hmm I'm a newbie to suspension so please excuse me aha, well I wanted to know what the difference is with lowering springs and coil overs? I always ask my friends but they don't know too much either.

what's the best way to go about lowering the car?

rims
the kit
suspension springs

all at the same time? or can you lower it and add the extras later (low on cash right now)

 

The first thing to note is that any suspension part you install will be functioning as a coilover setup once on the car. Coilover simply means "coil[spring] over the shock", which is to say the shock passes through the empty space inside the coils. All the common names people use to describe aftermarket suspension parts are just that, so don't get too hung up on common terminology.

Now, the average lowering spring is just that, a spring all by itself. It'll lower your car and likely bump up the spring rate some, and if designed properly can and will improve vehicle performance. The problem here though is two fold, one it isn't height adjustable and secondly the stock shocks are still in there. You can't do anything about the first problem but the second is fixed by buying some aftermarket shocks, which is a whole 'nother issue.

Sleeved springs (such as Ground Controls) take it one step further by offering a lowering spring with a height adjustable perch, which works quite well to fix that old first problem of non-adjustable ride height. The second problem still remains though... shocks are needed. The other issue here worth mentioning is that most sleeved spring setups use very stiff spring rates (to facilitate 3" drops without bottoming on everything larger than a bott's dot), which makes for a very stiff ride, and a bouncy one too unless the shocks are extremely good.

What people generally call coilovers are actually matched sets of coil springs and shocks, conveniently packaged for your buying pleasure. Some are height adjustable and some are not (almost all are), some come with adjustable shocks while other don't (adjustable in damping force, yet another different subject to cover another time), and some are very high quality while others just make it in above the sleeved spring water mark.


The best way to go about lowering your car depends upon what car it is, how much money you have to spend and what goals you have for the completed setup. And let's not forget the single most important part of the suspension and vehicle in terms of performance... TIRES. None of this means **** if you have bad tires, so plan to purchase the best set possible first. Does that answer all your questions?


[Modified by texan, 3:44 AM 10/15/2002]

 

Also, if you want better handling, get sport shocks along with springs. Springs are mainly hold up your car and don't do as much for handling as shocks will. So in essence, if you lower yor car with stock shocks, once they go, your handling may actually be WORSE than when you started.

 

thanks for your help guys