What are coilovers? And are they the best?

[QBANG]

I put my order in for the 4100's with Jack last week. $2300 is hard to beat!

[nrubenstein]

So it seems that with a suspension set up, coilovers ARE the way to go.

THanks

Yes. The shock and spring choices available for E30s are pretty mediocre, unless you make the leap.

I'm trying to live with my Bilsteins, but I may end up getting weak and just buying another set of 4100s. (I've got them on my E46, and had them on my old E36. Of all the suspensions I've owned/used, they are by far my favorites.)

[Jand3rson]

This is a great thread, lots of good info. I think I might go for that Gaz kit!

[nrubenstein]

This is a great thread, lots of good info. I think I might go for that Gaz kit!

So, does anyone support them in the US? I'd be reluctant to own a set of dampers that I had to ship internationally for service/rebuilds. The Gaz dampers look like a halfway decent setup (if you spend the extra money to buy a setup of inboard rear springs and a perch - rear coilovers will tear out the shock towers unless you weld in tubular reinforcements).

[XvillainousX]

When you purchase the Gaz system, they ask if you want to run coilover system in the rear, or have the spring in the factory location.

[D-rock]

Now how about ast vs ground control big jump or no?

[payney8]

anyone have link for reinforcing rear shock towers

[325ix]

This is very useful, It would be even better If we could compile a list of different set ups and how they drive and cost.

[5ickride]

I was speaking with Jack about possibly buying the AST's kit being sold over at e30tech and he said I should also buy the other parts that compliment this set up to perform at an optimal level like; control arms, tie rods, bushings, mounts, etc...about another $1k in parts on top of AST's $2300 for the kit. Needless to say, it starts to add up for a seemingly top level suspension upgrade.
I like the fact that you can switch around your springs to your liking/style of driving and also have the ability of height adjustment. Im beginning to know a bit more about coilovers but what i want to know is if you guys that have them feel like its a great improvement over something like billy sports/hr sport set ups? Night and day? Or are coilovers geared more towards track use/auto x?

thanks for all the replies.

[nrubenstein]

The control arms, tie rods, bushings and mounts are basic maintenance that you should be doing as a matter of course. Do them first before you buy any springs/shocks/coilovers. Keeping the suspension consistently pointing in the correct direction and not breaking off is the most important thing you can do to improve handling.

IMHO, the big problem with the spring/shock combos is that the super soft springs tend to bottom out way too easily over bumps. A proper coilover setup allows you to shorten the front strut, allowing more travel, and allows you to install enough spring to cope with the weight of the car. Are H&R Sports w/ Bilsteins a bad setup? No. Could they be improved on A LOT? Yes.

Past a certain point, all suspension mods are geared more for track/autox use. IMHO, the magic of the ASTs is that they give you more without compromising ride quality.

[AbsorbantNut]

Could you guys give me some opinions on the 400 dollar weld on coils from GC versus their super kit where its a premodified strut housing etc? Are they the same exact thing but they do the welding for you?

I'm going for a street/track setup, and I would like the adjustability that coil overs offer. Care to help a brother out:D

[phreshkid]

I too would like to know the answer to this question stated above.
As of now, I am going full GC coilover kit and I'm pulling the trigger within the next three days. How do the two compare against eachother? Or maybe they don't?

[j0oftheworld]

If you're just street driving go w. Spring/Damper combo..
Unless you have the cash and want to have height control.
Or maybe you haven't mentioned some track duty it might be doing?

[Elephant]

I too would like to know the answer to this question stated above.
As of now, I am going full GC coilover kit and I'm pulling the trigger within the next three days. How do the two compare against eachother? Or maybe they don't?

To answer this and the previous question referenced.........

The $400 kit is sleeves (sorry, to be clear I mean height adjusters) and springs. You need to do all the work to have the housings modified in order to use this stuff. That's not bad, just saying. Also, the full kit includes camber plates (I think) and other bits that you may or may not need to buy. So the $400 kit is not a direct comparison.

One big difference is the full kit comes with dampers too. Now if you have these then of course you don't need them twice.

To the OP............

I think most of this has been covered....adjustable ride height, ability to change springs, generally can be a much better set up (IE matched dampers/springs), better performance (depending on the kit), stock size spring/damper set ups are an improvement over stock but leave a fair bit to be desired all around.

Ultimately though the "need" for a coilover set up should be based on what you need to get out of it, what your goals are. There are a lot of kits on the market and many are plenty good especially considering what you pay for them. But ultimately you'll need to determine how important overall performance (track/autoX specifically) and street ride quality are to you. This is where differences will start to come through quickly.

Obviously quality is an issue too but assuming you're not getting a complete kit for $500 this shouldn't be a huge issue. ; )

Cheers.