Before installing lowering springs...

[Gary04GT]

you may want to read these comments I found on another forum:

"...Lowering Springs, by contrast, make the car drive very crisp, handle great -- but are, literally, a real pain in the ass. On a brand new, clean and smooth road they're wonderful -- but show me a major city where that's likely to exist. They essentially remove any value that the tires or shocks might give you so far as shock absorption is concerned. The argument that "you'll feel the road" doesn't wash with me, having done it and hated every minute of it. Anybody who enjoys hitting every obstruction in the road, dinging the underside of their front bumper pulling into driveways, or counting just how many potholes they rolled over by the tremors in their ass cheeks is either very young, a glutton for punishment, a fool, or thinks they are still 17. Just my dumb opinion. However, the car looks very cool when lowered. I got a lot of nice comments, but nobody wanted to ride any distance with me more than once. I would recommend a gas-powered lowering kit so you can make the car at least drivable when you need to."

Just something to consider. [8]

[Mean Green]

Lowered cars are for some and not for others. Obviously, they are not for whoever wrote that. Both of our PT's are lowered and we both love the benefit of better handling and sacrificing a little ride quality. If you want better ride quality and poorer handling then don't lower.

[quicksilverdon]

I only lowered the rear of mine 1.5 or 2", and there's just about NO sacrifice in ride.

[CREWZIN]

Lowered with the Eibach's all around. Florida has some pretty good roads and it's not a bad ride here, but I do feel a difference when I take the PT up north to visit the grandkids.

[Mike-in-Orange]

This may be my 100th post on this topic:

If you lower your car, like I did mine, the stock shocks/struts are just not up to the task of lowering springs. They were designed to be used with the springs that came with your car. I installed a set of GoldLines on my car, 1.5" drop front/2" drop rear. It took me about a month before I got sick and tired of the rear end bouncing all over the place - which was due to the stock shocks not being able to properly control the rebound of the new springs. Certain dips at speed on the freeway resulted in some pretty nasty bouncing at the rear, and hitting similar dips in turns was really unsettling.

Almost a month to the day from the spring install I swapped out the stock shocks/struts for a set of Tokicos. Yes, I know, Tokico makes the OEM shocks/struts, but these are different and designed to be used with lowering springs. The improvement in ride quality was and continues to be dramatic. Handling has futher been improved.

I'm not bottoming out, I'm very careful about parking curbs, and only the worst driveways pose any sort of risk. I've very happy that I did what I did, but that first month really got me thinking!

[Paintball3r]

With the stock body kit how much can you lower the car before it becomes a real danger of scraping the bottom up? My family has multiple cars, 2 family cars and my fathers work car. So we can't always get all of the cars in the driveway. Would it damage my car if it was lowered to drive it over the crub and park on my front lawn? IL is a very hilly area, would a sudden incline be a problem? I had thought alot about lowering the car, but I was thinking of getting new shokcs struts and all instead to get the handling upgrade without losing anything in the ride, or gaining a change of damaging the front end.

[Gary04GT]

quote:Originally posted by Paintball3r
...Would it damage my car if it was lowered to drive it over the crub and park on my front lawn?

YES. I would not do this [V] [B)] with any PT Cruiser--either stock or lowered.

[Mike-in-Orange]

quote:Gary04GT

USA
2056 Posts

Posted - 07/12/2004 : 9:34:57 PM

quote:Originally posted by Paintball3r
...Would it damage my car if it was lowered to drive it over the crub and park on my front lawn?

YES. I would not do this with any PT Cruiser--either stock or lowered.

I'm with Gary 100% here. Heck, I don't think you could drive a even stock ride height PT over a curb without scraping, and scraping badly.

[Robster]

Going the distance
Im going to try out some springs that drop the front 2.75" and drop the rear 3.25"[?] I know it may not be a good idea but I simply must try it or its going to eat me up. The wheel well gap is just way to much.

[Mean Green]

quote:Originally posted by Robster

Going the distance
Im going to try out some springs that drop the front 2.75" and drop the rear 3.25"[?] I know it may not be a good idea but I simply must try it or its going to eat me up. The wheel well gap is just way to much.

I sure hope you drive on nothing but nice flat roads and there are no driveways that are even a little steep. My front end drop is 2 1/4" and rear is 2 3/4" and I have to be very careful with steep driveways and I will still rub the front end at times. Curbs are another favorite. You think the wheel well gap is going to eat you up then drop it that much and watch the road eat up your front end. Get Eibach lowering springs which are 1.6" front and 2" back. Then throw some 18's on it and the wheel well gap will disappear and not your front end. [xx(]