Q: What happens to alignment when a car is lowered?

Every vehicle’s alignment correlates to ride height and adjusts freely as height changes. For example, if you ask any Model S or Model X owner with air suspension, they will tell you that they love how the car looks and performs when driving on the lower range of settings. They will also often advise that they experience some additional tire wear from negative camber. What they are experiencing is that the car is aligned at a fixed height, and when air suspension lowers the car lowers and the alignment changes relative to height. A lower height typically results in more negative camber which can both increase favorable handling dynamic but also decrease tire lifespan specifically on the inner edge. Getting a car re-aligned allows each owner options for setting alignment characteristics. This enables you to to inform your Unplugged Performance or reputable alignment shop as to whether you would like alignment to be more aggressive (trading tire wear for handling) or more economical (trading off maximum grip while spirited driving for more even tire wear during normal driving and commuting). Please note that while alignment shops can adjust these settings to your tastes, there is a limitation on the ranges of adjustment. Especially with factory suspension arms. For maximum adjustability to extend your tire life or performance we suggest upgrading to Unplugged Performance suspension parts.