How To Lower A Car Suspension [6 Easy Methods] (2023)

Lowering a vehicle’s suspension is the most popular type of modification done today. It is done to increase the capability in handling performance and to possibly increase the visual appeal of the vehicle. Manipulating the vehicle’s suspension is required to get that urban sporty look. If you do not know how to lower a car suspension, then you are in the right article.

Let us begin!

Table of Contents

Why Lower A Car Suspension?

How To Lower A Car Suspension [6 Easy Methods] (1)

The main reason for lowering a car is as follows:

  • Performance gain increases in terms of cornering
  • Improves Comfort
  • Enhances Aerodynamics
  • Less Rollover Risk
  • Looks Good

How To Lower A Car Suspension?

How To Lower A Car Suspension [6 Easy Methods] (2)

(Video) Different Ways To Lower Your Vehicle

Every method has its pros and cons but lowering your car suspension differs from person to person according to one’s what are looking for.

  • Lowering Link Kit
  • Coil-Overs or Coil Springs
  • Air Suspension
  • Leaf Springs
  • Hydraulic Cylinders
  • Lower the Torsion Bar

So let us get into each of them in detail, and figure out how to lower a car suspension at home for free.

Lowering links

So buying a kit called “Lowering Links”, allows us to lower the vehicle straight from the factory but this is only exclusive to vehicles that have automatic OEM air suspension. It gives a fitment look that you want and has a similar sense of style as Air Lift or Accuair, except you only spend a few hundred bucks.

How To Lower A Car Suspension [6 Easy Methods] (3)

They are simple to install and affordable in the case in the future you’re looking forward to selling you can uninstall them easily. Lowering Links are just a sort of aesthetic pieces, they don’t increase any sort of performance. OEM has a limited scope or freedom of action in what it can and can’t do.

If you are looking for a quick solution by spending a few hundred dollars then lowering links is the easiest one. Lowering Links or springs are the free beta versions of a video game. This kit costs $400 to $ 500.

Coil-overs Or Coil Springs

Coil Springs are attached toA-frames or the axles they can be found on a car’s front or rear suspension. While lowering in car or vehicle suspension is probably still the most common modification that a lot of people do to their car. Coil-overs allow us to adjust the ride height and quality, it even allows us to adjust dampening indeed these are insanely versatile.

How To Lower A Car Suspension [6 Easy Methods] (4)

Coil-overs contain shock absorbers, which are surrounded by a coil spring that’s pretty much all it is and they usually come already installed. If they aren’t installed you can install them by customizing them by yourself, this allows you a lot of availability to dive into your car and understand how all this works.

(Video) How to lower your car the RIGHT way: COMPLETE COILOVER GUIDE

If you’re planning on launching the car using drag or drift or autocross you need to set up your coil overs precisely for how you plan to drive the car to make them work effectively and efficiently. These springs cost an average of $300 to $400.

Steps for lowering suspension via Coil Springs:

1. You can replace these coil springs with shorter coil springs or you can your former coil springs to a mechanic shop and soften or shorten them a bit.

2. By using a cutting-wheel start cutting the coil slowly and steadily from the initial quarter and start incrementing the cuts as this is an everlasting action

Air Suspension

Air Suspension is the most popular style of suspension in the coming years. Air Suspension has prevailed for some time now. AMG, Audi A8 models had this for quite a long time. They have slipped into the aftermarket customization stuff because that’s how this automobile industry works. More options and tailored things are required in this industry.

How To Lower A Car Suspension [6 Easy Methods] (5)

Air Suspension does everything with the click of a button and allows you to get that look of being slammed on the road, it permits you to drive through speed bumps, and potholes. Air Suspension compromises a compressor, springs, pneumatic solenoid valves, height sensors, electronic control unit, air reservoir, airlines, and pressure sensor. This whole system allows you to put air pressure into bags that are in your front or rear struts.

The higher the car lifts, the more the air in the bag. When you get rid of that air your car loses pressure, it grants the car to come back down onto the ground. This air suspension kit is around $200 to $300

Leaf Springs

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(Video) 5 Things You Should Know Before Lowering Your Car

$95 to $170 is the cost of installation of leaf springs while replacing them costs $ 450 to $790 if you hire a professional. Steps for lowering suspension via Leaf Springs:

  1. Modify the vehicle’s leaf springs: Leaf Springs consist of each plate of steel strips combined, they need to tighten or strengthen more.
  2. Detach leaf springs from the rear suspension of your vehicle: Take your vehicle to a garage and tilt or bend the leaf springs like a curve or a trajectory
  3. By using a flip kit and placing blocks beneath the leaf springs the curve or drop can be made to a greater extent. With these kits, the vehicles drop extremely low this task needs to be done by a mechanic

Hydraulic Cylinders

How To Lower A Car Suspension [6 Easy Methods] (7)Hydraulic Cylinders can be installed on all 4 suspensions corners of your car. Installing these hydraulic cylinders is not sufficient there is an additional burden of installing batteries, hydraulic pumps, and an internal control system to manage these pumps. The large bulk or amount of battery power is required for each of these hydraulic pumps is the major disadvantage of these cylinders

Lowering The Torsion Bar

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Using Torsion Bar keys adjust the torsion bars of your car, this will sink your vehicle to the ground.$209 and $229 is the average cost of replacement of torsion bars.

