Such Thing As a Comfy Coilover

[jules325i]

Just noticed my rear shocks have gone, and the fronts are not long for the world, plus springs have sagged.
And by the time i buy new shocks and springs its about the price of a coilover suspension setup.

Is there a brand of coil over that will not be to stiff that i feel like i'm riding a horse.
However i do drive my car hard and would love a sportier ride.
I don't really want my sump to be scrubbing the ground.

I like the look of this-

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/260620393151?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_2435wt_1235

Plus i'm looking at a anti-rollbar to minimise body roll like this-

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BMW-3-Series-82-91-E30-Eibach-Anti-Roll-Bar-Kit-/190731922996?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2c68822e34&_uhb=1

[ak-]

KW is very good, but ultimately I think you'd want to chose your own rates since comfort is on your agenda. Call GC and they can set you up accordingly or make your own bastardized kit.

Bigger sways wil definitely give you a "sportier" ride without sacrificing comfort.

[AussieTemplar]

That kit on ebay.. does it still need all the welding and shit to fit them in?
Are there any coilover kits for e30s that doesnt need welding??

[frankie591]

no you just need to swap your hubs and wheel bearings onto the new strut housings. it's a copy of the h&r coilover design.

[wakdog]

I have just ordered a set of the KW V2 from tunershop a week ago - they told me 3 week lead time for production, but they are only charging me $69 delivery (and willing to mark it as less than 1k for GST/import duty dodging...)

The V1 is kinda expensive at ~$1600AUD +$69 shipping when you factor in that it doesnt come with camber plates.

the advantage you get is that they have done the shortening and assembly for you, whereas with a Ground Control setup you will need to DIY shorten housings and assemble them (or pay for them to get you housings, shorten and ship assembled, will probably be more expensive than the KWs by the time you factor in shipping...)

The ground control setup would set you back $1500 + shipping, but it comes with camber plates, then you have to factor in assembly ($$ if you cant do it yourself)

[AussieTemplar]

I have just ordered a set of the KW V2 from tunershop a week ago - they told me 3 week lead time for production, but they are only charging me $69 delivery (and willing to mark it as less than 1k for GST/import duty dodging...)

The V1 is kinda expensive at ~$1600AUD +$69 shipping when you factor in that it doesnt come with camber plates.

the advantage you get is that they have done the shortening and assembly for you, whereas with a Ground Control setup you will need to DIY shorten housings and assemble them (or pay for them to get you housings, shorten and ship assembled, will probably be more expensive than the KWs by the time you factor in shipping...)

The ground control setup would set you back $1500 + shipping, but it comes with camber plates, then you have to factor in assembly ($$ if you cant do it yourself)

So theres no welding or cutting or anything, they just drop straight in?

[Ant_e30]

There is no reason why you cant have a 'comfy coilover'. if it is damper adjustable they generally go pretty soft at the softest setting and since many offer you the ability to choose your own rates you can tone them down if you want to. At the end of the day the reason most people want coilovers is for adjustability, usually in the 'lower than usual' range. You go coilover to acheive this with shock travel maintained. However if you dont even want to go that low then a well matched shock and spring combo will probably do as good a job if not better if its perfectly matched and sitting at its optimal height. Buying through online sources you should get this a few hundred at least cheaper than the cheapest coilovers (which are weld in style ones). Otherwise you can get coilovers and try to tone them down further but may be less easy to predict your outcome. Also if you tone them down too much, they will have ability to go lower than they 'should' really meaning you may bottom out on things.

GC kits include spindle too if you pay a surcharge. i got a quote ages ago delivered and i think it was around $2k AUD.

KW also come with spindle as stated.

The cut and welding isnt entirely odd, i asked about it at a couple of higher end type suspension shops here and they do it for other cars with similar setups (off the top of my head i know older nissans like Laurels and R31 skylines have the setup).

[jlevie]

You can have a "comfy coilover", but there are trade offs. If the car will be lower than stock ride height the shorter coilover springs will have to be soft and the car will bottom out on those springs. Longer springs can have lower rates, but the car will wind up at or very near OE ride height. In which case there'd be little advantage to coilovers vs stock type springs.

The bottom line is that shorter springs require higher spring rates, whether they are coilovers or stock type springs. That results in a more harsh (less comfy) ride.

[bmwguy325is]

My question is why do you want coils?
As mentioned above lower springs demand high spring rates.....
Now if you get a shock than can over dampen the spring then your ride wont suffer to much.
I honestly think my car rides better on full stiff shock settings. Its firm but less drama.