It's Lowered
- Thread starter benben01
- Start date
SPEED3TYPE2
Member
Probably looks good but why lower a cx-9? Its designed to ride high thats part of the goodness of having an suv.
sorry it's camera phone pic.. will post a before and after later tonight. why lowered??? i just felt the cx-9 would look better and handle better if the center of gravity was a bit lower. just from hustling around the twisties in my area, i can tell you it was worth the 6 hours of install time. braking is improved as nose dive is reduced significantly compared to the OE right height. any how, gotta run, will post more later tonight.
Here are the pics of the install with before and after..
Before:
After:
The lowering springs I used was H&R for a Ford Edge: 1.75", 1.7" R
OE. Front Spring vs. H&R Front:
Tools Needed:
1. I am not gonna stress this enough. You gotta use an impact gun and breaker bar. If not, you are gonna be cursing all day.
2. Sockets. Both deep and regular length: 12mm - 21mm
3. Screw drivers and pilers
Remove plastic cover at base of windshield for access to front strut bolts. Driver's side wiper must be removed. It's very easy.. Don't sweat it.
Driver's side:
Passenger side:
Get car on jacks stands. Put the jack stands on the car's side rail where you would use the scissor jack found in trunk. Lift front of car on the center crossmember with floor jack.
Cross member:
have to stop for now.. will add more pics later.
Before:
After:
The lowering springs I used was H&R for a Ford Edge: 1.75", 1.7" R
OE. Front Spring vs. H&R Front:
Tools Needed:
1. I am not gonna stress this enough. You gotta use an impact gun and breaker bar. If not, you are gonna be cursing all day.
2. Sockets. Both deep and regular length: 12mm - 21mm
3. Screw drivers and pilers
Remove plastic cover at base of windshield for access to front strut bolts. Driver's side wiper must be removed. It's very easy.. Don't sweat it.
Driver's side:
Passenger side:
Get car on jacks stands. Put the jack stands on the car's side rail where you would use the scissor jack found in trunk. Lift front of car on the center crossmember with floor jack.
Cross member:
have to stop for now.. will add more pics later.
Last edited:
CX9 SportOwner
Member
did it actually lower it?
This has been debated on another thread. My opinion is it's a crossover... based on a car platform. It'll probably never be taken off-roading. I don't see why not.
Benben01, how does it ride? Does it feel significantly harsher than before? How about with a car full of people?
Thanks!
Getting Lazy with the DIY and pics.. Let's say the front struts were easy. Just disconnect the sway bar endlinks and 2 bolts at the base of the strut.
The rear suspension is very similar to that of my speed3. There's a catch though. The OE spring is a PITA to get out even with all the endlinks and control arms removed. Use a spring compress to compress the spring and then push down on the trailing arms by standing on the hub and yank out the spring. Much easier if you have another person helping you.
The rear suspension is very similar to that of my speed3. There's a catch though. The OE spring is a PITA to get out even with all the endlinks and control arms removed. Use a spring compress to compress the spring and then push down on the trailing arms by standing on the hub and yank out the spring. Much easier if you have another person helping you.
To answer everyone's questions:
How much lower?
Right now, it's little over 2" lowered than stock. We will see how much it will settle after some miles.
Ride Quality:
The spring rates on these Ford Edge springs are a good match for the CX-9. It's not harsh at all. The ride is just like stock at low speeds and over bumps. At speed, it feels more planted and connected than stock. When hustling thru the twisties, there's less body roll and significantly less nose dive under hard braking.
Overall, it's a good mod. I got the springs from Tire Rack for about 250ish shipped. I wasted a lot of time trying to get the rear springs out during the install. If I were to do it all over again, I would probably say about 2-3 hours with air tools.
One thing I learned during the install was how heavy these 20" wheels are. I will definitely be looking into a set of lighter 20" rims and tires. Enkei has a pretty nice RE30 looking rim in 20x9 @ 25 lbs. These new Enkeis with 274/45 Toyo ST-II will come in under 60lbs per wheel. Didn't get a chance to weight the stock wheels. But it's a safe say that the stock wheels with tires are over 70lbs.
How much lower?
Right now, it's little over 2" lowered than stock. We will see how much it will settle after some miles.
Ride Quality:
The spring rates on these Ford Edge springs are a good match for the CX-9. It's not harsh at all. The ride is just like stock at low speeds and over bumps. At speed, it feels more planted and connected than stock. When hustling thru the twisties, there's less body roll and significantly less nose dive under hard braking.
Overall, it's a good mod. I got the springs from Tire Rack for about 250ish shipped. I wasted a lot of time trying to get the rear springs out during the install. If I were to do it all over again, I would probably say about 2-3 hours with air tools.
One thing I learned during the install was how heavy these 20" wheels are. I will definitely be looking into a set of lighter 20" rims and tires. Enkei has a pretty nice RE30 looking rim in 20x9 @ 25 lbs. These new Enkeis with 274/45 Toyo ST-II will come in under 60lbs per wheel. Didn't get a chance to weight the stock wheels. But it's a safe say that the stock wheels with tires are over 70lbs.
CX9 SportOwner
Member
Bottomed it out yet? Scraped any curbs?
CX9 SportOwner
Member
It was a serious question. We have these low doors, and the air dam on the front.
CX9 SportOwner
Member
Here too. We have curbs from before there were cars.
nazgul350r
Member
- :
- 03 MSP & 08 CX-9 GT
Looks good!, I need to convince the boss we need these.
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