Lifting vs. Lowering A Truck
When we think of altering a pickup trucks stock height, the first thing that probably comes to our mind is a lift kit, although lowering is possible too.
It’s certainly not as popular, but lowering a truck by even just a bit can provide you with more benefits than you could have ever thought before.
Lowering advantages
Ease of use
One of the main reasons why people even think of doing such a thing for their trucks is to make accessing it, well, less of a struggle…
There are owners who just don’t like the already tall height of such vehicle (especially so considering that newer models only seem to get bigger), so dropping it by a couple of inches or so literally makes their pickup life that much less challenging.
It is also a not uncommon choice for those who use the beds a lot – loading, unloading, getting into one becomes more manageable when a pickup truck sits on a lower level.
Possibly cheaper
Depending on the truck you have and the kit you want to install, lowering can prove to be a more affordable choice.
Not to mention, because you’re actually making the vehicle go down instead of up, the already existing parts may also last longer as there won’t be as much strain being put on the whole suspension system – this in turn won’t hurt your budget as much in the long run.
Improved performance
A truck that’s closer to the ground will get better gas mileage and handling, as its center of gravity isn’t as high.
More unique, therefore better looking
How often do you see a lowered truck out there on the streets? Exactly.
Personally i feel that in some cases a lowered pickup truck can even look a lot better than the lifted kind, though maybe that could have something to do with the fact that they aren’t as common.
Either way, there are ‘levels’ to this. When i’m talking about lowering a pickup, i mean literally that, not drop or slam it, as that’s a little too extreme for my liking.
Lifting advantages
Makes the vehicle more versatile
Lowering the truck, depending on how much, will prevent it from going onto rougher roads; the same can’t be said about the lifted ones.
A lifted pickup truck can support larger tires, meaning that it’ll now be able to handle more off-road as the amount of clearance increased – not to mention, you’ll be able to see more out there, which has all to do with sitting higher.
What is better?
The choice depends entirely on what you want to do with the vehicle.
If you have a job that requires you to get in and out of the pickup truck many times a day, lowering can be a great idea.
Lifting a truck can rarely be a bad choice either, notably when you have money to invest.
In all truth, it’s hard to compare these two mods as they differ so much from one another, therefore the decision really boils down to your own personal preference.
The idea of lowering a truck is often times frowned upon by the enthusiasts, as many of them think a vehicle of this nature should either be lifted or just kept stock altogether.
But guess what, that’s just somebody’s opinion – it’s your truck, you paid money for it, and if the thought of lowering sits a little closer to your heart, by all means go for it.