Lowering your car with coils or springs is one of the first and most essential steps to take when looking to improve your vehicle's appearance and performance.
Bringing your fenders closer to the wheel is a great way to give your vehicle more attitude, and to help it to look sleek and aggressive. More than just a stylistic upgrade lowering can also improve your vehicle’s performance. Increased handling can come from your car being closer to the grown. If you want to take your car from a run of the mill ride to a high powered performer, start with getting it lowered. There are a few different ways to go about this, so let us help you find the right fit for your vehicle.
Upgrading your car is something we all wish to do, but can sometimes be expensive. However, it’s important to make sure that we don’t skimp on suspension. Some people may recommend cutting springs or putting clamps on stock springs to lower your altitude, but we absolutely do not. These are dangerous methods that could harm the health and safety of your vehicle. Using lowering or coilover springs is the safest and smartest way to lower your car's altitude.
Lowering your car is an aftermarket upgrade that can be done by purchasing a lowering kit. There are different ways to accomplish this however. Lowering springs and coilover springs are often debated over as to which one is a more effective method. We’ll be breaking the two down below to help you understand what’s right for you.
Lowering Springs versus Coilovers
First up is lowering springs. Similar to your factory springs, lowering springs sit neatly in place and are made to support the weight of the vehicle.
Installing them is as simple as removing the old springs and inserting the new ones. However, the benefits of lowering springs far exceed your factory issues. Your car will experience improved handling and performance. With a tighter spring you will also see less body roll when cornering as your vehicle remains nice and compressed.
Lowering springs are physically shorter and bring the car down farther to the wheel. Lowering springs still have to compensate for the weight of your vehicle and because they are short do so less efficiently. With firmer springs on your car you can expect a bumpier ride.
Your second option is coilover springs. While lowering springs are simply a modified version of your factory issue coilover springs are something entirely different. Short for “Coil spring over strut” these springs provide a wonderful range of options for fine tuning your vehicle to your standards.
With Coilovers your car’s shocks/struts and springs replaced with matched performance dampers and springs. Handling is increased due to the lighter body of the coilovers. Most importantly your given a far greater range of adjustability with your car. Ride height, spring pre-load, shock dampening and rebound can all be modified with coilover springs.
Unfortunately, coilovers have even stiffer spring rates the lowering springs and see a drastic decrease in ride quality. Additionally quality coilover springs can often become expensive quickly.
Is one better than the other?
Well that all depends on how you're driving. For the average driver, a set of lowering springs should be more than efficient to see your cars style and handling improve. They are not only cost effective but strike a good balance between ride quality and performance. They are less expensive than coilovers and hold up better over time.
If you are driving in such a way that you are pushing the limit of your car’s handling capabilities then coilovers may be for you. If you race your vehicle frequently you can’t find a better improvement in your car's performance in springs and struts. However, you will experience a rough ride that can quickly become frustrating. Additionally, your car will be far more susceptible to uneven roads, speed bumps and hazards as it is lowered to the ground.
For the die hard enthusiast there's no better upgrade than the coilover spring. That said, the price and potential drawbacks do not make them practical to the average drive.
Therefore, if you are simply looking to upgrade your cars look for day to day use we recommend lowering springs to give your vehicle the attitude and look it deserves.