So, if you’ve clicked here I assume you want your car lowered. It may be
only slightly or slammed to the ground. There are many ways to do this. Some
right some wrong. I will only discuss the right ways and will mention the wrong
ones briefly. Among the wrong ways is cutting your stock springs to make them
shorter and heating the springs to bend them shorter. Both of these are stupid
and unsafe. Suspension is a vital to your car’s safety so do it right and pay
attention. Don’t let these short sentences fool you because they are very important.
Now onto the good stuff. The easiest way to get your car lower is to buy shorter
springs. They are usually stiffer and come in a variety of spring rates and lengths.
Some feel nearly stock and will only drop your car 1.5”. This is the first step
and can require upgraded shocks to handle the harsher spring rates. As you would
imagine the harsher the spring the better shock you are going to need to buy.
Shock/Spring combos range anywhere from $300-$1000. These setups are very good,
the only downside to this is that you can’t adjust the height. If you want
adjustability you will need coilovers.
Coilovers are simply shocks and springs built together with an adjustable spring
perch(threaded shock body) that allows you to dial in the ride height you desire
by spinning locking rings. This is what is on my car and I like them because you
can buy them at first, then lower the car as you get more experience and more
suspension parts(i.e. camber kits). Also on some coilovers you can adjust spring
tension independently of height which means you can adjust weight transfer and
get more grip by the car transitioning smoother when you turn. Coilover setups
range from $600-$1500.
Also your car’s suspension is setup so that the wheels will be flat on the road
at all times. When you lower the car you modify the angle of the suspension causing
negative camber. The top of the wheel will tuck in and the wheel will sit at a
slight angle. This can wear out your tires quick if you daily drive your car. This
is why people run camber kits. These kits adjust your suspensions connecting rods
to offset the camber you have from being lowered.
Anyways I hope this helps answer some of your questions about suspension and how
to get that killer stance you want the right way.
