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Installing Suspension Upgrades When Fashion and Function Work Together

History shows most drivers install performance lowering springs to enhance the look of their vehicle. Fitting a vehicle with larger wheels, suspension parts and lower profile tires can create a visual illusion that makes a vehicle with rear suspension appear lifted because of the gap seen in the fender well between the top of the tire and the vehicle’s bodywork. While the overall diameter of the lower profile tires doesn’t change significantly from the OE tires (when properly plus-sized tires and wheels are installed), the illusion occurs when the tire’s sidewall height is equal to or shorter than the visible gap between the edge of the fender and the top of the tire. (Take a look at lowering.) The illusion is eliminated by reducing or eliminating the gap seen in the fender well.

But there is also another side to lowering your vehicle – function. Along with the visual improvement a reduction in ride height offers comes an enhancement in vehicle performance. Performance lowering springs reduce the vehicle’s center of gravity, aiding stability. Lowering springs use increased spring rates engineered to cope with the reduction in travel, while still preventing bottoming of the suspension under most conditions found during normal driving. The increased spring rates help control side-to-side body roll during cornering, as well as the pitch and nosedive experienced during spirited acceleration and braking.

A vehicle’s suspension is comprised of many parts engineered to work together – including springs, dampers and anti-roll bars. Eibach Springs recognizes this, and now also offers Pro-Damper replacement shocks and struts and Anti-Roll Bars that are engineered to work in conjunction with their line of Pro-Kit lowering springs. For many applications, drivers can select components a la carte, or choose one of several pre-packaged combinations. The Pro-System package contains Pro-Kit springs and Pro-Dampers, while the Pro-System Plus adds upgraded Anti-Roll Bars to the package.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 26th, 2009 at 4:01 pm and is filed under General Interest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.