Lowering the car suspension, pros and cons, what is the danger

Roads in Russia and the CIS countries are rarely pleased with their quality, so when choosing a car, people are forced to focus on the amount of ground clearance (car clearance).

It is believed that the higher this indicator, the better. But this rule does not work for everyone. There are extreme sports enthusiasts who set themselves the opposite goal - to lower the suspension.

But why? What methods are there? What are their features? Let's discuss these issues in more detail.

What is it for

It may seem to you that there is no logic in such a change. In fact, a number of problems are being solved here.

Firstly, lowering the ground clearance gives the car a sportier look (even domestic VAZ products look different).

Secondly, the car shows better stability when cornering (especially when driving at high speed). By the way, this is explained by a decrease in the level of the center of gravity.

Thirdly, less air resistance allows you to reach higher speeds and save a little on fuel.

What is the danger

As practice shows, reducing the lumen brings more problems than benefits:

any hole or other unevenness in the road can lead to damage to an important element of the car (engine, exhaust or chassis system). After such tuning, the car becomes a frequent visitor to service stations;
after the modification, the stiffness of the suspension increases, which is unlikely to please the passengers of the car;
unskilled work can lead to rapid failure of many elements of the chassis system (primarily shock absorbers).

Lowering the car

Surely every owner would like to make his car look beautiful and attract attention on the street. There are many different ways to give your car an unusual look.

Someone lifts or lifts cars, someone tints or paints them, and someone lowers their iron horse. People perceive their relationship to car undervaluation as 50/50: some like it, some don’t. But if you came here, you definitely decided to lower your car. This article describes in detail all the methods of lowering a car using the example of Lada Priora and VAZ 2110.

Ways to lower a car

There are several ways to lower a car:

Washed down the springs (the most budget-friendly and not the safest way)
Installing short-travel struts (the most popular lowering method)
Installation of pneumatic struts (the most expensive option)

Next, we will take a closer look at each of the options for lowering the car. Starting from the cheapest to the most expensive method.

Method one: Sawn springs

This method of underestimation has found popularity among young people. This is due to the fact that most young people do not have large sums of money to spend on tuning their cars. This method of lowering a car is the cheapest and fastest, but far from the most reliable and safe.

So, let's take a closer look at how to cut springs on the Lada Priora and VAZ 2110.

Washed down the springs on the VAZ 2110

The suspension of the Priora and 2110 cars is slightly different in the design of the shock absorber strut. The Priora uses a barrel spring, while the VAZ 2110 uses a coil spring.

Coil spring VAZ 2110

In order to lower the car using the spring method, you need to decide on the amount of lowering of the car. It is not recommended to cut the springs more than 3 turns at the front, since the strut will compress and the upper cup of the shock absorber will rest against the bump stop, therefore, the shock absorber may not function properly.

The springs of the rear shock absorbers can be sawed up to 5 turns, after which the same thing awaits you as with the front shock absorbers, the bump stop will rest against the rear spar. It follows that the shock absorber will not work correctly and there can be no talk of any driving comfort.

Washed down the springs on the Lada Priora

You can file the spring on a Priora, but it is not recommended to saw the front springs. The front spring of the Priora, as described above, has a barrel shape, therefore, after washing it down, it will lose its shape and will not fit into the groove of the shock absorber cup. Some craftsmen, after washing down such a spring, heat it up and give it a similar shape.

It is strongly not recommended to use this method, since when heated, the spring loses its properties and elasticity, becomes more fragile and susceptible to rupture or breakage, which can lead to dire consequences.

Sawed barrel spring

The rear springs of the Priora can be cut in exactly the same way as the springs of the VAZ 2110, because they are absolutely the same.

Step-by-step instructions for cutting down a spring

In order to safely file down the spring, the strut must be removed from the vehicle.

The first step is to prepare the necessary tool. It's better to use a key set

Removing the front struts

To remove the front struts you will need the following tools:

Open-end wrenches for “13”, “17”, “19”, “22”;
Hexagon at "6";
Socket heads or wrenches for “13”, “17”, “19”, “22”;
Anti-rust liquid WD-40, etc. (by the way, if you don’t have WD-40, you can use kerosene, antifreeze or diesel fuel)
Hammer, pry bar and pliers
Steering wheel end remover.

Steering end puller
So, let's start disassembling the car

1. It is necessary to jack up the side on which the spring will be washed down, having previously loosened the wheel mounting bolts 4 pcs. Do not forget to put chocks under the rear wheels of the car so that it does not roll forward or backward.

2. Remove the wheel from the car and place it under the threshold of the car. This action will help prevent damage to parts of the machine if it falls from the jack.

3. Next, you should loosen the nut securing the rod to the front shock absorber support in advance; for this you will need a hex socket set to “6” and a wrench set to “22”.

4. Unscrew the steering end mount with the head on “17”, having first pulled out the cotter pin. And we press it out of the rack axle using a puller or a hammer and a pry bar.

5. Pull out the brake hose and ABS wire from the seats in the rack.

6. Unscrew the bolts securing the strut to the steering knuckle using keys “17” and “19”.

7. Unscrew the three bolts securing the shock absorber support to the strut with a head set to “13”.

8. Take out the stand.

Next we should proceed directly to disassembling the shock absorber, here we will need spring ties

9. We tighten the spring with ties on both sides.

10. Unscrew the nut securing the support and remove it, then remove the spring and the bump stop with the boot.

The stand is disassembled, you can start cutting. The number of turns must be measured from the beginning of the turn on the spring. We saw the spring with a grinder.

We assemble the rack in the reverse order. You should pay attention to the washers under the rack support and install them in the correct sequence as shown in the photo.

