mixed messages

[jphilly]

(dunno)sounds like lowering this car will get me coming and going as far as dollar amount is concerned. wanting to slam my 3 and am trying to count the cost of doing it. im gathering from all the posts that it cant only be done with lowering springs. what does it all include to finish the job? i mean i want a daily driver for the next ten years until i sell it. do these kits last that long? anyways, if someones got time to kill hit me with a list to solve this problem. is it springs, bars, spacers? whats the deal? needing a complete setup

[Rotus8]

If you are going to be happy with a lowered car, you should really consider shocks as well. The stock shocks are tuned for the stock springs. Lowered springs are almost certainly stiffer to keep you off the bump stops. Stiffer springs need more rebound damping and less compression damping.

[jphilly]

what about sway bars and coilovers? do they complete the package?

[Rotus8]

what about sway bars and coilovers? do they complete the package?
Oh yeah! The car is pretty good stock. Totally transformed to greatness by sways and good coilovers.

[Scott]

A good set of coilovers will lower the car as much as you want, plus you have a little more say as to ride quality, because you will likely have more options in spring rate and damping adjustment.

Upgraded sway bars will make it handle better, but the ride will be slightly harsher. However, this will not affect the ride height at all.

[jphilly]

so....i want an agressive drop...say 1.8". now this is a guess so i could be wrong, but i will need springs, a camber kit and new shocks. true or false? and then sways eventually...

[SwampAss]

false. You just need springs. A camber kit would be good to try and alleviate rear tire wear and you may end up needing shocks sooner rather than later. Uf you just want to drop the car 1.8 inches, all you need are springs.

[jphilly]

thanks swamp...will I lose handeling after the drop?, thus the need for sways? I just dont want to buy piece by piece ya know.

[BlackJack]

You won't lose handling, but you will GAIN handling power because the car is lower and stiffer.

You can still buy sway bars for increased handling.

[boosthead]

With a 1.8" drop, you will see accelerated wear on the inside of the rear tires without the camber links. I see it with my sportlines and my buddy saw it with his canuck motorsports springs prior to installing his eibach camber links.

As for handling, the springs made for an improvement. Adding Koni yellows really stiffened things up, and one of the best bang for the buck mods is a rear sway bar.

The way I see it, if you lower your car over 1.5", you should plan on springs and camber links at a minimum.