VX Lowering Kits

[tom4bren]

Makes about as much sense to me as the 'slammed' Chevy dually running around Fredericksburg. Gotta admire the effort & engineering that went into doing it ... but what's the purpose.

The only justification for lowering a vehicle (other than looks) is to improve cornering and decrease wind drag. The VX is never gonna be a street performer.

On the other hand, lifting a VX does provide increased performance in terms of ground clearance and allow for installation of larger and more agressive tires. That is - it improves the capabilities that it was designed for.

[Mile High VX]

Someone has a great photo of a lowered VX with enlarged cladding flairs that looks pretty sweet to me...but I like most of the "tuner" cars anyway.

[circmand]

On the other hand, lifting a VX does provide increased performance in terms of ground clearance and allow for installation of larger and more agressive tires. That is - it improves the capabilities that it was designed for.

The extra ground clearance works well for rock climbing or low speed 4 wheelin. It also makes the VX as nimble and well baalanced as a hippo on roller skates. A look at the driver side sun visor will show a warning about the instability of the VX. Raising the center of gravity makes it worse. As for larger more aggresive tires they weigh more tax the little 4L30E tranny and actually decrease performance. So basically jacking it up and slapping big wheels actually decreases performance

[tom4bren]

A look at the driver side sun visor will show a warning about the instability of the VX.

Every 4x4 sold since '96 has those.

As for the rest ... we'll have to agree to disagree

[tom4bren]

I repeat

... we'll have to agree to disagree

[WormGod]

I repeat

I disagree with your repetition.

BTW.... sure wish I caught a picture of the lifted VAN that I saw on I270 yesterday evening. Matte black w/ perhaps a 7"-10" lift and what appeared to be 33" rubber. Had like 10 CB radio antennas. Included, it had a sticker on the back window that said "A Country Boy Can Survive". Just goes to show ya.... anything is possible.

[tom4bren]

I disagree with your repetition.

BTW.... sure wish I caught a picture of the lifted VAN that I saw on I270 yesterday evening. Matte black w/ perhaps a 7"-10" lift and what appeared to be 33" rubber. Had like 10 CB radio antennas. Included, it had a sticker on the back window that said "A Country Boy Can Survive". Just goes to show ya.... anything is possible.

& a bumper sticker that reads: "Caution - Driver chewing tobacco"

[WormGod]

& a bumper sticker that reads: "Caution - Driver chewing tobacco"

It was a treat seeing that on the Clara Barton Pkwy. Usually it's nothing but Mercs and Beemers at that time, but THAT made my day. A unicorn to be sure.

[vt_maverick]

Thats true, I know I have done some crazy stuff to mine, but it is all to enhance offroad performance, what it was meant for. ...

On the other hand, lifting a VX does provide increased performance in terms of ground clearance and allow for installation of larger and more agressive tires. That is - it improves the capabilities that it was designed for.

I don't know if I totally agree with those statements. I remember commercials of the VX rocketing across the desert, and magazine articles showing VX's in dirt and snow, but I don't remember any ads or photos of VX's doing heavy duty rock crawling, mudding, etc. If that was in fact "what it was meant/designed for" why would Isuzu give it IFS, no full-size spare (like the Trooper, Rodeo, Amigo, or even Axiom), etc.? Sometimes I think the offroad-focused nature of this site leads people to think that Moab and other places like it are the VX's natural habitat. I think it's pretty clear that the VX was designed as an all-purpose vehicle, combining nice handling on the road and good capability in the dirt/snow, but without being amazing at either. You can certainly build up a VX into an amazingly capable off-roader, but that potential doesn't mean "that's what it was meant for" out of the box. I think there's a big difference between slamming a dually vs. lowering a PUV.

I'm not saying I would like the look ( ) but I think criticizing it because it doesn't enhance one half of the VX design is a weak argument.

[Marlin]

I understand what you are saying, but the marketing of the VX (the slat flats ad) was not a good idea, it is not fast by any stretch of the imagination, maybe in 99 it was quick, but certainly not now. That is how they marketed it...not a very good strategy IMO.

[WormGod]

Here we go again.... I think I am gonna start pissing and moaning when someone lifts their VX.

If you live in the midwest or southwest, anywhere but here, more power to ya. Reach for the sky. In and around Washington, DC, the best I could do is crawl over a mall curb. Little to no snow, but when it does, we are such a pu55y area that everything shuts down anyways. Plus, we actually have painful laws restricting vehicle height when it comes to lifting. In any case, lifting just is not a popular thing here. Hell, looking out my office window here at 10:30am at the Capital Beltway, it's rainy and gridlocked. Again, welcome to the concrete jungle.

If I had the opportunity to lower mine just a bit, I probably would. I would only go as low as I could keeping everything functional. Being the owner of a slammed STi, it's really not that much of a change for me (not that I would "slam" the VX). Sorry, lifting just isn't my thing, and around here, lifting is typically linked to Dixie flags and white hoods anyways.