To lower or not to lower..?

I've been pondering a set of springs for the Escort since they aren't a canyon carver right out of the box. What I had in mind was the Eibach pro-kit which is an inch drop front and back. Nothing too drastic.. Any pro's/con's about lowering a car?

it all depends on where you drive and what the ground clearance of the car will be after.

some can majorly compromise the usability of a car, some dont make a difference for the day to day.

take my mustang, ive never owned it at stock ride height, but i had my moms v6 convertible to drive. the only time it made a major difference was on steep angle approaches or REALLY evil high speed bumps. it looks like it was supposed to be at the lowered height from the factory.

my E30... im still wondering if lowering springs are the right thing for it with the oil pan vulnerability.

a major thing to note is what your doing with shocks/struts to match the springs. factory will NOT be an answer. my mustang rode really bouncy until i put the koni's on it. you have to have enough damper for the spring rate. (if it comes down to it, shocks first, springs later)

I would also not suggest the Eibach pro-kit....

Does H&R make anything for your car?

H & R does make a kit but the drop is a little more than i'd like to go (1.3 inches all around). The Zxtuner springs are an inch and a half drop which is way too much for me. I've been running Gr-2's for the last few months and what i've read, they should be able to handle some lowering springs..

Lower it only if you're planning on putting some upgraded shocks in there as well. Those Eibachs on stock, worn struts/shocks will probably be worse than what it is stock.

Pros--looks better, handles much more crisply (assuming quality components are used). Lower is always better in my book. I hope to always have my cars at a lower-than-stock ride height.

Cons--parking blocks, steep driveways, DEEP snow (I've commuted in dumped Hondas in New England snow for 8 years now--only a problem if the road isn't plowed).

My SR came with the Eibach kit and specially tuned Tokico struts. Works great on the tarmac, not good for rally cross.

Here are three lowered cars that I've owned in the photos. The Impala SS I can just fit my fist between the frame and the garage floor. I have to drive the tires onto a 2x4 before I can fit a jack under it :)

It does take some getting used to. You can't let it "bounce" off a speed bump, you have to crawl down the other side so you don't compress the suspension and bottom out. Steep driveways always scrape, but its just tailpipes and front skirts. They're replacable. There are a couple exhaust spots that are lower than the frame, but otherwise its just the frame dragging and its pretty stout.

For me the look and the handling far outweigh the drawbacks.

Lowering a strut suspension too much can fubar the geometry. Also, many drop spring rates are terrible. Look at your stock spring rates and then at drop springs to see how they will change the balance.

On my 97 Escort, I had the Intrax 1.75" drop for a few months, then switched to the Eibach springs for a year. The Eibachs were way too stiff for the roads around here. I believe they have the highest spring rate of any aftermarket non-adjustable spring for 91+ Escorts. I really tried to like them but they were always too stiff. Managed to buy back my old Intrax springs and have been happy ever since.

Escorts aren't bad for rubbing. I've taken some really steep driveways just to see and couldn't get the bumpers to rub. If I pop over speedbumps too quick my homemade exhaust will tap the bump but that's my fault.

If you've got decent roads in your area and really don't want your car to look like it's lowered, the Eibachs will probably work ok. Otherwise you'd be better off to go for the H&R or Intrax.

I used to buy tires slightly shorter than stock, but now I run tires that are up to an inch taller than stock. 185/70r14, 195/60r15, 205/50r16, etc. I've found the car drives a lot better with the taller tires. Sure you'll lose a bit of gear ratio and speedometer will be off slightly, but you'll gain ground clearance and have a car that feels more in control.

BTW I've been using the ZX2 S/R struts throughout this whole time, stockers were blown out long before I bought the car.

dan_efi wrote: I used to buy tires slightly shorter than stock, but now I run tires that are up to an inch taller than stock. 185/70r14, 195/60r15, 205/50r16

Its a shame very few performance street tires come in that diameter