Are you a car track enthusiast looking for ways to enhance your car stability without interfering with its structural components? Coilover suspensions are an effective and cost-efficient way of lowering a car’s suspension. You don’t have to compromise too much ground clearance.
Whether you often drive in rough terrains or take part in car sports, a suitable coilover suspension kit can make your ride comfortable.
But before you choose any performance suspension, here’s what you should know about coilover suspensions.
What Are Coilover Suspensions?
A coilover suspension is an aftermarket part that allows drivers to adjust their vehicles for improved handling, performance and comfort. This type of suspension consists of a shock absorber with coil springs on each side.
These springs sit between the wheels and chassis. They allow the car or truck’s steering system to have more precision over bumps in the road. They reduce the amount of body roll experienced during turns, braking, and acceleration.
How Do Coilovers Work?
When a vehicle is moving, it causes an inertia force within each spring to push the vehicle down onto the wheels.
When this happens, each coil exerts a force on the vehicle’s suspension system, making it move downward accordingly.
The suspensions work by replacing the car’s standard shock absorbers with adjustable coil springs or struts of varying height (coils). The car’s original springs may also be retained for performance gains.
After installation, you can adjust the ride height within a specific range. It’ll give your vehicle a lower or more aggressive stance.
A coilover suspension helps keep the tires in contact with the road as much as possible. It makes riding over bumps more comfortable and helps drivers maintain better control of their vehicles.
Each spring is fitted into its separate cylinder and threaded mounting shaft. This allows you to adjust the height of each corner from one side to another and from front to back. Besides, you can preload the suspension or set the ride height before driving your car.
Experiment with different height settings to find what feels best for you. Lowering your vehicle’s center of gravity will result in better handling and increased traction.
Softer suspension settings will give a smooth, comfortable ride. Yet stiffer settings can work better for car track enthusiasts.
Some coilover kits include adjustable dampening mechanisms. This way, you can fine-tune how your car responds when it runs over various road conditions or surfaces. If you’re looking for performance gains, dampers are available separately as well.
What Are Coilover Suspensions Used for?
The main purpose behind installing a suspension system in your vehicle is simple. You want it to handle better on the street or at the track! When you’re driving on bumpy roads, the factory shocks or springs will give way, which causes your vehicle to bounce.
When driving over speed bumps at high speed, your vehicle can quickly lose traction.
Factory components cannot handle this sort of punishment. They’re mostly designed for normal street usage only.
X5 X6 BMW Performance Suspension
Coilover Suspension Types
There are quite a few types that vary depending on the design and application. Here are five of the most common types:
Standard Coilover Suspension
The standard suspension has threaded shock bodies and spacers to adjust ride height. It comes with a threaded steel body, although there are aluminum ones covered in protective plastic. You remove the plastic when installing them onto your vehicle.
Depending on what you’re looking for, there are various levels of dampening and different spring rates.
Remote Reservoir Coilover Suspension
These are specially designed coils made to accommodate extra hydraulic fluid inside their bodies. They have an enlarged cylinder size that allows more fluid volume.
This keeps the temperature down at high speeds or during heavy use by adjusting heat soak on the damper. Thus, less fade and a more predictable suspension feel even under heavy use like track driving.
Adjustable Coilovers
They consist of one central spring mount, but they include an adjustable shock absorber at each wheel. These shocks are threaded, allowing drivers to adjust them by tightening or loosening the nut on top of the adjustable shock body.
Using an adjustable coilover suspension allows you to control both your ride height and spring stiffness. It offers vehicle owners more customizing options.
Monotube Coilover Suspension
Monotubes increase heat dissipation by using a larger oil reservoir housed inside the shock body. The extra surface area in this design allows oil to move heat away from the shock and into the surrounding atmosphere. It does this at a faster rate than its standard two-tube counterparts.
This also prevents cavitation, preventing damage due to air ingestion caused by bumping or bottoming out on large bumps or uneven road surfaces.
High-performance Coilovers for Club and Racing Sports
If you’re looking for an even higher level of performance that standard coilovers provide, consider high-performance coilovers instead. High-performance springs include multiple springs that can be attached with bands or separate rods. This increases their stiffness without making them too stiff for daily driving purposes.
This is great if you’re looking to take corners at higher speeds but don’t want it to feel like you’re driving a rock. High-performance coilovers feature springs and shock absorbers that an experienced driver can adjust. It’s easier than ever to fine-tune the car suspension system.
Adjusting the Coilover Suspension Correctly
To create a comfortable driving experience that’ll last longer, you must correctly set up the vehicle’s suspension. The car should be at rest on level pavement, and all occupants must be far enough away from the walls. This way, the car won’t move when jostled by hand.
Begin adjusting each component by first loosening and tightening each nut and bolt until it’s firmly attached. When all four corners of the car or truck are adjusted, drive it around for a few minutes. This allows the road debris and suspension to settle.
Repeat the tightening and loosening process until you’ve reached your desired ride height.
Should You Fit Your Car With Coilover Suspension?
Do you think it’s time to enhance your vehicle suspension and don’t know which type of coilover suspensions to buy? At Trupower Motorsports, we have different performance suspensions that’ll perfectly match your type of car.
It doesn’t matter where you are because we’ll have the coilovers delivered to you fast. Shop with us now or call us to make an order.
