Why "Lower" or "raise" your Maverick?

[Bill]

I am 70 ,5'8" and have nerve damage in my legs. I can lift them only so much. Might get a lowering kit next year as it is a problem for me to get in, getting out is a breeze as I slide out.I did put on running boards but still not low enough. Love the MPG...

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[OneAlienBoi]

Seems to be something that's mostly done for looks. I can see some tangible benefits coming from it as well. A lowered maverick will have a lower center of gravity and handle better, there are likely also areo benefits as you're punching a slightly smaller hole through the air as you move, but that difference is probably negligible. Lifted mavericks are gonna be better at off-roading and clearing obstacles.

 

[Scot LX]

I would like it to be a little taller, but due to being cheap and not wanting to stress the CV, I haven't.

The reason I would like a little more height is that I don't prefer to step right, not up or down into the vehicle. I often hit my head and stress my neck getting down into my wife's CX-5. We used to have a Honda Element, and a Nissan Frontier. They were both in my comfort zone. 20+ years ago, I didn't mind having a Camaro, but my low down days are over. I don't ride it like I stole it, so I am not too worried about the role over factor some have mentioned as a reason to lower it.

 

[Scot LX]

I did appreciate the lower hight when loading the motorcycle with only my daughter for help, while having my back tire in a ditch.
After unloading at a little grassy knoll near my house, I feel confident that I could do it without any help. If I did ever get around to raising it, I would probably only do the level on the front. This would make getting in slightly easier without making loading the motorcycle any harder.

 

[Deleted member 5597]

Thank you MTC for helping me understand why someone would raise or lower their Mav for reasons other than aesthetics.

 

[Bruce W]

Please help me understand why you would "lower" or "raise" your Maverick?

Is it something the younger owners do?
Do you enter in car shows?
Does lowering affect the ride quality?
Is it for the "coolness factor"?

I'm just a few weeks shy of 65, and have owned many family and business vehicles over the course of my lifetime. I never considered raising nor lowering any of them. My hybrid Lariat Mav is the only vehicle I ever spent money on accessories on because I plan on keeping it for the long haul, but raising nor lowering never crossed my mind.

The same reason we used to put mag wheels on a vehicle. They had perfectly good steel wheels. It’s a youth thing. I also had a Triumph I put extended front forks on. Probably silliest thing to be done, but it’s what everybody was doing. Oh to be young again!

 

[Richard D]

Performance/racing cars have been lowered as long as there have been cars. I hate the big gaps in the wheel wells, main reason I lowered mine. A bonus is, it’s easier to get in and out now.

 

[KDub01]

46 years old and I lowered my Maverick (so not entirely a youth thing).

There is some nuance to lowering though. I put springs on mine so it still has a good amount of travel. It is not "slammed."

I did it for three reasons:

1. I use my Maverick for light duty only; cardboard recycling runs, spring/fall lawn clean up, Lowes runs, etc. It IS easier loading and unloading a lowered truck (MUCH easier). I also occasionally load my Motorcycle in the back and it is easier using ramps on a lowered truck as well.

2. I never take it off road and it performs noticeably better (especially handling) on the street.

3. Personal preference, I think it looks better lowered.

I would also add, over the years trucks have gotten higher and higher (even 2wd). My lowered Maverick is about the same height as the old (stock) S10 I used to have. Compare it too any of the older (90s) compact trucks and it's roughly the same height so......

 

[Chapystick]

Absolutely. How can this not look cool?

And even better yet , it now passes my truck ease-of-use test. I can load a full 5-gallon gas jug into the bed over its side without having to open the gate.
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I have to know how much it rubs this low? The fender liners have like no concave room in them compared to normal cars

 

[JustAroundMidnight]

I lowered my truck and added a Steeda strut brace, an aFe intake, a MRT exhaust and a 93 Livernois tune. I'm 66 and very happy with the stance, the ride and the performance.

 

[BeardedMarine]

The same reason we used to put mag wheels on a vehicle. They had perfectly good steel wheels. It’s a youth thing. I also had a Triumph I put extended front forks on. Probably silliest thing to be done, but it’s what everybody was doing. Oh to be young again!

I'm 58 and lowered mine, so your point is mute.

 

[Mikes22Mav]

To each his own. I remember when lowered trucks were a huge thing in the area, and certain people had to drive several blocks out of their way to cross railroad tracks at a crossing that wouldn't scrape up their underside. That's not for me.

The problem I have with raised trucks is when they often don't aim their headlights properly, so they're shining in the face of oncoming and in the rearview mirror of whoever they follow. That's obnoxious. There ought to be laws about how high off the ground headlights can be, but there aren't.

