Why do street racers or car enthusiasts lower their cars? Any benefits to speed, fuel economy, or any other preformance factors or is it strictly for looks?
The underside of a car is a huge wind load because of its uneven surface, and the less air you have moving around down there, the less drag you have. Lowering the car and fitting it with air dams reduces the amount of air and thus the amount of drag.
The main benefit is in better handling, due to many factors that I’m sure someone else will be along shortly to drone on about in painful detail.
If the car is lowered and has a well designed chin spoiler, turbulent airflow under the car is also reduced. Aerodynamic benefits are certainly possible, but they are by no means optimized on a street car being driven at street speeds.
Back in the olden days it was done to make it corner better. Besides looking cool.
That lower center of gravity would allow it to walk away from a ,I hesitate to use the word" stock" here ,car
on a curve.
I saw one today. It was a small pickup that was lowered so much the bed (which was covered) looked like a mattress. This was out in the boonies in Mississippi, which seemed completely out of place. Most are raised so high you need a stepladder to get in them. 