When you upgrade your vehicle or improve its appearance, many parts are used. And coilovers are one of them. Like these parts, coilovers are used to support the weight of the body of a car or truck.
When you rebuild a car, the first thing you look at is the suspension. Lowering the vehicle and installing new tires to improve the look has always been one of the most popular tuning upgrades.
Coilovers are the natural progression for anyone looking to improve the handling of a car. In general, they are a great improvement to any car, even if you use them daily. However, keep in mind that they are more expensive than the standard suspension.
If you’re looking for a performance-oriented car, this is a great option to improve handling. These components are intended to replace suspension components and may also be referred to as full-body or coil springs.
With adjustable ride height, damping rates, and other features, they offer the ultimate in vehicle handling. This guide will explain what are coil overs and how they are used.
How Do Coilovers Work?
The typical suspension system consists of a control arm, a coil spring, and a shock absorber or strut. The difference between a strut and a regular shock absorber is that a strut supports some of the vehicle’s weight.
The spring is usually mounted on the shock absorber. Compression of the strut, spring, or both causes the wheel to move up toward the body. The Coilover mechanism is similar. It features a longer coil spring that wraps around the strut.
The Coilover itself consists of a spring or coil wrapped around a damper. The coil will compress when you hit potholes or bumps in the road. When the road is flat again, the shock absorber pushes the spring up for a smooth ride.
What Are Coil Overs Used For?
Quality coilovers are considered the best when it comes to road suspension. Impressive results can be achieved with lowering springs alone or a combination of lowering springs and sports shocks, but their possible uses are becoming more limited. Coilovers offer several advantages, including:
1. Great Adjustability
Coilovers offer many tuning options, allowing you to tailor them to your specific riding preferences and needs. This allows you to get the most out of your vehicle’s performance and ensure it drives exactly the way you want it to.
You just need to adjust the suspension to get a lower ride. The coils also adjust automatically while driving. This setting prevents bottoming-out situations.
2. Handling
The adjustability of the coil over improves handling. The coil spring allows you to compress and extend the coil suspension without having to do it manually. Also, you don’t have to buy a new Coilover every time you want to buy a coilover of a certain height.
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3. Improved Ride Quality
Coilovers are often outperformed for their ride height adjustability, however, improper installation can make them cumbersome to use. However, by installing your coilover shocks properly, rather than allowing inferior shocks to compromise handling and cornering, you can get the most out of them.
Just as high-quality shock absorbers ensure that your car masters difficult maneuvers such as cornering or fast-turning maneuvers, coil springs work in a similar way.
4. Lower the Center of Gravity
Lowering a vehicle’s center of gravity is one of the measures to make your car more stable and increase the speed of the racing car. The lower the center of gravity of your car, the higher the racing speed.
Coilovers allow the rider to lower the center of gravity through adjustment. Also, if you want your car to turn faster when cornering, you need to adjust your shock absorbers.
5. Enhanced Style
Lastly, coilovers are used to enhance the look of your car, making it more attractive or sporty according to your needs. This can be a great way to show off your car’s personality and turn heads when driving around town.
Parts Of Coil Overs – All Parts & Accessories
It pays to learn more about the individual shock components and how they affect performance. To help you find the right upgrade, here are the main components of a winding kit.
A. Coil Springs
As the name suggests, a coil spring is one of the key components of a coil. When installing a coilover kit, the spring serves as a suitable support for the entire vehicle’s weight. As you drive down the road, your coil spring will compress as you drive over bumps or bumps.
As a result, this component significantly reduces body roll and body roll on the road, providing a smooth and stable ride.
B. Damping Adjustment Knob
Damping Adjustment Knobs, also called “damping knobs,” are used to fine-tune a shock with adjustable damping functions.
This is situated on top of a Coilover. It should be noted that not all coilovers have adjustable damping. Some have attenuation set by the manufacturer and cannot be adjusted by the end user.
C. Upper & Lower Mount
The upper bracket is situated on the lower side of the upper nut and is used to attach the vehicle’s upper strut tower to the coilovers. Lower brackets connect the coilover assembly to the vehicle’s lower control arms or suspension components.
