Basic Lowering Help plz

AmBo

Active Member
Feb 3, 2004
1,027
1
36
New Jersey
Hey all, I'm looking to drop my 2000GT vert. I was wondering:

What do I look into?
WHat parts and brands do I need?
How low can I drop?
How much will the entire project cost me (parts and labor).

All help is awesome! Thank you!
-Eric
 
AmBo said:
What do I look into?

I'd suggest a kit. Spings, shocks and maybe sway bars.

AmBo said:
WHat parts and brands do I need?

Eibach is nice. FRPP uses good stuff at cheap cost. H&R is good also.

AmBo said:
How low can I drop?

1"-1.5" is the lowest you can go with out adding extra parts to the setup to have the car handle it's best. Go too far beyond 1"-1.5" and you will need to look into camber/caster plates, offset rack bushings and/or Steeda X2 ball joints up front. No issues out back as far as I know.

AmBo said:
How much will the entire project cost me (parts and labor).

Hard to say. Labor rates vary. Rule of thumb I use is, roughly multiply the cost of the parts by 1.5 to 2.
 
kah9911 said:
can you drop it the same with 18's
Yes you can drop it with 18's, see sig. With a Vert, I strongly suggest you get after market full length SFC.

P3314.JPG
 
ok, break it down for a newbie please. ;)

c/cplates? SFC's? please explain.

Also, how much did it cost those of you that actually have dropped your car? Here is a pic of my car. I have 17" billetts on it. As u can see, it needs to be dropped:
P1010077.JPG
 
Eibachs are nice but some have reported that their car ended up sitting lower in the back than the front.

I have H&R Supersports that are considered one of the absolute best spring makers to go with. H&Rs tend to have a "rake" meaning that the front usually sits a tiny bit lower than the rear. I like it that way. Drop is 1-3/4" (up to 2") in the front and 1-1/2" (up to 1-3/4") in the rear. Price: $185.00
H&R Sports don't drop quite as much.

Also bought new struts and shocks because going that low you will kill your stockers quick. Bought Bilsteins which are great for daily drivers. Price: ~$550.00 for all four.

Needed caster/camber plates because of how low I went. Maximum Motorsports are the best of C/C plates. Cheaper ones can be really noisey. Price: $200.00

I also replaced my springs isolators with urethane ones. Price: $45.00 for all of them.

I already have subframe connectors because I have a vert.

Did not buy offset rack bushings but may in the future. I did not buy Steeda X2 ball joints because the way I understand it, they will lower the car even more but not sure.

I did the labor myself, no help, no air tools, in about 8 hours with lots of beer... :D
 
WangoStango said:
Mine did the opposite, lower in the front than the back. Haven't heard of the other situation. I really like the slightly raked look I ended up with. Has a very aggressive stance.

They are somewhat inconsistant. Some have even reported one side (passenger vs. driverside) being lower than the other.