# Low rider cars. What benefit (if any) is there? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 23, 2016, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973 "2016-01-23T15:40:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/21 "2016-01-24T04:08:05Z")
> [@crypto](#): > > In retrospect, these guys have much better paying summer jobs than I did. That’s very generous of you. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/22 "2016-01-24T04:17:09Z")
> [@crypto](#): > > I get that they are going for a certain look. But is there any performance benefit they are getting, or is this simply a style thing? I believe the “benefit” is some sort of in-group status and the hope of young men that they can get laid. ---
**Author:** ![HeXen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@HeXen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeXen)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/23 "2016-01-24T04:31:03Z")
No different then my area where we took 70’s cars and put large tires on the back and raised the rear suspensions, put on some deep sounding mufflers, fancy headers, high rise intakes among other things. I remember the massive hood scoop I had on my 64 chevelle SS, didn’t benefit any real differences outside of hindering my vision of the road lol but at the time it looked cool. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/24 "2016-01-24T04:37:43Z")
> [@crypto](#): > > You have a point there I need to consider. However, I would like to think I am pretty open-minded when it comes to car mods… This particular one, though… just NEVER looked right to me. Nah, it doesn’t work for me either. I view wheel/tire/suspension mods as being worthwhile if they make the car handle better at speed (preferably at the track) or worthless if not. Back when I was still actively doing a lot of track days, the guys with the same car as me that were seriously fast all had replaced the 17" wheels with 15" wheels and DOT slicks. We never saw eye to eye with the cosmetic mod guys that jammed heavy 20" wheels onto the car. But back when I was 18, I painted my car with spray paint and thought it was cool, so who knows? ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/25 "2016-01-24T10:22:14Z")
Lowering the suspension means that it rolls less on corners. Roll causes the inner wheels to slip, as the downforce is taken off them. This overloads the outer tyres, both in terms of downforce and lateral forces, and they really lose grip too… So you get uncontrolled oversteer or understeer, depending on whether front or back gives up on grip first… So with less suspension travel, there is less weight spread to the outside and so the tyres share the load better. The drawback is that if there is a bump on the road, the tyre can be bumped off the road easier, losing grip… Also they seem to approach speed bumps and driveway ramps like they are going to die… painfully slow. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/26 "2016-01-24T23:50:00Z")
So called ‘low rider’ cars are not about any sort of performance enhancement whatsoever. It is strictly an aesthetics or ‘looks’ thing. And, IMHO, an incredibly dumb, lowlife and classless one at that. Equivalent to the ultimate in tacky, meaningless, ‘dingleballs’-type add-on of another street culture: Wheel spinners… ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/27 "2016-01-25T15:01:12Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I believe the “benefit” is some sort of in-group status and the hope of young men that they can get laid. Most lowriders in Houston are family men–they work on cars on the weekends, then go driving. Customizing cars is not a cheap hobby. The original lowriders were made because the owners thought they looked cool. Law enforcement officers liked to give tickets for “unsafe” construction–so the owners installed hydraulic lifts. A well made lowrider can dance! (There’s usually a bunch of other customization, exterior & interior.) Our annual Art Car Parade features a couple of lowrider clubs. Here it’s mostly a _Tejano_ thing, although this is not universal. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/28 "2016-01-25T15:34:57Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > That’s very generous of you. No. Generous of their employer(s). > [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > It’s called ‘[stance](http://www.pasmag.com/features/articles/3578-stance-101-all-you-need-to-know)’ by the kids these days… This link has something I don’t really understand how it works. The “stretch tire”. I get the idea, but this can’t possibly be legal, can it? That would have to put incredible stress on a tire, and certainly the tire wasn’t designed with this in mind, so I’d think failure would be probable. I am amazed that anyone would have ever thought of stretching a tire. I would love to see how this is actually done, and how often the tire pops off the rim before getting from the garage to the street. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/29 "2016-01-25T16:18:55Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > …I will never understand riding around in something so woefully uncomfortable. I guess you’ve never worn high heels? 😃 FWIW, the low-rider style [is popular outside the US, too.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnwK8W4ZT9o) ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/30 "2016-01-25T16:37:46Z")
> [@crypto](#): > > I am amazed that anyone would have ever thought of stretching a tire. I would love to see how this is actually done, and how often the tire pops off the rim before getting from the garage to the street. [Here’s one method](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_969LMBnxPA) to achieve a rather extreme fitment. As a track enthusiast, stretched tires absolutely make me cringe, but at the end of the day, there’s a lot of these yahoos running around and they don’t seem to suffer from frequent issues. It really _seems_ like they should, and I’m sure no tire manufacturer would condone it, but frustratingly, it seems to work out just fine. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/31 "2016-01-25T18:16:24Z")
