Springs or coilovers?
#1
10-31-2005, 01:18 AM
Springs or coilovers?
I found some pretty cheap coilovers from ebay. First what is the big deal with lowering your car, springs, and coilovers. Please the cliffnotes would do fine.
Here is the site:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/98-02...QQcmdZViewItem
Here is the site:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/98-02...QQcmdZViewItem
#3
10-31-2005, 08:38 PM
RE: Springs or coilovers?
Depends on what your looking for.
1. Lowering your car, lowers the center of gravity, therfore your handling will be better, if you perform some other chassis stiffening mods as well. I found that lowering with coilovers was not enough it itsel, accords have horrible body roll problems.
2.Lowering car brings out the cars lines, gives it a more agressive look.
If you go coilovers with damping force adjustmenst, you will get he best of both worlds.
stick with the suspension experts, do your research before buying cheap
those in the link will give you no damping adjustment
1. Lowering your car, lowers the center of gravity, therfore your handling will be better, if you perform some other chassis stiffening mods as well. I found that lowering with coilovers was not enough it itsel, accords have horrible body roll problems.
2.Lowering car brings out the cars lines, gives it a more agressive look.
If you go coilovers with damping force adjustmenst, you will get he best of both worlds.
stick with the suspension experts, do your research before buying cheap
those in the link will give you no damping adjustment
#4
11-09-2005, 11:42 PM
Unregistered
Posts: n/a
RE: Springs or coilovers?
yea i put sum coil over springs in with my standart shocks but had them shortened. lowest part of my car now 60mm off ground.
looks mean and handles wicked round corners ,but yea u do give up a bit of ur suspension travel
looks mean and handles wicked round corners ,but yea u do give up a bit of ur suspension travel
#6
11-11-2005, 07:37 AM
RE: Springs or coilovers?
First off, I'm not a big fan on lowering cars for performance street use, it puts limits on the driveablility of the car over different road conditions and is fun at supermarkets and roads that have speedbumps on them. The reduced height is nice for handling but then again only on set road conditions . Out where I live the road is basicly good with lots of curves but there are some washboard corners with a nice dip on one that takes out a good share of built up suspensions and I know a county cop that calls it coilover corner because he see's a lot of beefed up rides that are built for better roads going off into the woods with a lot of messy people comming out of those cars. Like any car that is built for performance they are tailored for the roads they are to be driven on(ask any nascar designer, they build each setup for a set course) and for a car that is used for cruising on country roads or long distance drives I'd stay away from them, get better shocks and sway bars and let it go at that. If you drive on good roads then lower it all you want, put coilovers on it but don't get the idea that lowering the car and reducing the travel and making it stiffer will make it outhandle any car on any type of road condition. That is a invitation to the hospital and one less car.
And don't get into the sales pitch that you see at the performance shops that sell these things. They don't care what happens, they are just after the sale and will not give reliable information on what overall results will be with these changes. Funny that most HP built cars are quick to bite it. They think because it's a ferarri (example) it can take any road at high speed and I see so many wrecked ones being parted out it is very simple to see that while they handle great they are not made for anything but smooth roads and well trained drivers.
Put a lot of thought on what your going to be doing with the car over your time with it, where you want to drive it and so on. I've learned these things the hard way myself and at least lived though it, I've found I can take a moderate upgraded car and beat a lot of maxed out cars on typical mountain/country roads with it as far as the curved parts go. It would be different at a set race course but typical roads are not like that at all.. It's more important to balance out the ride and learn it's traits well and be able to handle supprises that are sure to come at ya.
And don't get into the sales pitch that you see at the performance shops that sell these things. They don't care what happens, they are just after the sale and will not give reliable information on what overall results will be with these changes. Funny that most HP built cars are quick to bite it. They think because it's a ferarri (example) it can take any road at high speed and I see so many wrecked ones being parted out it is very simple to see that while they handle great they are not made for anything but smooth roads and well trained drivers.
Put a lot of thought on what your going to be doing with the car over your time with it, where you want to drive it and so on. I've learned these things the hard way myself and at least lived though it, I've found I can take a moderate upgraded car and beat a lot of maxed out cars on typical mountain/country roads with it as far as the curved parts go. It would be different at a set race course but typical roads are not like that at all.. It's more important to balance out the ride and learn it's traits well and be able to handle supprises that are sure to come at ya.
