The 'lowered' alphard community

[ThuMentaliss]

Had some thoughts regarding this subject about how many of Alphard owners that have lowered vehicles endure their vehicles bottoming out from making contact with 'pot hole'

roads and probable damage to the front strut bump stop and in some cases the drop link as well.............

[Rojie]

2 hours ago, ThuMentaliss said:

Had some thoughts regarding this subject about how many of Alphard owners that have lowered vehicles endure their vehicles bottoming out from making contact with 'pot hole'

roads and probable damage to the front strut bump stop and in some cases the drop link as well.............

 

IMHO, not the way to go.

They can look fantastic; but at what price peace of mind and enjoyment.

 

If you do lower, or have bought a lowered, Alphie please make sure you inform your insurance company.

 

There are some very good sites on the internet for changing wheel sizes and increasing rim diameter, wheel and tyre width, even highlighting the essential affect on wheel/tyre clearances within the wheel arches (under braking and cornering).

 

Sadly, as the Alphie is a JDM, it is not (normally) included in the options available on these websites.

[ThuMentaliss]

Thanks Rojie, mine apparently was lowered in Japan, owning the vehicle has for me been a poor experience especially with the problem of pot-hole's bottoming out the suspension the only real way to cure this is to put the vehicle back to standard form this in turn will cost me money that I had not Budget'ed for. From my experience  someone who's contimplating purchasing an Alphard with ideals of turning into a fully fledged camper van should avoid purchasing a lowered model.

 

 

 

Sorry Rojie for my ignorance what is a 'JDM'

[Rojie]

32 minutes ago, ThuMentaliss said:

Thanks Rojie, mine apparently was lowered in Japan, owning the vehicle has for me been a poor experience especially with the problem of pot-hole's bottoming out the suspension the only real way to cure this is to put the vehicle back to standard form this in turn will cost me money that I had not Budget'ed for. From my experience  someone who's contimplating purchasing an Alphard with ideals of turning into a fully fledged camper van should avoid purchasing a lowered model.

 

 

 

Sorry Rojie for my ignorance what is a 'JDM'

 

Japanese Domestic Market.

Vehicles made for use within Japan.

 

[Carrera1]

I have a problem with mine bottoming out too.

itdidnt start doing it till I put new tyres on the front , they are the same size bit a different brand .

the thing is they actually look slightly larger , I will swap the rears for the fronts to see if it cures it .

it looks good on 18” wheels on the lowered suspension , I do t want to put it back to stock !

[ThuMentaliss]

20 hours ago, Carrera1 said:

I have a problem with mine bottoming out too.

itdidnt start doing it till I put new tyres on the front , they are the same size bit a different brand .

the thing is they actually look slightly larger , I will swap the rears for the fronts to see if it cures it .

it looks good on 18” wheels on the lowered suspension , I do t want to put it back to stock !

    beware that your tyres maybe directional and the load faction is still within the requirements of the tyre manufacture

[Carrera1]

They are directional , they are fitted correctly , I went with the higher load rating when I bought them , due to

the Weight of the vehicle .

I think the company that imported it out the bigger wheels on it .

 

[starider]

Having been involved with and in the motor trade for more years than I care to remember,I have to say that I have never been a fan of lowering vehicles. All vehicles that are designed and manufactured undergo tremendous testing during pre-production and are hopefully finally produced to give long and comfortable service. During my years when working as a "motor mechanic", there were many occasions where I had to drive/road test lowered cars/vans. Without exception they were uncomfortable and noisy especially on rough and uneven road surfaces,many had unusual handling characteristics especially those fitted with "elastic band tyres".    We use the Torpoint Ferry often and sometimes see lowered vehicles unable to board, or produce horrendous grinding noises as they leave lumps of GRP on the ramps.

I have to admit that when first owning a car, I had to alter the exhaust to give a racey exhaust sound, which looking back sounded a bit silly coming from a Morris Minor Van. What cured me from this need for"the sound", was that you couldn't hear yourself think or make yourself heard during a conversation! and getting out after a long journey, had Tinnitus for sometime afterwards!. 

