Cross Turismo Lowered + Spacers

[Skilly]

@enginerdify amazing write-up.

Can you share more info on the removal and installation of the lowering links? Also is it possible to remove and install without removing the wheels and lifting the car up?

nope, its not.

Sponsored

 

[Hessam001]

nope, its not.

What tires do you recommend for 22” wheels on a Taycan 4s
Front wheel 22 x 9
Rear wheel 22 x 10.5
I was thinking about going 35 series for the front because I want some extra tire for the pot holes
What do you think of these tires below, do you think it will rub?
Front: 275/35R22 or 265/35R22
Rear: 305/30R22

 

[Hessam001]

When I purchased my 4CT, I really wanted to achieve that low-slung sport wagon look. The ST was not announced yet, and my wallet won't support the GTS ST price anyway. So, here is what I did to achieve everything...

Lowering
The CT sits 20mm higher than the sedan in the regular ride height setting. Starting from this thread and particularly the post about the comparison in lengths between the suspension links on the sedan vs CT, I started down the path of erasing the 20mm bump to set my CT to ride at the sedan height in the regular setting.

Parts
I looked at links available in the internet marketplace - VR Racing and FVD seemed to be the most popular for ~$200+ a set. I researched the option of obtaining the sedan links from Porsche parts, but as others have found, the small plastic link pieces themselves are not sold individually - they are only sold with the sensor for an even greater price. Both of these options seemed far too expensive for replacing 4 pieces of plastic that are not load-bearing. Using the thread that sent me down this path along with this YouTube video, I decided to create my own links instead.

I ordered some stainless steel threaded rods and some rod end ball bearings from Amazon for a grand total of ~$42. The 100mm rods with the ball bearings on them totaled 120mm ball-to-ball. Using the sedan link ball-to-ball measurements of 88mm front and 95mm rear, I cut 2 rods each to 68mm and 75mm, respectively. I used the nuts that came with the rod end ball bearings to keep pressure on the ball ends. They looked roughly like this:

Trials
1st
For my first height adjustment, I used the sedan lengths as a starting point and extrapolated out the lengths from there to what I ultimately wanted - an ultimate drop - known as CUSTOM ? The look was exactly what I was going for, but after a test drive in regular mode, I found myself hitting the bump stops and ending up with a very harsh ride.

2nd
Learning from the first attempt, for my second height adjustment, I decided to just go with the SEDAN lengths straight up. The ride was far improved and actually fine in regular mode on city streets. I could only slightly feel a bit harsher ride than the stock links on the low mode once I tested on the highway and the car forced itself into lowered mode. The gap between the tires and the fender on the front looked a bit off so I added an extra mm to the front links - I am calling this SEDAN+.

From this, I concluded (as others have found researching suspension parts) that it is not only the links that are different between the sedan and the CT, but perhaps the entire engineering setup of the suspension. The CT seems to be engineered to travel at a higher ride (perhaps the ST will use the sedan components). The factory low mode seems to be set at its position as that is likely the minimum amount of travel range in the suspension required for that Porsche smooth ride quality. This sedan-height trial slightly decreased the suspension travel range beyond this engineered limit, resulting in the harsher ride over imperfect surfaces in the lowered and low modes.​

3rd
Since my initial target was for the regular mode post-lowering to be equal to low mode pre-lowering, I used the ratio data I had gathered from the first two attempts to figure out the link length to achieve this goal - a balance between maintaining ride quality and having availability to further lower the car beyond its stock minimum - known as CUSTOM ? . Turns out, a 5mm delta from the stock links both front and rear is pretty close to make new regular be old low.

The CUSTOM ? result is a new normal mode equal to the stock low mode - a deviation from stock regular of 3/8" front and 1/2" rear - and the ability to achieve a new minimum ride height in low mode that is 7/8" lower than could be achieved stock. A perfect balance of ride quality and lowered look.​

Link Lengths
ball center-to-ball center

	REAR	FRONT
STOCK	102mm	82mm
SEDAN+	95mm	89mm
CUSTOM ? ultimate drop	91mm	91mm
CUSTOM ? balanced ride	97mm	87mm

Result
Ultimately, I chose to stay on SEDAN+ lengths due to the look and almost imperceptible compromise to ride quality, after testing on different driving surfaces. The SEDAN+ result is a new normal mode equal to the stock low mode minus 1/4" - and the ability to achieve a new minimum ride height in low mode that is 1-1/8" lower than could be achieved stock. A perfect balance of ride quality and lowered look. Additionally, I noted that by default, the nose is 1/4" lower than the rear and the new SEDAN+ lengths maintained this.

