Almost all cars coming into the US have ridiculous ride heights... BMW being about the only exception.

The reason is for NHTSA crash testing, results for which can be substantially improved with an increase in ride height.

That said, my car with the sports pkg has pretty much the perfect ride height from a looks standpoint as far as I'm concerned.

 

I'm not 100% certain of this (close, though), but my general understanding is that much of the wheel gap is there to reduce tire noise making it into the cabin. Less gap around the wheel evidently results in more tire/road noise being deflected into the cabin. Makes sense, when you think about it.

In other words, it's intended to be that way from the persons that designed the car. And it has nothing to do with the ride height. The ride height and fender gaps are not necessarily directly related.

Check out the wheel gap on this Enzo. It's not there to promote wheel travel, and it doesn't hurt handling, nor prove that the car isn't low to the ground.

 

the enzo has a system where it can pump fluid into its front shocks and it adds 3 inches to the nose height so you can clear ramps and speed bumps, I dont think the gap is that big in its normal setting

 

Still [what looks like] a few inches of gap. And this is with cornering forces applied this the visible side of the car.

 

In the case of the IS, many people have reported rubbing issues with aftermarket wheels and offsets, so the gap on the stock setup allows for more travel in the wheel(s)/suspension. Without the space, you could potentially say goodbye to a tire and/or fender and its lining, especially over bumps. I'd also second monkeyfarm's comment, in it being a safety issue.

To those who said the front wheels have more gap, that's also by design. The front wheels turn, so they need more space for clearance, especially during lateral acceleration over uneven surfaces.

 

Isn't that what you'd expect with larger-than-stock wheel and tire sizes?

 

Yep, on some cars more than others. It illustrates perfectly what happens when one attempts to fill the gap incorrectly. The original poster saw the fender gaps in the IS as a "design flaw", so I gave an example of what happens when one attempts to 'fix' it by simply filling the gap.

 

True that.

 

So does this mean people that lowered their car hear more road noise? Also, does this mean lowered cars are less safe?

For those of you who lowered your car, can you comment?

I agree the wheels in front look small since the gap is bigger. I still have the stock 18s on my IS. It doesn't really bother me much though. My other car is a 06 Mercedes ML350. I didn't get the air suspension package and you should have seen the wheel gaps. I put on after market wheels and I didn't like the look. So I went to Brabus and got lowering springs. Now it looks perfect. Handling is better than my IS, IMO.

 

You people do realize that a gap is necessary for wheel travel right? If your struts, shocks, and sway bars are going to do their job, the wheels are going to have to have at least several inches of travel.

They can't really put a 'lip' there either because that would become an obstruction if you were doing any of those manuevers with the steering locked all the way to one direction.

Design flaw and 'doens't look good to me' are two completely different things.

If anything having non-existant wheel well gaps and giant wheels is as anti-functional as it gets - meaning to me, THAT would be a design flaw (having big wheels and no gaps) rather than the reverse.

 

In general, when done properly the concern is not very big. More road noise would come from both the type of tire, and the fact that its a lower profile. To put it simply, imagine that you have an inch more wheel, you'll now need an inch less of tire to fill the same space. With an inch less of rubber, theory suggest that more sound reaches the cabin.

As for safety, some will argue that you "lower the cars center of gravity" so its safer, but I think its getting too technical for most street driving. You can lower a car safely, and operate it just fine so long as you or a professional know what they are doing. What happens though, is people chase after form instead of function, and thats when things cross the line into unsafe territory (for both the car and/or individual).

 

i think a big design flaw is the placement of the cup holder for manual transmission cars. i can not shift correctly with a tall cup below my fore arm.

wheel gap on the IS is not that bad.

 

I don't prefer the ride height but since I went with an awd vehicle it was expected. Much of the "ride height" has to do with D.O.T. certifcation. Front and rear impact points are required to be at certain heights. Different manufacturers use different standards and some of the variables are:

target market (U.S., Europe, Asia, South America, etc. . . )

ratio of sales in those markets (i.e. the design will be built to be the least expensive to certify in the market with the most sales.)

Some of the "wheel gap" is a collateral effect of the design modification to meet D.O.T. specs.

Some of the "wheel gap" is a collateral effect of the hardware and equipment for this market.

Some of the "wheel gap" is a collateral effect of the suspension setup which is set based on the majority of the target markets ride requirements. This is determined by market research, focus groups, and industry trends.

Some of the "wheel gap" is a result of the specific suspension component/setup that is selected for the specific road surface characteristics in the target market.

Some of the "wheel gap" is a result of the multi-vehicle design platform. They try to achieve a happy medium of all design needs, wants, and tatstes. Including the awd segment.

Some of the "wheel gap" is a result of the manufacturer trying to hit a broad target market and keep expenses low, margin high, by not having siginficant differences in the core setup of many sections of the vehicle. i.e. share as many parts as possible across the model line-up..

I agree, the gap is ugly on my awd but I knew that going in. The design is intentional and its not flawed according to their prototype tests and certification approvals.

It is very expensive to certify a vehicle outside of the most current front/rear minimum impact heights. Depending on the model and the market it is sometimes worth the exception. Other parts of the car have to be designed differently for any vehicle that is too low or too high.

my .02

 

It's time for some H&R or Eibach kit, isn't it? I have Eibach spring on my 01' 330ia and I am very happy about it.

Francis
99' RX
01' 330ia, Eibach spring, Axxis brake pad