Why do people lower their cars?

Why do people lower their cars? This is a question often asked by non-car enthusiasts. “To improve the car’s performance, so I can take corners flatter” –this is the usual response. But what they really mean is. “Who cares if I lose a tooth every time I hit a pothole at 60mph, I want my car to look good"

I haven’t done a scientific survey but I'm pretty sure that 70% of the time, people lower their cars for looks. There are obvious trade-offs but the car will look sportier, longer and wider once it’s lowered. If you plan to upgrade to bigger wheels, lowering the car becomes essential as putting 17in or bigger wheels on a non-lowered car will give the car a “lifted” look. Case in point below:

 

19in wheels on a non-lowered car

Same wheels, same car but it doesn’t look like it’s on jack stands this time.

How do I drive a lowered car: You’ll find that driving a lowered car requires a new set of skills that they probably won’t teach you at your local driving school. I’ll discuss this in more detail in another entry. But you’ll have to learn how to approach inclines and road humps at an angle. It takes a bit of trial and error to know what angles your car can take without scraping but you’ll learn it eventually, after significant damage to your car's chin.  Driving a lowered car involves getting to know the roads that you'll be driving on so try to remember where the potholes are. Always observe the car in front of you, if you see it bounce, slow down or move to another lane. if you encounter a pothole that you can’t avoid, just clench your butt as hard as you can, pray to your deity of choice and ride it out like a man. Feel free to curse like a sailor afterwards

How low should I go. Common sense dictates that you should probably determine what obstacles your car will be encountering before having it lowered. You probably shouldn’t lower your car too much or at all if you intend to drive it over dirt roads. I find that a 2 finger fender gap is enough to give a car a sporty stance without sacrificing ride quality too much. Aesthetically speaking, it’s a subjective thing so check photos online to see which look would work for you. There are a number of looks that you can choose from. There's the hellaflush look characterized by smallish wheels, stretched tires and ridiculous camber. This stance is perfect for those who don't intend to drive their cars ever. If you're going for sporty, go for big wheels (18 or bigger) and a one finger gap or slightly less.

The hellaflush look

Other things to consider are the cars overhangs and aerodynamic features like chins and sideskirts. If your car has a shorter overhang (the distance between the wheel and the front or rear bumper), you can get away with a more aggressive drop without scraping as much. If your car has a chin or sideskirts, you may not want to go too low unless you don’t mind scraping on leaves.

Should I cut my springs or buy lowering springs. Lowering springs are expensive but will give you better ride quality as well as better handling. But if it’s just going to be a moderate drop, the difference is less pronounced. I’ve noticed no significant difference in ride quality going from a 4 finger gap to a 2 finger gap on cut stock springs. This will vary from car to car of course. Going from 17inch wheels to 18inch wheels will have a more significant impact on your ride quality than a 2-finger drop in most cases. If you have the money, buy lowering springs. If you don’t, it’s ok to cut them just keep in mind that if you cut too much, you should expect a very bouncy ride. I would advise against heating the springs as this will change the spring’s properties and may cause them to fail eventually. 

What is Fender rubbing: If the gap between your tire and your fender is less than a finger’s width and you’re on wider than stock wheels, your tire will likely rub against the fender when your suspension compresses. Eventually this will damage the paint on your fender and cause premature wear on your tires. There are multiple solutions to this problem. One is to have the fender rolled. Another is to use tires that are slightly narrower than your wheels and then stretching them (some may question the safety of this method but a lot of people do it). The most drastic option is to have the fender flared. Having the fender rolled is the cheapest option (around 500 pesos per fender). This involves flattening the inner lip of the fender so it wouldn’t rub against the tire. but if you have significant rubbing issues, fender rolling may not be enough and you may have to consider the other options.

 

Fender rolling

How about Wheel alignment: Lowering your car will alter your wheel alignment. This will cause uneven wear on your tires so have your wheels realigned after having your car lowered unless you like the cambered look

Does it have any practical benefits:  There are non-aesthetic benefits to lowering your car. Unfortunately, you'll only get to appreciate those benefits if you intend to drive your car like a maniac. There’s a reason why all sports cars are low on the ground. Cars that go fast need to be low on the ground. If the car is low, its center of gravity is low and therefore it can negotiate corners at a higher speed without rolling so much on its suspension and losing grip. You’ll also gain more stability when quickly changing lanes at high speed. The car will become more responsive overall. Please remember these practical benefits so next time someone asks you why your car is lowered, you'll have plenty of excuses

stock vs lowered E36 coupe