Hello everyone,

In my configurator, I have the option to select the sport chassis, which lowers the car by 15 mm. Do you think your Fabia sits too high, and would it be better if it were lower?

I’m not sure if the ride becomes significantly stiffer with this option, so I’m debating whether it’s worth it.

If anyone has this option, could you please upload a picture so I can see how it looks?

The photos I’ve uploaded are without any lowering, and to my taste, there seems to be too much distance between the tires and the fenders.

Edited 30 August, 202530 Aug by indecisive007

It depends where you live, there are some roads not far from me where some rather angular speed cushions exist. And some side roads where the entrance has a speed cushion (whole side road width), built up to level of kerbs and footpath.

I have seen many a lowered car scrape these, so personally would like bit of extra wheel travel without hitting wheel arches, or ending up with scraped underneaths.

But if vanity and looks of large rims and slim sidewall tyres are more important to you, rather than practicality and how it deals with potholes and bumps, then that is your choice.

An option to choose (for the Fabia Monte Carlo model) a chassis lowered by 15mm was mentioned in the "Agility" section of this 2024 Skoda Motorsport webpage.

Škoda Motorsport

Four things we love about the Škoda Fabia Monte Carlo - Š...

As far as I am aware, this option is not available for new Monte Carlo models marketed in the UK (the UK Fabia configurator does not seem to show it). However, this August 2024 BRISKODA thread included before-and-after photos of a Monte Carlo that the owner had lowered by 30mm (rear) and 30-40mm (front).

Uploading Attachment...

Without knowing the cost of the 15mm-lowering option, nor whether it includes superior dampers and/or springs, it's hard to say whether the option would be genuinely worthwhile performance-wise. Regarding 'looks', the current UK Monte Carlo configurator shows 17"-diameter wheels as standard, with 18"-diameter wheels as a £905 option, and the bigger the wheel, the more cosmetically attractive the result (maybe!!)

4 hours ago, DerekU said:

Without knowing the cost of the 15mm-lowering option, nor whether it includes superior dampers and/or springs, it's hard to say whether the option would be genuinely worthwhile performance-wise

in my configurator the option costs 150 €. I don't know what suspension they are installing. I'm assuming it's Eibach pro kit springs.

There are alternatives to the Elbach products.

A 15mm lowering seems hardly worthwhile to me and I'm doubtful that you'd notice any handling differences on the road between a standard-height Monte Carlo and a lowered version. I'm similarly doubtful that the 'looks' difference would be noticeable either.

Also recently asked here

https://www.reddit.com/r/skoda/comments/1mz2l8k/to_lower_a_fabia_4_in_factory/

Edited 31 August, 202531 Aug by DerekU

18 hours ago, indecisive007 said:

and to my taste, there seems to be too much distance between the tires and the fenders

That's totally a fashion thing that goes back decades now but if that's your taste then it is your car and your money you are spending.

If the car is new and unused it will sit prouder than an older worn car.

The wheels and tyres are oversized for fashion going back decades too, even for (over) heavy VW cars, but again if anyone wants oversized wheels and tyres they are available as factory standard. The style and size of wheels will also alter the appearance, as will colour and colour contrast to body colour, restricted with a white or black car.

How heavy are you and your passengers and what you will carry in the car as that will to some extent lower how the car sits.

How the car rides and handles and the comfort are a different matter.

If you are somewhere that gets a lot of sticky snow or mud you might value the tyre to wheel arch clearance more.

You need to ask the selling garage what exactly the difference is in suspension for your €150 extra do not make assumptions, is it just 15mm lower or are there also differences in the suspension parts, hopefully (but not always) improvements for your use (many "improvements" turn out not to be better).

Good luck.

Edited 31 August, 202531 Aug by nta16
ETA: a few extra words and commas

thanks all of you for the comments.

Here I found the photo of a brand new Monte without any lowering and the clearance in the rear seems comically big even with 18" wheels. I don't know if is this due to camera distortion or what

1 hour ago, indecisive007 said:

I don't know if is this due to camera distortion or what

Could be the ground it is parked on, not level or humps and/or dips at side(s) and/or front to back or diagonal(s), what is at front or rear, at side or diagonal can exaggerate the closeness or gap of tyre to wheel arch. You need to see the car on completely level ground all around, at kerb weight with nothing inside the car, to compare it with another model in the same circumstances.

Also the angle of the photo and the way it has been taken don't help plus you have no information about the camera lens and its perspective, looking at photos unless engineering type specifications could give you lots of false impressions. you need to see the cars in their metal (and plastic).

Edited 31 August, 202531 Aug by nta16

In my personal opinion, all Fabia's since the mk3 have been way too high. Unfortunately this means, for me, the driving feel is vague.

On my Monte, I've installed Eibach pro's. Drops around 30mm.

I'm still not entirely happy with the height, however the car does feel more planted on certain road types and has not affected the ride (too much). Currently waiting for more companies to offer uprated ARB's.

There may be several reasons why VW have the ride that high, by choice and not, smaller wheels would lower it but of course the body panels are to cater foe the oversized and very oversized wheels offered by VW (and other manufacturers) so need "filling".

I have only driven my wife's 2015 Mk3 SE so don't know about other Fabia, though I did get a ride at Bruntingthorpe in a VRS Mk1. Based on driving my wife's car the steering and ride is vague even for a modern car where the driver is generally very unconnected/remote from the car (other than the infotainment and ambient lighting) but the purpose of the car is to be a smaller (by modern standards) family car so not expected to provide an entertaining ride ((other than the infotainment and ambient lighting) certainly as a MK3 SE anyway. In fact any drive or ride entertainment comes from driving the car with its limitations.

I'm not against modifying standard cars as I've done so in the past but often I find it more rewarding to drive within the limitations when possible.

Something most, certainly men, often don't want to consider or accept is tuning the driver can get better improvements and is more productive and transferable to another car at not further cost is further driver training (and I'm not suggesting anyone here particularly might need this other than myself as I only know myself here, there might be advanced drivers and track instructors here, I've no idea).

The 15mm-lower option is not available for UK-marketed Fabia Mk 4 cars and (apparently) in countries where that option can be chosen, it's only for Monte Carlo (or 130 Edition) models.

The reddit.com discussion I provided a link to earlier includes comments by owners of Fabias with the 15mm-lower option, or by people who have practical driving experience of Fabias with and without the option. (Little profit in generalising when genuine ownership experience can be found online.)

I didn't choose my Fabia SE L for 'fun' - if I had wanted a smallish 'family' car for fast road driving I would have gone for a Hyundai i20N. My Fabia accelerates, brakes, handles/steers OK and is quite comfortable. I don't consider the wheel-arch gaps excessive/unsightly and, if I wanted to tart up the car's appearance, I'd rather have it 'wrapped' in zebra vinyl than lower it

.

Edited 1 September, 20251 Sep by DerekU