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Pickup Trucks 101: Lowering Your Truck

It's common for truck owners to lower their vehicle’s suspension system a few inches for a sporty look, or they go to the extreme and lay the frame on the ground to create a wild custom show vehicle.

You can lower a full-size or midsize pickup in a variety of ways that affect its appearance, handling, towing and cargo capacity. We’ve outlined the most common methods and best practices so that you gain a better understanding of the techniques and what best suits the look and performance you want to achieve.

Coil Springs

An aftermarket set of coil springs is a great way to lower your truck’s suspension as much as two inches. Some trucks use coils at the rear, so look for a complete kit from the same manufacturer. The best choice is to use progressive-rate springs made from high-quality steel, to avoid spring sag over time. Some performance coils will also improve handling and lower the stance by one-and-a-half to two inches.

Cutting your factory coils may sound like a less expensive alternative but it’s not recommended because it can change the spring’s compression rate and can lead to a bouncy ride. A spring that lowers ride height more than two inches may be a bad idea. The right coils will lend a smooth ride and won’t affect the overall cargo capacity of your pickup when you need moderate lowering.

Coils can be combined with other lowering products when more lowering is desired.

Drop Spindles

Drop spindles are probably one of the best ways to lower your vehicle properly by two or three inches without affecting the ride quality or factory suspension geometry. It’s worth paying more for a high-quality spindle from a reputable manufacturer; cheaper spindles are known to crack and shear. Combining drop spindles with a two-inch lowering coil can give you up to four inches of drop.

Control Arms

Tubular upper and lower control arms replace the factory wishbones in the front of your truck. A new lower arm will have a deeper coil spring pocket. This effectively lowers the vehicle two or three inches and maintains proper ball joint angles and a smooth ride.

If you’re going to use low-profile tires, it’s important that the lower control arm spring pocket doesn’t fall below the vehicle’s scrub-line, which is the lowest part of the vehicle that will make contact with the pavement should the tire go flat.

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