getting car lowered and darkening windows

elexes

well firstly i dont have a clue about anything about cars so i wont pretend to

looking to get it lowered ( 5dr focus 04 ) got new shiny allows and it seems higher off the ground so i thought why not if its not going to break the car or the bank .

my questionis can it be lowered with the springs in it or will it need new ones ? how long would it take and what would the cost be ? estimations if i need new springs how much would they cost

second question i wana darken the windows firstly i hear a lot about o its against the law to do that and stuff but i still see a lot of cars getting it done is it perfectaly legal to do it or whats the story ? also how much would it cost to get done and anyone know a good place to get it done ? o and the ammount of time it would take to install ?

Bard

As far as I am aware, it's illegal for the front windscreen of a car to be tinted dark all over. The reason for this is not one of identification - your number plate is there for that - moreover, it's that other drivers need to see that you are looking at them... which is very important at junctions, turning lanes, etc. It is also somewhat difficult to see through tinted glass at night time.. meaning you could easily go off the road and kill yourself.. or someone else.

I'm having difficulty in locating an 'official' source of legal information regarding tinted windows but I do remember this question coming up in conversation before.

Dunno what to suggest re: getting the car lowered, sorry...

Nuttzz

get it lowered? Do you every look at the state of the roads we drive on, ensure that you have a metal oil stump protector

mudflapgirl

Nuttzz wrote:

get it lowered? Do you every look at the state of the roads we drive on, ensure that you have a metal oil stump protector

dam, someone got there first.
anyways, a good source of info always (for me anyways) are the good people at maxed-ie.net/forums

TBH honest I wouldn't bother lowering it by much more than bout 10 mm - the state of the roads and the presence of speed ramps everywhere kinda makes it nastier. A good mechanic should be able to sort it no bother - most times you need new coils etc - not too sure on the ole price though.

Tinting is a fickle thing. You can generally get away with 'l black'- on the rear window and rear-side windows. The driver/passenger windows in the front are a real grey area - some places won't tint it much darker than 'light smoke' others will do the whole 'limo black' thing for you. AFAIK there's currently no legislation in this country regarding it - so most places, Gardai included, use the Uk guidlines of about 20/30% tint on the front sides. With mirrored tint it's easier. Most types are actually completely clear or only very slightly tinted from the inside so you can get the whole car done faily legally. I do know of a people who were pulled by the Gardai because of it, but once the Garda was satisfied that vision was not obscured in any way, they were let go. Most tinting companies tint.it for example charge about €300 depending on size of car and amount to be done. You'd be wise to shop around though - prices vary greatly on area of country and even area of Dublin.

Word of warning though, from experience, expect more scrutiny from the Gardai if you do get the car tinted. They tend to assume that if you have you're car tinted you're a drug dealer or something and watch you like hawks.

JB123

Hi i have my integra lowered 40mm and u can go lower just increase your wheel size.The bigger wheels ie 17inch will give u more ground clearance and your car will look and handle better. lol once u start modding a car its hard to stop.I do however draw the line an sillyass spoilers and pull me over tints and paintjobs.My rule is if dosnt make the car faster or handle better dont bother.
JB

dcGT

Yeah, you need to buy lowering springs made for the particular Focus. Lowering springs are usually progressively wound (which means the more weight on them, the more resistance they give back) and powder coated (you don't want rusty springs ) There are many places online that sell springs (in the UK)
e.g. here:

http://www.dcp-shop.co.uk/catalog/default.php?cPath=292

I bought my springs here. (Cheapest place I found) I've ordered a few bits and pieces from them and I found them very helpful and VERY good shipping costs. (Just drop them a mail and ask them about shipping to Ireland)

If you were to go for GMax springs, here are the options...

http://www.dcp-shop.co.uk/catalog/default.php?currency=EUR&cPath=292_1168_1210_1215&sort=2a&page=1

As far as quality goes, GMax are OK and good value, but Billstein and Eibach are a couple of the best manufacturers.

