Why Is It Dumb To Lower A Vehicle?

[DarkLordFreeman]

You're not taking anyone's advice. Feel free to listen to the youtuber. Also I noticed your first post mentions drivetrain angles which isn't an issue at all. Unless you count the half shafts that are meant to constantly change angle.

Alright. So then if I install a coilover system, whats important is to get the car aligned and the coilover adjusted for proper rebound and compression and everything else? Basically, and that is about it?

[Wh33lhop]

-Suspension (or body) bottoming out
-Keeping your oil pan doing oil panny things and your steering rack doing sealy things
-Roll center changes
-Camber curves/bump steer
-Speed bumps/curbs/dips
-Tires rubbing
-No fat chix
-Having a car that doesn't get stuck on lifts and doesn't require ramps to get a jack under it, or that doesn't require a split flat bed to tow

Quite a few reasons really

[unevolved]

Race Car Vehicle Dynamics, buy it.

Milliken and Milliken is a little bit of overkill for 99% of the stuff on this forum.

[Vivek]

You're not taking anyone's advice. Feel free to listen to the youtuber. Also I noticed your first post mentions drivetrain angles which isn't an issue at all. Unless you count the half shafts that are meant to constantly change angle.

[DarkLordFreeman]

Really guys, I do not modify my cars at all.

The man in the video has been a service technician for 45 years now. He says it is not a good idea to raise/lower over a long period of time.

I had one response that says when a car is lowered, it throws the geometry out of whack. You have to strengthen and then get the geometry back within specification. It was a good answer. Also, I did do searches in Google and this forum for my answer.

[lambo]

My car is borderline dumb...

[Vivek]

Okay. I mean, i really guess my curiosity comes from the reliability of something. This might be a simple question, but if properly done with care and planning, can you still rack up high miles with a lowered car. I am also one NOT to modify a vehicle.

Not sure if this is the right forum for you in that case. Lowering a car isn't gonna make it unreliable. In my opinion, unreliability is more related to engine modifications. The suspension is much more straightforward and I associate it with shitty handling if you do it badly and an uncomfortable ride, not being unreliable. Many aftermarket suspension components (poly bushings, mounts, etc) have longer lives than stock, and good dampers have lifetime warranties.

[iansane]

That guy has Nic Cage hair.

[slammin.e28]

Why does everyone make such an uproar out of lowering/raising a vehicle?

[IronFreak]

I am including a link to a video that I found searching Youtube.

My question is why is it dumb to lower a vehicle? The video is actually about why it is not a good idea to raise a vehicle. Because I could not find a comparable video about lowering a vehicle I decided to post this. The whole reason is it changes the drive train angles, or the geometry of the car. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAzl8k9S4k8

Is it basically the same idea for lowered cars, that it immediately changes the angle of the whole car, and therefore is not good for drive-ability/longevity?

What is wrong with you?

[JixE30]

Race Car Vehicle Dynamics, buy it.

Then go to the Roll Center section.

Better yet, google roll/instant centers and what it means for the handling of a car..

Then you will know why they don't lift road racing cars, besides the center of gravity.

Edit: For all you lazy ppl here's a good link explaining everything:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5197012-Let-s-talk-TT-suspension

[Poorboyz]

So it is not gonna be dumb to raise a vehicle either.

Crack is whack

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[Roysneon]

I'm not sure what it means for something to be dumb. If you're aware that changing suspension geometry is a compromise, then you can either accept that or find a way to deal with it.

Basically.

Not to be an asshole, but most people who raise vehicles do it on trucks for the purpose off roading with little thought given to road handling. When done with only the thought of raising the truck in mind and other factors ignored driving those trucks on road/highways can get dicy.

[DarkLordFreeman]

Okay. I mean, i really guess my curiosity comes from the reliability of something. This might be a simple question, but if properly done with care and planning, can you still rack up high miles with a lowered car. I am also one NOT to modify a vehicle.

[Roysneon]

I'm at work and can't watch the video, but there are a bunch of reasons that you could argue that lower a car is a bad idea.

Lowering springs are stiffer and ride quality deteriorates.
If lowering springs are not stiffer they will bottom out your dampers.
Cheap lowering springs may be of poor quality
Increases bump steer.
Puts the car's vulnerable oily bits closer to the road
Stiffer springs transmit more shock from bumps/potholes into mounts and bushings
Changes swaybar endlink angle/effectiveness

That being said, if you don't cheap out incredibly and have half a brain you can lower most cars without any fanfare.