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What Is Involved In Lowering A Car?

HairyMerkin
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_bobo_ Mentor

_bobo_

Posted
Posted

depends what way you wanna go..

coilovers which is more of a suspension package all in 1 but will cost ya around 1k im guessing,.

also adjustable which comes in handy i guess if you wanna change ride height.

or springs, lows, super lows , ultra lows ect.. which will be around $120 a pair + labour.

also if your lowering it a resonable amount probably need a camber kit which i did, only realised after burning through 2sets on the rear in about 6months.

Duncan Grand Master

Duncan

Posted
Posted

all you've got to do to lower it is:

buy shorter springs

buy firmer shocks to match harder springs

buy front and rear upper control arms or adjustable bushes to fix the camber

buy adjustable traction arm or bushes to fix the bump steer at the rear.

buy roll centre adjusters for the front

modify the rear cradle to have higher arm adjustment to keep the geometery right

then it will be low and as good as new :thumbsup:

or if handling, wheel alignment and tyre wear aren't a issues then just put shorter springs in

WrenchesInTheGears Enthusiast

WrenchesInTheGears

Posted
Posted (edited)

79 cents of angle grinder disc, up to a few grand for all the fruit

as has been said, if you just want it lower without adjustment and not worried about handling, then simply get lowered springs and swap them sraight in.

a gooid i dea would also be to get shorter shocks to keep the lowered springs captive(slightly compressed so they dont become unseated (read: fall out))

a better idea is to spend a little bit 1-1.5k and get some descent coilovers which are height adjustable and dampening adjustable, u can adjust the height and the dampening of the shocks.

and as duncan said, u can spend even more to have the car handlings beutifully with correct steering geometry and all

generally 1 inch lower will cost the same as 3-4 inches lower, it all depends on the method

Edited by WrenchesInTheGears
Wacky Dee Veteran

Wacky Dee

Posted
Posted

just a couple of tips ... buy your bodykit FIRST if you're going to get one anyway. That way you know how much you can lower the car without scraping etc.

Also secondly, if you're changing suspension do it right and get ALL the crap at the same time ie. springs AND shocks. Labour is expensive so you want to do springs and shocks at the same time eg. bilstein shocks + whiteline springs or just get a coilover kit (shocks come with springs attached to them). Don't forget the camber kits - whiteline sell these too. Camber kits are necessary or once you lower the car you will be chewing through your tyres real quick. Good wheel alignment and camber/castor/toe adjustment after installing new new suspension and lowering the car is a MUST.

mad082 Grand Master

mad082

Posted
Posted

you would be suprised as to how much lower the car will be after just getting springs that lower the car 30mm. 2 things happen if you go lower with stock shocks. 1: the ride gets rougher because the springs have to be a higher rate and you also run the risk of the shocks bottoming out which not only ruins the shocks quicker but gives a much harsher ride.

the second thing is that the lower you go the more the camber is affected at the rear and this isn't always fixed with a single camber kit.

BASHO Mentor

BASHO

Posted
Posted

Speed bumps , steep driveways , front spoilers , exhaust mufflers/systems , side skirts , crap street handling , defect notices , wrong camber rooted tyres , shit steering , blown light globes , electrical malfunctions , skipping CD's , underbody damage , lots of money and the list goes ---------------------on.

:)

DarkRyda Proficient

DarkRyda

Posted
Posted
Speed bumps , steep driveways , front spoilers , exhaust mufflers/systems , side skirts , crap street handling , defect notices , wrong camber rooted tyres , shit steering , blown light globes , electrical malfunctions , skipping CD's , underbody damage , lots of money and the list goes ---------------------on.

;)

I think what BASHO is trying to say it's best to change the shocks & spings at the same time (adjustable ones preferably) so you dont have to worry about the after affects of cutting or changing the springs to lower your ride. correct me if I'm wrong :)

BASHO Mentor

BASHO

Posted
Posted
I think what BASHO is trying to say it's best to change the shocks & spings at the same time (adjustable ones preferably) so you dont have to worry about the after affects of cutting or changing the springs to lower your ride. correct me if I'm wrong :)

You got it brother ! I recently bought an R34 GT-t with KingSprings lowers already on (not supelows) and have just replaced the front shockys, one blew.

As I'm actualy only down 20mm from factory I've got away with OE @ $205.57 a corner (front) and they're working fine, I had front and rear wheel align along with castor and camber checks to be sure but any lower and I'd be looking at about $345 a corner for Koni adjustables and all the other shit like camber bolts etc etc.

The one that passenger side that blew can actualy also be put down to 10 years old 80000ks, lovely smooth nearside gutters--and, of course, a spring hight change.

So if you are going for snake belly low you'd best plan a shocky change too and you'll find that you'd probably be better going for coilovers and it'd be cheaper -and better.

Lots of people go for lowering spend shit load of cash doing it and end up changing to coilys later because they just can't get the ride set just the way they want it any other way--been there--done that.

:D

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