#7
11-11-2005, 12:13 PM
RE: Springs or coilovers?
Billcat,
that is great advice, and i have to agree, lowering the car, stiffening it is really great for Smooth road conditions and yes trips to the track.
Thing is with adjustable height coilovers, you have the flexability. I drive 85 to 90 a day mostly highway therfore mostly nice smooth roads.
I set the car stiff with very little shock travel becasue i can nad enjoy that porformance plus i know the road conditions.
When i travel with family and friends or im going somewhere with unfamiliar road conditions i raise the car up, soften the Damping force
(rides like a caddy), i don't like the bounce after driving with a stiff set up. Raising the car takes 10 minutes to adjust. Very simple
You are right though, i have bottomed out a couple of times, it aint a nice feeling, feels like the wheel is going to come through the
strut tower.
Great advise though very good post.
that is great advice, and i have to agree, lowering the car, stiffening it is really great for Smooth road conditions and yes trips to the track.
Thing is with adjustable height coilovers, you have the flexability. I drive 85 to 90 a day mostly highway therfore mostly nice smooth roads.
I set the car stiff with very little shock travel becasue i can nad enjoy that porformance plus i know the road conditions.
When i travel with family and friends or im going somewhere with unfamiliar road conditions i raise the car up, soften the Damping force
(rides like a caddy), i don't like the bounce after driving with a stiff set up. Raising the car takes 10 minutes to adjust. Very simple
You are right though, i have bottomed out a couple of times, it aint a nice feeling, feels like the wheel is going to come through the
strut tower.
Great advise though very good post.
#8
11-11-2005, 11:20 PM
RE: Springs or coilovers?
Thanks, I try to be as broad minded as I can without appearing to flame people who like to build their car's suspension. I never mean to do that. I only try to give a cause and effect thought so people will really sit back and judge if they really need to go so far with their car. I'm very glad at least I gave you something to think about and you seem to know what and why you want a type of upgrade and have made it with an adjustable setup knowing that you can broaden your overall use of your car. I try my best at least. I've built a 240Z for cone/airport racing and had one very stiff lowered suspension and it was great for that purpose but it beat the heck out of me on the streets and I almost went off a cliff when I hit a mild pothole on a corner that I was taking kind of fast, the car couldn't adapt to it as I went past the limit of the shock travel and it threw the car a bit. I didn't go off at least. That for me was a wake up call so to say. With a softer ride I wouldn't have had any problems with that corner. And the washboard areas were also a close one so I now think a lot more about just what is the car going to be used for and what limits am I putting on the car as well so I won't find anymore nasty supprises. Live is too short and most of what's left of my body is very damaged from one too many mistakes to the point where I'm living on pain pills daily most likely for the rest of my life. There is a lot of give and take with any change to a car and the suspension is a very dangerous area to mess with if you go into it without a lot of thought.
If the roads are smooth and you use it on them there is so much you can do and have a great time with it, I do like the adjustable shock and coilover setup, that is the best way to go for street use but with those I would also take it out to roads with little or no traffic and do a lot of learning about how it effects the car before taking it to it's limits, education in this area is a lifesaver.
One thing about adjusting though is how it effects the alignment as this too can cause sudden tire grip loss if it's changed by enough deg... that the outside tire of the curve side is doing great but the other side is tilted so far off to be almost useless for added grip. You notice how oval track cars align their inner and outter tires so they all work to their best on oval tracks that are either right or left turns only and the same thing doesn't go for the street. it's never just a right turn world so balance with alignment is something to take into account. I've learned a lot about this just from playing the Nascar video game and playing with alignments and see how radicle it effects the car in the game. There is so much that goes into suspensions it almost takes a engineer to set it up right when you really like to push the car to limits with a lot of changes to it.
OH, sorry I do a lot of long posts, I also got a lot of brain damage in one accident and so I try maybe too hard to put my points of view across and get a bit long winded on these, sorry.. I have a very hard time comming to the point with fewer words. It's also this kind of damage that I try my best to see others avoid it if they can because it can screw up ones future on this earth more than one would like to think about. I've had bad headach's from 8/9/89 to this day and it's something I'd not wish on anyone. Funny date it was though wasn't it. a lot of 8's and 9's in it... I hid in my house on 9/9/99 just to be on the safe side... hahaha.. I'm at least glad people come on here and ask advice to each other and I've found at least on this forum that people here are above many other forums for level headed thinking and well thought out posting. It's one of the best car forums I've seen if not the overall best. It's refreshing to see, Honda accord owners seem to be a smart crowd and this above other points makes these cars worth buying because I know there is a forum where I can get better tips for it.
