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There are a few ways to lower a vehicle and achieve that “slammed” look, and an air suspension is one of them. But with other options available, it’s worth considering whether using a vehicle’s air ride to drop it down is the right choice for you.

In this guide, we go over how air suspension lowering works and the upsides and downsides of doing so. We’ll also cover what you need to consider before making a decision to help you make the right choice for your vehicle.

Can You Lower Your Vehicle With an Air Suspension?

An adjustable air suspension is a common way to lower a car, truck, or SUV. Because air ride systems can adjust ride height, they can allow a vehicle to sit at the lowest point possible on the range of the suspension. 

Stock air suspensions usually have just a few settings for different driving situations. But some aftermarket systems feature controllers that allow drivers to make manual adjustments to the air springs. With these systems, drivers can use the air suspension to lower the vehicle on command — and also raise it back up.

How Does an Air Suspension Lower a Vehicle?

Air ride systems can lower a vehicle by taking advantage of their adjustable nature. These systems are designed to account for changes in the road surface and driving behavior by adjusting the height and air pressure in the air bags. This same capability is what enables air suspensions to drop the body height all the way down for a lowrider look.

Other Ways To Lower a Vehicle

In addition to using the air suspension, there are two more common methods of lowering a car. Unlike lowering with an air ride, both require permanent modifications to your vehicle.

Swapping the Coils

You can drop your vehicle’s ride height by changing out the coil springs currently in place for shorter, stiffer ones. This sets the resting point of your car’s body lower and allows for less vertical travel. However, it also sets your car at a ride height it’s not designed for, which could cause performance issues.

Modifying the Coils

Another method for getting the slammed appearance is to actually cut off a portion of the coil springs in your strut assemblies. While this will lower your vehicle, there is a lot that can go wrong with this method. 

For example, if you are not precise about cutting every spring exactly the same, your vehicle body will be uneven and suffer performance issues. Modifying your springs can also cause them to lose structural integrity, which could make your car uncomfortable or even unsafe to drive.

Pros and Cons of Lowering a Vehicle With Air Suspension

Using the air suspension to lower your vehicle has some significant advantages compared to the other common methods of doing so. But there are also a few downsides to consider.

Pros of Lowering a Vehicle With Air Suspension

The biggest upsides to lowering your car or truck with an air ride system include:

• Lowering on command: A user-controlled adjustable air suspension allows you to drop your vehicle down whenever you want in just a few seconds.
• Adjustable resistance: Lowering your vehicle changes how it drives. With the ability to adjust the pressure in your air springs, you can accommodate for these changes to improve performance while your car or truck is slammed.
• Raising on command: It isn’t always practical to have your vehicle lowered. When you need to get into more serious driving or go over different terrain, an adjustable air ride system allows you to do that just as quickly as you lower it. 

Cons of Lowering a Vehicle With Air Suspension

There are also some notable disadvantages to using an air ride system to lower your car, truck, or SUV, including:

Maintenance needs: Air ride systems are more complex than passive suspensions. Unlike coilover suspensions, they also feature moving parts. This means that they may require a little maintenance from time to time to keep them in optimal condition.

• Not best for racing: While a good air suspension system is extremely capable and offers top-tier handling, it’s still not quite as good as specialized coilovers at delivering high-speed performance. However, unless street or track racing is something you do regularly, this won’t be much of an issue.

How To Lower Your Car With an Air Suspension

To use an air suspension system to lower your vehicle, you’ll have to first purchase a kit that offers full user control. We offer systems that employ wired and wireless controls that put the ride height and resistance of your air suspension in your hands. Once installed, you can use the controller to lower your vehicle with the push of a button. That’s all there is to it.

Installing an Air Suspension for Lowering

You’ll also need to install the new air suspension system on your vehicle — or, in most cases, have it installed. Generally speaking, air ride installation is a job that requires mechanical know-how and precision. In other words, unless you’re more than a little handy with working on cars, this is a job best left to the professionals. 

Air Suspension Lowering: What To Consider

Before you decide to install an air ride to lower your car, there are a few things to think about, including:

Cost: An air suspension system that allows you to lower your vehicle on command starts at around $2,500 and can cost much more than that. Unless you’re experienced with working on cars, you’ll also have to pay for installation.

Warranty: You may have heard that installing an aftermarket air suspension on your vehicle can void its warranty. This is not true. If you have warranty coverage left on your vehicle, it will still be eligible for claims even after you install an air ride lowering kit.

Other benefits: Lowering capability is just one benefit of installing an air suspension. You’ll also experience an upgrade in comfort and stability. The ability to adjust the resistance as well as the ride height means you can get your ride to feel and perform exactly how you like.

Should You Lower Your Vehicle With Air Suspension?

If you want to lower your vehicle, an air suspension is the best way to do so. You won’t need to make permanent modifications that could make your vehicle less safe to drive. You’ll also have the ability to lower it when you want to and raise it back up when you don’t. Air suspensions also have a few other benefits that add even more value to what you pay for them.

We offer only high-quality air suspension kits that we’d trust on our own vehicles. If you’re ready to get that lowrider look without sacrificing comfort, performance, or safety, check out our selection of air management packages. If you’re unsure of what you need or would like assistance in any other way, just reach out through our contact form and one of our air suspension experts will be in touch as soon as possible.