Today, there are different methods you can use to lower any car type. Whether you prefer the sporty look of a slightly lower stance or a more dramatic drop in height, learning how to lower a car is a straight-forward process which requires manipulating the vehicle’s suspension-system. So, in this post i will show you the different methods you use to easily lower your vehicle.
METHOD-1: How To Lower A Car With Leaf Springs:
-Alter the vehicle’s leaf springs: Leaf-springs consist of thin strips of spring steel banded and bolted together. So, you will need to adjust these springs to drop the height of any car.
-Remove the leaf-springs from the rear-suspension of the vehicle: Carefully remove the leaf-springs from the rear-suspension and take them to a spring shop to have them de-arched or use a reverse shackle. In fact, reversing the set up by placing the axle on top of the leaf-spring is called a flip kit and it can be done by a home mechanic with common hand tools.
-To achieve a greater or increased drop, couple the flip-kit with lowering blocks: These are available online or from your local auto parts store and come in differing heights to enable the vehicle to drop extremely low. They can be easily installed by a home mechanic. Likewise, depending on how low you go, you may have to install a C-notch above your real axle. The purpose of the notch is to give you a greater clearance between your frame and axle.
METHOD-2: How To Lower A Car With Coil Springs:
-Manipulate the car’s coil springs: Coil springs can be found on a car’s front or back suspension and are attached onto the A-frame or the axles. So, you can remove the stock coil springs and replace them with shorter springs or take your springs to a spring shop and have the coils softened and shortened.
-Consider cutting the coils yourself: Get a grinder, cutting wheel or torch to cut the coils. Start with cutting in quarter or half-coil-turn increments because cutting a coil is a permanent action. Additionally, you may have to install shorter bump stops or cut your stock ones to fit.
METHOD-3: Replace The Springs & Shocks:
-Replace the springs: Trade them out for adjustable airbag units which are available at a local auto supply store or from an online auto parts seller. This method of lowering your car also requires installation of air lines, an air compressor, air reservoir tank and system activation switch. If you have rear leaf springs, then you will need to get rid of them and replace them with a 4 link setup. This process usually needs a professional fabricator.
-Replace the shocks: Replacing the springs will at times require changing the shocks too in-order to achieve the best results. This process can be done at home but only if you know what you’re doing.
METHOD-4: Install Hydraulic Cylinders:
-Replace the car’s springs with hydraulic cylinders: Hydraulics can be installed on 1, 2, 3 or all 4 suspension corners of the car. Installing a hydraulic system also requires installing an internal control system, hydraulic pumps and batteries to operate the pumps. However, this method of lowering your vehicle requires a large amount of battery power to operate each hydraulic pump in the system.
METHOD-5: Lower The Torsion Bar:
-Adjust the car’s torsion bars: Consider adjusting your car’s torsion bars down using the torsion bar key. Torsion bars come factory equipped on vehicles and consists of a spring steel bar that’s used in place of a coil or leaf spring. The torsion bar key is part of the torsion bar which allows the vehicle ride height to be adjusted at the factory when the vehicle is built and as needed afterwards. In fact, it’s easily adjusted with a small hand wrench at home.
