Coilovers - The science

[KingStromba]

Can someone give me a scientific, engineering or technical reson why coilovers are better than standard suspension for road use?

Please no 'my mate said this' or 'it feels better' crap. I want science, technical data or engineering explanations.

So the question i guess is:

Cross country would a Williams on coilovers be faster than a standard Williams, and if so what is the technical reason?

(and please compare new with new)

[richy]

(just got bacxk from town so this sounds good in my head)
think its mainly cus on std its jhow it is nothing u can aleter. wereas withj coilovers u have the flexibility(big word) to adjust height and dampning even rebound if splash the cash ! so u can set how u want u car to ride both how hard n how high, also there is room for bigger alloys if needed, obviously the sproing rates can be a;ltered by buying other springs, based of that std wily springs are 125lbs and average coilover is 170+lbs, gives reduced roll and greatwer stavbility in cornering esp at spreed, of couse if u run a harder set up then std then it wont have the same affect on bumpoy roads, ie std will take a hit from a pot hole etc better and not send 50% odf shock into your teeth lol

think thats right lol

[richy]

oh n my mate said so!!!!!! hehehe

[2 live]

nothing scietific from me lol.

but


the diference wth the coilovers that iv noticed..cos lets face it.scientific results can be doctored as easily as a brown envelope can exchange hands....

1) normal evryday driving on the bumpy roads round here, is a little stiffer on the susp, over bumps, but it doesnt feel any twitchier for it, a few other willy owners have comented on how much the ride in mine is better over the bumpy stuff..seems to absorb more....

2) with a bit of energetic driving, the car corners flatter, smoother, and faster.......

3) if u want to you can adjust most aspects of te characteristics of them to suit ur driving style

4) perfect for track days

5) they aid in braking too...keeping the distance required to stop down...


so yes..back road .std willy susp, vs coilovers......coilovered would win..maybe not by much ..but it would come out ahead.......put them on the track tho.......coilovers would annilihate the std set up......

all IMO and results tested by me for me...........

[Swervin_Mervin]

Are coilovers essential to gain that advantage though? I thought their main application was in motorsport to allow full adjustment of ride height and damper rates for all the potential different surfaces.

I then thought their application on road cars was mainly due to the fact that people could drive at a reasonable height but then drop them right down for that supposedly cool look when posing/showing.

Would a decent spring/damper kit not achieve the same results on normal roads?

[2 live]

yes mate they probably would........but as u say, with the coilovers u have loads more adjustment....in ride height anyway...in all honesty i could probs have saved some coin n got a pair of lowered springs for the front with adj shox all round........but wot if ur not happy with the height ??...u then have to **** about findin companies that will give u stiffer springs with say a 5-10mm drop in height as opposed to 30 mil.......which wastes the money uv jus spent on the -30 mm springs.strippin it all down again, fittin th new springs etc etc etc........instead of just undoing a grub screw then rotating the platform to give the desired height.....

[J o n]

Rob, the science is money and the coilovers are more expensive... therefore better ;)

I'll be getting some in the future, mainly because I want the car to sit about 15mm lower and like Jon says, they corner flatter, body roll is something i'll never get used to or embrace! lol

[Swervin_Mervin]

True.

[2 live]

yeah forgot to mention the added bonus of no more scratches on me door mirrors while cornering hard too

[willy 0329]

whitch are the best make coilovers to go for