need some pro advice on coilovers

18th August 2007, 17:48

Ok i'm looking to whack a set of coilovers on my Car, but im a little wary of what exactly i need and how good they are! I've found a set (see link below) and need to know if anyone has any experience or knowledge about them? im currently running a spax setup with H&R rear dampers! want to know wether this would be a option and for a very reasonable price?

Link to COILOVERS

basically does anyone know, are they any good!? lol

cheers

Oli

18th August 2007, 17:57

there new to the scene but coilovers are better than a seperate spring and damper any day imo

if i could of bought them at the time i got mine lowered then i would of, but in them good old days they were like a grand or 2 lol

18th August 2007, 18:42

coilovers are brilliant, however your really need to know what youre doing with them as its not like slapping a set of lowering springs and uprated shockers. iirc they come with the following:

multi-point dampening
damper bound
damper rebound
spring rate

so a lot of playing about before a decent ride is achieved.

19th August 2007, 11:04

to be honest unless your gonna change the settings alot i think there not worth buying for the price they are.. honestly how often on a road car would you change settings??

19th August 2007, 11:28

for that sort of price all you will get is adjustable ride height. Do not confuse these with high end race units which give you lots of adjustable options.

I cannot comment on Jamex quality as I really have no experience with their products but i would imagine its designed for road cars so will have nice soft springrates.

The million dollar question is. As you only get ride height adjustability on the front, is it worth paying for this option rather than a better damper unit? The best dampers have monotube dampers and for the price these certainly will not have them. My personal view with much of the PSA range is that coilovers generally are not a worthwhile option unless your car is virtually dedicated to the track as the rear torsion bars limit your ability to match the rear when you adjust the front...

19th August 2007, 15:00

yes oli why do you want coilovers?

19th August 2007, 16:10

I want a harder ride, and less front end roll on corners, i have an upper strut brace, but a lower one is out of the question as i'd just end up totalling it everywhere round here as the oads are shite!

plus im looking to do a few track days now!

19th August 2007, 16:21

get some billies then over those cheapo coils

19th August 2007, 16:25

wheres the best plaice to get a set from?

linkage needed???

19th August 2007, 16:44

http://www.kam-racing.com/shop.php?c...a&filter_id=24

also depends on how hardcore you want the ride. whether you want grp n or the sprints

19th August 2007, 16:58

but why would i spend £100 more on a set of front shocks only, when i can spend £100 less and get a full coilover setup which would do the job im after?

19th August 2007, 17:00

They wont stick trackdays like billies will..

You would be surprised the stress suspension goes through even on a flat tarmac track..

19th August 2007, 17:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by S34MER

but why would i spend £100 more on a set of front shocks only, when i can spend £100 less and get a full coilover setup which would do the job im after?

that doesnt make sense

you get a set of shocks in those deals and your getting the best shocks. all the bodied saxos run billies not some poo coilovers. blistene coilovers are about 800 a set so goes to show how cheap they are

19th August 2007, 17:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by James_Bristol

They wont stick trackdays like billies will..

You would be surprised the stress suspension goes through even on a flat tarmac track..

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebay seller

Whether you use your car on the road, as a fast road car, for sprinting over a quarter mile or as a full on track car the Jamex Coilover Kit is the perfect solution.

and they offer a 2 year warrenty!

19th August 2007, 17:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by bullit

that doesnt make sense

you get a set of shocks in those deals and your getting the best shocks. all the bodied saxos run billies not some poo coilovers. blistene coilovers are about 800 a set so goes to show how cheap they are

not just shocks Elliott! "The Jamex Coilover Kit includes shock absorbers, springs and all of the fixings required to transform your vehicle."

im not argueing with you just fighting the point, as i want a fair comparison!

£350 is way out of my price range tbh!

19th August 2007, 17:10

They are shite..

Get them if you like, you asked for opinions on them everyone has sed they are shit and have recommended billies..

But go ahead and get them..When they snap in half or collapse i will have to say "i told you so"

19th August 2007, 17:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by James_Bristol

They are shite..

Get them if you like, you asked for opinions on them everyone has sed they are shit and have recommended billies..

But go ahead and get them..When they snap in half or collapse i will have to say "i told you so"

if they snap then theres a 2 year warrenty and i'll suew their ass in court

I asked for pro opinions, not opinions of people who have never experienced billis themselves

and i have already said they are way out of my price range

19th August 2007, 17:17

bilstein coilovers 800 v cheap coilovers 250 pretty much says it. to cheap for coils.

just save up and have the best like yates setup, ask him about his

do it once not twice

19th August 2007, 17:18

thats better advice El! are there any other suggestions around the £250 mark?

19th August 2007, 17:18

pricewise check the dicount section kam has an offer on billies in there

19th August 2007, 17:24

Really?!?!

wheres the link???

19th August 2007, 17:26

http://www.saxperience.com/forum/showthread.php?t=96845

youd still need springs

id honestly save your money and atleast get a set of sprints. youll thank us in the end

i spent 200 on a jumper yest which i didnt really want to spend, just make it your price range

19th August 2007, 17:30

cheers Elliott! wish i could rep you again, but still being told i need to spread the love

19th August 2007, 17:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by S34MER

cheers Elliott! wish i could rep you again, but still being told i need to spread the love

i feel the love

let us know what you decide though

19th August 2007, 17:36

will do matey! thanks again for the advice!

