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

alx_chung

Dark Lord of the Torque
Sep 11, 2006
1,540
0
In front of a PC....
This is a great thread mate and I would like to thank you as well as others here for putting the information out there. It pays to be an informed buyer as opposed to going into things blindly.
I will be changing the suspension on my car and after reading this and from speaking to a few people I have gone down the uprated springs and shocks route. Coilovers do offer adjustment but I don't have the knowhow or the time to play about with the settings and don't plan to track my car either. Just want to lower it slightly and improve the ride.
Alex
 

Tony_Danza

Guest
This makes for a really interesting read. I'm of the opinion that if you're going to have coils, then:

(a) Get them from the key players who have actually done the R&D, rather than some random company who have basically copied another kit using cheap parts.
(b) Get them fitted professionally, by this I mean someone with access to cornerweighting and laser alignment kit and a knowledge of how to use them properly.
(c) If you can't afford decent ones, don't have them at all. A set of springs and dampers from a good company will be night and day better than crappy coils.

Never ceases to amaze me how people spend £xx,xxx on a car and then spend buttons on some inferior, very import components that could mean the difference between you getting home safely or ending up in a ditch.
 

warren_cox

Back from the dead
This is a great thread mate and I would like to thank you as well as others here for putting the information out there. I

When I kicked this thread off, I'll admit it was in response to a period where it felt like every other 3rd thread being written on the forum was titled something along the lines of 'Looking for cheapest coilovers for my xxxxx'.

I'll be honest and say I thought this thread could have provoked one of two outcomes.

The first was it was too long and arduous to be read by people who post threads titles as outlined above, so eventually it would be consigned to 'Unread - file under bin'.

The second outcome which I was probably expecting to be the actual outcome was I was going to get loads of people wading in for an argument, and when I see a new post has been added I almost half expect there to be some impending trouble.

As much as the thread has been driven by my reaction to peoples obsession, I've been really pleased that it's provoked some really useful thoughts and subsequent posts. If it makes 2 in 100 people who may read it make the right decision (either way), then its all good stuff in my books.
 

andycupra

status subject to change
Because all the suspension kits availiable for the Fabia VRS drop about 25mm which is hardly noticable.

are you saying thats a bad thing?

IMO any kits that drop a car by more than 30mm will suffer 'in the real world'.
Also lowering a car too much can be detrimental to the look of a car.

a 'suttle lowering' is the way to go, both for looks but also so the lowering gives a benefit to the loweing of the car.
 

traumapat

Leon Cupra IHI
Jul 24, 2005
5,925
4
sunny sussex
agree with many comments on here.

ive often wondered why matched shocks and springs rarely get a mention.

there does seem to be the idea that lowest/hardest means best handling... but as said it isnt the case.
 
Mar 8, 2007
831
0
are you saying thats a bad thing?

IMO any kits that drop a car by more than 30mm will suffer 'in the real world'.
Also lowering a car too much can be detrimental to the look of a car.

a 'suttle lowering' is the way to go, both for looks but also so the lowering gives a benefit to the loweing of the car.

Yes.

The VRS is a tractor as standard and needs to be dropped around 40mm to look even similar to how most cars come from the factory standard.
 

Alps Pacino

Active Member
Oct 30, 2008
72
0
Middlesbrough
I bought a seat ibiza cupra track car which has kw coilovers and the usual strut braces etc, it has 15" compomotives with toyo r888 tyres. Now tbh i aint to clued up on the kw coilovers and how good they are but do know that the car will vastly benefit from being setup by a profesional suspension expert so thats near the top on my shopping list before the summer comes.

I agree 100% with the above about people actally not needing coilovers or putting coilovers on badly set up and hindering performance rather than gaining it. Its the old its lower and harder so must be better when infact they are robably promoting under steer by having it to hard, that and a decent set of damping ajustable shocks and springs would be a better set up for a road car imo.
 

warren_cox

Back from the dead
this is going to be such a bad post to drop in lol, but i'm actually trying to find out the best kit for the ibiza mk3 cupra... weitec seems to be a favourite?

Weitec suspension is amazing quality at it's price point. It used to be a standalone brand back in the 90's when I ran their adjustable dampers /spring kit on Mk2 Golfs. There is a guy called Steve Cresswell who used to write a Q&A section in 'the Golf' magazine many moons ago. He recommended Weitec to me and my initial response was 'Who'? After having owned them I can honestly say they were very good. They have supposedly been absorbed into KW, so can't vouch that they still produce exactly the same kit, but of all the suspension kits I've had (HR / Koni-Eibach / Spax / Weitec) I have found them to be the best allrounder as they retain so much of the OE feel in terms of the fact the aren't crashy / choppy, but then when you push them they keep on holding up - such a compliant ride. Steve runs C&R Enterprises in Nottingham, and still stocks them, but the best point of contact for us guys is Damian (DPM) on here.

What makes the choice of whose kit to buy even harder is that in many cases I don't think many people understand what good suspension is to be able to determine whether it is honestly good or bad. You have to fork out a lot of money and in most cases its based on conjecture and opinions!!!
 

cupramillo

The "Red Baron"
Feb 24, 2008
2,039
0
South London
Just wanted say how much i have enjoyed reading this thread and for once actually being able to learn something from a thread. Like you said its all "how cheap can i get coilivers for?" and "oh i want to slam it to the floor". am currently looking at getting a set of coilovers. I think its fair to say that if you want a good set then your just going to have to cough uo for it and pay!

