how coilovers work?

[playastarkz123]

Now i know that this thread makes me seem like an extreme newb but i have been searching for awhile and couldnt find what i am lookin for.

what i want to know is exactly how do coilovers work. I know that the purpose of coilovers is to lower the car and and stiffen the chassis in order to prevent body roll, but how is this accomplished? I hear people on the boards use words like "valving", what is this and what is its purpose?

Besides levels dampening and height adjustment, and i guess durability what makes one coilover better than another?

just tryin to learn more, thats all, please no stupid comments.

[krisdeezy]

same thing as stock spring/shocks just coilovers are height adjustable. the spring rates are stiffer and you can mess with the dampening to what you prefer. You can also mess with you camber with the front camber plates.

[racepar1]

The spring rates are stiffer on coilovers, that is why they limit body roll. The shock valving also has to be stiffer to match the spring rates. If the valving does not match the spring rates close enough the car will ride bouncy or very jarring. Coilovers are better because they are stiffer and more adjustable. The quality of coilovers is judged by their durability, adjustability, shock design and valving, and overall coilover design.

[S14DB]

HowStuffWorks "How Car Suspensions Work" (http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-suspension.htm)
Coilover Suspension Kits and Buyers Guide - European Car Magazine (http://www.europeancarweb.com/features/0607_ec_coilover_suspension_buyers_guide/index.html)