What is so inredibly amazing about coilovers?

[VERTiG0]

I don't get it.  Why would people want to spend ~$2000 for a coilover set when they could get probably a superior spring/shock set for a lot less money?

What is so incredibly amazing about coilovers?  Why the hell do they cost so much anyway?

[bbp]

I don't know that there is anything incrediably amzing about coilovers.

For the most part people will install coilover to get more adjustablity out of their suspension.  They were born at the race track and have made their way onto the streets.  Racers use them to be able to adjust ride height, adjust corner weights and easily adjust spring rates.  Street car usually use them solely for adjusting ride height.  Once they have a good ride height and comfortable spring rate, they leave them alone.


For a street car you can get some aftermarket springs and shocks for less money, and be perfectly happy with a good handling car.  In fact, I think this is the way to go on a street car.  I have to replace the shocks in our 3 series and I think I probably do some bilsteins with H&R sports.  No need to completely sacrifice ride quality.

Coilovers are not always that expensive.  You could get some sleeves and make any shock into a coilover setup for not that much money.  Certain brands like Tein, Koni are expensive due to the amount of adjustabilty to them, also simply the name marks up the price a bit.  2.5in ERS springs are like $100 a pair, which isn't much different from an aftermarket set of replacement springs.

Hope that helps!

[AKADriver]

This is a debate I've had going in my head, as to the future of my 240SX.

It's nice to have some of the engineering done for you.  It's also nice to have adjustability.  But is it worth it to me?  Well, I don't know.

Of course for now I'm just concentrating on getting the most out of the stock setup.

[BEISSEN]

The big differance has been stated for right height and stffness adjustabilty.A coilover you can have your car at a certain height depending were you are so say you wan to slam the hell out of your car well coilovers would be great cust you can then raise it and not worry about alot.But as where a shock spring combo only llows you to lower and maybe adjust the stiffness.They are mainly for track and street cars>meaning if yougo to the track alot you can lower or raise your car and on the street you can do the same as well.

[flipboi13]

I dunno anything about suspension, but is strut\spring for rear susp, and shock\spring for front susp?  I seem to be clueless way too frequently...

[bbp]

Front are strut and technically a coilover spring design, while ther rears are also a coilover spring with a normal shock absorber or damper.

[AceInHole]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (VERTiG0 @ Sep. 26 2002,07:59)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I don't get it. Why would people want to spend ~$2000 for a coilover set when they could get probably a superior spring/shock set for a lot less money?

What is so incredibly amazing about coilovers? Why the hell do they cost so much anyway?</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
i'm pretty sure no individual strut/ shock for our cars can handle pure race springs (i.e. 11 - 19kg/mm), but then again, how many people are going for an all out race car?

[240 2NR]

other nice feature for 240's is the adjustable strut body some coilovers come with. &nbsp;So you can make your coilovers into a "short stroke" damper and maintain suspension travel, and effective damping, even with a lower ride height.

[DSC]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (240 2NR @ Sep. 26 2002,6:02)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">other nice feature for 240's is the adjustable strut body some coilovers come with. So you can make your coilovers into a "short stroke" damper and maintain suspension travel, and effective damping, even with a lower ride height.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
zeal function b6 are the only ones i've seen with that feature. &nbsp;What others have it? &nbsp;It'd be nice to not have to spend over $2k for something with that feature.

Another reason "coilovers" would be better is because you don't need as much experiance to find a good setup. &nbsp;I've talked to a good number of people who had good shocks and good springs but they just didn't work well together. &nbsp;It was better than stock, but not nearly as good as some other setups. &nbsp;With coilovers, the work of matching springs with shocks is already done for you. &nbsp;Granted you can still mess up by adjusting them wrong, but you can do what with any adjustable suspension.

<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/inlove.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':love:'> cornerweighted s14 with zeal b6's *drool*

[adey]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (DSC @ Sep. 27 2002,4:19)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteBegin--240 2NR+Sep. 26 2002,6<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':0'></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (240 2NR @ Sep. 26 2002,6<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':0'>2)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">other nice feature for 240's is the adjustable strut body some coilovers come with. So you can make your coilovers into a "short stroke" damper and maintain suspension travel, and effective damping, even with a lower ride height.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
zeal function b6 are the only ones i've seen with that feature. What others have it? It'd be nice to not have to spend over $2k for something with that feature.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
If I understand your question and the description of height-adjustable coilovers (w/out affecting stroke) the following are similar:

Tein HE &nbsp;(~1,400)
Tein RE &nbsp;(~2,200)
HKS Hiper-D &nbsp;(~2,300?)
APEX'i N1 type-V &nbsp;(~2,000)
APEX'i N1 type-Pro &nbsp;(~2,300?)
Zeal function B6 &nbsp;(~2,100)
JIC FLT-A2 &nbsp;(~1,600)
Toda Fightex &nbsp;(~2,500)

I'm sure there're more, but they slip my mind for the time being. <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

[StanBo]

I went with coilovers on the advice of fellow 240sx owners in the area. &nbsp;They had all tried at least 3 different setups. &nbsp;They were not happy with any of them and were all moving to coilovers. &nbsp;I took their advice and skipped the shock/springs.

I have a set of Tein HAs installed in my car. &nbsp;They have been in there for close to 1000 miles. &nbsp;

I like the ride height adjustability and I have finally started to mess with the dampening settings.

I am very happy with them. &nbsp;I just have to finish cleaning up the rest of my worn suspension and I will be mint.

[sykikchimp]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (adey @ Sep. 27 2002,9:22)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (DSC @ Sep. 27 2002,4:19)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (240 2NR @ Sep. 26 2002,6<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':0'>)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">other nice feature for 240's is the adjustable strut body some coilovers come with. So you can make your coilovers into a "short stroke" damper and maintain suspension travel, and effective damping, even with a lower ride height.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
zeal function b6 are the only ones i've seen with that feature. What others have it? It'd be nice to not have to spend over $2k for something with that feature.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
If I understand your question and the description of height-adjustable coilovers (w/out affecting stroke) the following are similar:

Tein HE (~1,400)
Tein RE (~2,200)
HKS Hiper-D (~2,300?)
APEX'i N1 type-V (~2,000)
APEX'i N1 type-Pro (~2,300?)
Zeal function B6 (~2,100)
JIC FLT-A2 (~1,600)
Toda Fightex (~2,500)

I'm sure there're more, but they slip my mind for the time being. <!--emo&<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
Also the Tein Type Flex.