I was sitting in my car the other day and was waiting on the inside to cool down (it was 95 outside). After it cooled down i put the car in reverse and slowly backed out taking my time for whatever reason, while i was putting the car in drive i was looking in my side view mirror and realised that the back end of the car lowered when i put it in drive. Has anyone ever noticed this? If so, what causes it to lower?

If you have never noticed get in your car start it up then look in the side view mirror and put the car in drive and you will notice the back end drops....

 

you musta got that air suspension option on urs... i'm jealous... couldn't find it for my '06

 

probably the drag it puts on the drive shaft torques the axle around a littlebit, resulting in the wheels moving up a little bit.

 

is your driveway on a hill?

 

No its all perfectly level...its really odd. When i put it in reverse it actually goes up a little bit then i put in drive and it drops like an inch in the rear. I had my father look at it to make sure i wasnt just seeing things and he said the back end dropped about a 1/2 inch to an inch...

 

wow!! I wanna go check now

 

i think this happens to all cars with auto. someone can explain why because im not really a tech person.

 

Trunk monkey?

Seriously, it's just your driveline loading up. Perfectly normal. Mine doesn't do that. (6MT)

Curt

 

Absolutely the car lowers a little when put in gear. Looks like a 1/2 inch. It has to be one of the reasons springs offer a slight drop for the rear. I had my wife do it, I watched and it definitely drops and looks real cool, too.

 

What causes the drop though i dont understand? Your driveshaft doesnt really have anything to do with suspension...it would actually have to be downforce weight on the springs to lower them an inch....right?

 

It's simple torque squat. When you put it in drive the rear axle loads and torques up a bit. Same with reverse, but in the other direction. Think about the "traction bars" that drag racers have used for years. They are to stop axle twist. It's even more pronounced on cars with rear leaf springs.

 

/me loves torque squats.

 

Ya! dats vots makes the tires grab!

 

you know thats funny you say that....friend of mine have a g35x and one day another one of my friends had asked me if his car raises up by itself...i looked at him like he had to heads and he said he coulda sworn that when the kid started the car it look like it lifted a little bit....i still think hes just burnt.

 

strange...........i hear a shift in my exhaust note.......thats about it