Is this unusual?

[Wivvix]

Hi guys,

In anticipating some suspension upgrade purchases I decided it would be a good idea to check how my car is sitting at present.

Parked on level concrete in the garage I got four different distances from the ground to the top of the wheel arches.

Front Left: 625mm
Front Right: 615mm
Rear Left: 660mm
Rear Right: 645mm

Is this normal? Is this where/what I should be measuring?

[Hammer]

Which car? As in how old and how many k's?

The varying height could be normal wear and tear on the suspension, or it could be abnormal due to a bent chassis.

But its more likely the former.

[Wivvix]

Which car? As in how old and how many k's?

The varying height could be normal wear and tear on the suspension, or it could be abnormal due to a bent chassis.

But its more likely the former.

95 NA, 190,000km's. No idea about the age of current suspension kit, def no history of it being replaced in the last 5 years.

[rascal]

Is this normal? Is this where/what I should be measuring?

Yep, pretty normal for a 190k car.

As Hammer mentioned, all car's springs will eventually sag over time, and usually the drivers side more than passenger as it carries the weight of the driver always, whereas the passenger side only sometimes..

[Charlie Brown]

Is this normal? Is this where/what I should be measuring?

Normal measurements are taken from the centre of the wheel (hub) vertically to the underside of the guard lip.

By measuring this way you eliminate uneven tyre pressure and tread wear effecting the measurement at each corner.

[93_Clubman]

Also, a few NAs seem to have less clearance on the driver's side rear as yours does.

[Szemen]

My NA8's driver side is wound up higher than the passenger side. ie, its slouched over to the driver side.

[Wivvix]

I took some more measurements as per Charlie Brown's (the normal) methodology

Front Left: 340mm
Front Right: 345mm
Rear Left: 380mm
Rear Right: 365mm

This is stock suspension by the way. I'm not sure if this is normal ride height, but isn't it a bit odd that there's such a discrepancy between the front and rear height?

[93_Clubman]

Wivvix, the following text is cut & pasted from:
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=27611

Suspension heights are are calculated via a vertical measurement from the wheel centre to wheel arch.

These measurements are specified by the vehicle manufacturer at the time Aust Compliance is granted. A new vehicle data sheet (NVD1) is issued to the various State/Territory rego authorities. The NA6 NVD1 is known as MAZDA 26 and states the following -

A NA standard is 350 mm front and 370 mm rear. Minimum allowed is 320 mm front and 335 mm rear.

The 100 mm rule is minimum ground clearance for any item (except wheel/tyre).

A lot of aftermarket suspension kits drop the cars lower than minimum spec. .......

Road Vehicle Descriptor (RVD1) sheets replaced NVD1 sheets in 1999. They gave additional information including measurements at full bump and minimum ground clearance (101mm). The last one issued for the NB8B series was RVD1MC-152 issued 20/11/2003.

[OVERDRAWN]

My advice is to buy a set of used Bilsteins,readily available,around $450, add some KINGS springs,FCM bump stops and for a modest amount you have a set up that is superior to most.I run KYB AGX's and a mate uses Bilsteins,his is the alround better handler

[Benny]

A good suspension place can easily re-set your springs, and I would say this is the cheapest and easist way out, and then your car will still be stock.
Also, they can re-set the springs to give you a lower ride height too.