), and low and behold, it doesnt scrape AT ALL!

Guess the lower back end and harder suspension helped!

Swiper the Fox Grand Master

Swiper the Fox

Posted
Posted

i have the worst driveway in aust...an extremely steep twisting item that i have to put the Jeep in 4wd to reverse it up.

thats why i have a high ride height drag car not a gutter scraping circuit item.

some_cs_student Veteran

some_cs_student

Posted
Posted

Dirtgarage, that driveway sounds dangerous, for any non-4WD on my driveway you can't attempt to drive straight in without angle to you hear a scraping sound (in stock cars its often the rear).

videospace, glad to hear you got it in, I ended up getting my bar re-fiberglassed and re-sprayed and I've been very very careful since then...it wasn't really bad damage but enough scratches to get to me :)

joeyjoejoejuniorshabadoo Grand Master

joeyjoejoejuniorshabadoo

Posted
Posted
just smash it up there and keep repairing the bumper haha, nah the best way is just go up it at an almost parrallel angle it helps when you have wide wheels that stick out the guards because they go up the curb before the bumper hits

not if you run stretched tyres tho :)

Pezhead Grand Master

Pezhead

Posted
Posted

Have a look at the gutter and slope of the road. I put a thick board in the gutter and that gave me the 1" I needed to clear when leaving. Roads are purposely crowned to drain the water away to the gutters. For me the clearance problem was simply coming off the lip of the driveway into the gutter. That 1" drop caused the bar to drop down onto the slope of the road.

I got some 2" x 12" from the lumber store and put two sections out on the road.

I worked pretty well until the first big rain - I live on a hill.

Since then I've changed the suspension to put the car to only 1" lower than stock.

When I get on my other computer I'll show a picture of the driveway hell I went through. My driveway has a steep slope down and to keep the water at the top the previous owner created a sharp crest up then down. Everything bar my 4-runner got high centred on it. So it took a 2 weekends of kanga hammering and rebar cutting to remove the crest to a plateau.

Ah, what we do for the love of our cars.

Psymon Mentor

Psymon

Posted
Posted

I've just moved into a place with a driveway that a standard commodore can scrape its front bar on! I haven't tried with the skyline yet because it's still off getting work done but i'm not looking forward to it :blush:

elysium Enthusiast

elysium

Posted
Posted

i havnt even bothered with my driveway, Its narrow, steep and short and isnt even from one side to the other. my mate in a vy commo tore his muffler off coming into it, his is lowered a little but nothing compared to my gtr. my gf suzuki swift scraps front on coming down it and they are a short car...

ill have to post a pic one of these days...

iamhe77 Grand Master

iamhe77

Posted
Posted (edited)

I feel your pain.

Start on a 45 degree angle (pointed right), slowly bring it back to 45 degree left and slowly over the top rise.

I can have either my 2 dogs, or 1 passenger under 100kg in the passenger seat else I scrape exhaust tip on the bottom and the front pipe over rise (worse with 3" exhaust).

If I have a car load of people, they all get turfed at the bottom and have to walk up. 40C or 14C with hail = GTFO and walk up.

Part of the reason we are moving next week :)

Even my wife's Magna has been known to scrape and we had mates who were going to back their HiLux up, but couldn't clear the towball.

Edited by iamhe77
  • 11 years later...

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