Todd,
I have had lowered springs in my car for nearly eight years now. I have the
TriumphTune Fast Road springs. The spring tire combination I have lowered the
car 1.5 inches from the stock ride height. You can expect a noticeably firmer
ride to begin with. My ride is very firm, but not tooth rattling hard. Your
handling will also improve noticeably because of the increased spring rate and
the lower center of gravity. Of course these are probably the things your
looking for.
Things to look out for include suspension bottoming. If you lower the car but
don't change the rear upper bump stops you'll feel this on any big bump or
pothole. I felt this effect on my car. Victoria British sells bump stops for
lower springs(NFI). You can also expect some extreme negative camber so you
will need to either play with the different trailing arm brackets or get the
GoodParts adjustable trailing arm brackets (again, NFI). By the way, I have
experienced no weird side effects from lowering the car in regards to the
front suspension, nor should you expect any. A four wheel alignment would
definitely be recommended though. Depending upon your rear shock choice, I
have heard that some tube shock kits are not recommended for lowered cars. I
have the kit that BPNW sells (again, NFI) with the KYB shocks and have had no
problems. Finally, you'll need to keep a sharp eye out for objects in the
road, speed bumps, dips, steep driveways etc... All the stuff you need to
watch for in any lowered vehicle.
If your looking for a vast improvement in handling this will get you on the
way. When I compare the way my car drives to a stock TR6 there is a noticeable
difference. In fact, a stock TR6 feel more like a Buick when driven back to
back with mine. (let the hate mail begin) I've compared four different stock
TR6's to mine so it wasn't a one time fluke. I even have room to further
improve my handling. I only have poly bushings in the trailing arms and on the
sway bar but rubber bushings everywhere else. (Which is probably why I still
have a firm but comfortable ride instead of a tooth rattling one.) I'm also
still running the stock wheels, a wider wheel would give my tires a broader
platform to work with and thus let the tires do their job a bit better.
I suppose that's enough rambling for now. Hope it helps.
Shawn J. Loseke
1972 TR6
Fort Collins, CO
>===== Original Message From Todd Bermudez <red_tr250@yahoo.com> =====
>List,
>
>I'm in the chassis reassembly stages. Getting ready
>to place a big order for goodies. I'm considering
>using the BPNW 1" lower springs. I believe the spring
>rate to be the same as their uprated stock ride
>height. Looking for opinions on lowering good/bad as
>well as other things to consider when lowering.
>
>I'm lowering the car to the ground right?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Todd
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