I've only owned a car for a little over 6 months, and was raised in a family that mostly just bought cars and left them alone. I'm getting more and more interested in them. I have an 05 Acura TL with the a-spec kit. This might sound dumb, but I am confused of why people lower thir cars. Also, what are coilovers? I understand that lowering it looks more sporty, but I already have issues with trying to avoid scraping my front lip on awkwardly high driveways or bumps. Wouldn't lowering it just make this more difficult?

By "left them alone" I mean no mods or interest in mods.

 

Lowering your car is pretty much for looks. In terms of performance, cars that are lower have better handling (less air traveling under the vehicle), but aftermarket coil overs will pretty much ruin your ride (rough ride) for the nonexistent performance improvement you'll get out of it.

I share the same confusion as you with lowering your car since it makes your life harder in terms of traveling/running errands. Apparently a "flush" look (your wheel arches cover part of your tire) is necessary to be considered a "sexy ride". I quote "sexy ride" because that's all I hear when it comes to lowering your car; "sexy sexy sexy".

More power to you if you lowered your car. I like how my original springs feel and how the car looks stock (a major consideration before purchasing the car) but i'm open to appearance upgrades that don't reduce functionality.

 

^Domm i am going to assume that you have never lowered a car on coilovers based on your biased opinion about "aftermarket coilovers".

I'm going to have to disagree with your statement. I have lowered more than one car with quality coilovers that had adjustable dampening, and i can tell you from personal experience that my coilovers easily matched the stock suspensions "smoothness" when the dampening was on soft..

And OP, when you lower your car you will reduce a lot of body roll which will be very noticeable when taking a corner.

Also, i'm still fairly new to this forum but i am 100% sure that there has been more than one thread about what coilovers are and what they do. GL on your search for some answers and have fun modding

 

THis Everything he said.
When you lower your car youll learn how to drive avoiding potholes, going over uneasy or unever tarmac with caution, how to maneuver in and out of high driveways on a angle. This all comes with tweeking your driving habits to account for a dropped vehicle.

 

Low is a lifestyle.


Learn how to avoid potholes and the like.

 

There is nothing wrong with a bone stock TL. You have your head in the game already with the A-Spec kit and Type-S tails.

The majority of people on this forum lower their cars for looks rather than functionality. Granted, coil overs or lowering springs don't kill the functionality of your ride unless you are legit 'dumped' but you can use them to your advantage to cut out wheel gap that a lot of people seem to be offended by. If you get the chance, look up Undying Dreams TL. He is running coilsovers to go for a clean look to cut out wheel gap with larger wheels. Just to give you an idea of what most people mean by lowering their car, search up the 'Unofficial Dumped Thread' and you will see what I mean immediately. The ride quality will always depend on what product you are using.

If your considering lowering your car, just research all your options and make believe you drive a lowered car when you are out driving so you can spot places you can or can't drive because of scraping issues. Good luck bro!

 

My last car was lowered and I'll never lower a car again. I liked the way it looked and it handled nicely but doing alignments were always a pain in the ass because you would have to find a place that could do it. My inner tires always wore out before the rest of the tire (my alignment was spot on, btw). The ride is a bit rougher than stock, gotta worry about speed bumps. The list goes on.

 

Thanks everyone. I am pretty satisfied with how it looks and drives as of now. Also I am a new driver and am just beginning to figure out how to avoid scraping the car as it is now. So while I do like the look and imagine I would like the feel especially when turning (if I lowered it correctly), I doubt i will spend my modding money on this as of now.

 

thread hijack:

how is the ride comfort of the tl aspec suspension?

 

^rides like stock.

 

So the question is: do you want to "learn" to avoid potholes? I would think swerving out of the way when you see one is quite dangerous. I'm not trying to offend anyone, but there's more to the suspension than just changing the coilovers to improve handling. Changing/adding sway bars will also give you an improvement in handling without the negatives of misalignment (causing uneven and quick tire wear) and increased wear on your parts (shocks) because the cushion (your springs) are essentially useless.

You have every right to disagree with my statement because there is no right or wrong. If you drop your car and do it right (while living with the change in function) then that's great news. I enjoy when people mod their car for handling (flinging your car around corners). I'm just expressing my views, which are different, but not incorrect nonetheless.

 

So you're saying coilovers will wear out your shocks/strut because the spring is useless?

It's recommended to get a camber kit depending on how low you go. That will get rid of the tires wearing un-evenly when you get the car aligned.

 

I dont think thats what he's saying.

like anything in life; if you have to weigh the pros and cons.
I chose to go the performance route.

 

My first "modded" vehicle was a 89 ranger and the lowest part of the frame sat 3/4 inch off the ground. You learn roads and even drunk never forget how to drive a lowered vehicle.

I agree it is a lifestyle. Every car I have owned minus a couple have been lowered only after window tint.

 

Consider yourself "LUCKY".


I have modded everything I have ever owned (motorcycles, car, truck, wifes vehicles, sons power wheels, I mean EVERYHTING LOL).

A lot of money over the years, but it is a hobby/passion and it keeps me busy. I really have no "bad" habits like smoking, drinking, partying, gambling, therfore it balances out compared to other people's habits. I do all my modding at home, so it doesnt take away from being with my family. My wife and son even help, so we can share this "modding" addiction I have as a family.

Lowering vehicles is certainly a challenge to some people but most make sacrifices for what they love. The 3G TL's look good either way (lowered or not) but I must say, I get compliments all the time now after lowering my car. Everyone says it looks aggressive, low, wide, stanced, fast, etc...

When lowering vehicles, do it right (coilovers, bags, and spring/shock combo is last on my list). I say this because I can adjust my height to my liking/drivability with coilovers. Airride would be my second choice because of cost

oh, and welcome to azine OP

 

Curtis, you're new to Acurazine. If you spend enough time here, your list of mods will look like mine. I had no intention of doing all the stuff I have done to my car when I first bought it.

But you see what guys and gals have done to their car and you start thinking.....

Then the bug bites, and the next thing you know, you can't stop.

 

I dunno steven, there are a few mods, no matter how idle my hands get, I won't bother with.

 

Fixored.

 

^^^ LOL-thank you, young squire!

 

this really sums up the whole lower vs dont lower debate. alot of us on here have gone form over function with our cars. low doesnt necessarily mean that the car is no longer functional it really just depends on how low you go. it boils down to if you are willing to make the changes to allow driving a lowered car without damage (bumpers scraping and what not)

there are some great benefits from lowering but there is also a price to pay in some aspects... do what works best for you

 

I agree that the pros and cons need to be weighed.

I have no problem with lowered cars and my concern is towards simply changing the coilovers alone (and people think it's simply that). If done right, a lowered can be very enjoyable. Maybe "ruined" was not an appropriate word. It simply makes your ride rough. I apologize for the "sexy" rant. It's an acquired reaction from listening about modded out Hondas and Integras. I have been proven wrong by Steven about cf overlay. I guess it goes back to your budget so you don't half ass anything or go the cheap route for certain things (bummer for our wallets).