What is the ideal ride height?

Well I dropped the 996 even further for a lower center of gravity and the handling seems about the same maybe slightly better because of the rear camber increase. What is the ideal front and back fender measurements. Right now I'm at 25.25" in the front and 24.75" in the back. I know the front should come down a little but is the rear ok?

Check out the 996GT3 specs if you want perfection

The ideal ride height for what purpose?

also when measuring, I've always measured from center of the Hub to the top of the fender and not from the ground. This will eliminate any slight variance from different rolling diameter of various wheel and tire combinations. Andy

Not the ideal way to measure since you are totally eliminating tire wear as well as your ride height as affected by different tires (RD) and even tire pressures.

From a purely cosmetic standpoint I agree ground to fender is OK. From a handling perspective I feel hub to fender is better I've had TC Kline and Ground Control suspesions on my last two M3's and the setup sheets that came with both always gave measurements to get the user really clost to having the car corner balanced out of the box and measurements were always given from Hub to fender and not ground to fender. They eliminate the tire variables on purpose in order to suggest a height that they know puts the suspension in an ideal spot of it's available movement range. For example: You go to the track and drive a GT3 that's beautifully setup but for some reason the guy's running 17' wheels with very short tires on them (again hypothetical). He tells you he had the car balanced at that height so you get out and take measurements from the ground to the fender and go home to apply them to your car not taking into account the short wheel and tire combo. You get home only to realize you need to go all the way down on your coilovers adjustment range to get that fender height to the ground. You set your car there anyhow and go out and you're riding on the bump stop's the entire time and can't figure out why your car handles and rides poorly. Or...you state your car handled like it's on rails and you're running fresh 295's on the rear at 44psi. I ask you your rear ride height and set mine there ignoring the fact that I have 265's in the same profile that are past the wear bars and only inflated to 20psi. Same problem agian only this time my car would like be higher than is really ideal once I match your height from the ground. Andy

but the 17's will still have the same (nearly) RD as the 18's. And you NEED to take into account tire pressure and RD as well from a competition standpoint. But I think we are both getting at the same thing. Maybe your way to set a baseline and my suggestion to fine tune.

Hey Dell, for some reason I always think (wish?) that your avatar must be what it looks like landing the space shuttle at Edwards Air Force base in Cali.

Joe, you are too funny It feels alot like that running the Vegas road courses. Not much out the windscreen except the dirt and rock landscapes. Now that I am in NC and will have VIR as my home track (1 hour away) I will update my avitar to include greenery

There is a right way to measure ride height. On a 996 the procedure would be to set the tires to operating pressure, add driver weight like you do for corner balancing and measure from the ground to predefined points. In front it's the head of the larger of the three bolts that hold the front strut arm in place. In back, it's the dimple to the inside of the rear tire that a frame shop would use for their jig. I'll take pictures tonight if I have a chance. Obviously this is not easy to do without an alignment rack. If you can't do that, I would set the air pressure, add driver weight and measure to a point that can easily be repeated. I suppose the wheel arch directly above the center of the wheel is as good as any. Andy, I don't understand why you would want to eliminate tire size from the equation. It is an important variable in setting ride height isn't it. Bow, I would ask the same question as Russ. Best for what? The best track height is undrivable on the street. Best street height depends on where you live and how steep your driveway is. The best compromise is just that. Dell, Have you been to VIR yet? I love that track. It's one of my favorites. Jim

Hey Jim, no haven't been to VIR just yet but I am very anxious to get there soon. Just have to find the date and free time available to get there........in the middle of a major cross country move and haven't even moved into the house I am building out here

Just FYI Chin motorsports has a VIR event July 3 and 4

damn.....I'll be out oof town that week.

The rear tire is tucked all the way up inside the fender well. What do you think? Should the front and rear fenders be the same height or the front slightly lower. I don't know how much lower I can go with my driveway. I guess I'll just even it out for now.

If you are just going for an aesthetic look, the gap between the fender lip and the tire should vary not more than 25% side to top. No disrespect, but I feel you are a little too low (by about .75 to 1 inch) on front and back. ROW GT2/3s are set at about 26" front, 25.75" rear on 18" rims and 35 series tires. From a practical point of view, you risk suffering some serious engine and undercarriage damage with the car running on city streets with the chassis set that low. I know several folks that have shaved off the engine sump cover by having their suspensions set low. You might want to consider raising the car a bit. If you do wish to stay at your current height, I would recommend front bumper lip and rear engine skid plates immediately. They are a few hundred dollars installed compared to a few thousand dollars for engine and undercarriage repair work.

Well, for sure you don't want the front control arm to drop below level and at 25" mine looks level still. According to the extremely in depth article the GT3 M002 and M003 ride height is approx. 25" to the top of the fender arch, not 26". Not sure if the roll center is different on the GT3 vs. 996 and how the height will affect it.

Learn something every day. Great thread guys. Looks like I have to go back to the drawing board on my thinking. Andy