"Slamming" and other suspension modifications

tombayer

I subscribe to a lot of car magazines, and it seems all the rage today to lower a vehicle's ride height. How do you feel about this?

Personally I do not like slammed cars. I've seen some really beautiful Detroit Iron ruined by lowering the suspension. True there are many modified suspension components that you can buy to do the job properly but it just doesn't look right, let alone what it does to ground clearance.

denniswade

It's obviously a matter of personal taste, but there are some very tangible benefits (and drawbacks) to lowering a car.

Benefits include:

1. Looks (contrary to your taste, many of us like to see the upper fender openings concentric with the wheels).

2. Lowered center of gravity (aids handling and aerodynamics).

3. Stiffer springs (sharper turn-in).

Drawbacks:

1. Negative comments from those who don't like slammed suspensions (!).

2. Less suspension travel (resulting in bottoming and poor handling on really rough roads).

3. Ride deterioration (due to the stiffer springs).

All a matter of taste....

dgraves1

I suspect Shifty will tell us to take this topic elsewhere shortly. But when I think of "slamming" I think of radically lowering the car by 4 inches or more which makes it ridiculous for street use. Lowering the car by 1 to 2 inches usually accentuates the positive points Dennis mentioned without making the negatives unbearable.
There seems to be a really odd trend starting aroud here. I have seen quite a few pickups with the back slammed and the front left stock or even raised. I can't figure out what that is about. At least when I was a kid and we jacked the rear end of our hot rods up, it had a purpose - namely clearance for the big tires.

judas

Sure those trucks didn't just have hydraulic suspensions? If they didn't, and the persons wasn't waiting for the front springs to come in or something, they ought to be shot. Lowrider trucks have become pretty passe around here anyway.

dgraves1

I have no idea whether I just happened to see a few trucks carrying way too many concrete bags in the bed or if this is an emerging "style". I was just wondering i anyone else had seen similar set-ups.

Mr_Shiftright

yeah, unless we swerve onto old hot rods, I'd like to keep the Classics Board just about Classsics....so I'm going to see if I can move the first post to the Aftermarket and Accessories Board...we'll see if this works...meantime, this will be made "READY ONLY" and then retired.

thank you,

Shifty the Host