Frequently Asked Questions-

So, here are some of the frequently asked questions about what is the cost, how you can lower a car on stock suspension, cheapest way to lower a car –

1. Can You Lower A Car On Stock Suspension?

: You can lower a car on stock suspension by using lowering springs which have the car’s OEM shock absorbers and this very cost-effective way of lowering a car.

2. How Much Does It Cost To Lower A Suspension?

: Cost to lower a suspension is between $300 and $1500.

3. Do I Need To Change My Shocks If I Lower My Car?

Yes, it is important or we can recommend changing shocks if you use lowering springs.

(Video) Suspension Basics 06: A Better U Joint Driveshaft Video

4. What Do Drop Shocks Do?

Drop shocks are made so that when it is paired with a lowering spring then it will have a full range of travel for the suspension.

5. How Do I Make My Car Look Lower Without Lowering It?

You can make your car look lower without lowering it by ” The Razor Lip ” which can give your vehicle a lower look without any cost of an arm and a leg.

6. Can Lower Car Cause Problems?

Yes, lowering a car could cause problems as it can put more stress on various steering system parts which can lead to more wear and premature failure.

7. What Is Lowered Suspension?

Lowered Suspension makes the car sit closer to the ground and increases stability during emergency manoeuvres.

8 . How Do You Reduce Drag On A Car?

1. Lifting It — “an inch of increased ride height decreases the coefficient of drag by almost 10 drag counts.

2. Then you should add wider tires.

9.Can You Install Lowering Springs Yourself?

You can install lowering springs yourself which are designed to work with your existing factory suspension and can simply replace your coil springs.

Conclusion

How To Lower A Car Suspension [6 Easy Methods] (9)Now that you know how to lower a car suspension, you need to see the pros and cons of whether or not you want to lower your car. Depending on the area you live you should think of lowering your car suspension as you also spend a hundred bucks over all these methods. Suppose I live in a locality with potholes or speed bumps, I won’t go for driving a low car daily.

(Video) How to adjust ride height & corner balance your car - KW Suspension DDC - Technik - GTChannel

FAQs

How can I lower my car suspension? ›

A set of lowering springs is the most common method for lowering the ride height on your car. With a shorter height than your vehicle's factory-equipped springs, lowering springs will drop the height of your vehicle. Most off-the-shelf springs will lower a car between 1 and 2.5 inches.

How can I make my car look lower without lowering it? ›

A Good Alternative: The Razor Lip

The Razor Lip is a cutting-edge RimBlades product that gives your vehicle that lowered look without costing an arm and a leg. It's basically a high-quality rubber protection strip. It mounts to your vehicle's front lower valance with extremely strong adhesive.

How many inches can you lower a car? ›

A good rule of thumb is that most cars can be lowered about 1.5 inches without complications. Beyond that, changes in a severely lowered car's suspension may negatively affect ride quality, tire wear and increase the risk of "bottoming."

Does a lowered car go faster? ›

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.

How much is it to lower suspension? ›

Lowering spring kits go for anywhere between $100 and $700. Another option to lower your vehicle's ride height is to replace the stock springs in the suspension with lowering springs. These are shorter springs that lower your car by one to three inches. Lowering spring kits go for anywhere between $100 and $700.

Do you need to change shocks when lowering? ›

It is generally recommended that you change the shocks/struts when you use lowering springs. Your stock shocks and struts are designed to operate up and down in the range the stock springs provide.

How do you make a car note lower? ›

4 ways to lower your current car payment
  1. Renegotiate your loan terms. Lenders often allow you to defer a payment when you're facing financial hardship. ...
  2. Refinance your car loan. There are two ways refinancing your car loan can help lower your monthly payment. ...
  3. Sell or trade in your car. ...
  4. Make extra payments when possible.
Jan 30, 2023

What do I need to stance my car? ›

The term "stance" or "stanced" is often used to describe a car customization style. The term "stance" is often used in conjunction with "slammed" or "lowered". Key elements of the stance style are: lowered suspension (lowering springs, coilovers or air suspension), stretched tires and negative camber.

Can you lower a car with just springs? ›

Lowering springs simply replace your car's stock springs and fit right onto the factory shock absorbers. They lower the car and have a fixed spring rate. Coilovers, on the other hand, have adjustable springs and shock absorbers that enable you to adjust the car's ride height and ride characteristics.

