Lowering Suspension: Pros and Cons

Lowering your car or truck so it’s closer to the ground is a popular way to customize your ride. Done right, it’s a great look that also boosts handling performance. Done wrong, it could compromise handling, drivability and traction, reduce tire tread life and even damage parts.

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Pluses and Minuses of Lowering Suspension

PROS CONS More road feel Reduced ride comfort Stiffer ride Impractical for rough roads Less roll when cornering Accelerated or uneven tire wear Better handling Chance of bottoming out Improved aerodynamics Potential rubbing on parts or tires Improved traction Can’t use a standard jack Less rollover risk Cost Great looks Warranty issues

Benefits

More Road Feel
A lowered suspension helps a driver be highly attuned to how their vehicle acts on different pavement as more of the vibrations from imperfections in the road surface come through the steering wheel.

Stiffer Ride
With this setup, you have to have more rigid springs so the front or back of your vehicle won’t bottom out over bumps or depressions. This is the driving experience many prefer, versus a cushier ride from, say, a luxury sedan.

Less Lean in Corners
The lean of a vehicle around a sharp turn is greatly reduced because the shift of weight is less due to the lower center of gravity. The part of the vehicle on the outside of a turn stays more level with the inside. This lets a car settle more quickly into a turn and act more responsively.

Better Handling
Another effect of being closer to the ground is improved responsiveness, more stability, and grip at speed. Because lowering means getting stiffer springs, there is less weight transfer when you hit the gas or brake hard. This means you’ll enjoy faster acceleration and quicker stops.

Less Air Drag
Lowered vehicles are more aerodynamic. There’s less air hitting the wheels and tires (that are not streamlined shapes). This makes these cars faster. Some owners of low-stance vehicles also notice improved gas mileage. BUT, lowering a car too much will actually increase wind drag.

Less Rollover Risk
Lowered vehicles have a lower center of gravity, which decreases rollover risk when cornering.

Improved Traction
Lowering generally means you’ll put a plus-sized tire and wheel package on the vehicle. Such tires have shorter sidewalls, a larger contact patch (that keeps more rubber in contact with the road) and less roll around corners.

Good Looks
Cars and trucks that have been lowered with custom wheels are attention-getters. It’s a more aggressive and performance-oriented look that stands out in a crowd.

Drawbacks

Less Ride Comfort
If you and your passengers are accustomed to a softer suspension that cushions impacts like bumps and potholes, you may think less of the ride comfort of a lower suspension. You may also notice increased road noise since you’re closer to the pavement.

No Go on Rough Roads
The lower clearance will not be your friend on rutted, rocky, washboard and potholed roads.

Uneven or Accelerated Tire Wear
Lowering changes the geometry of your wheel-tire fitment. If it’s done improperly, your car may have an alignment problem that results in premature or extreme wear patterns.

Bottoming Out
Even an inch-and-a-half lower suspension can cause problems around corners, with slight potholes or on speed bumps. Traveling over the lip of a parking garage or starting up a driveway or ramp could cause the front of your vehicle to hit the pavement. Contact with the ground can cause serious damage to components underneath the car, like the exhaust system and oil pan.

If you ever need a tow truck, you may require a flat bed. Otherwise, there could be a problem with the back body of the vehicle dragging on the ground.

Potential Rubbing on Parts or Tires
Poorly done or extreme lowering can cause suspension and steering parts to contact each other, the wheels or the tires. It could also cause tires to rub the body during turns or going over bumps.

Can’t Use a Standard Jack
If you get a flat tire, you may find out at an inconvenient time that there’s not enough clearance to get the unit under the vehicle’s frame.

Cost
Quality components and keeping correct alignment can get pricey. The lower you go, the more chance you’ll need additional parts. For example, if coilovers (meaning coil spring over shock) are part of your new setup, you’re likely looking at an outlay of $1,000 or more.

Warranty Issues
You should check both your owner’s manual and any manufacturer’s or aftermarket warranty to determine if 1) the manufacturer advises against lowering your car, or 2) if lowering your car will void or adversely affect any warranty coverage you currently have.

Know This Before You Modify Your Suspension

Here’s what to know before you go low.

1. If it’s higher performance you’re after, you may need to lower a lot less than you think. It’s easy to miss the mark and actually make your suspension worse. To be sure that components like struts and springs can do the work of keeping tires at the right angles, get expert help.


2. Don’t cut corners when it comes to shocks, struts or other components. You’re making changes to the structure and balance of your vehicle. You don’t want to risk failing parts.


3. If you modify your vehicle in ways that aren’t road legal, your insurer may not pay a claim for damage. Talk to your agent before you customize your ride and ask if your premiums will go up or policy terms change.


4. Installing extreme aftermarket wheel-tire setups or suspension changes can result in steering, suspension or drivetrain problems that won’t be covered by your vehicle warranty. Check to see if the modifications you’re planning will result in denied warranty claims BEFORE installation.


5. Get an alignment after you lower to ensure the best handling and tire life.


6. Take care while you get accustomed to how your new setup performs. With the much stiffer suspension, your vehicle may steer a little differently and won’t absorb road shocks as well. A sudden hard brake or tight turn on a bumpy road could cause a loss of traction.

Any time you change your vehicle’s OE (original equipment) suspension, you should be sure that you’re not creating a setup that is either unsafe or is going to cause problems with other car functions. Like with many aftermarket customizations, it’s about finding the right balance of safety, performance, looks, cost, and drivability. Stop by your local Les Schwab for help.

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Differences Between Lowering Springs vs. Coilovers

Which is Better: Lowering Springs or Coilovers?

