ok so I lowered my car a few weeks ago and I'm getting a decrease in acceleration. I thought it was minor at first but when I took it to the track and noticed it being on average .4 seconds slower in the 1/4 I was concerned.

I've done no other mods other then lowering springs and some kits to get the alignment back in spec.

does anyone know what this could be?

could the traction control/ vehicle dynamic control be kicking in when it shouldn't because it's getting false readings with the car being lower?

Thanks

 

I'd check the alignment again and make sure that your camber kit was installed correctly. There's some cutting you have to do to give the toe bolts from the kit their full degree of adjustability and my shop at least didn't do that. Had to take it to a dedicated race shop.

That being said, I was having trouble staying aligned after I lowered the car and it felt terribly sluggish. Once I got everything sorted out the car felt like it should again. Just my $0.02. Whether it's the camber kit, or your suspension just settled some more after your first alignment, it might be worth checking out.

 

Thanks Jumbo, how much did you lower your car by. I have a rather deep drop about 1.9 inches or so.I was wondering if you or anyone knows if that can alert the sensors in anyway that operate the traction control.

I'm starting find this less likely since I turned off my traction control the other day and it still felt a bit sluggish but then again I know with some of these manufactures that even when it says "off" it's not fully off.

as for my alignment it looks spot on in the front, I might be right on the outer edges of spec in the rear though. how exactly does to much negative camber slow you down anyways?

thanks again for your help.

 

Hey buddy sorry for the delayed reply. My x Coupe is on Swifts so the drop is more mild. About 1" and 1.4" respectively. I offered up my advice above because your situation sounded so similar to mine but I'm no mechanic.

As for the camber affecting speed:

misaligned wheels=less contact patch on the road=less traction=less grip=slower acceleration.

Like I said, All I can offer is my own experience. I doubt your traction control system is acting up. I actually had the same thought when dealing with my car. Step one I think should be make sure you have enough tread on your tires. Step two get the alignment kit checked for proper install and toe-bolt slot trimming.

 

thanks, sounds like your a great source to go off of seeing as we both have g37'xs/ all wheel drive models.

I think my contact with the road is ok because I'm not hearing or feeling tires breaking free on acceleration. it might be that the toe is to far off on my rear so I'm not getting enough forward moment on launches. tough call but I'm definitely taking it in to have the rear redone.

seems that I have a damaged boot/ cv joint in the front too not sure if that could cause power loss to the wheels but I'm not ruling it out. after I get everything fixd up I'll post here and let you guys know if it clears things up.

 

Sounds good man check back in when you can. Your springs might have settled a large amount in the few weeks since you had them installed so I wouldn't be surprised if you're alignment is way off. Plus, no matter what car you buy or what parts you put on it, after a while it will start to feel slower. Just the car guy itis.

 

sorry it took so long to reply back to this thread my boot has been fixed and finally have my car back into spec alignment. the boot repair didn't really help in fixing the acceleration loss but fixing the misaligned toe did.

seems that in these cars two inward pointing toes of anything more then 1.5 degrees will mess up your times on the track.

 

That makes sense. Plus being lowered means less weight transfer to the back and less traction. I had/have the same issue.

 

Glad you got it sorted out

 

Weight transfer is only slightly less. The important thing is weight shift will be quicker with stiffer springs.

Yup, toe is the eater of tires.

 

oh believe me it was all toe, I have the g37X so traction was never the issue.