Is Lowering Your Daily Driver Worth It? Here's How

[@davepaturno4290]

Many owners who lower, also add wheel spacers. Keep in mind that moving your wheels further away from your wheel bearings will shorten the life of each bearing. Also, lowering springs will stiffen the ride and reduce the life of your OEM shock absorbers.

[@ShockSurplus]

Thanks for the tips!

[@ClumzySergio]

I have been driving on BcRacing coilovers on my daily drive civic about a year now, living in LA. I agree with everything he is saying. As long as you are driving safe and having a common sense, it will be fine. That being said… I still love them! The look and the handling is absolute crazy! If you own a small car I recommend moding maximizing the handling department. Front sway bars, strut bar, Springs and if you can afford coilovers, definitely recommend. Watching muscle cars handle a curve while you overpower it. It is a absolute sight. ❤😂 . Have fun and be safe ❤

[@ShockSurplus]

I own a 2014 Scion FRS and ran Fortune Auto 500 previous but now on KW V3. My younger brother has a E30 on BC racing but the Xtreme Lows. The Fortune Auto 500 were great spirited driving setup but was quite responsive over bumps here in LA as well. The KW V3 have been a huge improvement in dial in the comfort yet still providing excellent handling. I do also have whiteline sway upgrades on the front and rear as well. The BC Racing Xtreme lows makes the E30 look really good but I wouldn't not daily that thing at all. It's so rough. This Civic is no longer with us and he's now in an Xterra. Big plans for this truck coming soon.

[@patrolduty8715]

For normal people like me who do not racing , lowering the car will be pain in the a$$ to drive as our street and highways seem to be a lot worse than your examples. I want to enjoy the car, not serving the car like a "high-maintaince cost wife". So, an awesome set of flow-form wheels, excellent tires, high quality coilovers, excellent paint protection are enough for me. Thank you for helping me to confirm that lowering car for apperance + a LITTLE bit performance will not worth the pain it will bring to me.

[@ShockSurplus]

I agree 100%. We no longer have this Gen 10 Civic but I own a 2014 Scion FRS or Toyota 86. Lowering springs are ideal for those who look for a slight drop but still want to get as much daily comfort as possible. Coilovers, which I have KW V3, is going to give you more height adjustment and in some cases some adjustment on compression or rebound or both. Coilovers tend to make the vehicle ride rougher and still go case by case on the vehicle and manufacture. My KW V3's biggest feature I love is the compression and rebound adjustment. I've been able to dial in for the street quite well. But living here in Los Angeles, the roads are quite rough and unpredictable. Overall it's a pretty solid setup. I do want to see how KW V3 handles compared to Ohlins Road & Track.

[@patrolduty8715]

@@ShockSurplus KW is definitely good investment on you car. Its only issue is the price which is above my budget. This year I have spent all of my "car" fund for a set of FlowForm wheels Lenso with BridgeStone Potenza (ask my wife why I cant spend more :D ). Next year, I will buy Coilovers for my Mazda. My wishlish now is a set of BC Racing BR or Tein Flex Z. My friend installed BC Racing set and he is more than happy. But I still lean toward Tein Flex Z, you know, It is made in Japan that say a lot about its long term quality.

[@ShockSurplus]

They are great just a bit pricey. I'm running 18x9.5 +35 Enkei RPF in SBC on 255/35/18 Nitto NT555. I've had Tein Flex Z on one of my old 1st gen Mazda Miata and they were really solid for the price. BC racing makes good stuff, just don't run their extreme lows, those are just ridiculous firm. My brother has them on his E30 and he wants to get rid of it. I also had Fortune Auto 5100 for the FRS prior to the KW V3.

[@migs6674]

How about modified shocks? There's a reputable shop where I'm from where they modify the stock shocks to have the same comfort as stock height while having the car lowered. I'm aware that it can wear out the shocks faster but it's the cheapest option in the market and I haven't seen any negative reviews about it. Thanks!

[@johnw9712]

Really enjoyed your video bro !! Made me laugh multiple times too 🤣, great energy , I hope I don’t run into any issues when I lower my q50 red sport , definitely taking all of your advice if I decide to follow thru with it, thanks again my dude !!

[@ShockSurplus]

Glad you enjoyed

[@Davesunga10]

How many inches did you lower your car from stock?

[@ShockSurplus]

I think this eibach kit does 1.2 in the front

[@maxortega1890]

@@ShockSurplusare they eibach lowering springs or coils?

[@jeffortman6395]

I'm getting H&R lowering springs should I replace struts, mounts and bumpers too?

[@ShockSurplus]

Depending on application and spring choice you might want a short stroke strut set up like the Bilstein B8s so that you get the most bump travel and keep adequate preload on the springs. Depending on age it would also be a good idea to do the other parts while you are down there. Pretty much if you have anything more than around 50k miles on the stock parts or they are more than 7 years old, it is probably a good idea to do the mounts, bump stops, and everything else as well. The parts will likely be in decent enough working order, however probably will need changing in the next 15-30k miles or 2 years, so you might as well save yourself the effort of having to pull your suspension apart and use a spring compressor twice.

[@jeffortman6395]

2012 Malibu on the simple H&R lowering springs. Rockauto is showing bumpers and mounts for kyb struts​@@ShockSurplus

[@jeffortman6395]

I don't see any short struts on rockauto, I'm thinking the KYB struts will be fine with new mounts and bumpers

[@jeffortman6395]

It will be fine

[@ShockSurplus]

For that application your best bet is going to be something like the KYBs or another high quality OE replacement as there definitely are not any short stroke or performance struts from a reputable brand available. Even so, it is definitely a good "while you are down there" maintenance item to address especially with the age of the car.

