In recent times, the trend of lowering the suspension of trucks, especially 4×4 Silverado, is becoming popular in modern society. The purpose of this is to lower your vehicle closer to the ground. The benefit of lowering the truck’s suspension will help the driver control the car more precisely. In addition, it will also help the truck to have better cargo capacity, and better load capacity and move more firmly through rough roads.
How low can you lower a 4×4 Silverado? You can lower a 4×4 Silverado by lowering its suspension. The front of the truck can be lowered up to 4 inches and the rear of the truck must be able to drop less than 6 inches. Here are 8 simple ways to help you lower the suspension of your 4×4 Silverado easily.
How Low Can You Lower A 4×4 Silverado?
Many drivers have used the truck’s suspension lowering technique to lower their trucks closer to the ground. The purpose is to make the 4×4 Silverado as low as possible.
The lowering of the 4×4 Silverado’s suspension also tends to be related to aesthetics as a break or sports car style that car owners want to implement. However, you should research and discuss thoroughly with experts in this field to decide on lowering the truck’s suspension. The reason is that in addition to the positive effects, this action can also bring serious consequences to your truck after a period of use if it is not done according to the correct procedures and meets the standards.
You can lower the Silverado’s front suspension by up to 4 inches. The rear suspension can be reduced to a maximum of 5-6 inches. Nowadays, you can find many different shock absorbers available in the market that can help you lower your truck more to the ground. This change is not too complicated, but it may take you time to research and implement. Meanwhile, professionals in the field can easily handle lowering your truck.
Why Do So Many Drivers Like To Lower The 4×4 Silverado?
Lowering the 4×4 Silverado suspension also brings significant benefits. When your trucks are lowered, they can be enhanced with a number of features inside the truck. Lowering the Silverado 4×4 will improve the truck’s dynamics as less air will move underneath.
Due to the low wind resistance, the truck will move faster and also increase fuel economy. In addition, another benefit of lowering the truck is that it improves handling due to increased traction on the tires. For truck purposes as well as 4×4 Silverado is built to tow heavy loads or trailers. Therefore, many drivers want to lower their trucks closer to the ground to increase cargo capacity and traction.
In particular, a truck with low suspension results in a low center of gravity. It will reduce the risk of rolling over and prevent the risk of accidents while towing and transporting heavy loads, especially, if you often use trucks to carry heavy goods or pull heavy objects on complex terrains. So the suspension tuning will make the 4×4 Silverado more controllable. Besides, the driver also easily controls the truck to turn or change direction on the road.
However, lowering the 4×4 Silverado’s suspension can also have serious consequences for other components. Excessive lowering of the height from the ground will create problems between the components involved when the truck is moving.
Some common cases are:
- The device hangs too close to its parts.
- Affect anti-lock brakes, swing bars, and tires.
- Suspension systems that are out of alignment can lead to excessive tire wear.
- Increase the shock of the truck. In particular, the truck’s contact with the ground can damage other components.
- The reducer can be seriously affected, especially the exhaust system. The result is increased towing and hauling problems.
Therefore, before deciding to lower the suspension of the 4×4 Silverado, you need to carefully find out information and different methods to limit the negative effects on towing, cargo, and on the road.
8 Methods To Lower 4×4 Silverado
You can lower your 4×4 Silverado suspension using the 10 methods below. Each method has different advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, you should carefully study the options below to find the most suitable method. If you don’t feel confident doing it at home, get the help of truck repair professionals to follow the correct procedure.
Lower The Spring Inside The Truck
Lowering the truck’s internal springs is the most common method of adjusting a truck’s suspension. You can use a spring cutting or heating spring to lower its height. Spring cutting can also cause truck performance problems. Besides, because the spring is cut, its compression level will also be significantly reduced. Therefore, you may feel excessive shock or bounce when the car moves on rough roads.
However, the truck lowering technique can overcome this problem by using coil springs. So the spring can reduce the height by up to 2-3 inches. Currently, many drivers prefer to use steel coil springs to avoid loosening after a period of using the truck.
Lowering the spring should only be kept to a maximum of 2-3 inches because a larger index will affect traction and efficiency when driving. At the same time, it can also reduce travel distance and driving performance. So you can make some additional reductions in the height of some other parts instead of reducing the scale too much in the 4×4 Silverado internal springs.
