Joe's guide to lowering :D
Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 1:21 am
Lowering your car is a great way to drastically improve its aesthetics, and can also improve the handling. I’ve written this guide based on my own experience which is from lowering a MK4 polo by 60mm using a Jackson Tuning suspension kit, but I’m assuming it won’t be too different with other models. If anything in this guide is wrong or missing or inaccurate, feel free to correct me! I am not pretending to be an expert, just sharing with others my own experiences. Also half of it is borrowed from the MK4 faq, im not taking credit for writing that bit lol.
As with most mods, buying cheap means buying twice. With suspension mods especially, you get what you pay for. My advice: do it right the first time. And remember, if you lower your car you WILL need the tracking and camber done; this normally costs about £40, but I paid £80 to get mine done at a specialist place which uses computers and lasers to do a four wheel alignment, which IMO was well worth it as the handling on my car is perfect, I can let go of the wheel on a flat road and it drives dead true! There are several options to meet your budget, here are the three most common ones:
1. Replacing the springs. If you buy shorter springs the car will sit lower. Fair enough, but the standard shocks you're using are not meant to work with the shorter springs. Hence, the maximum amount of lowering is limited to 30 - 40 mm. Even then, the shocks will not last as long as they would otherwise, and the ride and handling may be poor. Doing this on old shocks may cause them to “bottom outâ€
As with most mods, buying cheap means buying twice. With suspension mods especially, you get what you pay for. My advice: do it right the first time. And remember, if you lower your car you WILL need the tracking and camber done; this normally costs about £40, but I paid £80 to get mine done at a specialist place which uses computers and lasers to do a four wheel alignment, which IMO was well worth it as the handling on my car is perfect, I can let go of the wheel on a flat road and it drives dead true! There are several options to meet your budget, here are the three most common ones:
1. Replacing the springs. If you buy shorter springs the car will sit lower. Fair enough, but the standard shocks you're using are not meant to work with the shorter springs. Hence, the maximum amount of lowering is limited to 30 - 40 mm. Even then, the shocks will not last as long as they would otherwise, and the ride and handling may be poor. Doing this on old shocks may cause them to “bottom outâ€
NICE!!! But don't forget, £480 + your 100 for the insurance 
i never realised how much it would cost until now! Argh i want to do this so badly, but its just too expensive for my student wallet atm! I think i may just have to put it off a few months and then get it done properly without cutting corners like you said... and then not telling my parents how much i'm spending lol good guide mate!
you spent £80 on tracking and camber 