how do I drop my car?
 

hello guys

just want to ask you all experts about how to drop my car down. I have a 18" 235/65 set .... there are couple of pics if you look in my first ever thread in club lexus :D :thumbup:

where do I go to get them drop? what is the best drop height for the front and the back to get the best performance... ie... better steering on curves? do I need to get new shocks and struts? how do I drop them and make sure I can still go over those huge speed bumps without anything getting damage underneath?

and whatever else I need please let me know :)

go with a coilover suspension... i have my '01 es3 max'd dropped on Tein SS Coilovers. I am able to do all of what is stated above, great performance, nice look, and im still able to go over speed bumps/etc...

you have 235/65/18 tires? that's way too big! they'll never fit. or was that a typo?
to drop teh car, get some lowering springs. then for best ride and handling, also buy new struts from a performance strut mfr. bolt it all on, go get alignment.
enjoy new lower look and better handling.

it had to be a typo. to my knowledge, they dont even make such a large size.

man, only on this forum would they ask something so simple. a little searching and you will find so many answers. for automobiles there is no definitive answers for everything, some things you will just have to compromise with.

but yeah, what "that boy" said. coilover or aftermarket strut/spring combo.

but coilovers are better, height adjustability, camber and damping adjustments.

Charley

oops i mean to say 235/40/18 ..... charley, you are right... i am a novice at this :) that is why I'm trying to learn all there is about cars/lexus especially! How much are coil overs?

Charley, your ride looks like it can't go over any speed bump at all ..... nice paint job though, did you repaint it?

I think I want to get my car to drop like the bmw m3's :D so that makes it maybe 1/2" drop on both front and back..... is it better to drop front and leave back for stability or drop both ends?

coilover will run you at least $1k, probably more, i don't really know es prices.
he's fine on the speed bumps, he just has to pay attention to where he's going and slow down! mine is the same way.

you have to lower both ends. the car will handle like crap otherwise. 1/2" drop wont even be noticeable. go low or go home!

hey 19psi.... well.... my ride looks pretty decent for now the gap between the tires and the fender is only like 1" so a half a in drop will put it really close to the fender so that should be ok right?

the reason why I ask if I drop both end or not is because I notice that bmw puts 19" tires on the front and 20" on the back, so instead of having two dif size tires, just pretend like you have it and drop the front only. That should do the same thing right?!?!?!

man coilovers are so expensive and it's for a pair only right.... something like this?!?! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Tein-...spagenameZWD1V

I want to have the same drop height...... man this is so expensive, is there another cheap alternative that is both effective AND safe? maybe half the price?

The cheapest alternative to a drop is just getting a shorter spring. It will not be the same as coilovers, and you will feel the road more.

The not so cheap is going with aftermarket struts and springs. Better then just the spring, but a bit more pricey.

The more expensive way to go would be coilovers. Adjustable, good at bumps, and better handling. (My favorite)

Now the most expensive is getting airbags and slamming it to the ground. Maybe a bit too extreme though. Unless your planning to go VIP style later on.

what kind of springs and struts should I get for the 98 es 300.... counting all 4 of course...

if your tire and fender are so close and you are concerned about hitting bumps you should keep it like that

im dropping my ride probally but first im gettin rims to see how it is an than drop it
lowering springs are like 200-300$

there is a pic of my car somewhere around here.... look under my name :)

ok, if you want a stance like a bmw m3, you will need to compromise:

1. bmw's overall lowest part of the car say is about 4"off the ground, for this look, you will have to slam, and i mean slam the crap out of your car.

2. bmw's wheel gap is smaller, if this is what youre looking for, then drop to the desired gap width, and here is where you will see where the bottom of the car is now, it will still be rather high.

i dont know if that made sense, its late, ill try to reiterate tomorrow

btw, i make it over just about all speedbumps, driveways, etc. just a matter of how much practice and patience you have going over these things. but by no means will a stranger driving my car not scrape.

Charley

look for a set of lowering springs. i think coilovers are going to be more than you can spend. eibach, h&r, are a couple good brands of springs. then get some kyb struts and be done with it. those springs will get you about 1" to 1.5" lower.

don't worry about bmw. Big Money Wasted. they do different sized wheels just to be cool. it has nothing to do with height, as their overall diameter of front and rear tires are the same.

Your current stance might also be due to old saggy springs. Id suggest going with aftermarket lowering springs and shocks. The prices arent too bad (especially if you find a used set) and it will still give you a nice drop. Remember, bigger wheels (ie your 18") will actually raise the ride height of the car. So atm you are probably higher up than stock.