I"m 5'7 and i can flat foot. When I wear my alpine boots it gives me some good added height. def helps out when I'm trying to back myself out of spots in which I find difficult to perform in regular shoes espec when the spot is doing down hill.

so boots can help somewhat..nice thick sole

 

yea, lowering is not going to improve handling, (i like drag racing better anyway, lol) but I feel much safer on my bike now, and it looks better lowered. lol