Ground Clearance
measured from the inner-most underbody along the front and rear jack points to flat concrete surface

	REAR				FRONT
	STOCK @102mm	CUSTOM ? @97mm	SEDAN+ @95mm	CUSTOM ? @91mm	STOCK @82mm	CUSTOM ? @87mm	SEDAN+ @89mm	CUSTOM ? @91mm
LIFT	6-7/8"	6-5/8" ↓ 1/4"	6-5/8" ↓ 1/4"	6-3/8" ↓ 1/2"	6-3/4"	6-3/8" ↓ 3/8"	6-1/2" ↓ 1/4"	6-1/4" ↓ 1/2"
REGULAR	6-1/8"	5-5/8" ↓ 1/2"	5-3/8" ↓ 3/4"	5-1/4" ↓ 7/8"	5-3/4"	5-3/8" ↓ 3/8"	5-1/8" ↓ 5/8"	5" ↓ 3/4"
LOW	5-5/8"	4-3/4" ↓ 7/8"	4-1/2" ↓ 1-1/8"	4-1/2" ↓ 1-1/8"	5-3/8"	4-1/2" ↓ 7/8"	4-1/4" ↓ 1-1/8"	4-1/8" ↓ 1-1/4"
LOWERED (hwy auto)		5-3/16"	4-7/8"			4-7/8"	4-5/8"

Fender Gap
distance from top of tire to fender edge at wheel center

	REAR		FRONT
	CUSTOM ?	SEDAN+	CUSTOM ?	SEDAN+
REGULAR	2-1/8"	1-3/4"	2"	1-3/4"
LOW	1-5/16"	1"	1-1/4"	1"

Spacing
After achieving the desired ride height adjustments, I went about creating that flush fender/wheel look with spacers. The ones from 4 Wheel Spacers is what I ultimately went with - 15mm front and 18mm rear - for my 21" Cross Turismo Design wheels and Continental ProContact RX all season tires. The result is a perfectly flush look.

Spacers
2022 CT with 21" Cross Turismo Design wheels

REAR	FRONT
18mm	15mm

Lowering Photos
old top (no spacers), new bottom (with spacers)

Lift Mode

Regular Mode

Low Mode

Spacer Photos
old left, new right

Rear

Front

Front Right

Front Left

Rear Left

Rear Right

Parts

• M6 x 100mm Stainless Steel Rods
• M6 Rod End Ball Bearings
• 15mm Spacer Set
• 18mm Spacer Set

Referenced Threads

• Bore Size
• Sedan vs CT links
• Ground Clearances
• Suspension Parts

What tires do you recommend for 22” wheels on a Taycan 4s
Front wheel 22 x 9
Rear wheel 22 x 10.5
I was thinking about going 35 series for the front because I want some extra tire for the pot holes
What do you think of these tires below, do you think it will rub?
Front: 275/35R22 or 265/35R22
Rear: 305/30R22

 

[Skilly]

What tires do you recommend for 22” wheels on a Taycan 4s
Front wheel 22 x 9
Rear wheel 22 x 10.5
I was thinking about going 35 series for the front because I want some extra tire for the pot holes
What do you think of these tires below, do you think it will rub?
Front: 275/35R22 or 265/35R22
Rear: 305/30R22

here is a chart that compares stock to 22" - the OD (overall diameter) remains the same.

 

[enginerdify]

Awesome info! I also found that using the sedan link lengths that the front sat a bit higher than the rear which meant I had to adjust the fronts a further 1.5mm to get the fender gap equal. Pretty sweet with these links how fast and easy you can adjust ride heights. And without removing your wheels. Running essentially the same as your sedan+ settings and pretty happy with it. I was contemplating going even lower but thanks to your post I’ll probably leave it.

Curious what camber settings you’re running? At my low setting (or it might be lowered, don’t have my note book next to me) I’ve got -1.5 deg front and -2.5deg rear. This will affect how much less offset I can run as I plan to pull out some camber from the rear after my first track day.

@bsclywilly - That is great that you found the same thing as me with regard to the front. I do not have a good way to measure camber so no idea ?‍

 

[enginerdify]

Aren’t left hand threaded ball connectors needed to eliminate having to pull one end to adjust?

@Vercingetorix - Not sure what you mean. The locking nuts keep the ball ends from rotating and lengthening/shortening the overall link.

 

[enginerdify]

What colour is that? Stunning!

