I need advice from you guys who are running lowering springs, and live in areas with harsh winter climates. I live in the Northeast and want to lower the ride height of my car. My car is a daily driver, and I only have the money or time to go to maybe 2 auto-x's a year.

I was originally thinking of getting fully adjustable coilovers, but it seems like a ridiculous expenditure for one who doesn't take his car autocrossing or to the track often. My main attraction to coilovers is the ride height adjustment, thus allowing me to lower the car in the summer and then raise it back up for the winter.

As much as I'd like to justify the price of coilovers, I am realizing more and more that I'm never going to utilize all the adjustments and settings. I just need something that will:

1. Lower ride height, and firm up suspension.
2. Not get the cursed boucy ride

Now my main hesitation with getting lowering springs is that my car will be too low to drive in the winter. I would only go for a 2" lowering at most, but am unfamiliar with how unfavorable this is for winter driving. What are your experiences with lowering springs/lowered ride height in the winter?

Should I just suck it up and save (forever) for the coilovers or will lowering springs or coilover sleeves work for my application?

This also leads me to ask another related question: Is it practical to swap out springs, say OEM, for winter, and then back to lowering springs in the summer....ala tires and wheels?

 

ttt

 

This was the first year I had any problems and the the snow was really ridiculous. I tore the crap out the plastic piece below the radiator. I backed up in deep snow, bad move. The exhaust was also touching the heat sheilds in a few places, but that was a quick fix.

Personally, I'd be worried about the durability and corrosion resistance of coilovers on the "moonscape" roads of the Northeast. I live in NYC so I need durability year round. Pot holes, bridge expansion joints, metal plates, frost heaves, it's a daily pounding that CO's aren't designed for. If it's not your daily driver, that's one thing, but this is my only car. Sounds like your in the same boat. I'm also not sure how well those fine adjustment threads on the aluminum sleeves are going to like road salt either. Seems like a recipe for seizure to me unless you're committed to keeping them clean.