After going to AMD essex and talking to the guys down there, main man Shawn really knows his VAG cars and pointed me towards AP, another off shoot from the KW family and said for the price they out alot of expensive coilover kits to shame. Thing is i use my mk3 cupra everyday and dont want the ride to be silly.

When all is said and done there will always be people out there buying the cheapest stuff on the market and saying its awesome, but when it comes down to it, you have to pay for quailty and make an informed decision. Ive been looking for a set for near on 6months now and am still none the wiser as what to buy. More reasearch required!

Great thread! :D
 

Willie

LCR Track car
Aug 6, 2004
8,939
1
Sunny Scotland
I'll be buying the Weitec TX (KWV2's in disguise). I hope these will be all the coilovers I need. With the adjustable dampers and adjustable height, properly set up and corner weighted with uprated engine mounts, uprated bushes, new bushes and top mounts and properly inflated tyres I think this will be a winning combination. Will be interesting to see with corner weighting what the ride height ends up looking like. Substance over style:)
 

UncleFester

Grumpier by the day!
Apr 30, 2006
4,764
1
Milton Keynes
www.facebook.com
If you just want ultimate adjustment for shows and looks at events ... get air ride and throw away the grease and C spanner for good. Personally i'm happy with the Eibach shocks and springs however the KW V2 seem to get good reviews and those who do have them say the ride is actually better than stock and better than aftermarket shocks and springs - more compliant and better damped yet not so crashy.

I do wonder how many of the so called 'track' cars actually see any regular track use - hence comment about air ride.
 

45_CB

Back in the Cupra again
Oct 8, 2007
219
0
Plymouth, Devon
Weitec suspension is amazing quality at it's price point. It used to be a standalone brand back in the 90's when I ran their adjustable dampers /spring kit on Mk2 Golfs. There is a guy called Steve Cresswell who used to write a Q&A section in 'the Golf' magazine many moons ago. He recommended Weitec to me and my initial response was 'Who'? After having owned them I can honestly say they were very good. They have supposedly been absorbed into KW, so can't vouch that they still produce exactly the same kit, but of all the suspension kits I've had (HR / Koni-Eibach / Spax / Weitec) I have found them to be the best allrounder as they retain so much of the OE feel in terms of the fact the aren't crashy / choppy, but then when you push them they keep on holding up - such a compliant ride. Steve runs C&R Enterprises in Nottingham, and still stocks them, but the best point of contact for us guys is Damian (DPM) on here.

What makes the choice of whose kit to buy even harder is that in many cases I don't think many people understand what good suspension is to be able to determine whether it is honestly good or bad. You have to fork out a lot of money and in most cases its based on conjecture and opinions!!!

Thank you for that reply, was most helpful on weitec information :) I really like the look of very low cars but before ive had cars where performance isn't relevant so I would just wind it to the floor for looks, but the cupra I want to be lower but not handle like a greased up pig on ice!

Im still debating to get rid of my H&R cup shock and spring kit tbh or not....
 
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Wilko

Badge snob
When I first did the suspension on the golf, I went for th eibach springs, dampers and arb's as I took the attitude of 'well lets face it german chassis engineers know more than me'
The car handled great and the ride was fine for a daily driver.
99% of people would be happy with this and the handling balance reminded me of pugs of old.

After the suspension got tired (90kmiles) I had balance motorsport fit coilovers and fitted tt wishbones, bushes, ball joints, and hubs.

Car was corner weighted and at 40mm drop the wishbones are still sitting as they should statically. The ride is just acceptable for road use, but it now significantly out handles my old mans boxster, which is the sweetest handling car (out of the box) I have driven to date, and I've driven lots of exotic metal.

The damping is fine on anything but the very worst b road, and only the most severe speed hump causes issues.

Stability under breaking is fantastic, with no rear end lightness.

But if I'd just had coilovers fitted, or had fitted them myself, the eibach prokit would have been a much better option.

Chuck hundreds of pounds of setup at coilovers and you can outperform spring damper combos, but most never will.
 

mrcoyote

See no evil...
Jul 26, 2004
2,624
0
As one of the people who's gone for coilovers on the Mk4 Ibiza I have to say they weren't my first choice initially as I was after the Koni FSD + Eibach springs combination, but I kept being told they weren't suitable for the Cupra and I wasn't willing to be a guinea pig and buy a set, then pay for them to be fitted only to find that there weren't "right".

Now that left me with a bit of a dilemma as I was getting increasingly annoyed with the OE suspension and wanted shot of it, so after a lot of researching I ended up with a set of KW V1's. I could have gone for the cheapest set I could find, but having been in a car fitted with them previously I was happy with how they performed and even though they're firmer than the standard suspension everything feels a lot more controlled. If I had to do things again would I do the same? The simple answer is I don't know. Admittedly the car handles and rides a lot better now than it ever did, but occasionally I wish I had a slightly softer ride.
 
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