Advantages of Lowering Springs

What are aftermarket lowering springs and what are their purposes? I will try to answer this question to the best of my abilities in the most detailed way possible. A coil springs is a torsion bar wound in spiral made by tempering process of heating and cooling metal under controlled conditions, which increases the resilience of metal. Resilience is the ability of metal to return to it's original shape after being compresses or stretched. Aftermarket Lowering springs come in two variations, progressive rate springs and linear rate springs.

Linear or Constant rate Springs - are springs that have the same springs rate or stiffness throught it's complete range of compression. For example if it takes 120 pounds to compress a springs 1 inch, it will take another 120 to compress the springs every additional inch, the force needed to compress is constant, therefore the springs are said to have constant springs rate.

Progressive or Variable Rate Springs - are springs that become stiffer and push back with more force the further you compress them. For example if it takes 120 pounds to compress the spring 1 inch, it will take 150 pounds to compress the springs an additional inch, and 170 pounds to compress another inch. Therefore they are called progressive rate springs, the force with which they push back varies, or progresses.

The Purposes of Springs

Comfort - Springs main purpose is to absorb vertical energy created by the wheel as it goes over a bump, and passing as least of that energy as possible to the frame of the car keeping the passengers comfortable and the cargo intact. Think of them as a cushion protecting the vehicle from the irregularities of the road surface.

Ride Height and Clearance - Springs should also control ground clearance of the vehicle and the ride height. This is especially important when picking out lowering springs for street use, because there are a variety of road surfaces on the street with lots of imperfections and ride height is crucial in protecting the underbody from damage. Usually if the springs lower the car more than 2.5 inches, you vehicle is always at risk of scraping with the underbody which can result in many damaged parts located under your car. Exiting and entering elevated driveways will always be a problem, so pick the lowering height wisely by keeping it under 2.5 inches.

Road Traction - Springs should ensure good tire traction, in other words springs are what make the tires stick to the road over all surface conditions. The better the tire stick to the road, the better the traction of your vehicle, which results in better handling control over variety of different road conditions. In theory, softer springs provide with better traction over all road imperfections because they keep the tire stuck to the road under all conditions by absorbing all kinds of road irregularities that the streets have. Stiffer springs however provide good adhesion only over small road irregularities, and don't work so well on bigger bumps and holes. If the springs are too stiff, there wont be full contact of the tire with the surface when going over a large bump, this will result in tire skipping, and loss of control of the vehicle.

Handling and Body Roll - Springs should also control the weight transfer characteristics of a vehicle when cornering, braking or accelerating. When a car is performing any of these actions, the weight of the vehicle transfers to one side, hence putting all the pressure on one side of the vehicle resulting in what is called "body roll", this is where stiffer springs outperform softer springs. Stiffer springs don't give under the load of inertia, keeping the weight of the vehicle proportional and resulting in better handling overall.

Linear Springs vs. Progressive Springs - Because linear springs have constant springs rate, they are usually utilized on vehicle with specific purposes. Factory suspensions on vehicle have linear rate springs, the springs rate is set to soft and the main purpose is comfort. There is no need to reduce body roll on OEM springs because the cars are designed to drive on the street in the first place, and body roll is usually crucial on the track or for enthusiasts. Most coilovers come with linear springs also, they are set to firmer spring rate and are predictable on the track, so the driver can tune the suspension exatcly to match the track. Progressive rate lowering springs were design for people that are looking for increase in performance on the street or occasional track use and at the same time have a minial affect on the comfort ride of the vehicle. Because of their design, they have the ability to provide significant handling improvements with minimal compromise on comfort.