When you start affecting the drivers around you, that's when it's a problem - otherwise, do whatever you like to your own truck, whether I think it's stupid or not.

Hey RobN,
Not to change the subject of this post but here in California there is a Headlight Height law.

Like every other state, California headlight law has strict requirements for the type of headlights that must be used. The headlights must be clear and exhibit white light. They cannot be colored.

In addition, some vehicle owners may modify the positioning of their headlights, which is dangerous because they can shine directly in the face of another driver in front of them when they look in their rear-view mirror.

In California, headlights must be at least 22 inches off the ground and can be no higher than 54 inches. Fog lights must be at least 12 inches off the ground and can be no more than 30 inches in height. Headlight placement can be an issue on large pickup trucks or SUVs.

 

[Lane]

I have to know how much it rubs this low? The fender liners have like no concave room in them compared to normal cars

I've had my Silvers coilovers installed for a bit over a year and for about 15k miles. I have them set so the truck sits 5 inches lower than stock. There are other forum members with this set up who have gone lower, but this appears to be the sweet spot with the tire/wheel combo & stiffness settings I have dialed in.

So far, I recall hearing/feeling a rub maybe 3 or 4 times. It's always at low speed and seems to be from the front when turning into a driveway where's a dip in the curbing. I've had the bed loaded up with 500lb of stuff, and have towed about a dozen 2000 lb trailer loads with no rubbing from any of that. The space above the tire in the wheelwells to accommodate wheel travel is reduced by the drop, but the increased rigidity of the springs seems to make up for it well. I have seen only minor evidence of the tires contacting the top of the wheelwell liners from suspension travel during normal straight-line driving. And I do give them a periodic inspection because I want to be aware. I'd kind of expected there to be more so this has been a pleasant surprise.

The key to minimizing the chance of tire contact is careful selection of new tires/wheels. Be reasonable with tire width, and make sure tire diameter isn't any larger than stock. And be mindful that any new wheels don't have a huge difference in offset from stock.

If I would have kept the stock steel wheels, I doubt there would have been any rubbing at all with them at this height.

But they just weren't my favorite, so I ended up going with the 19" Escape wheels where the new offset pushed the tires almost an inch further laterally into the wheelwells which was a bit more than I would have preferred. But I love their look. If someone chose a wheel with an offset that pushes the wheels outward more and gives them some 'poke', that would significantly incrase the risk of tire contact - on that outer lip of the wheelwell.

If anyone wants more details on the set up, that info can be found here in my build thread.

 

[yamahaSHO]

Lowering and a good set of wheels, and these trucks look pretty damn good. I really want to do this to our Maverick, but it's my wife vehicle and ground clearance is probably good for her.

 

[Chapystick]

I've had my Silvers coilovers installed for a bit over a year and for about 15k miles. I have them set so the truck sits 5 inches lower than stock. There are other forum members with this set up who have gone lower, but this appears to be the sweet spot with the tire/wheel combo & stiffness settings I have dialed in.

So far, I recall hearing/feeling a rub maybe 3 or 4 times. It's always at low speed and seems to be from the front when turning into a driveway where's a dip in the curbing. I've had the bed loaded up with 500lb of stuff, and have towed about a dozen 2000 lb trailer loads with no rubbing from any of that. The space above the tire in the wheelwells to accommodate wheel travel is reduced by the drop, but the increased rigidity of the springs seems to make up for it well. I have seen only minor evidence of the tires contacting the top of the wheelwell liners from suspension travel during normal straight-line driving. And I do give them a periodic inspection because I want to be aware. I'd kind of expected there to be more so this has been a pleasant surprise.

The key to minimizing the chance of tire contact is careful selection of new tires/wheels. Be reasonable with tire width, and make sure tire diameter isn't any larger than stock. And be mindful that any new wheels don't have a huge difference in offset from stock.

If I would have kept the stock steel wheels, I doubt there would have been any rubbing at all with them at this height.

But they just weren't my favorite, so I ended up going with the 19" Escape wheels where the new offset pushed the tires almost an inch further laterally into the wheelwells which was a bit more than I would have preferred. But I love their look. If someone chose a wheel with an offset that pushes the wheels outward more and gives them some 'poke', that would significantly incrase the risk of tire contact - on that outer lip of the wheelwell.

If anyone wants more details on the set up, that info can be found here in my build thread.

Yeah I’ve had my fair share of tight fitment experience just with a normal car though, so there’s actually room further upward into the wells.
Unfortunately I do prefer a flush wheel and tire fitment and was looking at 255/45 on a 20x8.5 wheel, but I expect to settle on lowering springs for the price and safety on height to avoid rubbing. I’m also not averse to adding a small amount of functional camber to make it slide by the fenders easier but obviously there’s not a lot of vertical space to slide.

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