March 23, 2001, Newsletter Issue #17: Car Performance Tips
Tip of the Week
Many people want to lower their car by replacing the stock springs with shorter, aftermarket ones to improve looks and handling (NEVER cut coils off springs to lower your car!). However, there are many important points to remember when doing so.
The lower the car is, the lower its center of gravity is, which will help handling. However, this is only true to a point! If your car is too low, it can actually hurt handling, as it was not designed to run as low as a racecar. When a car has been lowered excessively, it can often easily bottom out under cornering loads, and the ride can become far to stiff. Also, going too low can cause bumpsteer, where the tie rods and control arms are traveling different arcs, resulting in the wheels steering themselves with no steering wheel input.
Another problem that can arise is the tires rubbing against the top of the fender walls, causing increased wear and decreased handing performance. The general rule of thumb is to never lower you car more than 2 inches. Also, if you do lower your car, it is always a good idea to have a proper alignment done afterwards.
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