grounding a chimaera

[currymonster]

Can anyone tell me what the ground clearance is like in a Chimaera? Where I live (SW London) seems to have the most vicious speed bumps, pot holes and nasty cambers, is grounding a common problem, or is it easy to avoid?? I am often grazing the bottom of my A3 (despite great care)...

[douglasr]

oops - edited to remove the zero - should have said 146 mm.

Edited by douglasr on Friday 4th January 14:35

[foggy]

So thats over a metre of ground clearance - impressive. Is that with the 19" wheel option.

Colin

[currymonster]

ummm... what does that mean in real terms? Stuff like overhangs count as well dont they? Anyone got any qualitative evidence? cheers, Curry

[MikeyT]

quote:
1460 mm.

Should be 146mm?
Or just under six inches (as the wife often says )

TVR owner in 2002!!

Edited by MikeyT on Thursday 3rd January 17:45

[jeremyc]

My Chimaera 500 survived everything SW London roads could throw at it for 18 months - just needs a little care (and common sense) when going over humps etc.

Used as my everyday (and only) car with no problems - JFDI.

[ATG]

Well, in its favour, the car should have a splitter wing mounted about two foot back from the nose. It sticks out about 6cm at 45 degrees and always grounds first. If you go over sleeping policemen at anything above walking pace you'll hear the graunch and a bit more aluminium swarf will hit the tarmac. I don't think I've evr got close to grounding the chassis, but I've got through the odd splitter. In fact I ripped another one off last weekend on one of those folding security bollards people shove in their driveways. It was only about 2 inches above the gravel, but the wheel tracks had sunk either side of it, so hey presto.

I have a plan to put cut the splitter front to back in about a dozen places to weaken it so it folds in sections when it hits the ground. This won't weaken it in terms of its aerodynamic effect however, just when one area gets smacked.

[5ltvr]

had chimeara 2 months and scrunched chassis (exhaust mounting in centre??) 4 times so far. Twice v slowly on sleeping ploman in Guildford u/g carpark-not too bad, and twice at speed along local lanes with uneven surface and heavy camber-nasty "ching" noise and a bump in the bum

Have got the hang tho I think now of when it is likely to ground at speed when lifts then sinks and look out for road surface that will cause it

[Graham]

I never had a problem with the standard ride hight, but im an inch or so lower now and it can be a bit of a pain..

[Millsy]

My 5.0L gets over all the taffic calming without a problem, just use common sense.

Millsy

[Marshy]

Ummm, I've grounded mine a few times, mostly this weekend trying to get in and out of the car park at a friends flat. Watch out at the Stanstead Mountfitchet services on the M11 too - occasional places where you'll get a slight scrape no matter how slowly you're going.

I also once found the bump stops and struck a few sparks in a big depression on the road back from Donington to Melton Mowbray. Might have been caning it at the time: I seem to recall I was busy catching some big bikes...

[plotloss]

After spending 25 minutes moving paving slabs and bits of 2x2's to get mine off the drive on Boxing Day check you dont catch those handly little bolts that stick down about 2 inches that hold the seats to the chassis.

Why they couldnt have been mounted the other way I have no idea...

Matt.