LanizxA

I am wondering if any of you have suggestions about coilovers vs. springs. Right now Im on some no name lowering springs and well when the road is rough she rides really rough, when it is smooth feels like your drifting in a calm ocean. It's been a couple of years since I have had these on and well now my baby is rattling everywhere and things are loose which now I have to hunt down and fix. Any suggestions? Thank you I am running Tokico blue for shocks



http://performance.importrp.com/toki...s/g-50357.aspx

LanizxA

I wonder if I can give myself advice.....

sent from my galaxy vibrant

TeeCizzle

Just dont go CHEAP when it comes to Suspension.

You will have a Softer OEM ride w/ Lowering Springs/Struts vs. Coilovers will give a more "stiff" ride but more stable feel going around corners etc...If you get coilovers make sure you get a brand w/ Adjustable Dampening too!

05sciko

im going with racelands. gets as low as i wanna go at a great price. i have heard that they are bouncy from other users (non xb) but i really dont mind a stiff ride as long as it looks and handles good

TeeCizzle

Dont waste your money on CHEAP parts!..As in Racelands.

LanizxA

I will be installing a body kit a couple of months down the road.

As for coilovers vs springs what gives better performance, steady ride (don't need it crushing my kit to the floor), and just takes great abuse (road to work is a lot of twist and turns).
Someone suggested df210

I like the performance of my Tokicos I need something that will complement them.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Its hard to find good advice

sent from my galaxy vibrant

JIMXB

[quote=LanizxA;4053552] I am wondering if any of you have suggestions about coilovers vs. springs. Right now Im on some no name lowering springs and well when the road is rough she rides really rough, when it is smooth feels like your drifting in a calm ocean. It's been a couple of years since I have had these on and well now my baby is rattling everywhere and things are loose which now I have to hunt down and fix. Any suggestions? Thank you I am running Tokico blue for shocks


You get a more comfortable ride with shocks/strut + springs Vs coilover is for performance.

How many miles do you have on your shocks + front struts? They can sometime last between 60k +100k miles.


Shocks and struts wear gradually, not catastrophically and you get used to the minute changes in handling and braking performance over time. If you drove your car and another one just like it with new shocks and struts back to back you would probably notice the difference.

The shocks and/or struts in your car perform two functions. They dampen spring oscillation, and secondly, they aid in ride control.

The shock absorber's function is to dampen the bouncing spring. If you did not have shock absorbers to dampen the spring oscillations from road shock, your car would turn into a bucking bronco every time you hit a bump in the road, making it very difficult to handle and dangerous.

The shock absorbers in your car aid in ride control by keeping the car manageable during regular driving. They do this by keeping the tires down on the road and not allowing them to bounce after hitting a bump. This allows for ease of cornering and handling.

On most cars you will notice bad handling or floating when the shocks or struts are bad, here are the other signs that you may need new shocks and/or struts:
Vehicle rolls or sways on turns
Front end dives when braking
Rear end squats when accelerating
Vehicle bounces or slides sideways on a winding, rough road
Vehicle bottoms out with a thump on bumps

In addition, worn shocks and/or struts can accelerate the wear of your tires and suspension parts ... the ball joints, steering linkage, springs and C.V. joints.

Preventative checkups are the key to side-stepping the effects of worn shocks and/or struts. Have somebody check them every time you have an oil change. Things to look for:
Leaks on the housing
Dents on the shock or strut body
Worn rubber mounting bushings
Pitted piston rods
Crushed rubber bumpers from "bottoming out"
Abnormal wear on tires (high and low spots)

Don't cut corners when it comes to your shocks/struts + buy cheap stuff. Maybe buy Monroe brand or other major co. Proper functioning of these parts is essential to the handling and cornering of your vehicle, making for safer driving conditions.

Good Luck....

LanizxA

So my Tokicos might be bad?

My struts are almost two years with less then 10000 miles
My no name springs are about two and a half with about the same mileage.

sent from my galaxy vibrant

neckbonenick

How low do you want to go? If you want a nice ride go tein s-tech. I you want as low as you can get df210. Otherwise your better off to spend 1000$ on air
Than 400-1000 on coils unless your racing auto x

taman86

Go with tein s techs. The no name parts or off brand parts are usually made with lower quality materials and manufacturing process. But I am kinda confused on your question, are you worried about a rough ride or worried about your springs giving you a rough ride?

LanizxA

More like my springs may be the reason why my ride is rough since the ride was like this on stock struts. So I'm contemplating on either staying with lowering springs but better quality or change to coilovers.

So I'm looking for a smoother ride where it won't feel like I'm riding in rocky terrain when roads are bad.

sent from my galaxy vibrant

taman86

The problem that you are faced with is do you want moderate ride quality with better performance or better ride quality with less performance, cuz you can't have your cake and eat it too. Your struts is what take the blunt of the road, your blues are higher performance rated over stock meaning they put the tire to the ground with more force. The compression and rebound of the shocks and struts is transferred through the springs to the body meaning that as your wheel travels over a bump the blues push harder per say and the lowering springs being stiffer also push harder on the strut and body giving the harsh feeling. What you are asking for can ONLY be given with stock suspension, that's the fact of the matter. Coilovers will only make it worse. What you are feeling right now is typical with performance suspension parts. Hope this helps.

schwartz329

The overused phrase "You get what you pay for" fits here, but I dont agree with the negative views about Raceland coilovers. Yes its cheap and you dont go as low as Ksports or D2's. But Raceland is a great product for ballers on a budget, they get low, adjustable(no damper), and the ride is comparable to most coilover brands.

MidnightScion

Ive found Koni Yellow with Megan springs (with 1.5 ich blocks) best suited to my needs. I dont like drop Megan springs offer, so I off-set it by using spacers. Ride is stiffer but very nice, very few bottom outs. Konis are set fronts ++++ rears ++ with no front sway bar but with TRD rear sway bar. my xA handles much better than when it had front sway bar attached with TRD springs or stockers.
For less that cost of entry level coilovers (excluding Racelands ...what ever it is quality wise) you can have decent suspension setup with adjustable struts/shocks

LanizxA

Thanks everyone! All the advice is extremely informative. I will look into all of the suggested brands.

sent from my galaxy vibrant

mrsocks

Hey "Midnight", what are you describing when you say "spacers?"
I'm runnin' Tanabes with blue shocks and at 70k it rides and handles well...just want another inch drop in the front and maybe some in the rear as well.
To add to something perviously mentioned: you can get comfort or you can get down low performance but the twain don't meet. I go down and dirty every time and drive just to drive. Comfort don't enter into it otherwise I'd have gotten a Buick.
Socks

MidnightScion

Fabricated and installed spacers to compensate for Megan coil springs ridiculous drop. I'm now at almost OEM height level. My xA rides awesome.
In the future I'll fabricate new spacers to lift it about an inch or so. I'll also get higher rate coils (400 lb/in) to get better handling for road racing.