This is a personal opinion and I accept we all have our own ideas and preferences. I hope those of you having problems get them sorted out. Keep us informed.

[Jay33]

Hi All

 

I have the same problem my Alphie has been lowered, and it too bottoms out over potholes!. Checked the Suspension and it has Blitz coil overs all round. 

 

I hope to be able to adjust the height.

 

It is currently on 16" wheels, and is converted to a camper.

 

BTW hello to all. Only bought it a month ago.

[ThuMentaliss]

43 minutes ago, Jay33 said:

Hi All

 

I have the same problem my Alphie has been lowered, and it too bottoms out over potholes!. Checked the Suspension and it has Blitz coil overs all round. 

 

I hope to be able to adjust the height.

 

It is currently on 16" wheels, and is converted to a camper.

 

BTW hello to all. Only bought it a month ago.

                _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sorry Jay,  Coilovers are specifically designed to lower the vehicle not give the vehicle more height, I spent a lot of time reserching this issue and found that from anaylising the Technical data of seven coilover manufactures none were able to alter the ride height to the original Manufacture's spec'..this was based on my vehicle having 19" wheels with lowered suspension...dont forget if you are lucky enough in adjusting your coilovers you then need to get the steering geometry checked as coilovers adjustments can alter the caster and camber angles

[Rojie]

2 hours ago, Jay33 said:

Hi All

 

I have the same problem my Alphie has been lowered, and it too bottoms out over potholes!. Checked the Suspension and it has Blitz coil overs all round. 

 

I hope to be able to adjust the height.

 

It is currently on 16" wheels, and is converted to a camper.

 

BTW hello to all. Only bought it a month ago.

 

Hello jay,

 

Welcome to the Forum.

[Jay33]

15 hours ago, ThuMentaliss said:

                _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sorry Jay,  Coilovers are specifically designed to lower the vehicle not give the vehicle more height, I spent a lot of time reserching this issue and found that from anaylising the Technical data of seven coilover manufactures none were able to alter the ride height to the original Manufacture's spec'..this was based on my vehicle having 19" wheels with lowered suspension...dont forget if you are lucky enough in adjusting your coilovers you then need to get the steering geometry checked as coilovers adjustments can alter the caster and camber angles

Thanks for the heads up Larry. I shall proceed with caution.

[Jay33]

Thanks for the heads up Larry. I shall proceed with caution.

[Jay33]

14 hours ago, Rojie said:

 

Hello jay,

 

Welcome to the Forum.

Thank you very much. 

[PalePisces90]

I too can count myself part of the 'lowered' club.

 

At least I think so. My Alphard has aftermarket HKS suspension components that were presumably fitted by the vehicle's Japanese owner, though the UK dealer were not able give exact details of the spec beyond putting the car up on the ramp for me to look underneath (see attached images).

 

Out of interest (and from a mechanically naive perspective), is there a straightforward way for an owner like myself to gauge how much a vehicle's ride height has been lowered from factory standard, or should I be consulting a professional to assess it?

 

Thanks in advance for any help/advice.

[ThuMentaliss]

From your photos it appears that you have the early model HKs' coilovers which had a limited adjustment , if you would like to know what the vehicles current standing height is (ground clearance) take it to your 'friendly' garage who if possible has an old fashioned service pit and explain to them that you wish to know the ground clearance if they know what they are doing 15 minutes later they should have the answer .....the other way is for you to measure it yourself which is difficult as you need to know the fixed point of where toyota measures from floor to underside of the chassis...sorry I cant remember where that location is but you should find it by browsing the net.....question is have you got the problem of pot-hole bottoming out ?🤕

[john murray]

Does anyone know how to restore back to normal height suspension. Cost etc 

[ThuMentaliss]

Adverage price was before the recession  £1100 - 1200.00  depends how far you want to take it some people on here will tell you you have to change nearly everything to do with the suspension which is nonsense. all  depends all mileage, useage, if you vehicle passed a Mot recently which a failure may have picked up on worn joints etc would be helpfull.

