i was just wondering if there was any lowering kits sold for these cars. and if there are , who makes them?
any help is great!
87 gta

Assuming you're from the west side of the Atlantic since you mention GTA, I'm afraid I can't help you with US sources. Maybe Joe Wagner can?


Things aren't too rosy in Europe either, since the R9/Alliance was never a popular tuning object and it's 15 years since these cars were new. But there's still something available. I'm not aware GTA front coil characteristics, but I'd assume European Renault 9 Turbo (or 11 Turbo = Encore) front coils might be pretty close, as I've understood the GTA is rather stiffly sprung.

To get a feeling how much the Turbo lowering coils will drop the car, have a look at my champagne coloured Renault 9 here: http://netti.nic.fi/~gordini/Renault9/freshalloys.html. I've fitted such coils to it. I don't remember what manufacturer they are from, but they were said to give a 40(ish) mm drop compared to a standard-height R9 Turbo. It says -50 mm drop on that page, but it's compared to my car's original height (standard Turbos were already 10-15 mm lower than non-Turbo cars like mine).

Some European websites where you should be able to find R9/11 lowering springs:
http://www.ompracing.it (at least in 2001 they still listed R11 Turbo lowering coils, maybe they even have an importer in the USA as OMP is such a big name in motorsports)
https://www.needforspeed.co.uk (a very comprehensive site with lots of articles. I've seen R9/11 lowering coils here, can't remember if they were for the Turbo. Mail delivery worldwide I guess)
http://www.cesam.com (they're a French tuning company so they probably don't spoeak English?)

Hope this helps some...

Thanks Juha for the above information--
This is what I think about USA Cars R-9/11

The USA Coils of the Alliance/Encore Lines are so...

1.4 coils are the lightest and thinest..
1.7/2.0 coils are the same and are Heavier- thicker

Most of the Rodders/customizers have just hacked off the coils with a (pick one)

Hack saw.
Cutting Blade.
Torch.

I don't recomend Lowering the Alliance/Encore cars at all.. IN fact of the cars I do know that did this already-- say the the tires rub the fenders when going around corners.... NOT COOL..... but If you want to customize a car-- then do what you need to do-- I "DO" like custom cars myself--- it's just that the USA
R-9/11 cars-- You cannott do much with em Period...

Just seems like rubbing tires, bad front end alinment does not get it for me... perhaps it's your cup of tea...

Try lowering the car with smaller Height Tires, and still retain the proper tire width path is "my cup of tea" ...

All in all-- Lowering a USA Made R-9 cutting the front Coils is just a GIANT Pain in the Rear End...

PS. I will sell you (replacement) used coils when your "CUT" coils don't work out....
Joe in USA!!!

Like Joe said, you CAN shorten the original coils by cutting but - like Joe also mentions - it isn't recommendable. I guess you wouldn't be trying to source aftermarket lowering coils if you hadn't already figured this out.

First of all, if you cut too much, the coil spring gets so short that there's not enough tension to keep it securely between the shock absorber upper and lower spring platforms. BTW, this is the reason why factory-made lowering coils meant for standard shockers won't drop the car more than max. 35-40 mm. If you want a more radical lowering, you'll also need shortened shockers (can get a bit expensive...)

Second, the ends of the coil are originally flattened to fit the platforms securely. Cutting off an end means cutting off the flattened area and the spring will no longer fit the platform squarely. Sure, you can heat the coil with a torch and flatten it against garage floor, but heating a coil can dramatically alter its properties and is therefore not recommended.


I personally have used self-cut, weakest base-model coils (shockers completely shot in a month to be honest!), self-cut Turbo/115hp standard coils (not much better) and finally, factory-made lowering coils. Although not perfect (they lack progressivity giving bouncing ride at low speeds), these aftermarket lowering coils are definitely light years ahead of self-cut coils!