Here, Mike explains why lowering your vehicle can cause a stiffer ride, how a vehicle can be lowered too much, and explains the safe threshold to lower your vehicle with new springs and minimal effect on ride quality.
You’ve installed springs on your vehicle that will set it lower than stock ride height, and it seems to be riding a little bit stiffer.
Whenever a vehicle is lowered, there is a reduction in the amount of suspension travel. Because of this, the spring rate is increased.
Suspension travel and steering geometry are the main things to be concerned about when lowering any vehicle. If we get too low, things under the car can start hitting each other. If we get too low in the front, we can create steering problems.
Our rules are never to go any lower than two inches with coil springs or three inches with leaf springs.
Even with the maximum amount of lowering, the increase in spring rate can be held to about 15% or so, that does not affect the ride quality that much.