@aatothek - It is a wrap - Teckwrap's Black Cherry Ice. You can check out my other post to see more photos.

 

[enginerdify]

@enginerdify amazing write-up.

Can you share more info on the removal and installation of the lowering links? Also is it possible to remove and install without removing the wheels and lifting the car up?

@murphy12345 - Sure things!

Stock Link Removal Method
To remove the stock links, I used a heat gun to soften the plastic a bit. Then, starting with the static ball, simply twisted to the side until it popped off. Then I did the sensor ball once the first end was off. Others posted that the sensor is quite expensive and I wanted to ensure that I didn't break it. I did not need to use any extra pry tools as seen in this video...the softening worked like a charm.

Link Access
I did remove the wheels to gain proper access, especially for the initial stock link removal. It is easier to be able to get both arms in the wheel well to remove and I didn't want to break anything. When I got the point of just adjusting the front links, I could simply jack the car up (lift mode didn't provide quite enough space) with the tires still touching the ground and reach in overtop the tires to remove, adjust, and reinstall the links. However, for the rears, I always remove the wheels. Their location makes it difficult to get 2 hands in to remove or install the ball clip pin. I did not need to remove any body panels like they did in this video - just had to remove the rear wheels.


Let's say there was a lot of jack and wheel bolt work required for this experimentation

 

[enginerdify]

What tires do you recommend for 22” wheels on a Taycan 4s
Front wheel 22 x 9
Rear wheel 22 x 10.5
I was thinking about going 35 series for the front because I want some extra tire for the pot holes
What do you think of these tires below, do you think it will rub?
Front: 275/35R22 or 265/35R22
Rear: 305/30R22

@Hessam001 - Sorry I don't have any data to help you make this decision. The 21s that you see as part of this experiment are 265/35R21 and 305/30R21 - the stock size. I recommend starting a new thread for this topic to keep the info focused and get you the answer you are looking for.

 

[enginerdify]

New here so apologize if this is posted elsewhere. How do you think (or know), the spacers will effect your range? Maybe improve since it’s more flush?

@Nachyomama - I have had Teslas for 5 years before this and always either ordered new wheels with proper flush offset or added spacers and never really had any issues with range effect. There is most likely some small effect on aero and thus range, as there is a place for air to mix along the side of the car with a flush mount, but I have only noticed a real difference with wheel size itself - say 19s to 21s - but negligible either way with spacing.

 

[Vercingetorix]

@Vercingetorix - Not sure what you mean. The locking nuts keep the ball ends from rotating and lengthening/shortening the overall link.

If you want the total length to expand and contract you need the ends to have left and right hand threads. The way I understand what you have done is not having opposite threads and requiring you to remove one ball end to make length adjustments.
“A turnbuckle, also known as a bottlescrew, is a device consisting of two threaded eye bolts with opposite handed threads that are screwed into each end of a frame. When the central frame rotators, the eye bolts are prevented from doing so because the two bolts have opposite handed threads. This causes the bolts to simultaneously move inwards or outwards.”

 

[Hessam001]

here is a chart that compares stock to 22" - the OD (overall diameter) remains the same.

Thanks for you help

 

[enginerdify]

If you want the total length to expand and contract you need the ends to have left and right hand threads. The way I understand what you have done is not having opposite threads and requiring you to remove one ball end to make length adjustments.
“A turnbuckle, also known as a bottlescrew, is a device consisting of two threaded eye bolts with opposite handed threads that are screwed into each end of a frame. When the central frame rotators, the eye bolts are prevented from doing so because the two bolts have opposite handed threads. This causes the bolts to simultaneously move inwards or outwards.”

@Vercingetorix - Ah yes that makes sense! I think in this case, I don't want them to be super adjustable once they are "set". It was only the trials of lengths where something like this would have been useful. Thanks for sharing!

 

[whan]

Thanks so much for this writeup - I plan to lower my CT when I get it and order aftermarket wheels, so this provides a great blueprint for all of those mods

It looks like 15mm spacers in front don't look too aggressive on the CT, which is good. I think I'm going to do a 16mm equivalent on the vossen hf3 I want, in order to get the deep concave profile (max +38mm offset which is 16mm spaced out from stock +54mm)

 

[optik382]

When I purchased my 4CT, I really wanted to achieve that low-slung sport wagon look. The ST was not announced yet, and my wallet won't support the GTS ST price anyway. So, here is what I did to achieve everything...

Awesome post, thank you! How'd you achieve the body-color wheel arches?

Sponsored