This might be of interest to you guys looking to lower the car a custom amount without the use of coilovers.
I noticed here That we are able to choose eibach springs of our liking.

If I was to lower the car 60mm what free length would I need?

What internal diameter is required for use with Blisten B8 shocks?

And what rate would you guys recommend for me? Ill be using the car mainly on the road but hoping to put in a good few track days too.

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TEAM DIABLO!!

That will be why they only have a 2.50" internal diameter then my bad.

Slight change to thread..

I am wanting to use the Blisten B8s and lower the car about 60mm what's the best springs to use?

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TEAM DIABLO!!

I was thinking of getting my pal who is a machinist to turn down the rod from the B8s a bit so there is still travel in the shocks.
Iv heard the way to do it is to measure the amount you need to trim off by comparing your drop (60mm) the original rod and the new one to work out how much to shorten it by. Then cut between 75 to 90% of said amount off of the top of the rod then machine in the threads/fittings as required. For example if I lower 60 and when fully extended the original shock is 300mm from top of the rod to the top of the spring seat and the new shock is 260mm (assuming they were for a 40mm drop already) then I would shorten the length from the top of the spring seat to the top of the rod on the new shock to about 245mm (not 240 I think they leave the 15% or so for wear and tare and when the shock settles after been run in). If your careful it might be possible to do it without dismantling the shock ?
And if I use roller bearing wishbones and adjustable top mounts with poly bushes and a fresh set of drive shafts (which are clicking anyway) then put it round to Wallace Performance to get the alignment, castor and camber set up, the handling shouldn't be comprised. I would think it would be improved. I know its a lot of work and money but for some reason I do not like coilovers.

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TEAM DIABLO!!

I dont know if that would work, if the shock its self is bottoming out then yes, but if the shock body is getting close to the top mount then it wont make a difference. Still pointless IMO.

My old hdi was lowered 60 ish mm, and i thought that handled pretty good, then i bought my gti, fitted a hybrid arb with stock height and its frightening how much better on the b-roads it is than the HDI.

Why do you want to go so low?

Good point never thought of the strut to top mount distance
But if I use a strong spring would it stop it bottoming out on the top mount?

I like the look of them when they are low

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TEAM DIABLO!!

Droop travel been the length of travel between the top side of the piston and top of the strut body (cap)?
I see what you mean but with the correct springs and B8s how likely is it to hit?
So I am guessing without coilovers a 60mm is pointless and its impossible to improve handing that low?

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TEAM DIABLO!!

I might be having a blonde moment here but.. In the 2nd picture you have gained a larger area between the piston in the shock and and the bottom of the shock body. Surley that is a good thing as that larger area is your damping force in the shock?
If you turn the rods down a correct amount the areas above and bellow the the piston wont change (stay the same as they are with standard height springs) therefore the shock is still doing the same job as it did before?
The only difference is the piston wont travel down as far due to the smaller springs which will bottom out quickly. And to overcome this you could use stronger springs.??
I appreciate it wont be comfortable but I don't use the 6 as a daily driver. lol

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TEAM DIABLO!!

Phillipm is the man to listen to to be honest. Without changing the geometry of the front wishbones 60mm is just too low, look at the diagrams above, that low and the wishbone is past 'level' so any more upward travel and its pulling the wheel inwards, not helping camber atall.

20-40mm for go, 60mm for show.

Not forgetting that 60mm drop on the rear will see you sitting nigh on on the bump stops.

Coilovers or struts and springs either way, that low isnt good.

Watch a formula 1 car from a cockpit camera in slow mo when they are clipping curbs and see how much their wheels/suspension move. Its more than you think.

Also by dropping the car too far you will slow it down, top end wise anyway, as stock the air can go over, and under the car, go lower and less air can go under the car, look at some land speed record cars, they arnt flat bottomed because they need to cut through the air, move the air past and around it.

Circuit racers, ie, Gt style cars, are low, but thats for downforce, most will have big ducts and scoops on the front of them to direct the air to the sides or back of the car, not always for cooling radiators and brakes.

We dont have the option of all that downforce and high 'g' cornering ability, no matter the set up, the car just isnt shaped for it. Not having the downforce means we need to have mechanical grip, from the suspension set up and compliancy of it, plus other things like tyres of course.

If a car is too rigidly set up (plus low travel), it may be good on smoother surfaces with sticky tyres, but will not be happy on the average a and b roads on road tyres, aswell as clipping curbs and dealing with camber changes on our tracks.

Yes touring cars are sat quite low and stiff, but they are also far from standard and running 17 inch+ slicks.

I appreciate what you guys are saying and thanks for the help.

I always thought the dampening force in a shock absorber came from the resistance been created by the oil bellow the piston been forced up through the small orifices in the piston when the wheel is pushed up by bumps in the road. Therefore I was under the impression that if you kept original travel distances inside the strut it would provide exactly the same dampening force. If you know what I mean

So would B8s/B6s with a 30/40mm drop be my best bet?

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TEAM DIABLO!!