Idea for external front bumper sensor for lowered cars?
 

I want to lower my car but since it's so long i have a hard time judging how close those curb stops are when pulling into a parking spot. I usually find myself well over the curb. I want to make a sensor(or pay someone to make one) that attaches to the bottom of the front bumper. When the front comes within a certain distance from an object it will flash a light or something which can be seen from the inside. Any ideas how to do this? Or is this just a stupid idea?

just do a back up camera mod but mount the camera in front!

Dont lower your car ! :) there is a consequence to every part we change on our cars. Or just deal with it

When you hear a scraping sound … the curb is too close

You gotta learn the hard way.

Try using the cars next to the parking spot as a reference.

i had a RSX that sat 3"s from the ground and never had a problem parking it because it was a lot smaller than the TL.

i don't want to void my acuracare just yet...
i guess i should do some research on back up sensors and see if i can mount them in the front near the ground

i think you mean cracking... i wouldn't care if the front scrapped. what i care about is the actual bumper not hitting the curb and cracking.

Why would adding a camera do that?

? What?
I'd probably have to get the camera to be displayed somewhere..?

adding a back up camera will not void your extended warranty!

Now lowering your car will definitely void the axles, various suspension parts, and they could even stretch it to a tranny if they wanted to be dicks!

You should be way more worried about that mod than a back up camera if warranty repairs are your concern

uhhh... So adding another backup camera and having it some how get my navigation to display both cameras wont void the electronics warranty?
I know how to swap out axles and suspension parts, not worried about that

Interesting idea. A proximity sensor behind the bumper plugs in the front maybe? Maybe a parking sensor from the rear parking sensor kit?

Wire a button next to the VSA (open stock switch location). It'd be cool if you could get something that showed how close you were.

Or, maybe use the rear parking sensor kit and adapt it for the front.

It will be so much easier to put a switch to go between two camera sources and activate when in drive, than to try and get the proximity sensors dialed in to sense something low to the ground like a parking bumper or curb. When shooting horizontally to the ground the sensors are all good, but it will not detect the parking bumper that is 5"-6" above grade. Prox sensors are working in distances of feet. you will need to have them work in much closer tolerances. You will have to aim it towards the ground to detect that and then once you have it aimed so that it does not false read just the ground since you are lowered you will have very little tolerance for when it does sense the curb. You will have to creep in or you will not be able to react in time.

Besides experience, you could always use backup/parking sensors mounted to the bottom of your bumpers. Audiovox/Voxxintl makes a few that have tolerances in inches. You could fabricate some brackets so that they're held onto your bumper but not installed IN it.

Depending on how elaborate you were to make it, it could end up being cheaper to just repaint the bumper after the fact. :shrug:

i just look at car next to me, their reflection on the passenger side door tells me how close i am

Honestly, the best way is to take time to learn the dimensions of your car. What I mean by that is pull into a spot. Stop well short of the curb. Look at where you are in relation to another car. Get out and check how far you are from the curb. Then move in closer. Check surroundings and get out and check how far you are again. Do this a couple times and you'll eventually get the hang of it.

Yeah, you're way better off just learning the dimensions and spatial relationships of your car. Unless you are just looking for a pointless way to burn some money. :rolleyes: