Does lowering the car hurt anything?

[detroiter]

The reason I ask is because you get those people who suggest lowering a car kills your ball joints, cv joints, yadda yadda. Just wonder if theirs any truth to that or are they blowing hot air.

[djct_watt]

Originally Posted by detroiter

The reason I ask is because you get those people who suggest lowering a car kills your ball joints, cv joints, yadda yadda. Just wonder if theirs any truth to that or are they blowing hot air.

More wear is more wear. Yes, it's like asking if driving the car faster creates more wear; yes it does. What matters is the degree of effect it has. stiffer springs means less energy is absorbed by the suspension and more is transmitted to the body.

The problem is that most people don't keep their cars long enough to tell if it's had an effect. . . ie, somebody will said they put on 5,000 miles with no problems, and state that there is no extra wear and tear, which is a pretty dumb statement. If you don't plan on keeping your car for more than 100k miles, then it shouldn't matter. But when you talk about some serious mileage (which these cars are capable of), ie 400+k miles, then yeah, there should be an effect, but I can't vouch as to how much.

The interior is held together by cheap plastic clips, and inevitably, it will rattle. I put over 120k on my xA (which is basically the same as a Yaris with a few differences in body panels). It rattled significantly more than stock vehicles of the same or greater mileage. But you have to compare side to side to notice. Because these things come gradually, it's impossible to objectively notice a difference.

But if you want performance, then increased costs are unavoidable. . . you will accelerate more, which will burn more fuel, and you will go through tires more. There is no such thing as free performance. Either you're using more fuel, more tire, more wear and tear and parts, or dropping cash on batteries and electric motors.