Do coilovers lower your car? ›

While lowering springs and coilovers will both serve to make your car lower, they achieve this in different ways and provide noticeably distinct handling characteristics. With Coilovers offering additional benefits.

What do coilovers do? ›

The purpose of coilover springs is to prevent the chassis from bottoming out, support each individual wheel on the vehicle, and mitigate or reduce body roll when taking turns and cornering, particularly at higher speeds. The springs also help to reduce squatting when accelerating and diving when decelerating.

What is the lowest ride height of a car? ›

A road car usually has a ride height around 16–17 cm (6.3–6.7 in), while an SUV usually lies around 19–22 cm (7.5–8.7 in). Two well-known extremes are the Ferrari F40 with a 12.5 cm (4.9 in) ride height and the Hummer H2 with a 25 cm (9.8 in) ride height.

Do smaller wheels lower a car? ›

Smaller tires can make your vehicle ride lower, causing the vehicle to scrape, collide with, or bottom out on items that it should otherwise clear — think speed bumps, entrances into parking lots, rough intersections, and roadway debris.

What is the lowest height production car? ›

The lowest roadworthy car measures 45.2 cm (17.79 in) from the ground to highest part of the car and is called "Mirai".

Is lowering your car easy? ›

Lowering a vehicle's suspension is one of the most common modifications done today, and doing so can not only add visual appeal, but may even have performance benefits, if done correctly. While lowering a vehicle is a pretty straightforward job, it may require the use of special tools.

Why do people lower their car? ›

And the two main reasons are: improved performance and/or looks. It's that simple. Just about every car will experience improved performance with lowering. Even sports cars.

Is a lowered car safe? ›

Lowering the vehicle usually reduces aerodynamic drag, which increases fuel economy, and sometimes reduces high speed lift, this making the vehicle safer.

How many coils should I cut to lower my car? ›

A safe place to start is by measuring how much you want to lower the vehicle. Then cut 1/2 that measurement off the length of the springs and reinstall them.

Can you DIY lowering springs? ›

The process is not difficult, so anyone with garage access and a little know-how can accomplish this modification. Since lowering springs are designed to work with your existing factory suspension, they can simply replace your coil springs.

How do you lower coils over springs? ›

To adjust the coilovers, first, unlock collar B by taking your adjustment wrench and turn it clock-wise. Once loose, spin collar B by hand down the length of the coilover. You will then use the adjustment wrench to turn collar A clockwise to lower and counter-clockwise to raise the car.

Does lowering suspension affect insurance? ›

If your car is already highly modified, an improved braking system may reduce your premium as much as 10-15%. However, most cars are factory-fitted with suitable brakes already. If your car isn't modified, or only has a few modifications like alloy wheels or suspension, your premium is unlikely to be affected.

Can suspension be adjusted? ›

When adjusting a soft rear suspension, it's worth breaking down its components and how you can manipulate them to the greatest effect. You can make changes to the springs, spring rates, and dampers (shocks). The adjustments you decide to make will be based on your driving or riding style, body build, and preferences.

Can I lower car with stock suspension? ›

One popular method for lowering a car that most budget-minded enthusiasts opt for is using lowering springs with the car's OEM (stock) shock absorbers. While this is indeed a very cost-effective way of lowering the car's ride height, it doesn't help much in terms of the car's ride quality.

Does lowering a car affect ride quality? ›

Let's start with the drawbacks. First, the ride will be stiffer. If you like the cushy ride of a midsize sedan, absorbing blows from bumps and potholes, lowering springs are not for you. There's less suspension travel, and you might even notice increased road noise because, well, you're closer to the roads.

Do I need anything else with lowering springs? ›

Yes, if you install lowering springs then you need new shocks.

Do you need new control arms when lowering car? ›

When a lowering kit or a lift kit is installed on a car or truck, adjustable control arms are often needed to correct the negative or positive camber that goes along with them. If not corrected, the tires won't have the proper traction, and they will wear unevenly and prematurely.

What happens if I pay an extra $100 a month on my car loan? ›

Your car payment won't go down if you pay extra, but you'll pay the loan off faster. Paying extra can also save you money on interest depending on how soon you pay the loan off and how high your interest rate is.

What makes a car note high? ›

According to experts, a car payment is too high if the car payment is more than 30% of your total income. Remember, the car payment isn't your only car expense! Make sure to consider fuel and maintenance expenses. Make sure your car payment does not exceed 15%-20% of your total income.

Can Stanced cars drift? ›

Within the drift scene, we believe that stance has earned its place with the 'low style' community, where style is pretty much everything, with the ability to consistently drift your car, forming the icing on the cake.

What is considered a Donk car? ›

Specifically, “donk” is the nickname for a customized 1971-76 Chevrolet Caprice or Impala. Many folks erroneously use it to describe any custom car with big wheels. To be clear, flashy wheels aren't required, but if you want a showstopper, they certainly help. No one is certain where the term came from.

