Lowering Springs

  • Sponsors (?)


do i need to get my 02 gt aligned after putting lowering springs on? also is that all i will need to do. I wanna keep it simple but take the lift kit off haha. what about cutting the springs? is this an option or what.
Thanks. matt

Yes, an alignment is manditory after installing new springs. Don't put it off or your front tires will get torn up really quick.

New struts and shocks are a good idea if you have worn out stockers. Leaving them on will result in a harsh ride with lots of crashing and banging. The non adjustable Tokico's are a good choice for the money.

If you're lowering more than 1.25" I would recommend caster camber plates. I lowered my car with eibach pro springs and ended up with some tire wear issues because I didn't install caster camber plates. The stock plates don't have the range of adjustment that is required with lowered cars. Just installed some CC plates the other day and was able to get the alignment perfect.

I would avoid cutting the springs personally. If the only thing you're interested in is looks then cutting the springs may be an option but the ride quality will probably be horrible.
 
I've got the eibach pro kit as well. $50 for an alignment is MUCH cheaper than $300 for tires. You will also end up getting offset rack bushings and steeda X2 ball joints so you may want to wait until you have all the parts and don't have to take everything apart four times.
 
If you lower your car, most alignment places will not be able to do your alignment. GoodYear could not do mine but Brakes Plus could. They will charge a bit more for an alignment but Brakes Plus charged me a standard rate of a non lowered car. Don't get sucked into a huge cost for an alignment for your lowered car.

Btw... YES, you definitely need an alignment after lowering.
 
2 wheel alignment is all you can get with a solid rear axle. Alot of people will say you do need CC plates and some will say you don't need plates. The only way to know for sure is to install the springs and get an alignment done. The alignment shop will let you know if they can't get the alignment within Ford spec. I wanted to spend as little money as possible just like you but I ended up getting CC plates later on.

Another option is to lengthen the slots in your strut towers to allow for more adjustment with the stock strut plates. However, an alignment shop will charge you an arm and a leg to do this so its only a good option if you can do it yourself.

Just remember, the main point here is that a set of tires cost more than CC plates. Also CC plates are not something to go cheap on. In my opinion, the only option is Maximum Motorsport CC plates.