Murena Ride Height

[Anders Dinsen]

Hi Anders - do you have a photo of your Murena sitting on new springs. (and if possible how it sat on old springs)?.
 

I'm afraid no. Well this one is with the old springs:
http://gallery.dinsen.net/v/biler/Matra/DSC_2000.JPG.html

But the only correct way to check this is to remove the springs and compare them. Or just buy a new set - they are so cheap from Simon now:
http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120425535413

/Anders

[Oetker]

A solution is to switch the springs left to right and right to left.
After some time it will level, and the car is lowered at the back for free

[michaltalbot]

  Oetker, this is the smartest solution ever! 

[JL]

Having looked at some of the photographs, I must have the offroad version! Unfortunately I do not have a real side on shot of the car but you can see from this picture there is loads of clearance between the wheel arch and the top of the tyre.

John

[Anders Dinsen]

Having looked at some of the photographs, I must have the offroad version! Unfortunately I do not have a real side on shot of the car but you can see from this picture there is loads of clearance between the wheel arch and the top of the tyre.

That's quite common iwht the 1.6'es - Lennart has gone through a lot of trouble fixing this, but the end result is good and his car is now finally and for the first time in its life sitting correctly on the rear springs The issue is, apparantly, that Matra started to fit 2.2 springs on the late 1.6 models for some reason. Perhaps they ran out of the correct ones? Who knows.

I think he has a photo of the installation somewhere, but here's one where you can see how it sits now at least (and where it's being inspected by the professionals ):

http://www.sorth.dk/p/20090523/Med/20090523_153311.html

/Anders

[JL]

That is more like it, I would say that the clearance is half the amount that my car has. I will have to look further into the problem; anything to give me a break from bodywork!

Thanks
John

[suffolkpete]

Just measured the ride height of my 1.6 and it's 66cm both sides from the floor to the top of the wheel arch, on 185/70 x 13 tyres.  I must say I don't go for this mania for lowering cars, for normal road use.  There is a real risk of grounding on speed humps nd ramps and I'd never get my trolley jack underneath it.

[JL]

Hi Suffolkpete, when I get my wheels back on I will have a measure, please don't expect an early reply!

Have you removed the rubbers off your bumpers?

Regards
John

[suffolkpete]

The measurement was for your information, I'm happy with my car the way it is.  The previous owner removed the rubbers, apart from two short strips in front of the headlamp pods.  I think I would have preferred the original setup, but the parts are hard to come by and it's not high on my priorities.

[Titus]

My 1983 1.6 was also the 'off roader' spec when I got it. Sitting far too high at the rear in my opinion. There was a clearance of 9cm from the top of the rear tyre to the bottom centre of the bodywork arch. See first picture.

My thinking in replacing the suspension with the Spax Sport Kit supplied by Simon was to make the wheels fit the bodywork and not to go on and install blue neon underlighting  Also the parts needed replacing anyway. This is the same kit as Lennart pioneered on this forum. If Will at Matra Magic had listed these parts in his site under the correct heading I would have sourced them from him at a considerable saving to the price I paid Simon. Worth checking out if anybody is considering this.

The following measurements are from the floor to the bottom of the centre point in the bodywork wheel arch. Some may think that the bodywork is not to be relied upon but it gives a good indication of how much the car was dropped by.

Original measurements: Front Left (drivers side) 60.6cm
                                       Front Right 60.2cm
                                       Rear Left 65.6cm
                                       Rear Right 65.6cm (suprisingly the same)


New measurements    : Front (both) 58cm
                                      Rear (both) 61.8cm

Dropping the rear by about 4cm. The car also sits level.

The front was lowered on the torsion bars to almost their limit.

I need to post again as the input page keeps dropping down out of view (Lennart help please!)

[Titus]

So to continue...

The second photo is how the car is now. Unlike it came out of Romorantin

The distance from floor to centre of the front spoiler is 16cm. It is low and have had the odd mishap with grazing the tow points on speed humps when forgetting to slow it down. Car park kerbs and the like also need to be watched out for when pulling up to them

Roy suggest that the front should be 18.5cm and not 15.8cm (16cm in my case). The original printed spec says 15.8cm which he thinks was a missprint. I could stand corrected however.

The final photo is of mine and Lennarts cars. Notice that Lennarts sits higher at the front (October 08).

I think the car looks better at the new height and may even handle slightly better.

[Oetker]

A matraguru from Belgium told me the best height on the front.
If you can put 2 fingers between the top of the tire and the wheelarch you have the best point.
Not very scientific, but I have to believe him, becaus he is involved with Murena's since the 80s, and repaired and fixed dozens of them.

[Lennart Sorth]

his car is now finally and for the first time in its life sitting correctly on the rear springs

indeed, - if anything my car is now a bit too low in the front due to torsion bar fatigue - will have
to give them a notch upwards some day.

I think Matra either used 2.2 chassis parts or possibly springs - most 1983 1.6 Murenas I have seen, have been sitting 2cm too high at the rear (where "spot on" means the wheel is centered in the wheel arc, as it is on 2.2 Murenas).

The car feels noticably different since the tail came down - obviously because the geometry now is how it was designed. Before you had a slight feeling of the car skidding *over* undulations in the road - now it just whacks the wheel around the surface and grips better.

I think he has a photo of the installation somewhere

Right here:
  http://www.matrasport.dk/Cars/Murena/Conv/P1.9i-8v-ls/20080706/index.html

After cleaning my brakes today (to make them stop howling - not squealing under braking, but whooohooo'ing along after braking) I took the car for a test drive, and since the howling had disappeared, I could fully enjoy a nearby nice roundabout in the middle of a derelict forest area ...  it just sucks to the ground, and all power goes to the ground - except for the part that goes straight into the drivers grin :-)

That 26 year old car, never stops entertaining me.

/Lennart

[Murena IRL]

I was going to go ahead any buy a set of rear springs for my Murena, think they are still on the originals so no harm replacing and Simon had them at 40 Euros on ebay.de when I last looked last year.

Cant find them now though and just checked his website, he has lowering springs for a whacky 300 euros for 2!

Anyone know where u can get the rear springs or what they are shared with?

Thanks
Derek

[klumzer]

Hi,

visit carjoy.nl

Item nr. 12015.
Price 68.10Euros excl VAT.
A bit cheaper...