Lowered Car Transport: Shipping Slammed, Bagged and Modified Cars
Shipping a lowered car: how to measure true ground clearance, the 4-inch ramp threshold, liftgate trailers, air suspension prep, and wheel-strap tie-downs.
On this page
- What counts as a lowered car for auto transport?
- How do I measure my car's real ground clearance?
- What happens if my car has less than 4 inches of clearance?
- Why does AMG ship lowered cars enclosed only?
- Should I raise my air suspension before the truck arrives?
- Do I need to remove my splitter, lip or side skirts?
- How is a lowered car tied down inside the trailer?
- Can a lifted truck or SUV ship in an enclosed trailer?
- What should I tell the transport company when I request a quote?
- How do I book a lowered car shipment?
A lowered car is not a hard car to ship. It is a hard car to ship on the wrong trailer. The failure mode is always the same moment: somebody said "it's just a Civic," a standard open carrier got dispatched, and the front lip met the ramp before the tires did. Everything below is about getting the equipment right before the truck shows up.
What counts as a lowered car for auto transport?
For transport purposes a car is lowered when its lowest fixed point sits under roughly 5 inches off the ground, or when its front overhang is long enough that the bumper contacts a ramp before the tires climb it. That covers coilover builds, static drops on springs, bagged cars, and a number of unmodified factory cars. As of August 2026, AMG Transport Co. classifies vehicles by measured clearance, not by badge and not by whether the owner modified anything. A stock Corvette or a lipped GT-R can measure lower than a dropped daily driver. The exception worth knowing runs the other way: if the lowest fixed point measures 6 inches or more and there is no front lip, you are a normal car for dispatch purposes. Say so, and do not pay for equipment you do not need. Mild lowering springs alone often land in that range, which is why the tape measure outranks the description of the build.
How do I measure my car's real ground clearance?
Measure from level ground to the lowest fixed point on the car, not to the bottom of the door sill and not to the tire. Use a tape measure and a flat surface, with the car at its normal parked ride height, the fuel level you will ship with, and nobody sitting in it. Write the number down in inches. AMG Transport Co. asks for that number at quote time because, as of August 2026, it is the single input that decides which trailer gets dispatched. The usual mistake is measuring the wrong point: owners measure the frame rail and forget the splitter hanging well below it. The second mistake is measuring on a sloped driveway, which flatters the number by an inch or more. The third is measuring a car that has been parked for months, because a soft strut or a slow air leak shows up as clearance you will not have on loading day.
Check all of these and report the smallest:
- Front splitter, lip or air dam, including the leading edge
- Exhaust, resonator and any low-hanging cat
- Oil pan, subframe and crossmember
- Side skirt extensions and rear diffuser
- Approach angle: how far forward the lip sits past the front tires
What happens if my car has less than 4 inches of clearance?
Under about 4 inches, ramps stop working and the car needs a hydraulic liftgate. As an industry norm, standard open-carrier steel ramps want roughly 5 to 6 inches and a shallow front overhang; low-angle enclosed ramps with extensions get you down to about 4 to 5 inches; below that no ramp geometry saves you, because the constraint is approach angle rather than height alone. As of August 2026, AMG Transport Co. dispatches liftgate-equipped enclosed trailers for anything measuring under 4 inches. The limitation is availability. Liftgate trailers are a minority of the enclosed fleet, so a sub-4-inch car books slower and prices higher than an ordinary enclosed move, and a rural origin makes that worse. Plan the pickup window accordingly rather than assuming same-week dispatch. If the car can be raised at all, even temporarily on a track-height setting or taller tires, say so, because it can put a much larger pool of trailers back in play.
| Lowest fixed point | What it means | Equipment AMG dispatches |
|---|---|---|
| 6 in and above | Standard clearance | Open or enclosed, ramps are fine |
| 5 to 6 in | Low but ramp-loadable | Enclosed, low-angle ramps |
| 4 to 5 in | Marginal on steel ramps | Enclosed, low-angle ramps plus extensions, or liftgate |
| Under 4 in | Below the ramp threshold | Enclosed with hydraulic liftgate only |
| Under 3 in, cannot be raised | No ramp geometry works | Enclosed liftgate, single-car or dedicated position |
Why does AMG ship lowered cars enclosed only?
Because the loading equipment lives on enclosed trailers. As of August 2026, AMG Transport Co.'s standing policy is that lowered vehicles ship enclosed, and the reason is mechanical rather than a matter of prestige. Open carriers are built for volume, and their ramps are steep steel at fixed angles set for sedans and pickups. Enclosed trailers carry low-angle ramps, ramp extensions and, on liftgate rigs, a hydraulic platform that lifts the car flat with no approach angle at all. That is the entire argument for the policy. The honest cost of it: enclosed runs $400 to $800 over an open quote as of August 2026, and if your car actually measures 6 inches or better with no front lip, you do not need enclosed and we will say so on the call rather than sell you the upgrade. See open vs enclosed for the general comparison between the two service types.
Should I raise my air suspension before the truck arrives?
