Is it possible to lower your mini and make it handle better at the same time? Sure it is, and Trader's 2000 can sell you the right parts and install them to make your mini look cool and handle like a champ.
By combining low-profile rubber, large-diameter wheels, and a sweet suspension package from Belltech, Trader's comfortably dropped this 2000 Chevy S-10 and turned it into a canyon-carver at the same time.
The suspension system dropped the truck 3 inches up front and 4 inches out back and included heavy-duty sway bars front and rear. Replacing the stock wheel and tire package are P245/40ZR18 and P275/30ZR20 Nitto NT450 tires and 18x8-1/2-inch and 20x9-1/2-inch AWZ wheels.
If you would like to lower your mini like this, contact the companies listed at the end of this story in the source box.
Here is our stock, no-frills...
Here is our stock, no-frills S-10 that we'll be lowering. Blah.
This is a good, side by side...
This is a good, side by side comparison of the different wheel and tire packages. The new rollers are almost exactly the same overall diameter and shouldn't throw the speedometer that far out of adjustment. The biggest benefit, apart from their good looks, is that these tires have a shorter sidewall. Tires with shorter sidewalls flex much less than regular-sized tires and therefore will keep greater contact with the road during difficult cornering maneuvers.
This is the complete Belltech...
This is the complete Belltech drop kit. You get everything you'll need to drop your mini 3-4 inches and give it the ability to corner like it's on rails.
First things first: Trader's...
First things first: Trader's lifted up the truck with a chassis hoist and removed the rear wheels.
An impact gun was used to...
An impact gun was used to remove the stock rear shocks. These are not reused because they will be too long once the truck is lowered. If they were reinstalled, they would be compressed too far with the lowered suspension and be forced out of their usable range of operation. This would cause the shocks to bottom out on the slightest bump.
With the U-bolts loosened,...
With the U-bolts loosened, the lower spring plates could be removed from the leaf spring pack.
A pair of transmission jacks...
A pair of transmission jacks were then placed under the rear axle tubes so that the rearend could be lifted off of the leaf spring packs.
The leaf springs were then...
The leaf springs were then unbolted from both front and rear perches. The stock springs, just as the stock shocks, would not be used again.
On newer S-10s, the gas tank...
On newer S-10s, the gas tank is right next to the driver-side leaf spring perch. This made removing the front bolt a difficult task. After wiggling the spring pack around for a bit, the bolt eventually came out of the hole.
The dirty springs on the left...
The dirty springs on the left are obviously the original ones. The new Belltech leaf 3-inch lowering springs on the right have a lighter arch to them and only three springs.
After the new spring packs...
After the new spring packs were bolted up, it was time to install the 1-inch lowering blocks. The combination of the 1-inch lowering block and the 3-inch leaf springs gave us the 4-inch drop for the rear suspension.
The rear suspension could...
The rear suspension could now be reassembled. New U-bolts provided in the kit were bolted up to the stock lower spring plates.
Belltech Nitro-Drop shock...
Belltech Nitro-Drop shock absorbers were then installed where the stock units once resided. These shocks feature valving that is specifically set for lowered trucks and will make for a smooth ride.
The handling portion of this...
The handling portion of this equation is made up of a Belltech 1-inch antisway bar. This photo shows the bushings installed onto the bar prior to the bar being bolted into the truck.
The axle tube hardware was...
The axle tube hardware was loosely bolted to the bar and the rearend so that the sway bar could be maneuvered into place.
Once the antisway bar was...
Once the antisway bar was set into the desired location, the hardware was tightened up and the other ends of the bar were bolted to the framerails.
The stock bumpstops would...
The stock bumpstops would cause problems with the lowered suspension, so they had to be removed with a plasma cutter.
The framerails were sprayed...
The framerails were sprayed with rubberized undercoating after the bumpstops were removed. The undercoating keeps the steel from rusting.
The 20x10-inch AWC rims and...
The 20x10-inch AWC rims and P275/30ZR20 Nitto NT450 tires were then bolted onto the rearend to complete the rear suspension hop-ups.
The front suspension mods...
The front suspension mods began similar to the rears with the removal of the wheels. After the wheels were gone, Trader's pulled the cotter pins out of the castle nuts that held the steering tie rod ends to the spindles.
With the cotter pins gone,...
With the cotter pins gone, the impact gun was once again called to duty to remove the castle nuts.
A couple of smacks with the...
A couple of smacks with the sledge hammer and the tie rod ends were free from the spindles.
Next, the brake calipers were...
Next, the brake calipers were removed by unscrewing the two Allen-head bolts at each end.
The brake caliper was then...
The brake caliper was then hung from the framerails by a piece of wire. This kept the brake lines from stretching and possibly breaking.
After popping off the dust...
After popping off the dust caps with a flat-blade screwdriver, the cotter pins were removed from the castle nuts that held the wheel hubs onto the spindle.
The wheel castle nuts and...
The wheel castle nuts and the wheel hubs were then removed from the spindle. Trader's then unbolted the front sway bar endlinks from the lower control arms.
Cotter pins everywhere. The...
Cotter pins everywhere. The last two were pulled from the upper and lower ball joints in the spindles, and then the spindle bolts were loosened.
Again, the sledgehammer was...
Again, the sledgehammer was called into play to pop the ball joints free from the spindle.
This is what the front suspension...
This is what the front suspension should look like after it's disassembled. Or we should say, this is what's left of the front suspension.
An air ratchet was then used...
An air ratchet was then used to unbolt the shocks. There was a single nut on the top of the upper frame mounts and a pair of bolts going through the lower control arm that held the shocks in place.
After the shocks were gone,...
After the shocks were gone, the stock coils springs were removed. If you do this at home without the aid of a spring compressor, be really careful because the spring can come flying out of the truck, and that hurts. Right, Richard? This photo shows Richard installing the new Belltech 1-inch drop coils into the suspension using a prybar.
On Chevy S-10s, the driver...
On Chevy S-10s, the driver side of the truck is 1-inch lower than the passenger side, right from the factory. This isn't really noticeable until the truck is lowered. Rather than waste time cutting up the passenger-side coil to even the drop out, Belltech provides this coil spacer to fix the problem.
Once the springs were installed...
Once the springs were installed into the spring pockets, the suspension was put back together just like it was before. The new Belltech 2-inch drop spindles were bolted to the upper and lower ball joints. Then the rear brake plate was bolted to the spindles, and the brake rotors, the calipers, the tie rod ends, and the sway bar ends were reinstalled.