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Has anybody had any success doing this? It could use a 15mm drop..
Lowering the 12C
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786 Posts
I'm fairly sure the rubber stoppers underneath get enough abuse already - it would then become the body panels taking the damage.
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As I thought, nobody has actually done it. I will let you know if it's possible, dealer is working on a resolution. It's not really a coil over, springs are just there for static ride height support.
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83 Posts
It has been done
And you want to change the static ride height yes? If spring perch is threaded then this would be theoretically possible. Looks like the shock bodies may have provision for perch settings with this pic showing what looks to be the lowest ride height if that is the case.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7mq6KCs7b...NJHLuWNSUe8/s1600/4997276005_5f4a0cae54_o.jpg
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2,468 Posts
20" wheels on the front, wtf? No, just no. You will ruin the ride and the handling. It has been done, look at SP Engineering's MP4-12C. That has aftermarket wheels and is lowered
http://www.luxury4play.com/mclaren/...e-mclaren-mp4-12c-iforged-concave-wheels.html
http://www.luxury4play.com/mclaren/...e-mclaren-mp4-12c-iforged-concave-wheels.html
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608 Posts
I don't understand all of the negative comments on this forum with regarding to lowering the car. So what if somebody want to lower their cars? Big deal...
So are you saying that McLaren is the only company who knows how to tune a car? I guess Ruf, Brabus, Techart and all these tuning companies are really useless then!
You guys sound like some of the Ferrari people........"Oh no! You can't modify a Ferrari, it's forbidden!"
So are you saying that McLaren is the only company who knows how to tune a car? I guess Ruf, Brabus, Techart and all these tuning companies are really useless then!
You guys sound like some of the Ferrari people........"Oh no! You can't modify a Ferrari, it's forbidden!"
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541 Posts
yes. sp engineering is 19x8.5 same as factory... they just lowered it... But on the other hand... look at hamann, gemballa, mansory... they all are up sized with no problems... Besides, the factory handling is pretty comfy even on track setting for my taste... When its done, Ill let everyone know how it feels... probably a bit stiffer on the front, but not going to be too much different...
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2,468 Posts
It's not about upsizing with no problems. I'm telling you, it'll fit, but it'll ride and handle like shit. Really really gonna suck mate
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I wouldn't say those company's know nothing, but i would bet my left nut that they know less about the 12C than Mclaren do. Mclaren spend millions developing the car as do all manufactures, the tuners simply don't have the resources ( not to mention the F1 teams) that Mclaren, Ferrari etc have at their disposal.
I have driven a 12c on 20' rims and the ride IMHO was not compromised as much as i thought it would be, unlike a regular sprung vehicle the Mclaren suspension can absorb a lo of the harshness. But i agree with the comment that it does not need them.
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608 Posts
Interesting....so a Techart modified GT2 is worse than Porsche's own GT2? Take a look at the recorded lap times and then you can tell me if tuners know nothing about cars. Granted, most tuners out there typically do a worse job than the factory cars, but there are few who makes the stocks better than before.
AMG started out as a tuner and they were hugely successful in their race cars. Guess what....MB bought them out directly to counter BMW's M division. If tuners were no good, then I guess some of the MB board members wouldn't drive their Brabus tuned cars around would they?
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3,073 Posts
I think the term "better" is the problem here.
Factories, even Porsche with their GT models, have to make a lot of compromises to match the needs and gusto of many different types of customers. They need to match regulations in many countries around the world, need to offer 3 or even more years of warranty. That's why, at the end of the day, all factory cars (beside exotics like Pagani etc.) are a compromise.
Tuners don't have this kind of problems. They can install shorter springs, harder shocks, lowering the car to the limit, all to the specific wish of ONE customer. This probably makes the car "better" for this specific customer. Or faster on a track than the factory car. Which does not necessarily mean it's a "better" car overall. It's just more optimized for a specific purpose.
If you hand over the 12C to some tuner, it might end up a bit faster, maybe sexier and noiser, but it will most likely loose the main USP of this product, it's no longer an AND car.
From my point of view, the 12C is a very very well balanced, beautifully engineered and thought through product which makes chances high, that any tuner will just mess it up with some pseudo aero parts (that have never seen a wind tunnel), bling bling wheels or shorter springs.
On the other side, I agree, that it would look even better when lowered by maybe 10mm and with spacers to bring those rear wheels a bit more out. Maybe something McL could come up at some point in time. That would be the only way to go for me.
PS: Over the years, I'v managed to do maybe 2000 laps on the "ring" and I have never, not a single time, seen a so called tuned car like Techart, Gemballa, Mansory, Sportec that was up to the pace of factory Porsche cars with a proper setup. Of course Manthey Racing is a different story.
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541 Posts
I think Mclaren as with any other manufacturer has to make compromises because they have to appeal to a broader spectrum of buyers. Tuners just take that opportunity and elevate on many fronts the performance level to more extreme often at sacrificing some ride comfort or versatility. The thing is with tuners is that they focus on the car constantly to extract the maximum possible performance out of that platform. For example, car manufacturers have to have software programs that allow a variance of gas used. Car tuners extract maximum performance through tuning for specifically higher octane gas. Case and point would be fabspeed's race cats. Overall, a less restrictive cat, gains good hp, but might not pass manufacturer compliance to govt regulations. Car makers are also bound by a more restrictive guidelines that often will restrict performance for that very reason. A tuner on the other hand, has little to none of those restrictions.
I for one wanted to change the size to have a better visual impact. It is afterall an exotic car and whats the fun with just sticking to stock like every other 12c out there?
So, even if I lose a bit of comfort, Im not using the car as my daily commuter, nor am I taking to the track every weekend... No harm no foul.. Plus, if I want to take it to the track, I still have my stocks handy Besides, the wheels I have on my 12c are a cast wheel, which if I could replace with a lighter bigger wheel up front, Im not going to lose any acceleration because the car is rwd...
I for one wanted to change the size to have a better visual impact. It is afterall an exotic car and whats the fun with just sticking to stock like every other 12c out there?
So, even if I lose a bit of comfort, Im not using the car as my daily commuter, nor am I taking to the track every weekend... No harm no foul.. Plus, if I want to take it to the track, I still have my stocks handy Besides, the wheels I have on my 12c are a cast wheel, which if I could replace with a lighter bigger wheel up front, Im not going to lose any acceleration because the car is rwd...1 - 20 of 36 Posts
