[Mikedav]

Quote: posted by GeordieLife on 04/10/2004 21:46:01

I'm ABSOLUTELY hopeless at all this, but i'm learning.

Why are coilovers better than shocks and springs?

Cheers

Stew

They are not really better per say, but they are adjustable. A matched spring and damper kit of good quality will lower the car and improve the aesthetics, and also improve handling. Coilovers are more expensive and do the same thing, but they also do a bit more.

There are two types - semi adjustable allows you to raise and lower the car to your taste as and when required, while fully adjustables let you play with the damper settings (hardness of ride, cornering ability) too. In general you can go lower (if you wish) with coilovers and also tailor the compromise between ride quality and handling far more...whether you would use it or not depends on how you use your car.

Thats it really.

 

[Mikedav]

Quote: posted by GeordieLife on 04/10/2004 23:27:58

ok...so the FK Highsports? I was looking at the Koni shocks and eibach springs at about ?450 inc vat. Either way, how do I know what setting to have them on. Is it a case of trial and error? Or an "average" setting?

FK Highsports are very good quality semi adjustables; FK Konigsports are top quality fully adjustables. I was all set to go for the former before I discovered 4Motion equipped cars needed camber adjustment bars too at another ?200 odd. []

Settings are certainly a case of trial and error from what I have seen; you just adjust them and go for a spin until it feels right for you, everyone is different. There are hard, average and soft settings you can use but the inherent fleibility is that you can fine tune them between these settings too.

If you know what height you want and wont ever change it, the Konis and eibachs are a tried and tested setup, very good quality and you won't be dissapointed. If you want an adjustable set up you can play with, go for the more expensive but more flexible coilovers.

I still have not decided!