What is Hella flush? ›

What is hellaflush? Hellaflush involves: significantly lowering a vehicle's suspension. installing oversized and offset rims (offset is greater than that of the stock rims) installing tires that are too narrow for the rim (tire stretching)

Is there an app to lower your car? ›

Suspension Master” is the app to adjust the vehicle height. With this app you can process the photos of car like as if it was really modified with some simple operations.

What shocks are good for lowering springs? ›

The following shocks are the only shocks we recommend for use with lowered suspensions:
  • Bilstein B8 Sport.
  • Koni Sport Adjustable (Yellow)
  • Koni STR. T (Orange)
  • KYB AGX Adjustable.

Do I need shorter shocks for lowering springs? ›

The length of the shock absorber plays no part in the lowering of the car – it all comes down to the size of the spring, but for optimum steering, braking and handling response and smooth ride control, the shock absorber must compliment the design of the spring.

Do coilovers lower suspension? ›

A coilover suspension is installed when you want to lower your car and/or achieve sportier handling. In addition to flexible lowering, most coilover suspensions also have other adjustment options. In addition to the hardness, the driver can often also adjust the rebound or compression damping.

What is a lowering kit? ›

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.

Is it easier to install coilovers or lowering springs? ›

Coilovers often come together as a single assembly. That can make installation easier. Coil springs must be compressed prior to removal. Compressing the spring can be both difficult and dangerous, especially in a MacPherson strut-style suspension.

Do coilovers add horsepower? ›

Coilovers can affect a car's performance by lowering its center of gravity and stiffening up the suspension. This results in better performance, response, and handling of the car. However, while a good coilover design can improve the performance it can require a lot of time and money.

Do coilovers make a rough ride? ›

It's true, coil-overs can result in a rough ride. If not set up properly you too could have a rough ride.

How much does it cost to lower a car 2 inches? ›

Lowering Springs Installation

These are shorter springs that lower your car by one to three inches. Lowering spring kits go for anywhere between $100 and $700. A professional installation may cost an additional $200 to $800.

What is the cheapest way to lower a truck? ›

Leaf Springs and Shackles

This is a very budget friendly way to lower the rear of most trucks. Lowered leaf springs and shackles are a great way to shave a few inches off. Installation is pretty straight forward as you simply replace the old gear with new parts.

Will coilovers lower my car? ›

While lowering springs rely on spring rate and height to alter your ride height, coilovers use the spring seat's location on the shock to raise or lower your vehicle. That means you could swap in a heavier or lighter spring and easily get back to your desired ride height.

Do smaller tires make your car lower? ›

Smaller tires can make your vehicle ride lower, causing the vehicle to scrape, collide with, or bottom out on items that it should otherwise clear — think speed bumps, entrances into parking lots, rough intersections, and roadway debris.

How much is it to camber a car? ›

In each case, expect to pay about $100 or less. A reputable shop will discuss which option is best for you and the estimated cost.

How do you lower a truck easily? ›

An aftermarket set of coil springs is a great way to lower your truck's suspension as much as two inches. Some trucks use coils at the rear, so look for a complete kit from the same manufacturer. The best choice is to use progressive-rate springs made from high-quality steel, to avoid spring sag over time.

Can you cut stock springs to lower your car? ›

You can lower your car by cutting the coil springs that are compressed in the strut above the car's tires. A professional mechanic often carries out the process of cutting a car's coil springs and lowering the vehicle. With a few tools, such as a coil compressor and angle grinder, you can cut the coil springs yourself.

Do leaf springs affect ride height? ›

Springs can wear out and affect ride height.

What do I need for lowering springs? ›

Tools To Install Lowering Springs
  • Basic hand tools, including screwdrivers, pry bars, metric and fractional wrenches, metric and fractional sockets, ratchets, and extensions.
  • Impact wrench, either electric or pneumatic.
  • Floor jack and jack stands.
  • Spring compressors.

Are lowering springs better than stock springs? ›

Lowered springs are physically shorter than OEM springs when installed, so the ride height of the vehicle is lower. Now since spring rate is measured in Kg per mm, a spring that's shorter than stock will have a higher spring rate which means a firmer ride. For performance driving, this is considered a benefit.

Why do people lower their cars? ›

Lowering the suspension lowers the center of gravity and reduces the risk of a rollover. Enhanced comfort: This is somewhat subjective, but some drivers say that lowering the suspension simply makes their vehicle more comfortable and less prone to rattling around.

Why are lowering springs bad? ›

Lowering springs also change the geometry of your wheel/tire fitment. If it's not done right, you can expect both accelerated and uneven tire wear. Your car could also bottom out over speed bumps and be even tougher to get up inclines, like your driveway, without scraping your bumper.

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