Moving engine lower in engine bay?

[spetz]

Just wondering about dropping my engine by a few cm in the engine bay for better centre of gravity

Basically there are 4 mounts. Front, back and 2 sides
Front/back are on an I beam which is connected to the crossmember and just under the radiator onto the chassis. Just wondering if I could get longer bolts and use some spacer plate there
The side engine mounts are in a similar design where I can pretty much put spacers to drop it down

Wondering, any downsides besides ground clearance?
Or could this actually be as simple as about $50 in materials and some DIY work to drop it down roughly 50mm?

[BlitZ]

and what makes u think you will be moving the centre of gravity for a positive change? i dont think you wouldnt change much unless u shift it back and forth not really up and down..

however if u can prove it mathically then do it... else you are better off putting the $50 towards carlton draugths..

just my 2 cents

[BlitZ]

an also a more effective way to shift it is to change spring heights.. that would move more weight around

[destrukshn]

yes moving it back more i think proves to be better.

[BlitZ]

yes moving it back more i think proves to be better.

yeah.. most definitly:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Slow96GSR]

I'd be more worried about hitting the oil pan on the ground, putting a hole or dent in it and losing oil pressure. Moving it down isn't going to do as much as moving it back.

[spetz]

But moving it back will also decrease traction and this is a much larger job?
Regardless no room to move back or front for that matter. It's a very tight squeeze


I don't see why moving it down wouldn't offer improvements? it's a heavy cast iron engine and certainly lowering it a bit "should" yield noticable improvements?

[Slow96GSR]

It would only lower the center of gravity a fraction. Moving it back is a hard task with any front wheel drive car. I would do suspension upgrades instead. This can be done at home and for less.

[spetz]

The suspension is as far as it goes...
The only thing I have left to do is maybe seam weld, chassis rail filling and roll cages which I wont put in
Oh, and run semi slicks for street use
Otherwise everything is braced, Tein coilovers, every single bush changed, adjustable swaybars front and rear, spherical mount to the swaybars, pillowball mounts at all 4 corners, and other things like relocation of battery to boot and planning on CF bonnet for better weight distribution

I would just think that naturally having heavy parts lower would aid in handling? Like, imagine a CF roof, and lower roof line? Engine sitting lower, seats sitting lower, windows lighter etc all dropping centre of gravity

[bal]

hahah and you payed me out for doing weight reduction spetz shouldnt you worry about getting your engine b4 you worry about how it sits in your engine bay??

[roar]

just put in a lawnmower engine, MASS WEIGHT REDUCTION YO

[string]

You're entering a bit of a paradox here.

You want a low centre of gravity so you lower the car, causing your stock axels to already be pushed out of stock geometry as the gearbox is sitting say 40mm lower than stock. Now you want to lower the engine relative to the wheels again. Unless you can find some suitable drive-shafts, there is no way unless you don't plan on turning :)

Now are you talking about a honda here, or even a fwd? Because you mentioned pillowball mounts, which to me is a method of mounting the top of a mcpherson strut; of which our fwd honda's (the good ones anyway :D) do not feature 2 of, let alone 4.

You'd get better results from spending the time doing the work, at the track honing your driving skills.

If you want to get really serious about getting a car with the weigh where you want it, construct one yourself, because you could spend a life-time converting a shopping trolly into a hardcore race-car.

[BlitZ]

i think he needs to buy a honda... ahaha kidding.. money and investment would be better spent else where..

get a space frame.. that should solve all your clearence issues

[LSD Motorsports]

Lowering the engine a tad bit would lower the center of gravity. Moving the engine back would not "lower" the center of gravity but rather shift the weight of the car to the rear bringing it closer to a 50/50 weight ratio. If you are talking about a Honda, you will have a hell of a time trying to move it back or down. There are a lot of factors you have overlooked. Many hoses, fittings, brackets would be crimped, bent and squished if the engine is just "dropped" with spacers. Not to mention you are now creating more failure points and a greater moment on the Factory Spot Welded Engine mount brackets which are pretty weak to begin with. Lastly and probably most importantly, Axles are designed to run straight out from the transmission to the hub, if you want to lower the engine to where it would make a difference in the C.O.G, you would now have axles that would be prone to premature failure and possibly even breaking at the spline.
My advice if you want better handling:
Put on a good set of springs, get your camber adjusted and buy the best tires money can buy. Many people underestimate the importance of the rubber they ride on, but believe me it is probably one of the best suspension modifications you can make.