Suspension upgrades

[Kev6107]

What is the best way to go new shocks and springs or coilovers

[Ardent]

50/50

Pull up a chair, a  brew of choice and get friendly with the search facility.
Many threads on here regards pros and cons of stock vs coilys.

Only you know the answer.
Only you know where and how the car will be used.

I'm very happy with my fresh stock setup.
Have I tried a coily car? No.

Not much help to your question but it's a very very subjective, subject.

Edit
Hence the 17 views and only my reply. (at the time)

[Tomo70]

+1 could not have put it better Jase   s:D s:D

[Ardent]

Kev

Q1 Where/how will the car be mainly used, Daily driver, track junkie or B Road barnstormer?

[JoeCool]

I would like coilovers for my car, for the trips to the Nurburgring, autosolos, and sprint and track days.

However, the 5am runs to work keep popping back to mind... because no matter how good coilovers are when you're driving the wheels off of it, there are times when the Noise, vibration and harshness of them is exactly what you don't want.

IMO: Stock new dampers and springs (With a bit of lowering if you like) for 90% of people, and 90% of uses. COilovers only for extreme stance (and ride quality be damned) or if the car is actually a track day car.

[shnazzle]

You've tried the likes of BC/Meister/Yellow on normal roads right?
I had a 70+ year old man in my car the other day and he said it wasn't too bad at all. Roads here are NOT flat.

Couldn't say I noticed anything in noise and vibration

[cptspaulding]

Jason's post is spot on.

I did the same with a new set of stock springs & struts.

I have also driven Dougster7's car on the Meister coilies & I have to say the ride was very civilised which rather surprised me.

Since I moved flat to a street with fkg mad speed bumps I'm rather glad I have the stock set up. Any lowering & I'd have to park it in the next street.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[JoeCool]

You've tried the likes of BC/Meister/Yellow on normal roads right?
I had a 70+ year old man in my car the other day and he said it wasn't too bad at all. Roads here are NOT flat.

Couldn't say I noticed anything in noise and vibration

I have, briefly tried Meiser R's yes, and I found them remarkably good - but I'm still very very wary of coilovers on the whole. A number of things, like the lack of isolated top mounts, and just the defacto doubling of spring rates, plus some people mistake very harsh ride and stiff springs for 'handling' and forget that the suspensions primary role has to be to keep all four wheels in firm contact with the tarmac.

It's on my list to have a proper go in a car with coilovers, over broken roads etc, to really assess whether they'd meet my needs. But until I can 100% recommend the, I'll always suggest people do the same, and err on the side of the suspension that has the weight of manufacturers R&D behind it.

[shnazzle]

I can agree in the middle with that one. On very bumpy roads, they're no good and you'd be better off on a more stock setup. Depends where you live I guess. You can lower it/heighten it to wahtever level, so the whole "coilovers will make my car too low" thing is a bit of a farce. But we know that. It just makes sense to use their ability to go low to lower the center of gravity right? Within reason.

I guess I've found that for 80% of the roads I run, the BCs (with rubber top mounts front and rear  s;) s;)  ) have given me so much more control over the car.
But I can't lie, through some of the northumberland or yorkshire back roads I do with I had in-car damping control at the very least, or stock suspension

[Carolyn]

Just checking on whether my car has been lowered at the front.

What should be the standard wheel-arch to ground measurement be with standard size front wheels and tyres?  Or does one measure sill height?

[Dudi]

You've tried the likes of BC/Meister/Yellow on normal roads right?
I had a 70+ year old man in my car the other day and he said it wasn't too bad at all. Roads here are NOT flat.

Couldn't say I noticed anything in noise and vibration

I have, briefly tried Meiser R's yes, and I found them remarkably good - but I'm still very very wary of coilovers on the whole. A number of things, like the lack of isolated top mounts, and just the defacto doubling of spring rates, plus some people mistake very harsh ride and stiff springs for 'handling' and forget that the suspensions primary role has to be to keep all four wheels in firm contact with the tarmac.

It's on my list to have a proper go in a car with coilovers, over broken roads etc, to really assess whether they'd meet my needs. But until I can 100% recommend the, I'll always suggest people do the same, and err on the side of the suspension that has the weight of manufacturers R&D behind it.

Very good points regarding spring rates/dampening curves for road cars. I had Ohlins TTX on my GTR for about 3k miles and on smooth European tarmac (black forest etc) the cornering capabilities were incredible. In the UK however I always liked to think it was sporty until I tried a revalved Bilstein setup. It was a revelation and yes the car had slightly more roll but in due time you can easily learn to drive compensating for this but the only way to compensate for too stiff setup is to go slower.

You can get coilovers valved and setup to be very comfortable road suspension. I had AST build me a set for a BMW but it defeats the purpose and cost when you compare to a more ordinary setup.

Coilovers for track (or atleast majority track) and springs/shock for road.

[Ardent]

Carolyn

you have email

Jase