Coilovers can be much more expensive than lowering springs depending on what level of quality you want but will give you much more of a performance increase. They do this by combining perfectly paired dampers with springs, and while you sacrifice some road comfort, they provide a lot of extra control over stock suspension.
Depending on the product, these can be fully adjustable, meaning you can adjust not only your ride height but your damping, too. this will make a huge difference if you’re wanting to race your car, and will also allow it to be set up for different surfaces and scenarios.
Below there are a few processes to know how to lower your car without coilovers.
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How To Lower Your Car Without Coilovers?
While there are several methods to lower a vehicle’s suspension, the three most common ones are using a replacement spring kit for models with coil spring suspension, using a lowering kit with blocks for vehicles that employ leaf spring suspension, and using a hydraulic cylinder.
1. For Leaf Springs
Leaf springs are an integral part of your vehicle’s suspension system. They are installed to help support the entire weight of your car. Leaf springs also help maintain the tire’s grip on the road and regulate the wheelbase lengths when speeding up or slowing down.
1. Alter Your Vehicle’s Leaf Springs
Leaf springs consist of thin strips of spring steel banded and bolted together.
2. Remove The Leaf Springs From The Rear Suspension Of The Vehicle
Take them to a spring shop and have constructed in the form of an arch, or use a reverse shackle. Another option can be reversing the setup by placing the axle on top of the leaf spring called a flip kit. This can be done by a home mechanic with common hand tools or you can do it yourself if you have handy tools.
To get even greater or increased drop, couple the flip kit with lowering blocks. These are available online or from your local auto parts store. They come in differing heights and will enable the vehicle to drop extremely low. They can be installed by a home mechanic.
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.
2. Replace Springs
This is another way to know how to lower your car without coilovers. These are the cheapest and easiest ways to lower your car’s ride height while staying safe and are usually one of the first mods someone will do to their car. For only a few hundred, you can easily buy and fit these into your car and lower its center of gravity. While they won’t allow anywhere near as much of a performance increase compared to coil-overs, they will have a slight improvement on the car’s handling. And of course, it’ll look better.
1. Replace The Springs And Shocks
Place them out for adjustable airbag units available at a local auto supply store or from an online auto parts seller.
Additionally, installing the airbags to replace the springs, this method of lowering your car also requires the installation of airlines, an air compressor, an air reservoir tank, and an activation switch system.
Airline hoses are flexible tubes that convey pressurized air. They are commonly in use for carrying a supply of compressed air to operate pneumatic-powered systems, such as a road vehicle air brake system.
This process can be done by yourself in case you have enough handy tools otherwise go to the mechanics.
In case you have rear leaf springs, you will need to get rid of them and replace them with a 4 link setup. This process usually needs a professional fabricator.
3. Hydraulic Cylinders
Important specifications for hydraulic cylinders include the cylinder type, stroke, maximum operating pressure, bore diameter, and rod diameter. Choices for cylinder type include tie-rod, welded, and ram. Hydraulic cylinders can have a variety of stroke lengths. The maximum operating pressure is the maximum working pressure the cylinder can sustain. The bore diameter refers to the diameter at the cylinder bore. The rod diameter refers to the diameter of the rod or piston used in the cylinder.
Replacing Your Car’s Springs With Hydraulic Cylinders
Hydraulics can install on one, two, three, or all four suspension corners of your car. Installing a hydraulic system also requires installing an internal control system. Hydraulic pumps and batteries to operate the pumps.
One drawback to this method of lowering your vehicle is the large amount of battery power required to operate each hydraulic pump in the system.
4. Lower the Torsion Bar
The torsion bar is a bar that resists twisting and has a strong tendency to return to its original position when twisted. A torsion bar is a long spring-steel element with one end hold rigidly to the frame. And the other end twist by a lever connected to the axle. It thus provides a spring action for the vehicle.
Adjust Your Car’s Torsion Bars Down Using The Torsion Bar Key
This will decline your vehicle so it is lower to the ground.
Torsion bars come factory equipped on vehicles and consist of a spring steel bar. In place of a coil-over or leaf spring, the torsion bars replace. 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 afterward.
It is easy to adjust with a small hand wrench at home. So, don’t have to waste unnecessary money. This is another way to know how to lower your car without coilovers.
Conclusion
This article was a very brief overview, but there are a few key points to remember. Lowering springs are great if you want a cheap way to give your car a better stance, and possibly better handling. Depending on the car and spring, however, handling can be hurt by lowering springs. Coilovers are a much better option as they control your car much better and give you lots of adjustabilities.
