Layin' Low on Two Wheels
Not ready to drop your car or truck? Customized lowrider bikes have an industry with a culture and fan base all their own, too. Lowrider Magazine has a Web site for bike enthusiasts at Lowrider Bicycle, where you can also find information on making lowrider model cars, which have a following and place in the car culture, too.
Adjustments and Additions
If lowering is done well and with all balancing factors in mind, it should be a one-step modification. Often, though, less height may throw off the camber, or the even placement of the tires on the road. Or it can throw off the tension of the springs and each new bump and uphill scrape can feel like something is out of whack. Just as in carpentry, where you measure twice and cut once, lowering is best undertaken with forethought and planning. Even solutions that work at first may fall flat with road time and wear. Those original factory calculations and specifications are precise, and after-market upgrades slip into downgrades without planning.
Visualizing what you want or describing how you want the ride to feel can lead some cars straight to the garage, but stopping at the computer or in the library is a good route. Searching on your make and model and what you hope to achieve will yield countless possibilities and more advice than you will likely ever need.
If not, check out the links on the next page for more practical visuals and tips.
