Lowering Springs Vs Coilover kit (Pro's & Cons?)

[LUPILU]

Just been quoted by my insurance company (Admiral) that they would want £128 extra? if i was to change the suspension in my car and they said they would allow me to change the wheels for no extra fee if i was to do this.

So i am thinking of putting some 50inch truck wheels on and raising the suspension 1500mm!

Well really they said i can do anything up to 50mm (5cm there words)

So that in mind, also bearing in mind im on a tight ass student budget!

What are the pro's and Cons of Buying a set of springs £64 for my TDI 1.4 lupo or buying (i think its the cheapest) JOM Blueline Coilovers at £189.

Is the handling, braking, accelerating, comfort, reliability or anything better by having the whole coilover kit as appose to just the springs? bearing in mind my lupos suspension is nearly 11 years old!

One last question oooober question.

If i was to go out and get some new wheels for my Lupo at some point, would it be best to do this before putting on the new coilovers (as they are adjustable) that way i would no if the wheels fit or not? or would i be able to just crank the suspension height right up put the wheels on, and then lower the car back down to a specific height, as obviously wheels change the ride height, (is adjusting it a simple job?)

(Spring clamps are about £10) So the difference is really

£64 + £10 + £128 = £202

£189 + £10 + £128 = £327

Thanks people.

[James827]

Springs and dampers will last much Longer than Cheap Coilovers. But they are non adjustable

springs and matched dampers are also Much more comfortable unless there super short Cut springs.

[smnanthny]

This is quite useful as I'm a broke student so every penny saved is a bonus

[blister]

you can get hold of some cheaper brand new coilovers for 160 delivered pm and i will see if i can get you a set

[buxton]

I run springs and shocks they go as low as youd ever want your lupo (you cant fit your shoe in the arch gap) and the ride isnt unbareable as some coilies sets are and id think this is likely be the case if you get some ebay specials oh and spring clamps are worth spending a few extra pounds on i got a set for £25 which the end plug directy into a ratchet head because lets be honest if you are lowering this car you are going to lower another

Edited June 19, 2012 by buxton

[James827]

I have 60/70 springs on standard dampers on my car. the fronts all soft but the rears damn stiff. Il be putting the 40mm springs back in the rear and then putting the coilover rear springs back in when i have shortened shocks.

i like the way it sits on 60/70 springs. its pretty much rears of cheap coilovers wound all the way down with no adjusters and the 60mm front just meets it and levels it off.

the two Lots of springs owe me a total of £85

im eyeing up a set of FK dampers (£175) and new top mounts (£20)

MS calculator tells me that's £280 my suspension will owe me Hopefully it will be nice and comfortable and worth the money. (I bloody hope so)

and they will hopefully outlive any coilovers in that price range for a good few years.

If you wanna see any pictures on how the car sits on either the 60/70s or the 60/40s let me know.

[JoshG1992]

For me, its always worth buying the new dampers as they're (kinda) built for the springs they come with. With lowering springs, your putting them on standard Lupo dampers which are built specifically for the standard springs, so can act differently with after-market 3rd party springs, but that's just for me.

About the wheels, your overall wheel/tire diameter shouldn't changer (ie: going from standard 13" steelies with 175 65 tires to 15" wheels you will need tires with a smaller side wall to make the overall diameter/rolling circumference same). Changing this can cause all sorts of problems, including making your speedo give inaccurate readings and could potentially ruin your fuel economy and change the way the car reacts under throttle (smaller will improve acceleration but lower top speed and bigger vice versa). So you can lower your car to whatever you want on standard wheels, and as long as you get the right tires on new wheels, you shouldnt have a problem unless your getting wheels with different offsets or silly wide ones then theres more things like spacers and arch rolling to take into account lol.

Hope this is helpful