Lowering Advice

[turbokidd]

Hi all. I wish to lower an '03 PT GT. It is my girlfriend's car, and she wants as close to the stock ride feel as possible. I am thinking of going with Tokico Shocks/Struts, but I am up in the air with the spring choice. I know most got with Eibachs, but my experience with other cars is that Eibachs ride rough.

I would like to hear from everybody what they've done and what their opinions are. This is a daily driver, not a slot car, so ride quality is as important as the drop itself.

THANKS!

[Mr.2U]

i lowered the rear of my car only, with the btg
springs from pt tuning, then went to koni shocks
and then ebach front and rear sway bars.

car now handles perfect, sits flat and level,
and still rides nice.

my opinion is to leave the front springs
alone,the oem gt's are firm enough. and
you will have a harsher ride if you change them.

its the lowering of the back and much better
shocks, along with both sway bars, that make
a complete handling package.

i'm assuming that you want it to handle better,
but i guess i shouldn't assume.

if your goal is to lower only, with the same
sluggish handling and ride, then cut down
your stock springs,it will look great
but handle like a top heavy neon, with
an elephant on the roof.

[GR8FLPT]

Mopar stage 1 springs will lower it 1". that would be the closest to stock you can get.

[Mean Green]

I have had two PT's lowered with Eibachs. Eibachs have the same spring rate as the factory springs so the ride is close to stock. Any time you lower a vehicle you will feel more of the road. I also have Tokico shocks/struts and love them. Ride is a little more stiff but cornering is great. If you stay with a close to stock sized tire the ride should be ok. Don't go to a lower profile tire or you will feel every bump in the road. I have Toyo 40 series tires and I feel the road, but it corners like a slot car......I always wondered why people would bother to lower their car only an inch. You can't even tell it's lowered. [:I]

[quicksilverdon]

I'm with Mr 2U, lowered the rear only - level and no deterioration of ride. Handles better, was cheaper, and I could tackle the rear myself.

[CREWZIN]

I lowered both the front and back with Eibach's...plus I put the GT wheels on which lowered the aspect ratio of the tire from 55 to 50. It leveled the car out but if your looking to a close to ride as normal....don't do both. It's not bone shattering but definitely a harsher ride.

[PT-GTA]

I lowered my '03 GT with Gold Line springs, put about 1.5" down, and I LOVE it. Ride is a lot firmer, you do fee the road, and have to watch the occasional parking ramp. Since putting the springs on the GT really hugs roads better, amazing what that 1.5" will do.

Next suspension upgrades will be the sway bars.

[SteelBlueGT]

I agree with GR8FLPT the MOPAR or the Vogtland springs will give you the best ride while reducing the ride height an inch or so front and back!! Next easy would be the Eibach. Yes, an inch lowerering will give you a better ride but I feel the reduced wheel travel in the front is not a good thing. Tokico struts and shocks are pretty good as are the KYB's. The Tokico's a little more sporty and the KYB's a little smoother. Both are superior to the stock GT parts. Tires make for a big improvement in ride quality and handling over the Good For A Year tires we got stock on the GT! MY Yoko's are so much better in handling and ride quality. You just have to at least put on a 22mm rear anti sway bar along with a front strut brace. The bar and braces dont affect ride quality just handling.

[MichaelDay]

Better tires and stiffer bars are the answer to better handling on reasonably smooth streets.

As a preface to what I am about to say, for MOST situations in the U.S. an aggressive driver will benefit from stiffer sway bars and mild lowering BUT there are some downsides.

RIDE under certain conditions: If you stiffen the bars and drive across those diabolical speed bumps at anything other than an absolute right angle you will really feel the affect of the bars to the determent of ride.

HANDLING on VERY rough surfaces: On very rough roads (not the streets we typically find in U.S. cities) the reduced compliance of the stiffer bars can reduce the tires contact with the road resulting in rear wheel hop and the rear end stepping sideways. Lowering the car will compound this effect.

The application dictates the setup. Detroit is building cars that will:
1) understeer (it is easier for a totally inexperienced driver to deal with),
2) ride smoothly (what most non-enthusiasts want),
3) ride as quietly as possible,
4) not drag the ground on speed bumps and driveway entrances.

Actually, in the GT, Chrysler did a pretty good job for the average driver (NOT for the enthusiasts on this forum) in most of the above categories EXCEPT dragging the front fascia on drive approaches.

If you are into racing on smooth tracks, you want to lower the vehicle, tighten the suspension and neutralize the handling.

If you are into off road or rough road handling, you want additional ground clearance, increased suspension travel, softer springs and stiffer shocks to keep the wheels in contact with the ground on all four corners as much of the time as possible. Don't believe it; find a rough railroad track and cross it at high speed at anything other than a 90 degree angle. Do it with the stock suspension and then again with a tightened/lowered suspension. The rear end will step out on you significantly more with the lowered suspension with stiffer bars on it than with the factory suspension.

All that being said, if ride is a persons primary concern, stay with factory springs (don't lower the car), replace the factory shocks every 25,000 miles, stay with smaller wheels and higher profile tires to absorb more road shock, and stay with the factory sway bar(s).

If handling on relative smooth streets is more important than ride quality (which it is for many/most of the heavy contributors to this forum), go with lower profile tires to put more rubber on the road, stiffen up the sway bars to reduce body lean, lower the car and go play.

[AZ_IceMan]

quote:Originally posted by CREWZIN

I lowered both the front and back with Eibach's...plus I put the GT wheels on which lowered the aspect ratio of the tire from 55 to 50. It leveled the car out but if your looking to a close to ride as normal....don't do both. It's not bone shattering but definitely a harsher ride.

Hey crewzin, i'm looking to lower my ride, what eibach kit did you use and does it sit really level? and if so any space between the wheel and wheel well? thanxs