Jump to content

Which Coilovers?


Xdwardo
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hey everyone.. just purchased my new Lupo which i'm picking up in the week B) I'm already pondering what road to take when it comes to "subtle modding".. and the coilovers seem to be a priority.

Does anyone recommend a particular brand?.. Website to buy them from?.. I've seen some FK's on the venomsport website for £300.. any good??..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Try doing a search next time then.

Every forum is full of questions that get asked time and time again, and this is one of them. The longer term members just get bored of reading them and lack the will to help people out.

Good luck with the lupo, coilovers make a massive difference and are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Try doing a search next time then.

Every forum is full of questions that get asked time and time again, and this is one of them. The longer term members just get bored of reading them and lack the will to help people out.

Good luck with the lupo, coilovers make a massive difference and are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. :)

Fair comment.. guess i got a bit excited about the potentials and all that.. B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i wouldnt bother with coilovers as 90% of the so called coilies that appear on this forum are not true coil overs. i'd spnd your hard earned dosh on some proper name suspension kit which has been designed and tested for your model. Avo, Koni and Bilstein to name a few.

dont waste your money on 'show-low' rubbish

Edited by Toi gulp
Link to comment
Share on other sites

i wouldnt bother with coilovers as 90% of the so called coilies that appear on this forum are not true coil overs. i'd spnd your hard on dosh on some proper name suspension kit which has been designed and tested for your model. Avo, Koni and Bilstein to name a few.

dont waste your money on 'show-low' rubbish

That's a good point but some people have different ideas and uses for their car. I would have no need to spend 700+ on KW coillies for a 1.0 Lupo that'll never see a track in it's life, I just wanted it low, and a 300 quid set of FK's did exactly that.

Which is why reading the definitive coilover thread above would be an excellent idea!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i wouldnt bother with coilovers as 90% of the so called coilies that appear on this forum are not true coil overs.

dont waste your money on 'show-low' rubbish

What do you mean?

No Lupo's have coilovers on the rear, they have seperate springs and shocks. Coilovers wouldn't fit on the back.

If that isn't what you mean, what are 'real' coilovers?

And anyway, a Lupo on cheap coilovers will still handle better than a Lupo on mega-roll standard suspension.

Edited by Philplop
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Which is why reading the definitive coilover thread above would be an excellent idea!

Hurding us back to the point ;) hehe.. but yeah, my loops only going to be used for the odd trundle about town, and days out.. no point forking out oodles of quids on a top end kit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

a £300 coilover is not a real coilover the term is used so loosely its frustrating. so for £300 youve only got one adjustment ride height. hmmm last time i checked lowering springs could do that.

why the f*ck do you spend £300 to lower a car which springs can do for 60/90 quid, there are hundreds of springs out there you can use to acheive the ride height if your prepared to measure them and work it out .

real Coilovers give you infinate adjustment in both springs, ride height damper compression and rebound. and if you hadnt noticed these so called coilovers dont look that different to standard struts do they bar the thread so just because someones come along and threaded the strut housing theyre now classed as a coilover WTF?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Std shocks wont last long with much more than a 40mm drop. Plus it will handle like poop as the damper isnt designed to be at that compression position for long preiods of time.

The shocks that come with the coilover sets are smaller, and designed for the drop accompained by the new springs.

Hence why most performance suspension sets come with shocks and springs paired together, because there designed for one another. I know its not always the case, but if you look in to it, all shocks are designed to be used with atleast one type of reccomended spring.

In the end of the day, if you want to lower the car, and dont worry about its handling then buy springs, If you want adjustable height then buy a cheap set of coilovers.

If you want much better handling, ride comfort, and adjustable height, spend the money and get a good set of coilovers. With suspension, you pay for what you get, dont let anyone else tell you different.

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i quite agree, with the statement about the 40mm drop on standard shocks as your reducing your wheel travel and you'll hit the bump stops more often which knackers them.

i just find it very frustrating when people buy threaded struts and think theyre coilovers, as in theory most mc pherson struts are coilovers to some extent as like lee said the spring surronds the damper, but in practive using the term 'coilovers' is best left to infinately adjustable set ups where spring and damping rates can be adjusted. coilovers tend to be deisgned to be lighter and have monotube damping instead too.

Edited by Toi gulp
Link to comment
Share on other sites

f***in whinge whinge whinge

anyways to answer the guys question. u dont need to spend loads on suspension. i have philJ "coilovers" :rolleyes: . lowered just about all the way down. and i love them. can buy them off here for about 200 nicker.