If the roads are smooth and you use it on them there is so much you can do and have a great time with it, I do like the adjustable shock and coilover setup, that is the best way to go for street use but with those I would also take it out to roads with little or no traffic and do a lot of learning about how it effects the car before taking it to it's limits, education in this area is a lifesaver.
One thing about adjusting though is how it effects the alignment as this too can cause sudden tire grip loss if it's changed by enough deg... that the outside tire of the curve side is doing great but the other side is tilted so far off to be almost useless for added grip. You notice how oval track cars align their inner and outter tires so they all work to their best on oval tracks that are either right or left turns only and the same thing doesn't go for the street. it's never just a right turn world so balance with alignment is something to take into account. I've learned a lot about this just from playing the Nascar video game and playing with alignments and see how radicle it effects the car in the game. There is so much that goes into suspensions it almost takes a engineer to set it up right when you really like to push the car to limits with a lot of changes to it.
OH, sorry I do a lot of long posts, I also got a lot of brain damage in one accident and so I try maybe too hard to put my points of view across and get a bit long winded on these, sorry.. I have a very hard time comming to the point with fewer words. It's also this kind of damage that I try my best to see others avoid it if they can because it can screw up ones future on this earth more than one would like to think about. I've had bad headach's from 8/9/89 to this day and it's something I'd not wish on anyone. Funny date it was though wasn't it. a lot of 8's and 9's in it... I hid in my house on 9/9/99 just to be on the safe side... hahaha.. I'm at least glad people come on here and ask advice to each other and I've found at least on this forum that people here are above many other forums for level headed thinking and well thought out posting. It's one of the best car forums I've seen if not the overall best. It's refreshing to see, Honda accord owners seem to be a smart crowd and this above other points makes these cars worth buying because I know there is a forum where I can get better tips for it.
#9
11-13-2005, 03:58 AM
Administrator
RE: Springs or coilovers?
Yes I think your post was well put and Yes I did read it all the way thru
We are a good lot of people in here and we do have a lot of pretty level headed folks also..
WheelBrokerAng
[sm=americanasmiley.gif]
We are a good lot of people in here and we do have a lot of pretty level headed folks also..
WheelBrokerAng
[sm=americanasmiley.gif]
ORIGINAL: billcat
Thanks, I try to be as broad minded as I can without appearing to flame people who like to build their car's suspension. I never mean to do that. I only try to give a cause and effect thought so people will really sit back and judge if they really need to go so far with their car. I'm very glad at least I gave you something to think about and you seem to know what and why you want a type of upgrade and have made it with an adjustable setup knowing that you can broaden your overall use of your car. I try my best at least. I've built a 240Z for cone/airport racing and had one very stiff lowered suspension and it was great for that purpose but it beat the heck out of me on the streets and I almost went off a cliff when I hit a mild pothole on a corner that I was taking kind of fast, the car couldn't adapt to it as I went past the limit of the shock travel and it threw the car a bit. I didn't go off at least. That for me was a wake up call so to say. With a softer ride I wouldn't have had any problems with that corner. And the washboard areas were also a close one so I now think a lot more about just what is the car going to be used for and what limits am I putting on the car as well so I won't find anymore nasty supprises. Live is too short and most of what's left of my body is very damaged from one too many mistakes to the point where I'm living on pain pills daily most likely for the rest of my life. There is a lot of give and take with any change to a car and the suspension is a very dangerous area to mess with if you go into it without a lot of thought.
If the roads are smooth and you use it on them there is so much you can do and have a great time with it, I do like the adjustable shock and coilover setup, that is the best way to go for street use but with those I would also take it out to roads with little or no traffic and do a lot of learning about how it effects the car before taking it to it's limits, education in this area is a lifesaver.
