It makes no difference that I miscalculated the front tire height (my bad, though) but it is notable that what you are passing along is second-hand, unverified information, Ogre. Maybe you could get you pal to post up here and share his experience directly. Perhaps he's made some other changes, such as to his suspension, etc. , which have affected his geometry/ground clearance adversely.
As I have stated previously, I am an aggressive rider that spends most of my riding time in the twisties, I have no chicken strips whatsoever on this combo - I use every bit of these tires' treads - and I have not noticed any adverse effect on the ride with this set up. Fact is, it has improved the ride, the bike's handling and responsiveness and, consequently, my own safety, have been enhanced very considerably and whatever change has resulted on my bike re: ground clearance, it has had zero noticeable effect on dragging parts or any other important aspect of rider safety to this rider.