Edited by Taxi Adam
Link to comment
Share on other sites

why the f*ck do you spend £300 to lower a car which springs can do for 60/90 quid, there are hundreds of springs out there you can use to acheive the ride height if your prepared to measure them and work it out .
i quite agree, with the statement about the 40mm drop on standard shocks as your reducing your wheel travel and you'll hit the bump stops more often which knackers them.

Answered your own question, there, I think.

My coilovers are KW V1's, and are only height adjustable. I dare say that my car handles a hell of a lot better that a GTI lowered on springs.

So maybe that's another answer.

I can also raise it and lower it as I please, if I have wide wheels I might need more arch clearance so I can wind it up a little bit to stop the scrubbing.

Another answer there, perhaps?

A coilover is an automobile suspension device, short for "coil (spring) over strut". It consists of a shock absorber (British: damper) with a coil spring encircling it. The shock absorber and spring are preassembled as a unit prior to installation, and are replaced as a unit when the shock absorber has leaked. This provides for optimal damping without torsional loads. Some coilovers are adjustable for ride height and hardness as well using a simple threaded spring perch similar to a nut.

The coilover is a basic component of the MacPherson strut suspension system, which is distinguished from other arrangements by employing a particular design of anti-roll bar as a longitudinal constraint. This was the first widespread use of the coilover in automobile suspensions. But there are other designs; the word coilover should not be considered a synonym for the MacPherson strut arrangement.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was a retorical question. Anyway, i still feel proper coilovers are a couple of hundred quid a corner like the bilstein and konis ones. and unless your going to spend that you may as well get a fixed set.

i just struggle to see the point of spending a couple of hundred quid to lower the car as much as possible when lowering springs offer plenty of drop without going to extremes and for a quarter of the price. sure if you want an 80mm drop then coilovers are your answer but to me thats pointless. if its worth doing its worth doing properley.

Apologies if i've offended anyone, i'll back out at this point beacuse i think my point is obviously being missed.

Edited by Toi gulp
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was a retorical question. Anyway, i still feel proper coilovers are a couple of hundred quid a corner like the bilstein and konis ones. and unless your going to spend that you may as well get a fixed set.

meant with the best posible intentions here its obvious cheap coilovers are all about going as low as possible which seems to be the general consensus on this forum.

Like Phil said, loads of people on here have 1l's and 1.4s which in no way justify having expensive suspension designed primarily for handling. Theres also a lot of people who change wheels often and need to adjust their ride height accordingly or want to be able to adjust it for shows etc as its too low for everyday use. Why get a fixed kit when you can have an adjustable one?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:lol: at this whole topic!

Soooo... throwing a spanner in the works.. whats the difference between a coilover kit.. and a normal suspension kit?.. Is it just the issue of 'adjustability'?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

this is ridiculous lol. i believe we have a track day enthusiast vs an everday commuter. if u want to go low buy cheap coilovers. i bought a shock and suspension package for lowering 60mm which cost as much as cheap coilovers and the fk coilovers were so much better it was unreal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ive got the so called proper coil-overs and they cost me 1K.

My £400 Weitecs did the same job on the Lupo just fine. Though sometimes its nice to have the extra adjustability, its an expensive luxury and imo not really worth it for the road. Track is a different matter... ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Std shocks wont last long with much more than a 40mm drop. Plus it will handle like poop as the damper isnt designed to be at that compression position for long preiods of time.

I run Eibach springs on 40k mile GTI springs for 3 months, the ride quality was better than standard, and the handling was fantastic.

I then gave the springs to Kat, back in 2004 who has used them on her GTI ever since.

The car still handles fantastically, and the shocks are still doing well.

The GTI struts were perfectly acceptable for such a slight ride drop, which is why VW offered them as an optional extra.

Just because Max Power said back in 1997 that you must change your shocks if fitting lowering springs doesn't mean its true.

They were just helping out their advertising friends sell more products.

Edit.

Sorry, just read the quote again, you said more than a -40mm drop.

I have £700 worth of (at the time) Konigsports on the Lupo.

I have a set of £170 'budget' coil overs on order which I'll get fitted this week..

I'd be surprised if there is much difference.

I would say, the only 'real' coil overs I would even consider buying would be :

H&R

KW

Thats because its clear they have spent some time developing the strut/spring.

NO way would I buy an adjustable coil over again.

I'm not a good enough engineer to get the best out of the car.

As Twisty once said regarding his fixed H&Rs

The man from H&R on his test track knows a hell of a lot more than I do
Edited by Tigz™
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.