Should I drop my car?, If I do what should I get? Options

[tranxendz]

I am debating whether or not to drop my car. I am planning to get 18's and I do want to drop it. However, I don't like rubbing cause when I had my Expedition with the 22's on it, it rubbed like crazy and I had to pay a lot for it to be fixed. Anyways, has anyone experienced coilovers bought from Ebay? I do want coilovers because I like the choice between how much it should drop and to be able to change it instead of bagging the car. Maybe I'm wrong? But if I do it do I need to buy anything else? Like new struts? And what size tires would be best with no rubbing, at a decent drop of an inch (maybe). Advice please.

[Galcobar]

Getting the shocks at the same time is basically a way to save on labour.

Lowering springs put a greater stress load on the shocks. That's why most companies won't warrenty their standard shocks against lowering (KYB allows up to 1.5" drop). The stock struts, simply because they will be worn, cannot handle the stress and will typically wear out in short order. You end up having to disassemble your suspension to install new shocks again, paying for the same labour and alignment twice.

New shocks are generally better able to absorb the stress, and will degrade at a significantly slower pace.

As a note, a good idea to also replace your strut mounts at the same time. Rubber bonded to metal tends to wear out, though they often last over 150,000 miles on the stock setup. The lowered setup also puts more stress on the mounts.

This post has been edited by Galcobar: Jul 20, 2005 - 4:35 AM