what exactly are coilovers?

[m3f_nussie]

and how do they differ from regular springs?



thanx

[m3f_PurpleM3Pursuit]

coilover.. means the spring is over the coil.. also they are adjustable.. some come wtih adjustable struts too.. the standard stuff have coils over the strut but no adjustment.. these u can adjust as far as the strut stiffness to the ride height.. and even coils

[m3f_nussie]

ok, "the spring is over the coil" then what is a coil. Is the coil over only in the front? I just don't get it.

[m3f_Max M3]

Haha.. Purple meant the spring surrounds the strut (shock).



A coilover doesn't HAVE to have any adjustability to it. If you can change the height of the perch that the spring rests on, thus effectively raising and lowering the height of the car, then that's an "adjustable coilover". All e36 BMWs have coilovers on the front, and separate spring/shock setups on the rear. The ride height is not adjustable though...



If you NEED to raise and lower the car a little, then you can swap in an Adjustable coilover. Pretty much every aftermarket spring/strut combination (technically all coilover setups) will lower your car anyway because of the shorter spring designs. If you don't need to keep changing your ride height during the seasons, then don't bother with a height-adjustable coilover.

[m3f_nussie]

Thanx max



Starting to make sense now. So suspension changes are basically to stiffen the ride. I already feel like I need a kidney belt . I can't imagine something stiffer except for racing

[m3f_PurpleM3Pursuit]

ahhh check that.. spring over the shock or strut.. lol.. i don't know what i had to drink that day.. ive never even heard of the spring being over the coil.. lol

[m3f_Sammyzuko_f27405666b]

I've been doing some research on suspension setups. Last week I knew absolutely nothing about them. From what I've read, if you don't autoX/track your car you probably don't need coilovers. I'm looking for the cheapest setup that will do the following: Lower the car and replace the original suspension....that's not much to ask, so if I can save money by getting a suspension that is not adjustable I'll do it. Are there any benefit to coilovers besides adjustability?

[m3f_BMW M Powe_4a2f6c10a0]

yes, if you are not planning on racing your car of any sort, you will se no benefit from the coilovers.



a good spring/shock combo will firm up the ride, and lower the car. which is what most people want, if they do not plan to take the car to the track.

[m3f_BMW M Powe_4a2f6c10a0]

oops...



benefit of the coilover is adjustability. change springs (spring rates) easily, change ride height, and change the dampening (not all, but some).



but the big benefit of coilovers is the corner balancing. again, for race applications you will see a benefit, but not on the street

[m3f_PurpleM3Pursuit]

i c it everytime i take a turn ;-)

[m3f_Max M3]

oops...



benefit of the coilover is adjustability. change springs (spring rates) easily, change ride height, and change the dampening (not all, but some).



but the big benefit of coilovers is the corner balancing. again, for race applications you will see a benefit, but not on the street



Well, not exactly...

Not all coilovers are "height adjustable". (ex. some TC Kline setups)

Not all coilovers can use different springs. (ex. Bilstein PSS9)

The change in dampening has nothing to do with whether we're dealing with coilovers or not. The dampening is done by the shocks and ANY shock may or may not be designed with adjustable compression and/or rebound adjustability. (ex. You could install single or double adjustable Koni shocks onto your [otherwise] stock setup... although there's not much point to that since even at the softest setting it will be too much dampening for the soft stock M3 springs)



nussie - If you're running the stock suspension and you say it's already too stiff for you, then I can't think of a single aftermarket spring/shock combo you will like better. Car manufacturers generally err on the side of comfort and aftermarket companies design to stiffen that up and/or lower the car via either shorter springs or an adjustable perch (or both).



Here's a good overall viewpoint of suspensions: http://tinyurl.com/2kptm

[m3f_95RogueM3]

well, there is some use to coilovers in a street application. I chose coilovers because there is no "standard" drop to the shock/spring packages in that they give a range and it could be too low or too high for your preferences. In that case you are pretty much out of luck unless you want to buy new springs to change the height.



However, with coilovers you can adjust the ride height to be perfect both front and rear without changing springs and with minimal effort. Also another bonus of the coilovers is the changing of the spring to match comfort level (GC option).



-RIchard

[m3f_NRG]

Just think of it as adjustable suspension.