Has anyone installed the GRP Adjustable Lowering Kit? Looking for feedback.

[K_Squared]

Hey Emira Lovers,

I'm looking for any feedback from people who have installed the GRP Adjustable Lowering Kit. Specifically, I'd like to hear feedback about the following:

1. How is ground clearance with the car lowered and how much did you lower it? The car is amazing going over speedbumps and such in its stock form. I'm curious to know how it functions in the real world with this setup.
2. Is handling noticeably affected (either positively or negatively?)
3. How difficult was the install if you did it yourself?

The car looks good stock and I'm more OK with the wheel gap than I thought I would be. That said, I know it would look even better if it was a bit more dialed in in terms of the wheel fit/spacing in the wheel wells, hence I'm still considering this at some point.

Ref:

GRP Adjustable Lowering Kit for Lotus Emira

Looking for a way to lower your Emira for some better looks and performance? Look no further! Our lowering kit is a fully adjustable setup that can lower the car up to about 30mm in the front and an almost unlimited amount in the rear and even raise the car if you wish. Utilizing cnc...

www.gregsraceparts.com

Thanks in advance!

 

[EZcheezy]

im also considering these. thread watched

 

[kitkat]

I think Greg mentioned that one person has them installed, not sure if they're on this forum or not.

Any ideas @GRP ?

 

[luciddaydream]

I have them and probably going to install around April 3rd. Also interested to hear if they will affect things.

 

[VL3X]

Some folks have installed them on Evoras with good results. They do what they're advertised to do, but it is a good bit of work to disassemble the strut/spring assembly to install the lowering cups. Some opt to just go with aftermarket coilovers since they're easier to swap and dial in without having to use spring compressors and a vice to take apart the stock stuff.

I actually installed Bilstein B8s and Eibach Pro springs (very similar to the factory Emira set up) on my daily driver MK7 GTI. It's very doable, but can be a lot of work for the average DIY mechanic. One plus to the Lotus double wishbone set up is that everything an be done from the wheel well, without having to deal with threading bolts up through top strut mounts.

 

[EZcheezy]

im definitely going to be paying someone to do this work so im interested in the performance afterwards and what height I should lower too

 

[K_Squared]

im definitely going to be paying someone to do this work so im interested in the performance afterwards and what height I should lower too

I'm likely going to do the same. I'm more interested in the results rather than the actual installation, although that information is helpful and welcomed as well.

 

[robrmon]

I have something similar installed on my Evora, also from @GRP. Different as they are lowering cups and not adjustable.

Also watching this thread.

With my evora, I didn’t notice any problems, no scrapes (I’m very careful), and the car looks so much more aggressive that bit lower. I love it.

 

[Blackthought_]

I was super close to buying the lowering kit from GRP for my Evora GT (for the aesthetics of it) and they let me know that lowering it would not impact the steering/performance of the car unless I go all the way down where bump stop could be an issue.

They also shared depending on the driving done you may experience some rubbing in the front on the wheel liners under hard cornering but for regular driving you’ll be fine. It my case it was the perfect fit since I don’t track the car aggressively. Once I get my Emira I’ll probably go down this route since I loved the steering feel.

 

[GRP]

There are a handful of Emira's with these installed so far, CT Carbon just installed a set on a youtubers car in the UK this weekend so I am sure there will be a video circulating here soon of that.
There was another customer who is on the forums but I dont know his handle - His is in the UAE with a yellow one (pictured on our site).

We will be installing a set on our shop car and another local Emira later this week. When doing so we will do as kuch documentation as possible and create a new how-to guide for them.
The install isnt super difficult but does require a few items like a shop vise/workbench to be able to get the eyelet off the shock shaft so keep that in mind.
First time capable DIY'r should budget about 3-4 hours for install. Having done them by myself prior I can do a set in about 2 hours now.
The install process is the exact same as the lowering cups mentioned in this thread.

 

[GRP]

 

[Time2Fly]

That looks really good @GRP. And no risk of contact with the bodywork?

 

[GRP]

That looks really good @GRP. And no risk of contact with the bodywork?

Nope! As long as you don’t go drastically low you won’t have any worries.

