Lowering 1999 Towncar

[Mark42]

Would like to lower my 1999 towncar 1 1/2 inches front and rear.

Has any here had experience with cutting the front coils to lower it? How much will removing complete coil winding yield in drop?

In the rear, can I relocate the rear axle sensor 1 1/2 inches higher to make the air bag system squat down?

Any suggestions where I can get stiffer anti-sway bars and front springs(even stiffer than the touring sedan option) would be helpful.

Thanks

Mark

[pro-five-oh]

I would take a look at Kenny Brown Performance (www.kennybrown.com?) and check out the parts available for their project supercharged Crown Victoria. I know that a set of edelbrock shocks are available for your car and would be firmer than your stock units.

Lowering the rear springs will probably make it softer, since there will be less air in the bag. Check with Kenny brown and Eibach for some front springs.

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pro-five-oh

88 Cougar XR-7 5.0 HO
83 Continental

[Lscman]

I am unsure how much Ford altered the "new generation" Town Car suspension over it's predecessor. My guess is it's a carryover. The prior generation Town Car was virtually a Vic with different body panels. As such, swaybars and springs can be swapped. I'd contact ADDCo for swaybars, although heavy duty and police Vic parts are quite beefy. As for springs, cutting them will increase their spring rate by the percentage you remove. If you cut 10% off, they will become 10% stiffer. This is not enough to prevent bottoming and your stock springs are too soft to allow lowering much. The rear will be awfully soft if you lower it that much, so a big rear bar will be necessary to prevent massive understeer. There is nothing you can do about bottoming out with a lowered rear end and soft air bags. It'll whack the bumpstops on many bumps and unsettle the car creating nasty, dangerous handling on uneven surfaces. This is because you're cutting the jounce travel by about half with a spring rate that is softer instead of stiffer. In reality, you need a spring rate nearly 75% higher to prevent bottoming more often when lowered 1-1/2". If you don't compensate with huge swaybars, it'll handle worse than stock on smooth roads too. Lowering doesn't mean better handling. If you readjust (stretch) the rear sensors in their mounts the car will sit lower. It is virtually impossible to calculate how much of the front springs to saw off with an air cutoff or hacksaw. Removing one turn may have little effect and another 1/2 turn may cause it to rest on the bumpstops. I've seen this a hundred times. You have to remove some and cross your fingers and do the R&R job 2 or 3 times to prevent overcutting. My advice is don't cut more than 1/2 turn increments. Vic performance springs with higher rate will help handling with a massive rear bar to counteract the pillow soft rear bags that can not be upgraded. As for neutral handling, the stiffer aftermarket front springs will need to be matched by running a huge rear swaybar. I would leave the smallish front bar alone, if you run stiffer front springs. Changing it to a thicker bar will make the car understeer terribly and reduce maximum cornering G forces. It will lean less with a big front bar, but it'll overwork the front tires and it'll refuse to change direction like a stiff, old 4WD pickup truck with snow tires on the front. Actually, I'd tend to prefer oversize swaybars front and rear with stock springs all around. This would prevent the rear end from bouncing and bottoming like a '60's Galaxie. To be frank, lowering a car with stock, luxo ride spring rates in the front and/or rear is not a good idea for anything other than looks.

[This message has been edited by Lscman (edited December 04, 2000).]