Lowering Springs vs Coilovers- what will it be? When it comes to upgrading your suspension for looks or performance, the difference between the two can be night and day. The difference between a daily driver and a planted race car are suspension set up and what you want out of it. You must decide exactly what your car’s purpose is before choosing the suspension. Your main options for most vehicles will be springs or coilovers, so what should you choose? Let’s discuss the pros, cons and uses of both lowering springs and coilovers.
Links from this passage:Lowering Springs
People that are just getting into cars often look into springs as a solution for their height. Springs will often allow you to lower your car without sacrificing the soft stock suspension feel. A proper spring and shock set up can lower your car. It can also stiffen up your suspension, which provides a cheaper alternative to coilovers with nearly similar performance. However, springs do not allow you to adjust your damping or height on the fly like coilovers allow you to.
Ksport GT Lowering Springs give your car superior handling with an aggressive race look. Most other brands use a linear rate, but Ksport utilizes a progressive rate for several reasons. A progressive rate allows a plush comfortable ride under normal travel. But, because the rate shifts higher during compression, it stops “body roll” during heavy braking, hard acceleration, or fast cornering. By lowering the center of gravity from OE height you dramatically improve performance and handling characteristics.
Links from this passage:So, what are the downsides? Firstly, springs do not give you the adjustability range to lower or raise your suspension when needed. When you buy a set height spring, that is your only height. For example, a larger wheel or tire will require you to raise your car 1.0″. In this case, the lowering springs you installed will limit you. You will have to think around them for any changes in wheels or vehicle height in the future. Alternatively, coilovers allow you to adjust your right height.
Accelerated shock wear is an additional problem with lowering springs. This often results in poor ride quality over time. The ride can start to feel “bouncy” or “soft” when your shocks are going out. If this feeling occurs before suspension adjustment, it will worsen after. We suggest upgrading your shocks when you upgrade your springs to be able to take on more land.
Coilovers
Coilovers are a great alternative to a lowering spring set up because they allow you to adjust your ride height and come in many setups, from daily use to full track rated. Unlike lowering springs, you are not stuck with a single and stiffness. A common misconception is that with coilovers you automatically sacrifice ride quality for performance, thus creating a harsh ride quality. This simply isn’t true. Coilovers like our Kontrol Pro kit are for street comfort. We can do this through valving and damping that has been built into the coilover itself. While it’s true that the ride is about 10-15% firmer, the well matched damping results in minimal differences in comfort while making the car feel significantly better and making you, the driver, feel more in tune with your cars every move.
Links from this passage:As noted on our website, “The Ksport Kontrol Pro Fully Adjustable Coilover Kits provide the ultimate in suspension technology for your vehicle, both on the street or at the track. 36 levels of damping adjustment allow fine tuning of the damper to suit both handling and comfort needs. The damping adjustment alters compression and rebound simultaneously, for more effective and user-friendly setup changes.
Links from this passage:The Ksport system uses a Monotube design in which the oil and gas are separated within the cylinder. When compared to twin tube construction, the Monotube design dissipates heat faster and more evenly, allows finer damping adjustments, and requires more expensive design process. Aeration and cavitation issues are a lot less common in a Monotube design, which results in a more consistent ride quality. The Ksport Kontrol Pro Coilover system is designed with professional road racing in mind, offering extremely high value and performance for any application.”
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The Verdict
The options available for modifying your vehicles suspension oftentimes can be overwhelming. There really isn’t a one size fits all solution – it all comes down to how you plan to utilize the car, your budget, and your expectations.
The evolution of suspension has led to great advancements in coilovers, making them a great alternative to the conventional shock and spring set up. You can go low without sacrificing ride quality. More importantly, you can stay in your budget just by using a good set of adjustable coilovers. Though there are cheaper options with similar capabilities, such as a convention sock and lowering springs, these options are better for daily and light track use. In contrast, coilovers are always a great option for any vehicle.
Ultimately it comes down to what you plan on doing with your car and your level of comfort in that type of driving condition. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our team – we’re a staff of enthusiasts that would be more than happy to help answer any questions you might have.
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