Coilovers, what are the benefits?

[LIGHTFOOT 0]

Firstly i must say hi to you all, i signed up a while ago and have been reading with interest a lot of the threads but as i know very little about the cars have yet to join in!

 

i was wondering what the benefits of having coilover suspension is over the usual lowering springs etc, is it just a height thing or does it affect the ride and handling? mine is lowered but the ride is awfull.

 

i have seen some for sale, is raceland a good make? i have never heard of them.

 

 

Edit - CAPS lock removed.

[joebloggsVR69 0]

I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THEM

 

MAYBE BECAUSE YOU'RE DEAF? :lol:

 

Sorry, but capitals are a bit :nono: :)

[dinkus 10]

Ok, first up, please take Caps Lock off. It looks like you're shouting.

 

Second... Coilovers do 2 things which are related. They lower the height of the car, but to do this they need to have stiffer springs and uprated shocks to make sure that you don't go contstantly grounding your car. The stiffer suspension will also help with the handling as the car won't roll around as much.

 

From the sounds of things, you have your original shocks with lowered springs. This is the worst of both worlds as the shocks will keep bottoming out and cause a horrid ride and seriously shorten the life of the shocks.

[Rpmayne 0]

Think coilovers have the advantages of height and recoil (don't think most allow the rebound to be adjusted, think thats the right way round) adjustment, are are more compact so you can put bigger wheels on without fouling the suspension. Differing openions but when I was looking for coilovers I was warned that even on the softest setting they are generally harder than normal uprated kits. This plus the cost put me off.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I've removed the CAPs for him. You can spot regular mobile texters a mile off !

 

Anyway, coilies can be high maintenance due to the threaded bodies and yeah as RPMayne says, not many come with Bump *and* rebound damping adjustments, but then neither do many McPherson setups.... actually, the term coilovers is a misnomer. *All* Corrados come with 'Coil over strut' suspension, so strictly speaking, ride height adjustables should be called just that.

 

Most have 2.25" diameter springs which are pretty stiff compared to normal ones and only the best kits get the damping and ride comfort right.

 

K

[coullstar 0]

are more compact so you can put bigger wheels on without fouling the suspension.

 

Do they generally no cause more trouble if you put bigger wheels on? By bigger I mean Dia and width.

[dinkus 10]

Aftermarket suspension is pretty expensive, especially compared to standard. A decent set of coilovers will cost you in the region of £600.

 

They will all give you a firmer ride than standard, but it depends on which setup you get. According to the guys on here the 2 recommended setups are

 

FK Konigsport coilovers

 

or

 

Koni shocks with H&R springs (not coilovers, separare shocks and springs).

 

Edit: I'd like to point out my zero knowledge here, just going by what people on here have said and basic knowledge of physics :D

[LIGHTFOOT 0]

ok, i shall type quietly then!!

 

saw a pair of front coilovers on ebay for £100, thought it seemed way to cheap? the car needs sorting but i would like to do it properly.

[woody 0]

i have the fk konisports from richard at venom. height and dampering adjustable they transformed the ride of the c from the knackered standard suspension. talk to 16vG60 i think he has a deal with richard at the moment. also dont forget different bolts are required to attach lowered suspension to take into account height adjustment.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

FK Konigsport coilovers

 

or

 

Koni shocks with H&R springs (not coilovers, separare shocks and springs).

 

I would definitely rate the H&R/Koni combo as the best traditional setup and with the Coilovers, Konis own and H&Rs are also worth a look.

 

K

[MoonlightVR 0]

If going with coilovers make sure you go with a quality set up. Cheap coilovers are not worth it as they simply will not last and will ruin ride/handling.

FK Konigsports are the cheapest quality coilover set up out there as they use pukka Koni TA dampers. As Kev says, also consider Konis own set up, or for alot more dosh H&R, Leda or Bilstein. IMO you get what you pay for.

Coilovers are not high maintainence as long as you spray the threads with protective wax when new.

In my experience quality coilovers provide a better ride that standard struts with lowering springs due to the fact that they still have a fair degree of spring travel. At the end of the day a shortened conventional spring will always be compromised solution, which is why the quality branded springs like H&R and Eibach drop the car by modest amounts.

[Bally 0]

I had a lowering spring setup when I first got my rado, but as others say Coilovers really work well...