Yes. Raise a bagged or air-equipped car to maximum ride height before pickup and leave it there. Do not air out for transport. Maximum height gives the driver clearance to work with on a ramp and keeps the car off its frame inside the trailer. Then warn the driver about the failure mode: air systems bleed down. A car loaded at full height can be sitting on its bump stops by morning, and that matters most at delivery, when it has to come back off the trailer. As of August 2026, AMG Transport Co. notes air suspension on the dispatch so the carrier plans for a vehicle that may sit lower at unload than it did at load. If your system holds pressure poorly, say so at quote time and expect a liftgate to be specified for the trip back down. Note the compressor and tank location on the bill of lading as well.
| Factor | Static drop (springs or coilovers) | Air suspension (bags) |
|---|---|---|
| Ride height at pickup | Fixed, whatever you measured | Raise to maximum before the driver arrives |
| Main risk | Lip or exhaust contact on ramp angle | System bleeds down during transit |
| What to tell the carrier | The measured number in inches | Height at load, plus bleed-down history |
| Equipment implication | Decided entirely by measurement | Assume liftgate if it will not hold pressure |
Do I need to remove my splitter, lip or side skirts?
Only if it comes off with hand tools and you want the clearance. A bolt-on splitter is the cheapest inch you will ever buy, and removing it can move a car from liftgate-required to ramp-loadable, which widens the carrier pool and shortens the wait. Bag the hardware, put the piece in the trunk or footwell, and note it on the bill of lading so it is documented as a loose part. If it is bonded, riveted or part of a full aero package, leave it alone. AMG Transport Co. would rather dispatch a liftgate than have you snap an expensive carbon lip in your own driveway. What we need either way is the truth at quote time: measure with the aero on, tell us whether it is coming off, and we will spec the trailer to whichever answer you commit to. Changing that answer after dispatch is what turns a booking into a dry run.
How is a lowered car tied down inside the trailer?
On the wheels. Lowered cars ship with wheel straps or over-the-tire baskets that pull the tire down to the deck, never with chains hooked through control arms, subframes or suspension-side tow points. As of August 2026, AMG Transport Co. specifies wheel-strap-only tie-downs on lowered vehicles. The reason is mechanical: axle-strapping compresses short-travel coilovers for the whole trip, loading adjusters, bushings and bag components in a direction they were never designed to hold for days at highway frequency. Wheel straps leave the suspension at rest and let the car move the way it was built to move. The exception is a vehicle with no functioning suspension at all, or a chassis-only shell, where frame points are the only option and the carrier documents that choice on the bill of lading. If you run delicate wheel finishes or exposed lug hardware, ask for soft-lined straps at booking rather than at pickup.
Can a lifted truck or SUV ship in an enclosed trailer?
Usually not, and this is the inverse problem. Enclosed trailer interior heights commonly run about 6.5 to 7 feet as an industry norm, and a lifted truck on 35-inch or larger tires, or anything wearing a roof rack or a light bar, exceeds that. As of August 2026, AMG Transport Co.'s policy is that lifted vehicles ship open only. Open decks have no roof, so height becomes a routing question about bridges and overpasses rather than a hard stop at the trailer door. Measure from level ground to the highest fixed point and report that number in inches, including accessories you do not intend to remove. The practical limit: a very tall build may need a specific deck position, usually the bottom row, which narrows the carrier pool the same way a liftgate requirement narrows it at the low end. Low goes enclosed, tall goes open.
What should I tell the transport company when I request a quote?
Six facts, and the right trailer gets dispatched the first time. As of August 2026, AMG Transport Co. uses exactly this information to choose between a ramp trailer and a liftgate trailer, and a wrong number here is the most common cause of a dry run. A dry run costs days rather than dollars, because the load has to be re-dispatched on different equipment and the clock on your pickup window starts over. Guessing high is no safer than guessing low: overstating clearance sends a ramp truck to a car that cannot climb it, and understating it books scarce liftgate capacity you never needed. Measure once, write it down, and give the same number to every company you call, so the quotes you are comparing are quotes for the same equipment. If any of these answers change before pickup, call while the driver is still loading elsewhere.
- Lowest fixed point in inches, and what that point actually is
- Whether the car can be raised, and by how much
- Static drop or air suspension, and whether the air system holds pressure
- Whether it runs, rolls, steers and brakes
- Overall length and width if the car is wide-body
- One sentence on aero: what is fixed, what is removable, what you will remove
For pricing mechanics see enclosed transport cost. For the ramp-versus-liftgate decision in detail, see liftgate vs ramp loading. Owners of low factory supercars should also read exotic car transport and luxury car transport, and if the car does not run, inoperable vehicle transport covers the winch and roll requirements. The overview of the whole service lives at enclosed auto transport.
How do I book a lowered car shipment?
Call AMG Transport Co. at (800) 494-5059 with your clearance measurement in hand, and we will tell you which of three answers applies to your car: liftgate, low-angle ramps, or nothing special at all. Bring the lowest fixed point in inches, whether the car can be raised, and whether it runs and rolls, and the quote comes back as a dispatch plan instead of a placeholder number. As of August 2026, quotes hold for 30 days and the price you approve is the price you pay — if carrier availability or corrected shipment details change the workable amount, you see the new option and approve it before anything is charged. There is no deposit until a carrier is confirmed and you have approved the pickup date, and the deposit itself, $207.70 as of August 2026, stays refundable until dispatch. If any company asks a lowered-car owner to pay before it has a truck assigned, that is the point to stop and read how to verify a carrier.