Raising / Lowering Car Before and After Winter

[JustinKYC]

So when winter came around in October, I brought my car to Kal-Tire to put on my winter wheels, raise the car a bit, and do a wheel alignment. This cost like ~$300 to do which I find pretty expensive. Now summer's coming around, I'm planning to lower my car again but I'm just trying to see if there's another solution to raising/lowering my car without having to spend so much money every season.

I've read around that if you tinker with the suspension, it's best to have a wheel alignment just to make sure your tires are not wearing unevenly. I would do it lower my car and switch out my wheels myself but I don't have the tools or knowledge to do it properly so I'm curious to hear what everyone else does?

[Natty54]

Re: Raising / Lowering Car Before and After Winter

Wheel alignment is around 130, Swap tires and set up suspension around an hour. So price is somewhat inline. As for an alignment I am not sure how much the suspension dynamics change with going lower or higher

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[Danaldson]

Raising / Lowering Car Before and After Winter

I've heard as long as it's only about an inch difference from where you were, your alignment should be okay.

Ide be glad to help you lower it if you're back in calgary. Just give me a shout.

[Mcrow]

Re: Raising / Lowering Car Before and After Winter

I never get an alignment after changing my ride height.

[BaggedGLI]

Re: Raising / Lowering Car Before and After Winter

$300 is a great price, if it was easy, you'd do it yourself. Raising and lowering depending on the amount you'll be out a degree or two tow in if you lower

[P Arkus]

Re: Raising / Lowering Car Before and After Winter

I started doing alignments each season when I was raising and lowering my car. It got expensive so I just found my perfect summer & winter height, set it in the middle and got the alignment done at that height. That way lowering and raising it from the midpoint wouldn't change the alignment too much.

[RobG]

Re: Raising / Lowering Car Before and After Winter

I just found my perfect summer & winter height, set it in the middle and got the alignment done at that height.

Agreed

[makaheehee]

Re: Raising / Lowering Car Before and After Winter

I started doing alignments each season when I was raising and lowering my car. It got expensive so I just found my perfect summer & winter height, set it in the middle and got the alignment done at that height. That way lowering and raising it from the midpoint wouldn't change the alignment too much.

Thats actually a very smart idea... I'll have to do that once I get my coilovers on!

[JustinKYC]

Re: Raising / Lowering Car Before and After Winter

Wheel alignment is around 130, Swap tires and set up suspension around an hour. So price is somewhat inline. As for an alignment I am not sure how much the suspension dynamics change with going lower or higher

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Yea the price is reasonable for the amount that's being done, just the cheap asian-side of me is trying to see a way around it haha.

I've heard as long as it's only about an inch difference from where you were, your alignment should be okay.

Ide be glad to help you lower it if you're back in calgary. Just give me a shout.

Yea I've read that too somewhere. I might take you up on that Danny! I'll shoot you a message when I'm back in town next week. Thanks!

$300 is a great price, if it was easy, you'd do it yourself. Raising and lowering depending on the amount you'll be out a degree or two tow in if you lower

True that.

I never get an alignment after changing my ride height.

Do you find that your car swerves at all?

I started doing alignments each season when I was raising and lowering my car. It got expensive so I just found my perfect summer & winter height, set it in the middle and got the alignment done at that height. That way lowering and raising it from the midpoint wouldn't change the alignment too much.

That's a pretty smart idea...dayum. Will for sure keep that in mind.