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D. Damper Body
The shock body houses the internal components of the shock, such as the piston and valves. It is typically a cylindrical tube of steel or aluminum that provides structural support and protection for internal components.
E. Shock Absorbers
Shock absorbers perform a very similar function: when driving over rough terrain, they compress and rebound to maintain ideal weight distribution.
More specifically, with coilovers, the springs handle the compression while the shock absorbers rebound as soon as you pull away from the rough road.
F. Adjustable Spring Perch
The adjustable spring bar allows you to adjust the height of the vehicle. By rotating the hanger, the overall ride height can be raised or lowered, giving the driver the ability to adjust the vehicle’s stance and handling characteristics.
How To Find The Right Coil Overs?
There is no defined general list for coils to rank them from best to worst. In addition, coilovers do much more than just lower the ride height. Therefore, you must consider these factors when purchasing your coilover kit.
1. Type
The first thing to decide is what type of coilover kit you want. There are three main types: spring-based, hydraulically adjustable, and electronically adjustable. Spring-based coilovers are the most common variant.
They’re simple and affordable but don’t offer many fit options. Hydraulically adjustable coil springs allow for more customization options, while electronically adjustable coil springs offer the most flexibility.
Hydraulically adjustable coil-over shocks tend to be more expensive but are worth the investment if you intend to use your car for track days or sporty driving.
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2. Springs Rate
When purchasing a coilover kit, it is important to consider the spring rates. Spring rates are determined by how many pounds of pressure it takes to compress a spring one inch.
So the higher the spring rate, the more pressure is required to compress the spring. This is important as it determines how stiff or soft the suspension will be.
3. Monotube vs Twin Tube
When choosing a coilover kit, you need to decide if you want a single-tube or twin-tube design. Monotube coil overs are considered the best option for track use because they are more durable and have better heat dissipation than twin-tube coil overs. However, monotube coilovers are also more expensive.
4. Adjustability
As we know preloading and daming are necessary features of coilovers. Your coils should be well adjustable to help you fine-tune your ride. It must be compatible with stiffer and softer springs.
When you drive a race car, you need higher spring rates to improve handling and get a better grip. However, when you drive on the road, you need softer springs for better control.
Top FAQs About What Are Coil Overs For Cars
What do coilovers do for your car?
Coilovers, like shocks, are suspension components that keep your car from leaning while driving. Coilovers are used to reduce body roll when the vehicle moving and also offer a smoother ride as you can lower the car against the road as you drive.
Both shocks and coil overs work on a similar principle, however, the big difference lies in that a coil surrounds the strut. You can adjust the height of the coil as it is mounted on an adjustable hanger.
Can you daily drive a car with coilovers?
Yes, coilovers are well-suited for everyday traffic. They are feathers that perform important functions. They reduce body roll when cornering, especially at high speeds.
Coilovers offer several advantages compared to standard suspensions, such as better handling, adjustability, and the ability to adjust the ride height of the vehicle.
Do coilovers ride better?
From a performance standpoint, coilovers improve ride quality. And not just a little, but clearly noticeable. They do this by lowering the classic car’s center of gravity, which offers several advantages that make the journey more comfortable.
In short, shock absorbers increase the performance of your car by making it more agile and responsive.
How do you adjust coilover suspension?
This depends on whether you have partially threaded coilovers or fully threaded coilovers. If you have partially wound coils and you want to raise them, you can only do this if they are already at their lowest point.
That way you have some wiggle room to increase your ride height. The same applies to fully threaded coils with adjustable bottom brackets.
Are coilovers better than lowering springs?
Yes, coilovers generally offer better performance and adjustability than lowering springs. They are more expensive but can be used in a wider range of vehicles.
Lowering springs are a good option for drivers who want to improve the look and feel of their car without making major changes to the chassis.
Final Thought
Coilovers allow you to change the height and firmness of your suspension. As you can see, there are many reasons to invest in a shock kit for your car. They offer improved handling and performance, as well as a cool look that will turn heads when you’re cruising around town.
