Coilover obession - Why do you really want coilovers???

M1KEH

M1KE
Oct 27, 2007
2,336
0
The Middle
Im conisdering which way to go with my mk2 ibiza at the moment too, but before i spend my money on suspension i am going to buy some reasonably sized wheels with quality tyres. This is also often overlooked with people trying to look "scene". Manufacturers design their suspension to work well with a degree of flex within the tyres. "Upgrading" to 17" wheels with ultra low profiles on an ibiza just isn't going to give you a better ride. Similarly going to 19"s on a leon just isn't a wise move unless you have the suspension adjustability to cope with there being no flex in the tyre.
 

antnee

Guest
Thought I would throw my 2 cents in.

I have had coilovers on my Ibiza for about 4months now, and I must of changed the ride height about a dozen times now with no problems at all. no need to have it re-tracked as if its changed by the same amount on both sides all parameters change by the same amount.
 

Mr_Dave

lnk cr b82rez 2g4!
Aug 8, 2007
1,302
2
Cheshire
What an interesting and informative thread.
I knew there was a lot more setup possible with coilovers, but dayum!

It is making me question as with many people the feasibility of having a spring/shock setup, the only thing that deters me massively is I'm not THAT fussed about handling as I don't tend to push it round the twisties and the stock setup is more than adequate. As I'm doing it purely for looks (didn't buy a 'sporty' variant to have it looking like a 4x4) the only concern is whether the end result will be at a height I consider acceptable.

Recently someone off the forum went for Weitec springs/dampers, and the front was quite noticably higher than the rear.. Not an objection to the idea, but it's proving very difficult to find pics of springs/dampers in situ to make a decision!!
 

Aimez

Active Member
I can't read this entire thread tbh may come back to it later thou. But for a year I have been umming and arring as the get some or not. I agree too many people just post 'get coilovers' on my readers ride.
I said I was worried after seeing pics on here of FK ones leaking and then the link to here from the thread about incorrectly fitted coilovers. Then someone on here said they have to bee taken off every month to be cleaned. That was it I was decided not for me. Unless someone helped I would not be able to fit them myself and maintain them. Recently I have changed my mind again after a majority of people on here said 12 times a year is ridiculous on such a pricey mod and that taking the wheels off and cleaning them greasing them was enough.
Will not buy a cheap set but need to sort out fitting as I do want to see and maybe help fit them so I understand them more. I felt stupid not knowing how they go together and work but realise alot of people who have them have no clue either bit I am interested.
 

neil

Full Member
Jan 3, 2002
278
0
Grimston
Visit site
I fitted eibach pro street coilovers to my leon cupra in october 2005 , in that time i have covered about 30000 miles and have had 2 broken springs , 1 back + 1 front and all 4 shocks are now leaking. As it was going to cost over £500 just to replace the shocks i have now fitted a set of kw uprated springs and shocks with a 40mm drop , the ride is alot more comfy and less harsh and there isnt a great difference in handling that i have noticed.
If the car was a weekend toy i would fit coilovers in an instant but not for everyday use around here (west norfolk).
neil
 

RobDon

Pro Detailer
I've had KW V2's on my car for many years, never had a single issue with them, still adjustable without cleaning them much after 5 years, very high quality and reliable product. I previously had FK coilovers and they were rubbish, too soft and leaked, KW's are awesome. I got coilovers so I could adjust the height and damping for trackdays, and also have good road control without being over-harsh ... the KW V2's are perfect.

If you don't drive hard or do trackdays then coilovers are pointless, but if you do then they are well worth having.
 

DPJ

...........
Dec 13, 2004
7,996
2
NN Yorks / Salento
www.seatcupra.net
I've had KW V2's on my car for many years, never had a single issue with them, still adjustable without cleaning them much after 5 years, very high quality and reliable product. I previously had FK coilovers and they were rubbish, too soft and leaked, KW's are awesome. I got coilovers so I could adjust the height and damping for trackdays, and also have good road control without being over-harsh ... the KW V2's are perfect.

If you don't drive hard or do trackdays then coilovers are pointless, but if you do then they are well worth having.

Agreed. I've had KW V2s on for about eighteen months. Cleaned them at 12 months. The adjustment has been worth having.

(I also agree with the main thread point, had I been able to select a spring/damper combination with absolute confidence, I may have gone for it.)

Just bought a set of AP coilovers for the Ibiza. I would have bought springs and shox but I was uncertain about ride height...... :shrug:
 

Aimez

Active Member
Anyone heard much about APs? they seem popular on mk4s now (seem to have taken over form FKs since a few have had leaks maybe!) I was considering them fro my car.

Going to cars shows pressures you into getting coilovers as I was one of very very few cars that was on standard suspension and people were asking why! I want to improve the ride as it is very crashy if it is made worse then I will take them off and sell them on.

I am struggling to find people review on coilovers on here that doesn't just mention how low they go on the back and how cheap they are! The height is is important to me too but the ride is a hundred times more important to me.
 

Willie

LCR Track car
Aug 6, 2004
8,939
1
Sunny Scotland
Aimee, the best thing you can do is to find people with the same car as you with various coilover set up and get a spin and see what you think.
Coilovers are a compromise that people make to either get the drop they want or the extreme levels of grip they want. The sacrific is ALWAYS comfort whether it's a £250 set or a £1,000 set.
 