20th August 2007, 01:07

S34MER - I have Bilstein Group N Dampers all round thank you..

20th August 2007, 01:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by S34MER

I want a harder ride, and less front end roll on corners

if you mean by the use of stiffer springs you wanna watch yourself otherwise you'll have a super understeering saxo on your hands

20th August 2007, 01:13

argh why does everyone think that coilovers are allways a better option.

theyre not, suspension isnt just about bolting on 'race' parts.

you need to match the spring rates and lb of the dampers to each other, and the lb of the dampers to the rear torsion bars etc.......

theres so much to consider, a cheap set of coilovers can be ALOT worse than a respectable damper and spring combination.

20th August 2007, 01:17

ryan

its called 'talking to a brick wall'.

20th August 2007, 01:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by adsayer

ryan

its called 'talking to a brick wall'.

i call it talking to style whores who think that big words they read in max power to make a proper race car must be the be all and end all.

proven by one of the first replys in this thread,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Predator_VTR

there new to the scene but coilovers are better than a seperate spring and damper any day imo

doesnt take into any account the correct spring rates that they should have, a decent set up on proper shocks with the springs to match them and the bars would out handle a car on cheap coliovers which 95% of the time are just about having a slammed car to look bo and not a proplerly sprung suspension set up.

20th August 2007, 01:23

and for the record. standard suspension handles mint.

20th August 2007, 01:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by adsayer

and for the record. standard suspension handles mint.

standard isnt the best, but its by no where near as bad as alot of std set ups out there.

20th August 2007, 01:25

never said it was the best...

wanna know the magic formula for working out the correct damper coeff rating with regard to spring rates???

20th August 2007, 01:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Itsafastworld85

standard isnt the best, but its by no where near as bad as alot of std set ups out there.

I agree with that dude..

Std sus is also a compromise..i would imagine a saxo on my dampers for example would out handle a std sprung one tbh..

20th August 2007, 01:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by adsayer

never said it was the best...

wanna know the magic formula for working out the correct damper coeff rating with regard to spring rates???

not really at this time of the day.

i would be interested at some point though, as suspension is something i need more info on.

20th August 2007, 01:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by James_Bristol

I agree with that dude..

Std sus is also a compromise..i would imagine a saxo on my dampers for example would out handle a std sprung one tbh..

you see, you could actually have a decent setup if you werent down 60mm

20th August 2007, 01:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by adsayer

you see, you could actually have a decent setup if you werent down 60mm

LOL

Wait until trax mate...It handles superbly..no different than when it was 40mm on these dampers..

20th August 2007, 01:31

it'll understeer a lot more than a standard paxo unless the spring rate is the same as standard, ... cant argue with physics...

20th August 2007, 01:31

as i said on msn i belive your overdamping on std torsion bars.

id like to see the lb rate for your dampers and std bars.

20th August 2007, 01:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by adsayer

it'll oversteer a lot more than a standard paxo unless the spring rate is the same as standard, ... cant argue with physics...

It is very oversteery which i like tbh!!

I can argue with physics too..According to physics a bee shouldnt be able to fly due to the surface area of its wing things being too small for the size and weight of it or something..but it flies with the best of them..

20th August 2007, 01:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Itsafastworld85

as i said on msn i belive your overdamping on std torsion bars.

id like to see the lb rate for your dampers and std bars.

True..

Its not too bad though, just very easy to get oversteer if provoked..

20th August 2007, 01:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by James_Bristol

It is very oversteery which i like tbh!!

I can argue with physics too..According to physics a bee shouldnt be able to fly due to the surface area of its wing things being too small for the size and weight of it or something..but it flies with the best of them..

lol at bee comment. i could make a comment about penises but i cant be fucked as its adams argument.

20th August 2007, 01:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Itsafastworld85

lol at bee comment. i could make a comment about penises but i cant be fucked as its adams argument.

lol

Was said in jest..

Its not an argument..me and ad often debate this subject..With him reffering to the physics side and me to the experience side, when it comes to ride heights anyway..

I would love to stay up all night and debate spring rates and stuff

, but bedtime for me..

20th August 2007, 01:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by James_Bristol

It is very oversteery which i like tbh!!

I can argue with physics too..According to physics a bee shouldnt be able to fly due to the surface area of its wing things being too small for the size and weight of it or something..but it flies with the best of them..

my bad i meant understeer...

if it oversteering your roll centre height on the front is uber low then (note, it doesnt necessarily lower when you put lowering springs on though

)

20th August 2007, 01:40

and yep! it is fun to debate this and stuff.

better than... 'ere ma m8 crashd iz mint halfrds maxpwr saxo'

20th August 2007, 08:46

I've just replaced my BMW's suspension with uprated stuff and even then when I can have coilovers all round I still went for one of the best standard type kits I could rather than waste money on adjustability I would never use.
Bilstein B12 kit; Bilstein monotube dampers and matched Eibach springs. Totally transformed the cars handling without ruining the ride at all.
Yes top of the range standard style suspension can be more than some coilovers but thats because they are better made and have more expensive and superior internals. These will give you better handling and will perform better over uneven or rough surfaces. Even the spring manufacturer makes a difference when you choose coilovers. After driving a car using race Eibachs you never really want to use a budget brand..

Basically suspension is probably the main area I would always tell someone to buy as good as they can get even if it requires saving a little more.