[mwpiper]

What won't be the same is the angles of the tires when deflected because they are already deflected from stock. This may be a problem if you drive slaloms all day or vary the weight significantly. If you tow trailers the weight change is the tongue weight. If you don't have a straight rear axle, it may be the back tires that wear funny. If you do have a straight rear axle, it should be a non-issue in the back. That brings you back to how many slaloms you run in a day for the front.

PS: I had wondered if lowing the Escape would result in needing an alignment. I'll take that as a yes based on your experience. That ups the bill for that change.