Aimez

Active Member
read hundred of thread already, not many scn member in my area about 7 people coming to a meet on Sunday nor many are ibizas! To be honest I have been a passenger in my car only once but it is not the same as when driving, feels different (was motorway mostly thou). Dunno certain things I give up on with hte car then go back to every now and then, this is one of them!
 

ChromePete

Spanner Monkey
Apr 29, 2008
53
0
Petersfield
www.geocities.com
feel free - might help another lost soul decide or at least mak an educated decision

right, finally here are some prices:

Front Shock - £39.10
rear shock - £33.45
top mount - £5.80
Bearing - £2.80
lowering spring kit - £59

making a grand total of £254.50 inc VAT. Please bear in mind these are for a Goof and will probably be different for the Seats. All parts from GSF in Pompey (who are very very helpful chaps and chapettes indeed!)

3 months of driving on them and I've gone from loving it (much faster) to hating it (not so comfy on short town runs) back to loving them again. I thnk the springs and shocks have just had to settle in and now the town runs are not so bad, although small bumps and crappy tarmac doesn't seem to get absorbed as well as before, but opening it up on the road or track means it understeers more predictably and I can finally get it to lift off oversteer! :D

So, in my humble opinion; unless you are loaded or want to race or go lowlowlow just freshen the car up with new shocks mounts and springs. The best money I've spent so far!
 

robertj

weight is the enemy
A very interesting thread. I've read every last word on here and various other forums. Next week my LCR is going in to Jabba for a set of KW Clubsports, Neuspeed antiroll bars and poly bushes. I do 3 or 4 track days a year which is how I'm justifying the expense! But I need a fully adjustable set up not only for the track but because my wife uses the car for the school run!! So, for every day use the car will be as standard as I can get it and for the track Jabba have said they are going to give me some settings to try out as they use these coilovers on one or 2 of their VAG track cars apparently so have had some experience setting them up.
Like a lot of people on here I've been struggling to get any useful feedback about how a particular setup behaves so I'll try and post up my findings once I have had a chance to experiment a bit.
 

Mr_Dave

lnk cr b82rez 2g4!
Aug 8, 2007
1,302
2
Cheshire
Anyone heard much about APs? they seem popular on mk4s now (seem to have taken over form FKs since a few have had leaks maybe!) I was considering them fro my car

I've driven 2 Ibizas with them on, and my ex Ibiza with Eibachs on

Ride wise I wouldn't say there's a lot in it really, they both seemed to react fairly well, and personally I preferred the ride on coilovers to the stock suspension, as it stopped the sea-sickness feeling you get.

Can't really talk about the handling as I'm not one to push a mates car but they felt like they had a good stance, the Eibachs on mine were awesome though.

I think they're brilliant for the money, but on the Leon I've gone for KWs, as they're tried and tested, and not many people seem to have heard a lot about the APs.. Ride quality is great on them, too :D
 

Mr_Dave

lnk cr b82rez 2g4!
Aug 8, 2007
1,302
2
Cheshire
They are fairly new - NickFR (Maybe NickLCR now, can't remember if his name changed, had them at launch time tho!) and Adz.21 both had/have them, they definately weren't like some other budget coilovers I've experienced, quite a well refined ride all round.

Reckon you'd be happy if you did go for them, but it's always best to try and find someone with them!!
 

robertj

weight is the enemy
this sounds really interesting, can you have the best of both worlds????

Well I hope so! We'll see when I get the car back. Like I said, it's been hard to get any decent comparisons, firstly to the OEM set up and secondly in the adjustability of the various coilovers on the market.
I had intended to get KW V3s but Jabba have had a set of Clubsports delivered by mistake for some one else and offered them to me with 15% discount. These are the same as V3s but with adjustable top mounts too.
I will post my findings as soon as I can. We'll see what the missus thinks of them too. The ultimate test will be if she notices any difference at all !!!
 

Willie

LCR Track car
Aug 6, 2004
8,939
1
Sunny Scotland
Well I hope so! We'll see when I get the car back. Like I said, it's been hard to get any decent comparisons, firstly to the OEM set up and secondly in the adjustability of the various coilovers on the market.
I had intended to get KW V3s but Jabba have had a set of Clubsports delivered by mistake for some one else and offered them to me with 15% discount. These are the same as V3s but with adjustable top mounts too.
I will post my findings as soon as I can. We'll see what the missus thinks of them too. The ultimate test will be if she notices any difference at all !!!
Sounds like a very interesting set up you'll have there.
Have you searched on here for write ups on KWV3's?
There are at least 3, one by me in my LCR.
Really fancied club sports as well but couldn't justtify the cost at the time and got V3's second hand for a good price.
I hope you have an understanding wife as she'll hate these day to day. I haven't experimented with the softer settings yet but my car is only for me on the roafd and track as we have a second car for the family car.
Let us know how you get on with the set up
 

robertj

weight is the enemy
Sounds like a very interesting set up you'll have there.
Have you searched on here for write ups on KWV3's?
There are at least 3, one by me in my LCR.
Really fancied club sports as well but couldn't justtify the cost at the time and got V3's second hand for a good price.
I hope you have an understanding wife as she'll hate these day to day. I haven't experimented with the softer settings yet but my car is only for me on the roafd and track as we have a second car for the family car.
Let us know how you get on with the set up

I will let you know Willie, and I have been following your trials and tribulations on this forum over the past months and like yours has become, my car will ultimately only be a track car once I persuade the missus into a Golf or A3! (she can be a bit of a girl racer at times!) I've had the LCR from new and have become quite attached to it although I really only drive it for track days now as I have a Navara for everyday use.
 
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