 

[PalePisces90]

On 9/16/2022 at 12:10 PM, ThuMentaliss said:

From your photos it appears that you have the early model HKs' coilovers which had a limited adjustment , if you would like to know what the vehicles current standing height is (ground clearance) take it to your 'friendly' garage who if possible has an old fashioned service pit and explain to them that you wish to know the ground clearance if they know what they are doing 15 minutes later they should have the answer .....the other way is for you to measure it yourself which is difficult as you need to know the fixed point of where toyota measures from floor to underside of the chassis...sorry I cant remember where that location is but you should find it by browsing the net.....question is have you got the problem of pot-hole bottoming out ?🤕

Very useful info.

 

Thank you for the response.

[starider]

My original post has certainly caused some controversy, but I hope in a good way. Is it possible someone could tell me/us in all honesty why it is seen to be a good idea to lower/raise suspensions? Is it a form of posing, copying, trying to set a trend, I[and others] would love a definitive answer. I have rejoined this topic because today I saw near to Bude a lovely VW Camper, so low to the ground with the tops of the wheels/tyres behind the wheel arch bodywork. There was almost no suspension movement and it seemed to vibrate along the road surface,the ride must have been awful. Any comments please.

Again my plea, if your Alphard has lowered or altered suspension, check your insurance company knows.

[Rojie]

1 hour ago, starider said:

My original post has certainly caused some controversy, but I hope in a good way. Is it possible someone could tell me/us in all honesty why it is seen to be a good idea to lower/raise suspensions? Is it a form of posing, copying, trying to set a trend, I[and others] would love a definitive answer. I have rejoined this topic because today I saw near to Bude a lovely VW Camper, so low to the ground with the tops of the wheels/tyres behind the wheel arch bodywork. There was almost no suspension movement and it seemed to vibrate along the road surface,the ride must have been awful. Any comments please.

Again my plea, if your Alphard has lowered or altered suspension, check your insurance company knows.

 

1 hour ago, starider said:

My original post has certainly caused some controversy, but I hope in a good way. Is it possible someone could tell me/us in all honesty why it is seen to be a good idea to lower/raise suspensions? Is it a form of posing, copying, trying to set a trend, I[and others] would love a definitive answer. I have rejoined this topic because today I saw near to Bude a lovely VW Camper, so low to the ground with the tops of the wheels/tyres behind the wheel arch bodywork. There was almost no suspension movement and it seemed to vibrate along the road surface,the ride must have been awful. Any comments please.

Again my plea, if your Alphard has lowered or altered suspension, check your insurance company knows.

 

IMHO, lowering can frequently improve the appearance of a vehicle.

However, in my limited experience, it always hardens the ride; sometimes improving the 'handling, often having the opposite effect.

Unless wheel arch clearances are maintained, especially under dynamic conditions, your tyres and bodywork could become very 'intimate'

 

For me? I use my van as a cruiser, not a hot rod, and value the ride as developed by Toyota.

A few of Alphards have electronically selectable suspension (HI TEMS) that alters the ride (not the ride height).

 

I have it on my machine MZ G Edition.

Two settings are available Comfort, and Sport

 

What is it like ?

Don't know, I never used it.

I have always had it set  on Comfort.

 

 

 

[starider]

I agree with most of what Rojie has said,but personally fail to see how lowering the suspension improves a vehicles "look". All this messing about with ride height began many many years ago with the "fad" arriving from the US. At around the time, I was still managing a dealership and parts store and began to be approached by young folks asking about our workshop and if these mods could be carried out by our workshop. We could not even consider messing about with any modification which took a vehicle "away" from it's original specification.

Around that time the magazine Practical Car Mechanics used our workshop for strip downs etc.for their magazine articles. My hands appeared in many editions.