I've searched and searched, but no one can really give me a clear precise answer.

If you know where I can find the answers to my question, then just post up the link; but if not, then please help me out.

Why do people prefer coilovers vs springs? Like I know that you can change the drop to whatever you want, whenever you want with coilovers, but is that the only reason? Is there any performance gain with coilovers?

Thanks in advance

 

-Some have camber adjustments
-Some have dampening adjustments so you can set how hard or soft the ride is
-Most can go lower than springs
-stiffer spring rates which is better for race
-Just the overall ability to set what ride height you want

 

I've been tossing switching from springs over to coilovers around for awhile now..My main concern is I've heard the ride on coilovers is fairly harsh but I don't know really what "harsh" means lol..I'm currently on TRD and was thinking maybe going with H&R coils.

But yeah..main difference I also hear about is coils tend to give a pretty harsh, stiff ride.

BTW if anyone wants to chime in on the comfort of H&R coils vs trd springs feel free XD

 

awesome comparison. thanks

 

honestly guys the ride isn't as rough as people say. Yes you can hear the sound of the ground and bumps but to me thats a plus cus i know what im riding on when im racing or doing whatever. The cause for that is the stiffness of the coils and by stiffer your able to do much more than making the chasis move. In addition, coils are built in springs and struts that act as one while your springs alone (if your also adding a performance strut) does not allow you to control your ride height nor does it let you control the dampening. Dampening is also for your roughness as some of you guys call it that don't like it bumpy. Trust me once you are on coils you will understand why

 

There are a lot of reasons to get coilovers rather than go the spring/strut route. It really depends on what you're looking to get out of your setup and how much money you have to spend. Coilovers are usually a bit more expensive - a lot more if you want nice ones. Most people that are building Scions aren't building for racing purposes. They get coilovers for the adjustable ride-height and for the cachet of having them. The adjustable ride-height is extremely useful for both show and performance though.
I think an explanation would be useful before I go any farther. The sprung mass of the vehicle (the components that are supported by the suspension) rest on the springs. The struts job is to keep the wheel in flat contact with the ground through all the bumps and turns, regardless of any movement of the sprung mass. Stiffer springs will reduce the amount of movement that the sprung mass is allowed independent of the wheels. If you get springs that are too stiff then you get a very harsh ride, however if you want to drive with your car very low then you need stiffer springs to make up for the lack of suspension travel in order to keep the body from rubbing on the wheels every time you go thru a turn or over a bump. The struts have two seperate movements. Compression is when the wheel forces the strut up, and rebound is when the strut forces the wheel back down. These movements are controlled by the valves inside the struts. Different valving will change the speed (stiffness) of the compression and the rebound.

All this adds up to one thing: If you buy aftermarket springs and struts seperately you risk getting a combination of parts that does not work well together, resulting in either an overly firm or an overly bouncy ride. A good set of coilovers will have spring rates (stiffness) and valving (stiffness again) that are specifically tailored to eachother and to your vehicle. Cheaper coilovers often use universal strut bodys and valving, which, again, results in a bad ride.

Moving on. For show, coilovers allow you to drop the height all the way down for shows and meets, ride fairly low on the street, and still be able to raise it up for winter driving when you want. For performance it allows you to lower your car more at the track or on good roads to lower your center of gravity for better handling, and keep it a little higher up to protect your vehicle in other situations.
Another performance consideration, and the reason that you dont want to get a cheap setup, is the ability to rebuild a worn-out strut. Particularly in racing, the strut builds up heat from the friction of the piston compressing and rebounding, and the oil inside the strut moving through the valves. Too much heat degrades the oil causing it to not move through the valves properly, and, more importantly, builds extra pressure inside the strut body that can blow out the seals, which are also weakened by the heat. In racing, this is what usually causes a strut to "blow out", or leak oil. On the street any particluarly nasty bumps or potholes can cause the strut piston to extend or compress too far, which can also blow out the seals. While most coilovers can be rebuilt, a crappy one may not be very durable on the street, or may not be as resistant to heat. I've heard of people getting cheap coilovers and needing rebuilds in less than a month. A good quality coilover will be far more durable in any situation, and will last far longer. For pure racing applications, and for a lot more money, you can get coilovers with seperate oil reserves. This allows a longer piston stroke (especially useful in off-road racing), and gives the oil somewhere to cool outside of the strut body.
As mentioned above, you can also get struts with upper pillowball mounts. These allow you to correct the camber on vehicles that don't have an OEM camber adjustment, such as the tC. For more info about this, and other suspension components check pages 1 and 4 of the suspension FAQ here:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47974
Also mentioned above, some coilovers allow you the ability to choose different compression and rebound settings. This can be particularly useful for dual-purpose vehicles, as it is safe to run a much stiffer setup on a track than on the street. This also allows the manufacturer to use a universal strut body, leaving it up to the driver to determine the proper settings.
To sum it all up, if you're familiar enough with spring and strut specs, and know how to pick a good setup that matches your particular vehicle, then you can get good performance out of seperate springs and struts. If you're not an expert, and you can afford them, coilovers will be far superior if you get a good quality setup. Most people can't afford high-quality coilovers, which is why you hear so many complaints about the ride being harsh or bouncy. Good coilovers will be difficult to find at a good price since the tC is not intended to be a high-performance vehicle. Cheap ones will be easy to find, because they use a universal strut body, and are not specifically tailored to the vehicle. In the end, it all just comes down to what you're comfortable with and what you can afford.

 

im pretty sure theres a whole thread on this stuff..and is common knowlegde

 

Damn. Trolling every thread or what?


To the OP, this is pretty much common knowledge but I find it to be helpful to many people. Lots of new people to the car scene and well gather information is always helpful

Thanks!

 

I know when I first started getting into cars most of what I learned was from reading magazines and doing research on the internet. I intended this for someone in that position. For example, the person that asked the question that I was originally responding to was only 16. I can't speak for anyone else, but when I was 16 this is the kind of thing that would've been extremely usefull, and possibly would've prevented me from asking questions that I feared may embarass me when surrounded by everyone else that already had the "common knowledge". Also, I've seen alot of posts from people asking about which setup they should get, and also complaining about the ride on aftermarket suspensions. What may be considered "common knowledge" to some people, may be difficult for others to find details about - especially since those in the know consider it "common knowledge".

 

hey guys i'm going to merge these identical threads as no need for same subject.