I bought my Challenger new. It was built very low to the ground. So low, the chin spoiler scrapes the ground going up or down driveways with steep gutters. When heading into diagonal parking, the chin spoiler hits the curb. It also does not clear most wheel stops in parking lots. I must back into parking stalls. Question: I think I would like to install taller coil springs at all four corners to raise the car to normal height. Will this cause drive train alignment problems such as premature U-joint or differential joint failure caused by increased angle at those points?
I don’t think you will gain enough to justify the expense besides it is really going to look dorky . There are lots of cars that have front air dams that will not clear parking curbs . Your best bet is a different vehicle and do research to find what you can live with. Also you may have a bad effect on the value of the vehicle.
You could try not driving into the parking lot bumpers until you hear a crunch.
Yes, taller springs will likely cause alignment issues. It may require the use of adjustable control arms and so on.
In the old days raising and lowering a Chrysler product was pretty easy. A 3/4 inch socket on the torsion arm bolt on each side and crank it up and down as needed.
Even that simple task came with a few drawbacks as the steering feel was greatly affected. Easier steering when lowered; wandering steering when raised.
The rear was raised with shackles which were pretty much trouble free. Leaf springs of course…
If it were me I’d leave it alone and try as hard as possible to avoid dips and bumps although I know it’s not always possible. My son’s '96 Camaro sits very low and the front air dam scrapes on any and everything.
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The car IS at “normal” height. That is where Dodge designed it.
Yes, it will.
My sister-in-law has owned a couple of these cars. She’s knocked the spoiler off both. When my brother in law bought repair parts, the dealer told him he sells lots of the parts to the police fleet, too. Rubbing on driveways is no big deal. Tearing them off on parking blocks is. Learn where the front of your car is and don’t pull forward in the space until the tires hit the blocks - park farther back.
+1
And, it should be noted that this problem is not unique to Challengers. Shortly after buying my '92 Accord wagon, I found out the hard way that there was no clearance between the chin spoiler and the parking stops in parking lots. After a few crunches, I learned that I had to park further back.
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I’d remove the spoiler. You might lose 0.1 mpg, but it would be worth it to me. It is a separate part. Keep an eye on the coolant temperature if you do this, the spoiler may help funnel air through the radiator.
I would not raise the front end for all the reasons above.