Lowered Bongo bottoming on speedbumps

[AndyN]

I have recently bought my first Bongo and am finding that it the plastic engine tray is bottoming on even the smallest speed bumps no matter how slow I go. The ride on a rough road is also quite severe so I am guesing it has been lowered? I have checked the ground clearance and the specs seem to suggest it should be 175mm. I have measured the distance from the bottom of the plastic engine tray to the ground at its 80mm. Does anyone with an unlowered Bongo know what ground clearance you are getting? The clearance I have is with an unloaded Bongo and it doesn't have a camper conversion.

Does it sound like this has been lowered?
The distance from the top of my wheels to the bottom of the wheel arches is 70mm at the front and 50mm at the rear.
The front springs are 150mm long with the bongo on them and 270mm with the front jacked up, there are 2 coils to the front spring if you don't count the ones in the cups.
The rear springs are 220mm long with the bongo on them and 315mm with the rear jacked up, there are 7 coils to the rear spring if you don't count the ones in the cups.

If my Bongo has been lowered will I need to replace the dampers as well as the springs and does anyone know how long the standard springs are so I can be sure of getting the right ones?

Am new to Bongo Fury so appologies if this has already been asked in the forum

cheers AndyN

[widdowson2008]

top of my wheels to the bottom of the wheel arches is 140mm at the front and 120mm at the rear on mine, so sounds as if yours has been lowered by 70mm (if mine is standard )

[Alison01326]

Welcome to the Forum. Congratulations on your new Bongo - once you've stopped it scraping the floor, it will bring an endless grin to your face Don't forget, all questions welcome - you'll get a good mix of sensible and less sensible answers.

It is nigh-on compulsory to put a photo of your Bongo on here In this case it will serve two purposes - we can see if it's been lowered, and we can satisfy our curiosity as to what your Bongo is like

Steve - did you go out and measure your Bongo and get back within 23 minutes? Impressive stuff Takes me longer than that to find a tape measure!

[scanner]

Yes that is low and it sounds like too low.

[M 80NGO]

It also sounds like the previous owner's tried to savea few quid and just cut the springs down which is very illegal

[M 80NGO]

These may be of use to ya

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mazda-Bongo-Ford- ... 2c5791c017

[widdowson2008]

Steve - did you go out and measure your Bongo and get back within 23 minutes? Impressive stuff Takes me longer than that to find a tape measure!

Not so impressive Alison - Bongo is about 20 feet from my computer and I always have a tape measure within arms reach, plus ............... I was curious.

[AndyN]

Wow, thanks for all the good advice, Iv'e never used a forum which is so active and helpfull . Does anyone know if you can just replace the springs or do the dampers have to be changed as well?

thanks

Andy

[A1tony]

Mine was like that. With LPG too it became too much with the extra weight. Just changed rear springs back to standard ones and now Its fantastico !

[Timnz]

I had mine lowered 40mm, and that was too much.. even with uprated dampers...changed it back to standard after clipping the intercooler a couple of times and bottoming out on the same bumps sharp lips in the road...