The sawn spring must be installed with the cut coil down.

We carry out exactly the same action with the opposite side.

Removing the rear struts

To remove the rear struts you will need much less tools than to remove the front ones.

Tools required to remove rear struts:

Keys to "17", "19"
A special key for unscrewing the rear shock absorber rod.

Step-by-step instructions for removing the rear shock absorber of Lada Priora and 2110

There is no need to use zip ties to replace rear shock absorbers

Loosen the bolts securing the wheel to the hub.

In the luggage compartment of the car, bend (unscrew if necessary) the trunk lining so that access to the rear spar is free. Loosen the nut securing the rear shock absorber rod to the spar.

Jack up the side on which the spring will be cut. Do not forget to put chocks under the front wheels of the car so that it does not roll forward or backward. Remove the wheel from the car and place it under the threshold of the car. This action will help prevent damage to parts of the machine if it falls from the jack.

Unscrew the bolt securing the shock absorber to the rear beam of the car.

Unscrew the shock absorber rod from the rear side member of the vehicle.

We take out the strut, you need to lower the strut all the way down, squeeze the shock absorber rod, pull out the spring with the boot and bump stop, and then the shock absorber itself.

That's it, the rear strut has been removed from the car, you can start cutting down the spring.

It is necessary to count the number of turns and cut the spring exactly opposite the beginning of the spring turn.

Reassembly of the rear shock absorber should be done in reverse order.

Examples of cars with sawn springs

Saw springs front 3 turns rear 5 turns Saw springs front 2 turns rear 3 turns

Advantages and disadvantages of sawn springs

Disadvantages of lowering a car by filing down the springs:

There is no comfort when driving such a car.
There is no way to travel on a country road.
The spring may fly out of the shock absorber cup.
Immediate failure of shock absorbers.

Advantages of lowering a car by filing springs:

Cheap and easy to use.

Method two: Short-travel struts

This method is currently used along with cutting down springs. On the streets of the city you can see a huge number of cars with such racks. It gained wide popularity due to its simplicity, reliability and comfort. Also, short-travel struts have a wide range of vehicle height options. Any car enthusiast can choose the optimal understatement for himself.

Lowering with the help of short-stroke struts practically does not change the design of the car and does not cause any harm to it, unlike silting of the spring. Lowering in this way occurs by changing the height of the rod itself and the strut cartridge, and by installing an already obviously shortened spring.

Types of short-travel struts and springs

There are a large number of short-stroke struts that have their own characteristics. Let's look at a few examples of racks.

Short-travel struts are classified by lowering height, that is, each strut has its own size.

What do these numbers mean?! The number indicates the size in mm by which the stand rod and cartridge are shortened. Therefore, a rack with index -30 is shortened by 30 mm, a rack with index -50 is shortened by 50 mm, etc.

Racks are also classified according to their stiffness zone. Comfort and sport.

Comfort racks

Such struts have a softer degree of compression, which ensures comfort when driving. There is no shaking or knocking in the car when using such racks.

Sports racks

Sport struts are used for tuned cars with non-standard engines. Such struts provide positive dynamics when driving on the highway; the car experiences minimal roll when turning.

Shortening springs

Shortening springs. This method is in demand for one simple reason - it is the most budget-friendly.

You can do this work yourself or safely entrust it to a novice car mechanic.

There is nothing complicated here. All you need is a jack, pry bars and a metal file (preferably a grinder).

You can reduce the size of the spring with or without installing the spring (here everyone chooses for themselves).

In this case, the front and rear springs are shortened by a different number of upper turns (by two and three, respectively).

This trick is due to the need to balance the car, because the front one (which is quite logical) has much more weight. After shortening the springs, wheel alignment is required.

The advantage of the spring shortening method is minimal costs.

Disadvantages - increased suspension rigidity and a high risk of breaking the shortened spring and shock absorber.

Installation of lower springs

Installation of lower springs. If you do not want to cut existing springs, you can buy new products that have a lower height (such springs are often called sports springs).

Their main difference is the height, which is four centimeters less than in standard models.

If you want to save money, then you can lower the suspension this way without outside help. If in doubt, it is better to contact specialists in this matter. Moreover, the alignment will still have to be done.

The advantage of this method is its comparative simplicity and the ability to quickly return everything to its place (install old springs). Another advantage of sports springs is that they have greater rigidity and do not sag as much as standard (hand-shortened) products.

The disadvantage is the cost of purchasing new springs, as well as increasing the overall rigidity of the car. But with this type of tuning this is a common occurrence.

Method two: Short-travel struts

Types of short-travel struts and springs

There are a large number of short-stroke struts that have their own characteristics. Let's look at a few examples of racks.

Short-travel struts are classified by lowering height, that is, each strut has its own size.

For example: -30, - 50, -70, -90, -120

Racks are also classified according to their stiffness zone. Comfort and sport.

Comfort racks

Such struts have a softer degree of compression, which ensures comfort when driving. There is no shaking or knocking in the car when using such racks.

Sports racks

Sport struts are used for tuned cars with non-standard engines. Such struts provide positive dynamics when driving on the highway; the car experiences minimal roll when turning.

Coilovers

Another method to reduce ride height is to install coilovers (adjustable sports springs). This is very convenient, because you can adjust the vehicle’s ground clearance at any time.

Advantages of installing coilovers:

versatility. They can be adapted to any shock absorbers - both regular and sports;
possibility of adjustment. Just a few minutes and the necessary changes to the ground clearance are made;
ease of installation. If you wish, you can do all the work yourself.

There is only one drawback - the need to spend money on purchasing these devices.

Raise in front of VAZ 2111

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