[@81quiroz]

Hey my coworker with the type r is a member

[@Xernive]

If I get E20-40-036-01-22 will I need anything else? Looking to lower just the same as in the video, thank you!

[@matdiclemente3564]

What about in Canada with the snow......?

[@ShockSurplus]

It depends how deep the snow gets and how low you go. If you have the clearance, you have just as much traction as you did before you lowered it.

[@jeffdove2620]

W explanation I have Scion tC was gon get coilovers but I just wanna lower it two inches do u think lowering springs would be good for me driving it daily

[@ShockSurplus]

I own a FRS and I'm on coilover. However, it really depends on what you want out of it. If you go with just lowering spring, you'll get anywhere from 1-2 in most cases and you would run a factory shock or any aftermarket factory spec shock. Coilovers give more in lowering amount, in some case you get rebound and compression adjustment, and in some cases you get camber adjustment.

[@parasramramrattan6880]

Me watching this right after I lowered my car.😶

[@ShockSurplus]

Hah! not liking the bounce? How did you lower it? springs? coilovers?

[@Huanigan]

Hello Shock Surplus, I’ve had Eibach pro-kit lowering springs on my V6 Challenger for a few months now and they’re working well (maybe a little lower than expected). I just ordered their pro dampers to match, but like the springs they are listed/tested for RWD. Do you think it will be okay to install them on my AWD?

[@ShockSurplus]

Depending on year the AWD models use a different front strut than the RWD models so they may not work.

[@Huanigan]

@@ShockSurplus Oh shoot. It's a 2020. I'll bring them by the shop this week and see what they say. Thank you for the response!

[@juliussmith4001]

Great information.

[@ShockSurplus]

thanks!

[@maxmascarenas8648]

Do you have the stock plastic skid plate?

[@ShockSurplus]

We were running the stock skid plate. We weren't low enough to warranty removing it.

[@maxmascarenas8648]

@@ShockSurplus sweet thanks. Yeah I’ve seen some people using a metal aftermarket plate on some 10th gens

[@wls85441509]

Just confirmed I won't ever be lowered

[@ShockSurplus]

It's all personal preference and what one is trying to do. There's functional purpose for lowering and also for appearance.

[@wls85441509]

@@ShockSurplus I like the appearance. I got 20s on mine but I just be driving normal. I'm in ohio it's speed bumps and pot holes on our freeways

[@030yk]

@@wls85441509 swag like ohio

[@dannyrosevear6309]

If you lower your car using lowering springs, does it make the car awful to drive ( comfortable)

[@ShockSurplus]

most of the time it will increase the spring rate to accommodate the lowered stance, which means it gets firmer. Dampers like Koni, Eibach, and Bilstein have specific series to address this through better damping. So to maintain any level of comfort when lowering your vehicle, its best to do both shocks and springs, or full coilovers.

[@dailydad6335]

Hey I don't exactly want a low ride for my daily civic just improve the performance. Im thinking of getting a kyb struts qnd eibach springs? Will they be good mix with comfort and performance.

[@ShockSurplus]

You can run the lowering spring with stock suspension without the need of getting the KYBs. But if you wanted to get a more sportier feeling, may look at doing different brand as KYB is OEM still. Bilstein, Koni, Tein, and etc.

[@maxortega1890]

@@ShockSurplusquestion so with lowering springs will I not need to run aftermarket struts people often say they will wear down a lot faster

[@coleprivett7640]

I work at dominos to pay for car parts and the roads are terrible. Might do a one inch drop we'll see! Lol

[@ShockSurplus]

We longer have this Civic but when we did, he drove it all over Los Angeles and even on some dirt roads and it was fine for him. However, comfort, firmness, and stiffness are subjective. I'm running KW V3 Coilover on my 2014 Scion FRS with about a 2" drop all around. I wish it was more but function over form now.

[@coleprivett7640]

@@ShockSurplus yeah I want to have fender to lip. But that's a dream for now 😅😁

[@ShockSurplus]

Lol I would like that too but it makes it so much less functional. All else fails, just bag the car LOL

[@notbanksy8294]

Thigh gap yes, fender gap no.

[@ShockSurplus]

hah

[@andrewpami352]

How much is this Honda dropped?

[@ShockSurplus]

It was running Eibach Sportline Springs that do 1.4" of drop in the front and 1.2" of drop in the rear.

[@luke2316]

do you remember what roof rack this is?

[@ShockSurplus]

He was running a Yakima roof rack. I own a FRS and wish I can do a roof rack but the roof is too curved. I use sea suckers for the MTB

[@elankj]

What brand of springs would you recommend I wanna try some out

[@ShockSurplus]

We had ran the Sportline Kit from Eibach under E20-40-036-01-22 but you would also need a rear camber kit under 5.67476K if you wanted to correct the negative camber. This kit drops you 1.4" in the front and 1.2" in the rear. If this is too much, you can run the Pro Kit under E10-40-036-01-22 for 1" in the front and 0.8" the rear. You still need the rear camber kit as well.

[@ragnaroklove2212]

Lowered my daily Car… Will never Go back 😂

[@ShockSurplus]

Lol lower your car they say, it'll be fun you say. My name is Nick and I own a 2014 Scion/Toyota FRS/86 which is lowered on KW V3 coilovers.