Lower The Spindle To Lower The Suspension
Lowering the spindle can be done to lower the suspension without affecting your ride quality. Lowering the main shaft of the 4×4 Silverado can be reduced by 2-3 inches. Typically, many drivers will combine the main shaft with a coil spring to lower the truck by 3 to 4 inches.
To perform this method, you need to check the quality of the rotating shaft because if the spindle shows signs of being old, cracked, or broken, it will affect the towing quality and the safety of the truck when carrying heavy goods.
Using The Control Tool
This method will be less expensive than using other devices on the truck to lower the suspension. You can use the coil spring control arm to achieve the desired height. Usually, the bottom can reduce the truck’s height by up to 2-3 inches. Because they have a pocket spring that lowers and retains the proper joint angle with other devices.
However, an issue that you need to pay attention to is that lowering the truck must be carefully considered and must not be below the specified paint line. It is a line to measure the bottom of the wheel rim and the bottom of the tire. If the suspension is lower than that, it will collide with the road and your truck will be severely damaged when towing goods or traveling on rough roads.
Use Hydraulics To Lower
The best adjustable hydraulic method to ease the suspension on your truck. You can perform the technique using hydraulic fluid.
They combine to work with several other components such as switches, hydraulic lines, tanks, pumps, solenoid valves, etc. However, this method can be more technically demanding since you have to set up a hydraulic system to lower the truck’s height. Therefore, you should seek help from professionals because this process requires precise cutting and welding of parts together.
Besides, you will probably have to replace the coil springs and use a different kit. The ideal lowering for this method is up to 4 inches. You should not exceed this height as it will affect the truck’s performance.
Using Leaf Springs
Another way for you to lower the suspension of the 4×4 Silverado is to use leaf springs. It is designed in the rear of the truck and can reduce the height by up to 2 inches. In addition, you can combine it with the eye hangar to reduce the height by up to 4 inches.
The downside of lowering these springs is that they reduce cargo capacity because they contain fewer helper springs. Therefore, the damping or lifting of goods when carrying heavy loads will have poorer performance.
Using Flip Kits In Suspension
You can use a flip kit to lower your truck’s suspension most economically. They are easy to install and are capable of lowering the truck’s height by up to 6 inches.
The principle of their operation is to flip the position of the leaf springs and the axles of the truck. However, you need to ensure an appropriate clearance between the axle and the frame of the truck to ensure safety when moving. You can do this from below the axle and work your way up to the top.
It will have a positioner that will keep the rear axle forward while maintaining the truck’s stable structural arrangement. Other devices will be installed such as box springs, air springs, and torsion bars to reduce the truck’s height.
This method of customization can make your truck look more stylish and sporty. In particular, it also has better traction without major negative effects. However, you still need advice from experienced professionals before deciding to change a bunch of devices at once.
Align The Front And Rear Compartments
Aligning the front and rear compartments of the 4×4 Silverado can also reduce the truck’s height. However, to implement this method you need to follow the rules correctly. One of the most important rules is the alignment and balance between the front and rear tires.
If you do not align correctly, it will increase the negative camber value. As a result, lane control becomes difficult and increases tire wear. Therefore, you need to double-check the balance of the wheels before you finish lowering the truck’s suspension.
Consider Lowering The Scroll Center
You can also reduce the truck’s height by lowering the roll center. To implement this method, you need to consider the rolling center of the truck. Excessive lowering of the height can cause the truck’s center of gravity to come close to the center of the roll. As a result, the wheels will slip on the road and cannot hold on to the tires and wheels when turning.
Conclude
You can lower the 4×4 Silverado suspension to 5-6 inches. The purpose of lowering the truck height is to increase traction and stable on-road mobility. You can choose from a variety of methods to lower the truck’s suspension such as lowering the internal springs, lowering the spindle, using a control kit, installing the hydraulics, aligning front and rear compartments, suspension flip kits, or lowering roll hubs.
However, you should also consider and scrutinize these methods to find the best one because lowering the truck’s suspension will also have serious consequences in terms of reduced traction, reduced mobility, or excessive stress on the wheels. If you are not confident enough to do this job at home, get help from truck repair professionals to ensure the quality of your truck.