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Lifting your car suspension will reduce gas mileage – whereas lowering it will increase gas mileage.
A lifted suspension will get more wind resistance, resulting in reduced gas mileage. However, reduced suspensions will have lesser wind resistance and better gas mileage.
Personally, I have reduced the suspension on my Honda Civic car, and there was a slight improvement in the gas mileage. It was not a lot but it was an added bonus.
You should not lower your suspension just because of the improved gas mileage. There are many other ways to improve gas mileage like making sure your trunk is empty and tires have correct pressure.
Lower your suspension only if you like the more aggressive looks and you want a stiffer ride for better cornering. Not for gas mileage!
Related article: Why Do People Lower Their Cars?
Does suspension affect mileage (mpg)?
A suspension will not impact gas mileage (MPG) in any significant way. You could get a small improvement in gas mileage when lowering your car – but it’s not noticeable (depending on how much you lower it).
The theory is that – when you lower your car, the wind resistance is reduced because your car now has a smaller surface area. This reduction in wind resistance allows your car to have a better aerodynamic and thus, improving gas mileage.
The car suspension is an important aspect of the car, which helps give the vehicle better handling and a smooth ride. It’s never directly responsible for gas mileage – so set your expectations straight.
Do lowered trucks get better mileage (mpg)?
Lower trucks will generally get better mileage when it’s lowered because standard trucks that are much bigger than cars will have more reduction in wind resistance when lowered. Thus, providing better mpg.
A truck’s height has a lot of significance on the gas mileage. The higher the truck is, the more wind resistance it will get. Once the truck is high, more minds will hit it, slowing it down. The truck burns more fuel to cover a distance.
Lowering a truck will reduce the wind resistance that the truck gets. So the truck does not get slowed down by the same level of wind when it is lifted. Also, the truck will be able to burn less fuel to cover a distance.
Lowering suspension for better gas mileage makes more sense in trucks than regular cars. Since trucks often go for longer rides, lowering the suspension for a better MPG may be a viable approach for trucks.
Big lowered trucks will have a more noticeable improvement in gas mileage when compared to cars. This is because big trucks have bigger surface area to cause wind resistance.
Does lowering suspension improve mileage (for cars)?
Lowering a car’s suspension will not give any noticeable improvement in mileage. A car’s body is too small to have any impact on gas mileage when lowering the suspension.
As discussed, in theory lowering suspension will reduce your car’s surface area and thus, reduce wind resistance and improve aerodynamics.
However, for cars – the body is far too small for any noticeable change. You shouldn’t lower your car suspension for an improved mileage alone. It’s not worth it.
Instead, consider lowering your car suspension for better looks and improved handling. Then it will totally be worth it! Lowering your car using coilovers or springs could significantly improve the handling of any car.
Related articles: Are Coilovers Good For Daily Driving?
Does a suspension lift increase fuel consumption?
In trucks, lifting your suspension will result in a higher fuel consumption – because of the increased surface area and wind resistance.
However, lifting a car suspension won’t increase fuel consumption because the change is insignificant.
When you lift the suspension of big vehicles like trucks – the surface area of the truck increases significantly and increases wind resistance. Which means it’s harder for the truck to move forward.
Combine this with a long and regular truck drive, your fuel consumption will inevitably increase. Slowly but surely.
If you regularly drive trucks for work, it’s important to keep the suspension and wind resistance low. Not only will your truck look better but the fuel consumption as well!
Do coilovers improve mileage?
Coilovers can improve your mileage if you use it to reduce the car height. This effect is most prominent if used with trucks that regularly go for a long drive.
Coilovers are generally not supposed to affect the vehicle’s gas mileage – but they can indirectly affect gas mileage when used to increase or reduce ride height.
A Coilover that reduces the car’s height will positively affect the gas mileage. This is because there will be a reduction in wind resistance when the car is in motion.
As we know, coilovers can also be used to lift cars. If the car is lifted with the Coilover, you should expect bad gas mileage.
Coilovers can be used to increase or reduce ride height. When used on big trucks – this can impact gas mileage.
Is it better to have high or low suspension?
When it comes to gas mileage and fuel economy, we advise you to opt for low suspensions (especially for trucks that go for a long drive).
The decision of having a high or low suspension depends on what you want for your truck. If you are looking for a way to give your vehicle an upgraded look while trying to have good gas mileage, then you should choose low suspension.
The low suspension will give you better handling of your car while increasing the car’s gas mileage due to less wind resistance.
Related article: Lowering Car Without Sacrificing Ride Quality
Conclusion
Gas mileage is an important factor that should be considered before upgrading your truck. Many truck upgrades affect gas mileage, and people do not know. You need to have the right knowledge before opting for an upgrade.
The suspension lift is considered a bad idea in terms of gas mileage because it reduces gas mileage. Many people do not know this, and this is why we recommend proper research into modifications you are thinking of having.
Although the suspension is not generally bad, it gives your vehicle an exotic look and enhances handling and off-road features.
And remember, suspension changes will only affect gas mileage when it’s used on big trucks with big surface area. Changing your car suspension will not give any noticeable change on gas mileage – the change is insignificant.