I watched a guy parking his car and noticed that all four wheels had little donut tires (the temporary spares some cars have instead of real spares). He walked into the same bar I was heading for, so I asked him why he had his car outfitted like that. I assumed there was some cool reason, and he had paid extra. His answer was, “hey, I’m poor”. I bought him a beer. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/32 "2016-01-25T18:59:56Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > And the cars that you see parked with their wheels tilted inward and the car body sitting on the ground, those have hydraulics that will lift the car up. Expensive. They are not rubbing the inner fender wells while the car is moving. The car will raise to what the driver sets. These are not hydraulically or pneumatically lifted suspensions. They’re permanently fixed in that position. See **steronz** ’ post about “stance.” > [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > So called ‘low rider’ cars are not about any sort of performance enhancement whatsoever. It is strictly an aesthetics or ‘looks’ thing. And, IMHO, an incredibly dumb, lowlife and classless one at that. I am very curious to see what a “classy” aftermarket add-on might look like. Do tell. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/33 "2016-01-25T19:44:55Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > [Here’s one method](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_969LMBnxPA) to achieve a rather extreme fitment. As a track enthusiast, stretched tires absolutely make me cringe, but at the end of the day, there’s a lot of these yahoos running around and they don’t seem to suffer from frequent issues. It really _seems_ like they should, and I’m sure no tire manufacturer would condone it, but frustratingly, it seems to work out just fine. This was a very interesting video. I was impressed with both the copper colored air-blast cannons AND the hair style on the guy on the right (I thought he was wearing a hat). Who on earth figured this out? Awesome what a teenage car enthusiast can come up with… I am fascinated that these tires actually work. That they DON’T fail speaks to the incredible engineering and manufacturing of the good old tire. ---
**Author:** ![arseNal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@arseNal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arseNal)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/34 "2016-01-25T20:55:18Z")
> [@crypto](#): > > I would like to think I am pretty open-minded when it comes to car mods… This particular one, though… just NEVER looked right to me. I have never actually taken a ride in one, but each time I see one, I think to myself “that simply CANNOT be a comfortable ride.” Right, because when you were young and trying to be cool and attract attention, comfort was more important than looks 😉 ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/35 "2016-01-25T21:04:32Z")
> [@crypto](#): > > This was a very interesting video. I was impressed with both the copper colored air-blast cannons AND the hair style on the guy on the right (I thought he was wearing a hat). Who on earth figured this out? Awesome what a teenage car enthusiast can come up with… Those pressure tanks that are used to seal the bead have been around for a long time. It wasn’t invented to specifically for the task of mounting undersized tires. ---
**Author:** ![Krouget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@Krouget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krouget)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/36 "2016-01-26T17:27:19Z")
> [@crypto](#): > > Not sure if we are all thinking about the same thing here, but maybe we are. You’re talking about"stanced" cars which were originally “VIP style”. > [@](#): > > The ONLY benefit I can think of is lowering the center of gravity would make the car handle much better Not even. In most cases, you usually just play with the suspension geometry to an unknown effect and hope it’s nothing too drastic. Most people don’t drive hard enough to find out, much less produce a faster car. > [@](#): > > But that was years ago. What I see now are almost always small import cars, usually but not always a Honda Civic or similar. This started over in Japan, where I believe it originally involved bigger luxury sedans. As with most styles, everyone can’t afford to do that, so it found its way to your neighborhood Honda Civic and other cars. It then became what you see, today. > [@](#): > > Honestly, I don’t know how they afford the tires. When I was a kid, I did what I could, and put the best stereo speakers I could afford in my car, but rubbing tires in the wheel well? I don’t see how that could even be comfortable to ride in… Forget about replacing a set of tires every 6 months. Beauty isn’t cheap (if that’s your thing). > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I am very curious to see what a “classy” aftermarket add-on might look like. Do tell. Usually something more minimal, in my experiences. Some cars come with factory wheels that look very dull, or front fender gaps which would suit an off-road vehicle. While I wouldn’t say “classy”, I’ve seen a number of cases where people made _tasteful_ additions. Not always _functional_, but _tasteful_. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/37 "2016-01-29T03:20:15Z")
> [@crypto](#): > > I get that they are going for a certain look. But is there any performance benefit they are getting, or is this simply a style thing? [Bragging](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjfNshjQQbk) [rights.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud9SdeFJen8) ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/38 "2016-01-29T10:06:18Z")
The benefits are you really look cool and get on a first name basis with the guy who replaces your exhaust system. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2016, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973/39 "2016-01-30T04:26:38Z")
Here in Hawaii there are lots of the lowered and lifted vehicles (trucks lifted mostly ostensibly for the beach but some lowered). Terms you’ll see used are “slammed” - a permanent lowering; and “bagged” - which is also lowered but has air bags that can raise the car body for speed bumps/potholes. Popular in the Asian and local Hawaiian circles. The proper name for the big exhausts is “fart can”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-rider-cars-what-benefit-if-any-is-there/743973.md?page=1)