Recently acquire or build the car or truck of your dreams? Wheel gap or lack of suspension performance got you down? There are many solutions, but let’s focus on the top two here. Let’s define the best options for you to get the stance and handling performance you’re looking for.

For more custom coil springs for carsinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

What Are Lowering Springs?

If you’re changing your wheel or tire size, or buying a new car off the lot, chances are the wheel gap or stance may need to come down. New vehicles are equipped with springs and shocks for all around driving and for a broad approach and mass market appeal that are more suited for all styles of driving. In many cases an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) will use a coil spring on a performance car that may offer a sedan like ride. This is fine for getting groceries, but if you’re looking for a more appealing, better handling ride, lowering springs and kits may be the perfect answer.

Lowering springs are one of the most cost effective and safest ways to properly lower a vehicle. A high quality lowering spring is made in the USA, Germany or Japan. The materials to look for in a high quality set of lowering springs are high-tensile, cold wound steel that has been powdercoated for extra durability.

As you go down the list, some lowering springs use a progressive spring design. Progressive springs have a spring rate that can vary as weight is transferred through the springs. As more pressure or spring pre-load is applied to a progressive spring, the spring rating will progressively increase.

There are also linear style lowering springs. In a linear style coil-spring, these springs will remain the same spring rate when installed at their base setting. A linear spring will remain its same spring rating no matter how weight is transferred through the spring.

What Do Lowering Springs Do?

Lowering springs are designed to lower a car or truck’s stance when installed. Lowering springs and kits are designed to replace OEM coil springs with a spring designed to lower the front or rear stance of the vehicle.

Typical lowering springs lower between 0.5-3.0″ when installed on a vehicle. Lowering springs can be used with OEM shocks or an aftermarket, adjustable shock absorbers for an even better, performance ride. With lowering spring kits, once they are installed, your vehicle is set at that stance permanently. You may be able to adjust the shock damping, but you will not be able to raise or lower the ride height (stance) as you would be able to when running an adjustable coilover shock. Lowering springs provide a static, or non-adjustable ride-height. They will lower based upon the lowering spec the spring is designed for i.e. 1.0″ drop or 1.0″ of lowering per the manufacturers lowering spring specifications.

When installed, lowering springs will bring the entire center of gravity of the vehicle down. By lowering the center of gravity, lowering springs can help reduce body roll and improve the responsiveness of a vehicles suspension.

Performance lowering springs can reduce wheel hop in the rear and improve traction by firming up a vehicle’s suspension in race and street performance applications. A more appealing stance for your car or truck is what lowering springs can provide. Eliminating the wheel gap and having the fenders closer to the tire is a look that car enthusiasts who are looking to lower their ride typically look for. Lowering springs and kits are a cost effective and economical way to improve handling, overall street and track performance and better the appearance or stance of your vehicle.

What Are Coilovers?

If you’re looking to lower your car or truck’s stance while gaining the ability to adjust your ride height (stance) as well as your shocks damping then universal and adjustable coilover suspension kits may be what you’re looking for.

Race applications and vehicles with performance suspensions typically run coilover shocks as coilovers offer a wide range of adjustability and tunability for performance driving and performance type of vehicle applications.

Coilovers combine a shock and spring in one unit where the spring and shock operate as a single entity. In the majority of vehicle suspension systems, we see a coil or leaf spring with shock absorbers that work together, but are two separate units. The coil springs hold up the vehicle, while the shocks work as the brain of the springs controlling the springs as a vehicle travels down the road. A traditional shock and spring combination is not adjustable as the springs are set at a specific height. The shocks in a traditional shock and spring setup are determined by the overall height of the spring and travel needed to control the spring in various on-road and off-road conditions. Ride-height adjustability is something that is gained when running a coilover suspension.

In coilovers, the springs installed on the coilover shock can be raised and lowered manually by using a spanner wrench to raise or lower the spring retainers located on the shocks. The spring retainers that hold the spring on the coilover shock body are typically threaded and used to raise or lower the springs that in turn, will raise or lower the vehicles stance.

What Do Coilovers Do?

Coilovers offer a wide range of adjustability in both the shock performance and spring performance. A universal and adjustable coilover suspension kit  allows for shock tuning for a firmer or softer ride and spring adjustment that makes it possible to set the stance of a vehicle for a more appealing look as well as form performance needs.

Gaining the ability to raise and lower a vehicle’s center of gravity will improve handling and responsiveness in a vehicle’s suspension. This is one of the primary benefits of running a coilover shock system. When wheels or tire sizes change, coilovers are a good option as they allow a user to setup their stance to their liking. Eliminating wheel gap and being able to clear larger wheels or tires are just some of the benefits found in running a coilover shocks.

On the shocks found within a universal and adjustable coilover suspension kit   many times a manufacturer will include, single adjustable, double adjustable, triple adjustable or quadruple adjustable shocks. These levels of shock adjustability refer to the tuning of rebound adjustment, compression adjustment and the slow and fast speeds of these shock adjustment settings. Having the ability to control a shocks speed offers full control of how a suspension will handle under hard cornering, open road driving or when launching a vehicle. Shock adjustability found within a coilover shock offers greater performance for one to tune and set their suspensions handling capabilities.

Many coilover manufactures will match a spring and shock combination within a universal and adjustable coilover suspension kit. Having a coilover system with an adjustable shock and matched spring is a good way to go for a bolt-on, direct fit coilover application. For a more custom application or in a race type suspension setup, many drivers and teams will have dozens of coilovers and various coilover springs on hand to match track conditions – Think NASCAR, Autocross and Drag Race applications.

How to Choose What’s Right For Your Car?

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