- Do they provide practical improvements to the cars dynamics or is it as good as stock suspension with the ability to adjust height?
- What's difference between coilovers and a cup kit?
- Would you recommend I buying one a restoration kit before installing coilovers?
- Should I buy an entry level coilover kit or spend more onr something like the Bilstein PSS9's or PSS10's or KW's?
- I don't want a rough as guts car as my area has some un even roads and would make for poor daily comfort for atheistic improvement.
- Should I just wait and get something more expensive? Or since I don't want a huge drop go with that cup option?
- I only want this sort of drop and maybe the option of lowering for photo purposes and track days
Answers
- Good quality coilovers do transform a cars driving dynamics, improving the control of the un-sprung mass (wheels, brakes) and body control with better spring & damping rates. They also give you the option to lower the ride height and thus the centre of gravity of the car. A decent setup also gives you the option of adjusting the damping, so you can have them softer for road use and stiffen them up for track use.
- The difference between a good quality coilover & a budget setup is night & day. The budget versions are good for lowering your car but will not give you a good ride. The reason they are cheaper is because they use cheaper materials and don't have the same amount of development in them. A cheap coilover will have a set spring rate which ill be firm, this allows you to run the car at the lowest setting and not cause too much bottoming out. This will give you improved handling but a very harsh and crashy ride in normal driving.
- If you're using the car mainly for road use and occasional track use you are better spending the money on good coilovers. Look at it as an investment, spending that extra money on good suspension pays dividends for the handling of your car and is not an area you want to scrimp on.
- A restoration kit is a good idea because the suspension needs the best platform to work from to perform at their best, so polybushes etc will sharpen things up no end.
- If you rush into it and get the cheapest coilovers you can you will regret it in the long term. A good cup kit is also a good option, it doesn't offer the same adjustability in terms of ride height, aesthetically it'll look the same and they do perform very well. But from my point of view they're too compromised.
- If you're not in it for the 'stance' i'd recommend getting some decent coilovers, a KW V2 or the PSS9's or PSS10's you mentioned, for the adjustability and performance they'd give you.
- A cup kit is a upgraded spring & damper setup;
They comprise of an upgraded damper and shortened springs. They work in a similar way to a coilover in that they sharpen up your suspension but they don't have the height adjustable feature. They are great for road use as they generally don't have as harsh a ride as a budget coilover.
- Coilovers are an all in one unit at the front and adjustable shock & spring at the rear;
A quality coilover offers you height & damping adjustability. So you can run you're car low without ruining the ride.
Air Ride/Suspension/Bags *Please Note* This is a basic guide, do your research on this, google is your friend!
If you are chasing the ultimate low for your car mated to the practicality of being able to raise & lower it depending on conditions, you should consider fitting an air suspension kit to your car. But be warned it can get very expensive and you may run into legal issues.
A typical kit consists of;
- An air tank
- Compressor
- 4 airbags & struts
- Air lines hard or soft
- Control module
- Guages
- Misc Fittings
As with all other suspension kits the quality of the components will affect the performance of the car. Expert fitting is also recommended.
Pro's
- Ultimate lows. With a bit of work you can get your car to lay frame.
- Adjustability. Bad roads, ramps, speedbumps, not a problem. Just flick a switch.
- With the right components the handling will be un-compromised in normal road driving.
Con's
- Can be very expensive.
- Difficult to fit on your own.
- Haters. People love to hate, 'bags are for fags' etc
With a good install the results can be spectacular;
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