Car "bottoming" out?

[Rosskk80]

If I'm driving to fast my car bottoms out on not so steep inclines, have done this like 5 times :( ps I have 18inch wheels. This happen to anyone else?

[rfruth]

sure hope not (whats too fast & steep) ?

[GrySql]

What are you referring to when you say bottoming out?

Is the suspension hitting the stops? Part of the car scraping the ground?

If you know you are going too fast, why not slow down?

 

My car has been over several construction depressions, parking lot speed 'bumps' and other road irregularities and handled it well.

These cars have progressive rate compression and rebound nitrogen shock absorbers that are state of the art for domestic cars, but they are not off-road certified.

Edited August 3, 2013 by GrySql

[Terps]

I'm guessing you're noticing the plastic under the front bumper scraping? It hangs down a good two inches below the bumper and I scrape all of the time going in and out of my driveway. The car does sit fairly low at the front though and this extra plastic shielding makes it very noticible. Rim size should not matter much as the tire size should make the overall height relatively the same within probably a half inch or less.

[Rosskk80]

Yes, the front part of the car scrapes the ground when I pull into work, now I drive slower

[storksb]

This happens to me too. As was previously mentioned there is a plastic guard the front under ready that hangs down a couple of inches. Only happens to me on poorly graded drive way entrances and speed bumps.

[GrayStrider]

We've heard the plastic guard scrape many a time. Can't be helped in some areas the way intersections are, but I know which ones to make sure I slow down for (although it'll still rub anyway).

[Waldo]

If you want good fuel economy, you need good aerodynamics. If you want good aerodynamics, you need a low deflector on the front. If you have a low deflector on the front, you will scrape it on lots of stuff.

[hybridbear]

We've had the same thing happen. The low front end scrapes very easily. When I know I'm going in or out of a steep driveway where I think I might scrape I'll go very slowly and try to angle the car so it won't scrape. As commented by Waldo the low molding is needed for good aerodynamics.

[Eddie Sessum]

That's not really a aerodynamic feature.. It's there for when the grill is closed on the hwy to help deflect some air for cooling etc. At least with our cars if we rip it off somewhere it doesn't cause the car to overheat like a lot that have it.

 

I've scraped it too along with twice on my bumper. Even going slow at an angle doesn't always help. At least the bumper scrapes are well under and you actually can't see them. Can just feel them.

 

But than again I believe the Mkz is lower than the fusion

[GrySql]

I'm thinking about getting one of these Parking Sensors for those pesky parking lot curbs.

Watch the video about it, it'll fit any car.

http://www.americanmuscle.com/curb-alert-sensor.html#readMore

 

[corncobs]

Very nice idea but the price is kinda steep don't you think?

[Eddie Sessum]

Very nice idea but the price is kinda steep don't you think?

 

All it takes it one dip in the road.. "And its gone" lol

[corncobs]

 

All it takes it one dip in the road.. "And its gone" lol

... at least you know that's gone since it will scream (beep) for one second and go silent the next. ;-)

[murphy]

OT: Reminds me of the blue reflectors the township glued to the center of the street opposite every fire plug so the fire trucks could find the fire plugs easily at night. Guess what happened after the first snow fall when the snow plow went down the street?

[corncobs]

Did the snow plow play ice hockey with them ? LOL sounds like a case of "Wise Men of Gotham"

[Waldo]

That's not really a aerodynamic feature.. It's there for when the grill is closed on the hwy to help deflect some air for cooling etc. At least with our cars if we rip it off somewhere it doesn't cause the car to overheat like a lot that have it.

 

 

Huh? Of course it's for aerodynamics. It would be far more efficient to open the grill for cooling then to try to deflect air up from underneath. Ford uses the same design on cars that don't have active grill shutters.

[Eddie Sessum]

The piece your refering too would be in the front. If you look underneath at its placement it's lined up to drive air into the radiator

[Waldo]

The piece your refering too would be in the front. If you look underneath at its placement it's lined up to drive air into the radiator

 

Think of it as if the opening is there for cooling, but the whole piece itself is there for aerodynamics. If cooling was the only goal, they would have just left the whole thing off and had higher ground clearance.

Edited September 3, 2013 by Waldo

[Eddie Sessum]

I dunno.. Many sports cars are the same way.. Even the gtr which has its own form of grill shutters past a certain speed.

[majorleeslow]

Yes it happened to me a couple of times but that time the car had 5 passengers and turning on a drivev through ramp from a street at low speed. And I guess extras do add up in compressing the suspension springs. haven't been on the same place just by myself.

 

I heard the plastic air deflector in front of tires or the bottom of front bumper grinding at the incline. the cars designed to have a low clearance for better aerodynamics.

It hasn't seen snow yet o would assume it may get worse in winter. Any winter experiences in grinding?

Edited September 7, 2013 by majorleeslow

[GrayStrider]

If you want good fuel economy, you need good aerodynamics. If you want good aerodynamics, you need a low deflector on the front. If you have a low deflector on the front, you will scrape it on lots of stuff.

 

LOVE it!! Well stated.

[15TiHyMagnetic]

An old topic...and wasn't sure if there was a newer one here...but here's something I did to prevent the dreaded curb bottoming out (at least for my own driveway - as the rest will have to be wise turning choices :) )

 

[Texasota]

An old topic...and wasn't sure if there was a newer one here...but here's something I did to prevent the dreaded curb bottoming out (at least for my own driveway - as the rest will have to be wise turning choices :) )

 

That may not work very well when the snow plows come in the winter or street cleaners in the spring. My driveway approach looks nearly identical to yours and I avoid the scraping noise by taking the curb at an angle and going very slow. I also think the scraping noise is not the front air dam of the car but rather the plastic pieces (don’t know the proper name) that hang down right in front of the front tires.

[nv rick]

 

But than again I believe the Mkz is lower than the fusion

2014 MKZ-h:

I've never had a problem on steep inclines. But oddly, when backing down my driveway (which is moderately steep) I will get the backup alarm when I get near the street. It apparently thinks(?) that I am backing into an object.