New idea, 18s up front, 20s out back!

D

djKale

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The hot rod guys do this all the time, but I seldom see it done on daily driven cars. What are the pros and cons? Chris, how did your set of 20s fit on your Mark and what size tires were you running?

Kale
 
The Vette has (had?) 18" in back and 17" up front. As long as you keep the tire ratios correct there shouldn't be any major adverse effects. Your car will ride rougher due to the fact that you have less rubber between you and the road, but it won't hurt anything. Bicow has 20's in back and either 18's or 19's up front, so it has been done.
 
Sifrino3 said:
I didn't knwo the Vette had different sizes. . .
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I think it started with the C5, but am not entirely sure. I do know that the newer Vette rims are different front and back, so whenever they started with those rims I am sur ethe Vettes had them! ;)
 
What's wierd is that using this tire size calculator it shows about an inch difference between the front and rear diameters on the vette.

I think I can make it work regardless, but would like to hear some first hand experience from people with 20s on their Mark VIII. I found this thread on LOD:

http://www.lincolnsclub.org/dcforum/DCForumID10/54.html

and found these pics in the Members Photo Garage (photoshop dropped):

blue_mark_on_20s.jpg


Pilolli, what type of wheels are those on your Mark?

Kale
 
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wont you have to disable the air ride, because it will try to auto level
 
MarkOfDeath said:
wont you have to disable the air ride, because it will try to auto level
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My car is fast bagged so that's not a problem for me. But on a stock car, with switches controlling the front and rear bags, you can deflate the car and it will stay down until restarted. If you want to keep it down you can simply turn off the air ride. You can't drive a Mark VIII that low though, unless it is on VERY smooth pavenment.

Kale
 
Kinda small pics, but here ya go:

mymarkUP2.jpg
mymarkDOWN3.jpg


There is a really good amount of travel, about 6-7 inches. Deflated it is very bumpy obviously and fully inflated it is very stiff. I seldom raise it to the max, but I slam it almost everytime I park. This is with stock bags and bigger lines/valves.

Here's a link: http://www.lincolnmarkviii.org/suspension/reservesystem.htm

The system has changed a bit, but you can get an idea of what is involved by checking out the link.

Kale
 
Sifrino3 said:
My VII's isn't that kind of car. Its the kind of car who likes to adjust on its own. . . Haha
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You can still have the computer run the system if you like...That was my first project when I started modding the suspension. The only shortcoming is that you will actually have to slow the system down, not what I personally want.

I have some new ideas I'm gonna be working on for setting specific ride heights. Hopefully I can come up with something that works and isn't too expensive.

Kale
 
I just do the height sensors. I get what I want and it can still play with it self. . . I would change my mind if I could see it up close. But that just might be a maybe too.
 
Sifrino3 said:
I just do the height sensors. I get what I want and it can still play with it self. . . I would change my mind if I could see it up close. But that just might be a maybe too.
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Sensor modification is a great mod, it works great for most people. For me, the first time I saw the car all aired out, I was hooked. I had to find a way to make that her normal pose. :)

Kale
 
Kale, I used BFG KDWs 245-40-20

The front I needed a 3/16 spacer to clear. They rode very nice.I hardly noticed a difference.I THINK the offset was around 43ish.

I think the only time you should run a smaller tire in fron is IF the larger size wont fit.If you CAN run the same you SHOULD run the same.
 
Sifrino3 said:
My VII's isn't that kind of car. Its the kind of car who likes to adjust on its own. . . Haha
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Mine still adjusts on its own. To run it manuallly you just shut off the computer. You use switches to control the solenoids, compressor, and vent. Then if you don't want it at your set height anymore, just turn the air ride back on. It's actually very easy. And it helps if you need to get under the car to give yourself a few more inches to play.
 
JoshMcMadMac said:
Mine still adjusts on its own. To run it manuallly you just shut off the computer. You use switches to control the solenoids, compressor, and vent. Then if you don't want it at your set height anymore, just turn the air ride back on. It's actually very easy. And it helps if you need to get under the car to give yourself a few more inches to play.
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I had mine set-up that way for a while, but if you drive your car low most of the time, and you encounter the same type of obstacles I do every week, then you need INSTANT adjustability. Just yesterday on the ride home from work I had to hit the switches twice for road construction "bump" warnings.

If the road is flat, car clean, and the sun is out, it feels really good to crusie the Mark SLAMMED. :)

Chris, I'm learning more towards 18s all around now. I found out you can't lay a Tbid in the rear on 20s without having to cut the crap out of the trunk and eventually, I want to lay the car on the ground. I can already get the rear down, it's the front that needs some creative "reworking".

This link shows the problem and what needs to be done: http://www.baggedbirds.com/wayne.htm

I'm assuming the Mark is very similar.

Kale
 
djKale said:
I had mine set-up that way for a while, but if you drive your car low most of the time, and you encounter the same type of obstacles I do every week, then you need INSTANT adjustability. Just yesterday on the ride home from work I had to hit the switches twice for road construction "bump" warnings.
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I guess I am being unclear, as no one seems to understand what I am saying. I can do the same thing you do. I have switches to manually control the suspension. Whenever, however I like. It's a simple thing to do, and a cool cheap thrill.
 
JoshMcMadMac said:
I guess I am being unclear, as no one seems to understand what I am saying. I can do the same thing you do. I have switches to manually control the suspension. Whenever, however I like. It's a simple thing to do, and a cool cheap thrill.
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Do you have a tank, bigger valves, lines, etc?? How long does it take to raise your car from slammed to ride height? Half a second or 30 seconds??? Either way it's cool, you just weren't very clear about if you had a fast system, or a stock system with manual control.

The stock stuff just didn't cut it for me. Since it would take 30-90 seconds to pump up the car, I couldn't use it as often as I would like.

Kale
 
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