Another site:

http://www.espdesign.co.uk/snapshots.asp?cat=11

As already said you're handling will improve as the car will have a lower centre of gravity. Also, lowering the car on wheels that are already quite big may require arch work (rolling the arches), but this all depends on the drop and wheel size aswell as the car. Focus can handle 18s AFAIK so shouldn't be a problem in your case. Lowering will also reduce that awful gap between the tyre and the arch
You'll have be a lot more careful on Ireland's crappy roads though, and really take it easy on those some of those speed bumps. It's not a huge problem though, unless you have a really low body kit fitted As long as you're not a maniac who bounces off potholes.

When you get the springs you'll be wishing you bought uprated dampers to match or a nice set of coilovers

Also note that, depending on how low you intend to go, you may need to uprate your dampers also (I think anything bigger than a 40mm drop will require new dampers)

As for fitting them, I don't know anywhere in Dublin that will do it for a reasonable price ???? Local mechanic is probably your best bet, unless you can do them yourself and have the correct tools (torque wrench, spring compressor etc.)

Hope this helps,

DC.

dahamsta

JB123 wrote:

Hi i have my integra lowered 40mm and u can go lower just increase your wheel size.The bigger wheels ie 17inch will give u more ground clearance

ROFL. I can't wait to hear the math behind this one!

adam

mike65

Maths Adam maths! Anyway when you stick on bigger wheels you need tyres with a shallow sidewall (low profile) so your speedo/odemetre are'nt thrown out of true.

Small Wheels = Tall Tyres/ Big Wheels = Short Tyres

From www.tyresave.co.uk

The important thing is that the overall diameter of the replacement wheel and tyre combination is the same as the original fitment - so that
Gearing
Speedo reading
Acceleration
Top speed
Fuel consumption
Ride height
remain the same as intended.

Mike.

ando

I got my Focus lowered 35mm on Eibach springs (I deffo recommend Eibach springs) with 17" alloys. I would'nt really want to go any lower, IMO the car looks natural the way it sits at the moment



I used to have 205/40 profile but the ride was to hard, after getting 205/45, the ride is superb

BTW, it cost €300 for the springs + labour @ Motorway in Blanchardstown.

5 windows tinted for €200 with 'Shades' in Blanchardstown, you can go as dark as you want all round except you cannot touch the windscreen, anyway you'd wana be mad to tint the windscreen

elexes

thx for the info lads given me much to think about as body kit arrives ... well hopfully today and then its shopping for windows etc . after that ill have a look at lowering it . hmmm

smokey2

JB123 wrote:

lol once u start modding a car its hard to stop.
JB

seems like he's caught the bug!!

I've a primera dropped 60mm on 17's and it didn't rub or chaff even when I changer to 215/40 tires!!
but with focus prob best to get -40mm springs invest in a set of 17's and just so ya know check the rim width before decidin on tyre size as mine were seven and a half inch wide which need 215 tyres at least doesnt sound like a big deal but it can be as there wasn't enough tyre across the rim to protect from kurbing and pothole damage!! people who slate big wheels usually knew someone that had a set and had problems cos of buyin tyres that were less expensive (and narrower) than the ones supposed to be fitted!! accessory shops also will often sell you the wheel and tyre package that you can afford but not necessairaly the right combination of either!!

a li'l more advice, if you're not really sure then bring a friend that is!!

also deffo recommend eibach springs!! I'm on my third car with them!!

dcGT

ando wrote:

BTW, it cost €300 for the springs + labour @ Motorway in Blanchardstown.

Ando, just curious, how much did Motorway fit the Eibachs for ?

Cheers,

DC.

michaelanthony

I had a car with lowered suspension and 17 inch alloys. Never again. The sump must have hit every ramp that ever was in dublin

Anan1

"As already said you're handling will improve as the car will have a lower centre of gravity"

ONLY as long as you have enough suspension travel left not to hit the bump stops. Dropping your average car by 40mm in Ireland may indeed make it handle better on smooth roads, but that's 40mm less suspension travel at every bump, crater & speed ramp. To put this in perspective, I drove an Alfa 156 for a while. Great car, but quite low. A Peugeot 406 I had before, although not as powerful a car, was much faster on all but smooth roads. The reason - more suspension travel.