 

[Time2Fly]

I wonder if my wheels pushed 5/7 mm would be an issue.

 

[VL3X]

View attachment 39241

Oh my..

 

[DesertEmira]

Hi @K_Squared

I have had these installed on my Emira and could not be happier with them.

As @GRP mentioned mine is the yellow one on the site (Sorry Greg I know I need to send you better photos).

You can see from the photos on the GRP site, I only lowered it about an inch or so front and back. It made a noticeable difference on track and seems to have gotten rid of some of the body roll that I was noticing.

At the height I have it at, there is no interference on the fender liners or the axle boots.

The ride feels a little firmer but a great intermediate solution at an excellent price compared to going full Ohlins or Nitrons that would provide a completely different solution at a very different price point.

With it a bit lowered, decat and proper brake pads it is able to turn lap after lap and keep up with pretty quick vehicles.

Very happy with the purchase and thanks Greg for the quick and helpful service.

Thanks,

Edited to add photos showing under breaking compression.

 

[K_Squared]

Hi @K_Squared

I have had these installed on my Emira and could not be happier with them.

As @GRP mentioned mine is the yellow one on the site (Sorry Greg I know I need to send you better photos).

You can see from the photos on the GRP site, I only lowered it about an inch or so front and back. It made a noticeable difference on track and seems to have gotten rid of some of the body roll that I was noticing.

At the height I have it at, there is no interference on the fender liners or the axle boots.

The ride feels a little firmer but a great intermediate solution at an excellent price compared to going full Ohlins or Nitrons that would provide a completely different solution at a very different price point.

With it a bit lowered, decat and proper brake pads it is able to turn lap after lap and keep up with pretty quick vehicles.

Very happy with the purchase and thanks Greg for the quick and helpful service.

Thanks,

Edited to add photos showing under breaking compression.

Thanks for the excellent feedback. Do you have the touring or sport suspension? I felt the body roll on my test drives with touring but I notice very little on my sport suspension. I'm very tempted to knock this out (mostly for aesthetics) but I just don't want to have to stress over speedbumps and/or bad driveway entrances. I feel like the sport suspension is great but it definitely is less compliant over bumps than touring. I'm not sure how much harsher I want the ride or if it's worth the trade-off. Decisions decisions!

 

[DesertEmira]

Thanks for the excellent feedback. Do you have the touring or sport suspension? I felt the body roll on my test drives with touring but I notice very little on my sport suspension. I'm very tempted to knock this out (mostly for aesthetics) but I just don't want to have to stress over speedbumps and/or bad driveway entrances. I feel like the sport suspension is great but it definitely is less compliant over bumps than touring. I'm not sure how much harsher I want the ride or if it's worth the trade-off. Decisions decisions!

I have the sport suspension and find the roll to only be impactful on track.

Any stress for speedbumps are only those that are so significant that in any car you would have to be mindful of them. I find it is only one or two locations that the plastic pucks that protect the underside of the car at the front will sometimes just touch.

The beauty of the adjustable cups though is that if you slam it and you get concerned about scraping you can just readjust them and bring them up to closer to factory height.

The ride is only slightly harsher and not at a level that is concerning considering it is a lotus after all.

For a few hundred dollars the aesthetic reason alone is worth it in my opinion.

 

[Green]

That looks wonderful

 

[Adam Brouillard]

These shouldn't change the basic ride characteristics, only significant difference would be increased chance of scraping. Won't be any firmer. You would increase max grip as you are lowering the CG, but not sure about body roll. Could be less or more. Depends on the suspension geometry and how quickly the roll centers change with ride height. Greg might have done the calculations and have an answer, but I doubt it's much change either way. There is nothing wrong with body roll, though. For some reason it has become a bad word, but it just means the suspension is working.

Only issue might be that if you lowered enough you will hit the bumpstops during high g cornering which will cause a sudden increase in roll resistance. Some cars are setup this way on purpose so you hit the front bumpstops early and always get understeer at the limit. If you hit the rear bumps first, it can be bad though. Again, Greg might know and can probably give advice on trimming the bumpstops if needed.

Assuming these are well engineered, this looks like a really good option if you want to only change ride height and not ride characteristics.