Awful load carrying capacity & ground clearance - 2015 Peugeot 308 SW

[Paul-R]

Well, it's as per the title really. Comparing the 308 with our previous Xsara Estate it really doesn't match up. the ground clearance at the front (and middle) is terrible. We have to take it really easy over speed bumps and there's a hump in the road near our French place that we have approach at just the right angle otherwise we end up scrawping the underneath of the car as we go over.

Not impressed with the load carrying capabilities either as putting 200kg in the back brings it right down to the bump stops. Mind you we had a similar problem with the Xsara but I fitted some rear spring assisters from Grayston Engineering to raise that and they do a similar kit for the rear of the 308 so that can be sorted. Which leaves the front to fix.

Putting the rear kit only on the Xsara was all that was needed to fix the load problem but we have a clearance problem as well with the 308. I don't think we need to stiffen the front up (the suspension is quite hard enough for me as a Citroen driver!) just raise it a little. So what I suppose I need is some kind of spacer. I don't know what type of ends the springs have (probably unmachined pig tail) so it'll have to be a special rather than a simple flat ring. Does anyone know if such a thing exists? The rear kit raises the suspension by 20mm so that's what I'd be looking for at the front as well.

Grayston's web site here http://www.grayston.biz/spring%20assisters%20page.htm

They also have a site at http://www.springassisters.co.uk/menu.htm but it's nowhere near up to date as it doesn't have the spring kit for my 308 (31C09) listed.

[lexi]

Quite interesting Paul, as I have looked at these wee cars as a Donk. Considering all this, I don't think they would do for me now. You know yourself, a C5 does the load lugging and will go over rough ground with raised suspension. Hard to beat.

[CitroJim]

I have the same ground clearance problems on my 207... The front sits so low you have to be very careful when parking in kerbed parking bays...

[ekjdm14]

Likewise the 206 doesn't have the best clearance. I think more modern cars do tend to have less clearance due to aerodynamics... The less gap at the front, the less air gets caught under the "messy" underside, the less drag is created, the better (marginally, but they're going for every little bit!) the fuel economy figures come out as...

[elma]

This is quite interesting.
My dad's 308 doesn't seem to have any problems and where it lives is rough as heck. I'll ask him and see what the clearance is next time I'm up there. I've only ever done very small drives in it to check brakes and similar so wouldn't notice myself.

[Paul-R]

I think more modern cars do tend to have less clearance due to aerodynamics... The less gap at the front, the less air gets caught under the "messy" underside, the less drag is created, the better (marginally, but they're going for every little bit!) the fuel economy figures come out as...

Indeed, that's also why they often have an underfloor tray. There is also a very small lip spoiler to push the air out of the way - and get damaged.

This is quite interesting.
My dad's 308 doesn't seem to have any problems and where it lives is rough as heck. I'll ask him and see what the clearance is next time I'm up there.

Our car is the version optimised for economy (very high gearing, 16" wheels, etc) and so it may have been lowered even more than the normal ones.

[CitroJim]

I looked at my 207 lip spoiler today out of curiosity and yes, it's quite spoiled through kerb contact

I think I've done most of the damage to it, being used to cars with much greater clearances...

[ekjdm14]

The original one on our 206 was completely missing for quite some time, and since fitting the GTi front bumper the one on that has scrawped on the odd 4" kerb when parking too, still there however. I do notice quite a few "moderns" with half the "valance"/spoiler dragging along the ground after the fixings get ripped out on kerbs.

[Paul-R]

I'm planning on ordering the rear kit on Monday. I'll ask at the same time to see if they do any spacers for the front springs. I don't want stiffer springs there, just a bit higher please.

[CitroJim]

And a little bit higher will make the car a lot easier to jack up on a trolley jack too... Mine only just slips under my 207...

[Paul-R]

I ordered the rear kit this evening when I got home from work. I was delighted to find that I had missed, by a matter of hours, the monthly order that they put in with their suppliers. So it's unlikely (I wasn't prepared to pay the extra £25 for a priority order) that I'll get the kit in time for the summer holiday unless someone else puts an order in and pays for the priority order.

They don't do anything for the front suspension and they only thing they could suggest were some of their rubber strips that they offer to beef up rear coil spring suspensions. But, as the front end is quite stiff enough already, I'm not keen to go down that road. I really do need a small spacer for the coil spring.

[Paul-R]

To my surprise the kit arrived last Friday (thank you to whoever paid for express delivery!) and I fitted it on Saturday. It was an easy fit and took me a little over five hours - that with much faffing around, a generous hour for lunch and a frantic daughter's phone call to come round with "a bin bag and some gaffer tape" as her rear car window had spontaneously shattered.

I'm sure that with a set of ramps and the proper tools it could be done in less than two hours but nowadays I'm limited to lying on the drive, trolley jack, axle stands and using the brick gatepost as an anvil.

The back end has risen by a couple of centimetres or so without a load and driving it has not revealed any waywardness. The big test will come in three week's time when we will be four up, big load in the rear area and roof box fitted.

I had another look at the front suspension. I had bought some of the rubber coil spring assisters for the rear thinking that the proper kit wouldn't be here in time and tried them on the front but they're the wrong size for that and would just fall out as soon as I went down the road. I think it will either need the springs changing or buying/making this mythical spacer.

[elma]

Pleased that went well.

Maybe you need to add a lathe to your tool collection. Prices are reasonable 2nd hand, they take a lot of space though.

[CitroJim]

Yes, a lathe is bloody valuable and indispensible. Mine has got me out of a few tight corners now... Especially when you need to knock up a special tool

[Paul-R]

I could have had a lathe for not very much a few month's ago. Problems aplenty though - nowhere to put it and it was down in south Devon for collection. Oh, and the wife...