Coilovers

agw_01

agw_01

agw_01

Soldato
Joined
11 Apr 2004
Posts
19,920
Hi guys,

I'm in the market for some new suspension. Currently got G-Max springs and shocks (cheap for a reason I guess) fitted and the bodyroll is shocking!

I was just wondering, what's the difference between a normal spring/shock setup and coilovers. What do they do differently? I'm looking for a nice flat ride... not too bothered about ride quality.

Thanks.
 
Well thats essentially what coilovers are, rather than having the spring elsewhere.

I'm guessing what you are really after is uprating your shock absorbers? Remote-reservoir setups and the like?

It will certainly give you more adjustability to set up your car exactly how you want it but you are going to have to pay out not only to buy the things in the first place (not cheap!) but then to get them set up properly for your car - a full suspension setup is going to cost you a bomb!
 
Yeah, I kinda guessed that... but surely there's a difference from a normal spring/shock setup to a 'coilover' setup (I know that in essence they're the same thing). Suspension sold as 'coilovers' seem to have much smaller springs.

Like so...

Spring/shock setup
g_max_kit.jpg


Coilovers
0e337655289db53de4dca11a6c011897.jpg


So, what I was asking was what the difference is between the two. I've heard that 'coilovers' are much more adjustable, yet without a remote res... that's far too advanced for what I want.
 
To the best of my knowledge, only in the amount of adjustability really. Custom spring rates, ride height, wheel travel, rebound rates, preload etc etc. The more adjustable, the more you pay.

Like I said above though, its wasted money unless you have a full suspension and geo workup done.
 
The Gmax springs probably aren't that stiffer (lb/in) than stock springs, so a good sprng and adjustable shock might the way to go, cheaper as well?

With coilovers (as you know) you can adjust the ride height and shocks on most to include compression and rebound, once you've adjusted the ride height are you really going to adjust it again?
 
Gotya :) The Gaz setup as shown above is around £500.

Thinking about it, I doubt I'd be able to set the car up myself, but the amount of customisation is definitely something that I'd be looking at.

edit... Andy, nice to see you about :) The G-max are shocking... the car rolls so much. I'm positive it's capable of more, yet I need better suspension to give me the confidence to push it. I thought about a decent Koni (etc) spring/adjustable shock setup yet if possible, I want to eliminate almost all of the bodyroll. I'd love a flat ride and thought that coilovers were capable of this?
 
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I'm still about Andy, lurking in the shadows ;)

Adjustable shocks are the way to go, but a stiffer springs helps as well, i always found the Gmax on the Rover to be too soft especially when taking speed bumps, the spring would compress too much, with the Koni reds turned up it made a difference on fast road use but couldn't compensate for the crappy springs, you could try looking into what kit fits the Honda's as they have a bigger following.

Simon and his bro should be able to help you out if they read this before it disappears off page one, as they know more about this stuff including the 200's/400's.
 
Surely if your main aim is limiting body roll then upgrading the anti-roll bars would be a better first step, yes you could possibly limit it by having incredibly stiff suspension but then that would be very annoying on the typical british road.

I was always under the impression that stiffer arb's were better than stiffer shocks as then the shocks can absorb the bumps better and keep the tyre in contact with the ground better.
 
I agree. If your main aim is to reduce body roll, updated arb's would be a better idea. If you're after a better suspension setup have a look for some biltstein dampers and eibach coils.

The only difference I can see in the suspensions you pictures is the konis are height adjustable.

Take it from someone who fitted stiff coil overs. Ride quality is important.
 
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Bug One said:
Take it from someone who fitted stiff coil overs. Ride quality is important.
Click to expand...

:p You big Jess. Slam it as low as she will go (Can you guess im a Dubber through and through:D)

The man does have point, coilovers can get rather harsh and you need to be committed and not have a winging wife or GF;)
 
With springs/shocks they work sort of independantly, where coilover suspension is designed so that the spring and shock will work with each other. The main advantages really are the adjustability, you can set up the ride height, corner weights etc for optimum handling or you can just slam the mofo and roll deep...

with the coilover route I'd only bother if spending a good chunk of cash as the cheaper ones offer a harsh ride and tend to leak or rust

uprated ARB's would prob do a better job of improving handling though...strut braces wouldn't go a miss either
 
i had a gmax/eibach set. it was perfect

i changed it for eibach coilovers and regretted it. ive tweaked the front end a little to raise it up again, maybe that will cure the ride

the car has no roll now. on my pics from nurburgring, the car is always flat haha
 
Rock solid "coilovers" will be a pain in the arse quite frankly... A friend had some very stiff suspension on his 200sx, and it was impossible to drive anywhere. He had to take the long way round to work, as the car was literally undriveable down your average B road. It was also incredibly uncomfortable, and started to shake itself apart.
 
agw_01 said:
Yeah, I kinda guessed that... but surely there's a difference from a normal spring/shock setup to a 'coilover' setup (I know that in essence they're the same thing). Suspension sold as 'coilovers' seem to have much smaller springs.
Click to expand...

The only difference is that "coil overs" typically use standard sized springs (1.9", 2.25" and 2.5") that are available in a range of rates and free lengths. The bottom spring platform is also adjustable to allow the ride height and corner weights to be set up. The actual operation is exactly the same as a standard McPherson strut.

Coil overs have a reputation for offering a very hard ride, but this is not an inherent fault of coil over shocks, it's simply that most kits are supplied with springs that are far too hard for road use. Fitting these shocks without getting the car corner weighted is a bit of a waste of time as well, they can make a car awful to drive if not correctly set up.
 
Koni's with decent springs will give much better handling. Some cheapo coilovers may help reduce bodyroll, they won't do anything for corning speed though.
 
Uprate the roll bars fella, made a huge difference when I done mine, bushes may be worn too so well worth changing them at the same time.

Stopped me ending up on the wrong side of the road now :) .
 
Not sure where coil overs have got this rep for being rock hard... it's just the design and layout of the suspension nothing to do with stiffness etc.

Fitting a stiffer ARB is not necessarily a good idea either. Stiff ARBs and pot holes... not good. In fact a stiff ARB probably does just as much for ride quality as the spring and damper do in these conditions. The ARB will transmit the pot hole forces onto the opposite wheel, and the stiffer it is the more force will be transmitted.
 
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