The coilover guide 2023

Choosing the right coilovers

Which coilovers are best? There are many different brands in coilovers and lowering kits. When you have to choose a rate, you have to think about what the purpose should be, that's how it will be best. Ask the questions: should I just lower the car? -should I drive on a track? -should it be quality and longevity? -what is my budget?

Based on the goal of the coilover purchase, you then move on and look at which brands and models suit your purpose. In this guide, we will go through functions, which coilovers fit where, some terms and glossary, tips on adjustment and maintenance. Read more and learn the basics of coilovers!

Coilovers for the street

If you drive the car daily, there are actually two ways to choose coilovers. Either you have styled the car so that you want it to be "stanced", i.e. really low, usually rim edge against fender edge. Or, you have built a car that should have better handling than the original, lower ride height for appearance and in some cases even better comfort. With these two preferences, we can then look at two types of coilovers. One more factor is of course price and budget, but we are currently starting from buying the right coilovers for the right purpose.

Stance - For this type of car, we always recommend BC Racing BR. It is BC's street version of coilovers, but with the unique feature that you as a customer can customize these when ordering. You can get their "Extra drop" or "Drop Low". This means that the dampers are built approx. 20mm shorter than the standard kit, with associated shorter springs. This is completely free of charge. You also get the option to determine the hardness of the springs yourself. This is a fantastic opportunity for the stance cars in particular. At BC Racing you also get the kit complete with top mounts. Often front camber mounts, as long as the car itself can have and be adjusted in that way.

So what should you buy if you're going to drive Stanced?
Answer: BC Racing BR with extra drop and 2-4 kg/mm stiffer springs.

Comfort & Sport - This purpose is a bit broader which gives more options, good huh! But let's start from the beginning.

The difference between comfort and sport is not as big as it sounds. Comfort when it comes to handling is suspension that can handle rough roads and bumps without bottoming out or being bumpy. A sporty chassis is, in short, suspension that is more stable and often provides a lower center of gravity than the original.

In this category, you don't need the features like in the stance kit. You don't want the car extra low and certainly not stiffer springs. Here we instead aim for good shock absorbers, adjustability, rubber or OEM top bearings and progressive springs.

As a first recommendation, we have ST Suspensions. This is German KW Suspensions brand from the USA, which is built on the exact same internal components as the Inox series, but has a galvanized damper body instead of stainless. This is so that the brand has a lower price image. The purpose of ST Suspensions is to reach a younger target group in the USA with high-quality coilovers from Europe.

ST Suspensions has several different steps to choose from where they end up in one function per price range. A fun feature is that you can choose the color and your own text on the springs. Fun Detail!

• X Series - Height Adjustable Only.
• XA Series - Height Adjustment, Adjustable Rebound.
• XTA Series - Height Adjustment, Adjustable Rebound, Camber Top Bearings.
• XTA Plus 3 - Height Adjustment, Adjustable Rebound, 2-Way Low & High Speed Compression, Top Bearings.

Our second recommendation is KW Suspensions. There is no doubt that anyone who deals with cars knows who KW is. With their market-leading technology and stainless damper body, these coilovers are more or less perfect for us in the Nordics and Europe. You probably think they are expensive. Yes, they cost a lot. But believe us, after our visits to the factory and our trainings, you understand how much goes into these coilover kits.

The KW works the same way as the ST coils in terms of functions and price ranges. Their series for street driving is called Inox and in addition to this there are also Street Comfort and HAS - adjustable springs that are perfect for the purpose. Inox 1 is height adjustment only, Inox 2 with adjustable rebound and Inox 3 with adjustable rebound and compression.

We round off this category with two cheaper options. These are not quite covered by the characteristics we desire for the perfect chassis. But budget is a big issue when it comes to coilover purchases and we shouldn't forget the entry kit. Take TA Technix, a brand that is talked about a lot but is actually a good entry into the world of car styling. Their coilovers are incredibly cheap and lower the car cheaply. Many say that they are hard and bouncy, but it usually comes down to lowering too much and bottoming out the damper, i.e. bouncing on the internal bumpstop. As these are lowered on the spring, this becomes the problem if you lower too much. The advantage of TA despite being a cheap brand is that there are spare parts. It rarely does on cheap brands so this is a security and advantage.

Coilovers for track days & track driving

To choose coilovers that can withstand track driving, be adjustable enough so that you can cut times and have good handeling, you need to know a few things. Racing coilovers (if we're using that term right now), shouldn't just be hard springs. It's a common mistake we hear when talking to customers. "-With harder springs, they can handle the track". No, we won't have it that way. Join us here!

A coilover kit that is suitable for track is a kit that conforms to the surface. You want a kit that is actually soft, not spongy or bumpy but compliant. With really good dampers, adjusted rebound and compression and the right springs, your car will be glued to the track and the suspension will follow the track perfectly. So you get a perfect grip. So how do we achieve that and which coilovers do I need to buy?

Öhlins Road & Track is a great kit for those of you who drive trackdays where you drive the car to and from the track. These adjustable kits are made to easily get you out on the track with easy adjustability through an adjustment knob that changes both rebound and compression.

The KW Suspension Clubsport is a similar kit but slightly more adjustable. Clubsport is available in both 2- and 3-way for those who want to be able to adjust rebound, low- and high-speed compression separately. The 3-way model also has an external oil reservoir.

BC Racing ZRs are 3-way adjustable with an external oil reservoir and inverted monotube dampers. These are incredibly durable and sturdy at a great price. Öhlins and KW are real leaders in shock absorber technology, but BC is an affordable alternative we can stand behind!

Glossary - Coilovers

• Adjustable height. This has all coilovers, otherwise it is a road holding kit. This is adjusted via the locking rings/platform that sits under the spring, or via the lower attachment.
• Adjustable hardness/shock absorption. This is a feature found on the more expensive kits. A function that we think is necessary. If you are going to drive on a track, this is a must. If you want to be able to ride with some comfort even if you ride low, this function is also necessary.
• Top bearings. The more expensive kits usually include new, fresh top bearings. They can e.g. be Pillowballs, rubber bushings or other.
• Adjustable lower brackets. This function is appreciated by customers who are going to ride really low or on a track. This allows you to lower the car significantly without affecting the preload.
• Brake hose holder. The finer kits also have model-specific brake hose holders so that you can easily and neatly assemble the hoses together with the coilovers.
• Oil reservoir, separate rebound and compression. A function you will find on the track kits. The external oil reservoir keeps the oil cooler as a larger amount of oil circulates in the dampers. With separate adjustments, you can also make the damping work exactly as you want.
• Low & high speed compression, is how quickly the damper is compressed during slow or fast strokes. Imagine that you drive over soft bumps on the asphalt, then the oil in the damper goes through the low-speed section in the piston. If you drive into a hole or on a hard edge on the asphalt and there is a sudden impact, the oil quickly passes through the high-speed section in the piston. These two adjustments allow you to adjust exactly how and when the car should behave according to the surface.

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ADJUST COILOVERS - WITH ADJUSTABLE LOWER MOUNTING

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