One thing about adjusting though is how it effects the alignment as this too can cause sudden tire grip loss if it's changed by enough deg... that the outside tire of the curve side is doing great but the other side is tilted so far off to be almost useless for added grip. You notice how oval track cars align their inner and outter tires so they all work to their best on oval tracks that are either right or left turns only and the same thing doesn't go for the street. it's never just a right turn world so balance with alignment is something to take into account. I've learned a lot about this just from playing the Nascar video game and playing with alignments and see how radicle it effects the car in the game. There is so much that goes into suspensions it almost takes a engineer to set it up right when you really like to push the car to limits with a lot of changes to it.
OH, sorry I do a lot of long posts, I also got a lot of brain damage in one accident and so I try maybe too hard to put my points of view across and get a bit long winded on these, sorry.. I have a very hard time comming to the point with fewer words. It's also this kind of damage that I try my best to see others avoid it if they can because it can screw up ones future on this earth more than one would like to think about. I've had bad headach's from 8/9/89 to this day and it's something I'd not wish on anyone. Funny date it was though wasn't it. a lot of 8's and 9's in it... I hid in my house on 9/9/99 just to be on the safe side... hahaha.. I'm at least glad people come on here and ask advice to each other and I've found at least on this forum that people here are above many other forums for level headed thinking and well thought out posting. It's one of the best car forums I've seen if not the overall best. It's refreshing to see, Honda accord owners seem to be a smart crowd and this above other points makes these cars worth buying because I know there is a forum where I can get better tips for it.
Thanks, I try to be as broad minded as I can without appearing to flame people who like to build their car's suspension. I never mean to do that. I only try to give a cause and effect thought so people will really sit back and judge if they really need to go so far with their car. I'm very glad at least I gave you something to think about and you seem to know what and why you want a type of upgrade and have made it with an adjustable setup knowing that you can broaden your overall use of your car. I try my best at least. I've built a 240Z for cone/airport racing and had one very stiff lowered suspension and it was great for that purpose but it beat the heck out of me on the streets and I almost went off a cliff when I hit a mild pothole on a corner that I was taking kind of fast, the car couldn't adapt to it as I went past the limit of the shock travel and it threw the car a bit. I didn't go off at least. That for me was a wake up call so to say. With a softer ride I wouldn't have had any problems with that corner. And the washboard areas were also a close one so I now think a lot more about just what is the car going to be used for and what limits am I putting on the car as well so I won't find anymore nasty supprises. Live is too short and most of what's left of my body is very damaged from one too many mistakes to the point where I'm living on pain pills daily most likely for the rest of my life. There is a lot of give and take with any change to a car and the suspension is a very dangerous area to mess with if you go into it without a lot of thought.
If the roads are smooth and you use it on them there is so much you can do and have a great time with it, I do like the adjustable shock and coilover setup, that is the best way to go for street use but with those I would also take it out to roads with little or no traffic and do a lot of learning about how it effects the car before taking it to it's limits, education in this area is a lifesaver.
One thing about adjusting though is how it effects the alignment as this too can cause sudden tire grip loss if it's changed by enough deg... that the outside tire of the curve side is doing great but the other side is tilted so far off to be almost useless for added grip. You notice how oval track cars align their inner and outter tires so they all work to their best on oval tracks that are either right or left turns only and the same thing doesn't go for the street. it's never just a right turn world so balance with alignment is something to take into account. I've learned a lot about this just from playing the Nascar video game and playing with alignments and see how radicle it effects the car in the game. There is so much that goes into suspensions it almost takes a engineer to set it up right when you really like to push the car to limits with a lot of changes to it.
OH, sorry I do a lot of long posts, I also got a lot of brain damage in one accident and so I try maybe too hard to put my points of view across and get a bit long winded on these, sorry.. I have a very hard time comming to the point with fewer words. It's also this kind of damage that I try my best to see others avoid it if they can because it can screw up ones future on this earth more than one would like to think about. I've had bad headach's from 8/9/89 to this day and it's something I'd not wish on anyone. Funny date it was though wasn't it. a lot of 8's and 9's in it... I hid in my house on 9/9/99 just to be on the safe side... hahaha.. I'm at least glad people come on here and ask advice to each other and I've found at least on this forum that people here are above many other forums for level headed thinking and well thought out posting. It's one of the best car forums I've seen if not the overall best. It's refreshing to see, Honda accord owners seem to be a smart crowd and this above other points makes these cars worth buying because I know there is a forum where I can get better tips for it.
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