The Right Way to Modify a Low Car

Many people want to modify their cars with low ground clearance, commonly known as lowered cars. Lowered cars do look better visually. Besides for aesthetic purposes, the reason owners modify their cars to be lowered is to enhance the car's performance while driving.

That is why many sports cars use a lowered suspension setup. The function of a lowered car is not only to make it look cooler, but also because cars with a low suspension setup have many advantages compared to cars with high clearance.

How to Modify a Lowered Car

You can modify a lowered car in several ways. The common methods for modifying a lowered car can be done using lowering springs, coilovers, and air suspension.

Lowering Springs

Lowering springs, often referred to as sport springs, are special springs designed to lower a car. The use of lowering springs is the safest, most economical, and simplest way to lower your car to make it lowered. Typically, lowering springs are designed to match the car's original shocks.

The degree of lowering when using lowering springs often varies depending on the brand of lowering springs used. This issue can result in the springs being too stiff compared to the shocks and vice versa.

The drawback of using lowering springs is that they cannot be customized, so if you want to change the ride height of the car, you will need to buy new springs.

Coilover

Coilovers are springs integrated with shock absorbers, resembling motorcycle shock absorbers. The function of coilovers is to allow adjustments for the height of a car.

Coilovers also have the ability to adjust the softness or stiffness of the shocks. For daily use, you can set them to a soft setting, while for track use, you can change the setting to hard or stiff. Some other types come equipped with a camber kit, making them more functional and consequently more expensive.

Coilover manufacturers have also designed coilovers based on the needs of car usage, such as street performance, track/competition, street comfort, gravel (dirt), ultra low, and others. Regarding price, coilovers greatly depend on the type and brand. An entry-level coilover set generally ranges from IDR 10 million to IDR 15 million.

Air Suspension

In contrast to modifying a lowered car with springs, this time you can try using the air suspension method where springs are replaced with air bags, commonly known as “Bagged” or “On Bags.”

The function of air is to absorb energy better than using springs, making air suspension perform better than lowering springs or coilovers. The air in the bags forms like mini tires and is controlled using a compressor usually placed in the car's trunk.

The presence of air suspension indeed gives a luxurious impression to the car. Besides providing comfort from its advanced features, using air suspension certainly requires a significant amount of money. The drawback of air suspension is that the car's durability is not as robust as using spring suspension. The condition of Indonesia's many pothole roads can cause air suspension to be less durable and prone to leaks.

Advantages of Lowered Cars

Some advantages of lowered cars include:

The closer the car is to the ground, the lower the gravity of the car, making it more stable. High gravity in a car can cause instability at high speeds or on winding roads.
The airflow under the car can affect the car's aerodynamics, creating upward pressure that reduces the car's grip on the ground.
A thin or low car posture can reduce aerodynamic drag when the car is moving fast, similar to how a racing motorcyclist lowers their body. This aerodynamic drag can also affect fuel economy.
In the event of an accident or collision, the risk of a lowered car rolling over is smaller compared to a car with high clearance.
The most obvious advantage of a lowered car is its visually appealing appearance.

Disadvantages of Lowered Cars

In addition to the advantages mentioned above, lowered cars also have disadvantages. The disadvantages of lowered cars include:

Lowered cars are usually sensitive to road surface textures, making shocks more noticeable and reducing driving comfort.
The workload on the shock absorbers will increase. This condition will reduce their lifespan.
Besides lowering the car, if you change the camber angle, it can cause uneven tire wear and reduce the grip of the tires on the ground.
Cars that are too lowered are also very impractical, especially considering the rough roads in Indonesia and the many speed bumps.
Another drawback is the difficulty in jacking up and towing lowered cars.
If you lower the car incorrectly, it can reduce the lifespan of other suspension parts. Additionally, incorrect modifications can cause the car to scrape against the asphalt, damaging the exhaust and body of the car.

Thus, here are the ways to modify a lowered car for comfort while driving. Modifying a lowered car but still comfortable can certainly be realized as long as the modification is done using the right tools. Incorrect modifications can also pose a risk of damage to components or parts of the car and negatively impact your vehicle's performance.