Suspension

[Laps]

Hello all,

Just enquiring about suspension. I would like to lower my car (when I get wheels) about 25mm. My friend lowered his liberty and it became the bumpiest thing in the world, extremely annoying to drive.

Basically I am a nuff and have no idea how this stuff works. Would I be required to simply change the springs, just get coil overs, or do both. And about how much is this going to cost? I dont really care what I have to do, I just want the cheapest way to lower the car about 25mm and retain a smooth ride.

Thanks in advance for your assistance

[Hotwire]

Hello all,

Just enquiring about suspension. I would like to lower my car (when I get wheels) about 25mm. My friend lowered his liberty and it became the bumpiest thing in the world, extremely annoying to drive.

Basically I am a nuff and have no idea how this stuff works. Would I be required to simply change the springs, just get coil overs, or do both. And about how much is this going to cost? I dont really care what I have to do, I just want the cheapest way to lower the car about 25mm and retain a smooth ride.

Thanks in advance for your assistance

The bold is your hardest part.... Lowering with new/firm springs on stock shocks is likely to lead to a harsher ride... pending the age of your shocks means for how long it will be controlled...

Look at Tek's thread on "Project Locomotive" for a good guide to upgrading suspension

BUT basically, budget $500 for quality Springs (+fitting) then depending on the age of your shocks, you may be up for $600+ depending on the make of shock you want.

[Laps]

This may seem like a really stupid question, and it is, but I am going to ask it anyway lol...

Springs and shocks AREN'T the same thing lol?

I tried looking for a diagram on the internet or something to educate myself, but had a bit of difficulty lol...

So your saying all I will need to do is upgrade the springs and get new shock absorbers? I shouldnt worry about coilovers? Wth are coilovers anyway?

[Hotwire]

Springs are what bounces the car up and down,
Shock Absorbers (shocks) are the items that control the bouncing and keep the ride suitable.

Basically, if you put lower/firmer springs in with shocks which aren't matched (i.e. stock shocks) then the bounce becomes uncontrolled. This is the bouncy ride your mate is experiencing.

The term coilover means the coils over the shock absorbers. 90% of suspension on modern cars is designed this way, but the term is often slang for "adjustable Coilover Suspension" which means you can adjust damping and ride height. To be honest this is complete overkill for you.

Without being rude, i'd say given your knowledge I'd suggest you are after the lowered look, not the best handling suspension. In this case you can run new lowered springs on your stock shocks if they are in good condition though - how many kms has your car done?

Here is the front suspension assembly (McPherson Strut)
You can see the shock body which will control the bounce, and the spring which provides the bounce.


Also, when put together it is a "coilover" design:

[Laps]

Ok cool I am begining to understand...

However I am still a bit confused with normal suspension setup vs coilovers... From what I have found, the coil is always over the shock absorbers?

And to answer your Qs, my car only has 30,000km on it. And you are correct, I am after the lowered look, im not to interested in the best handling (although I dont want handling to decrease), I am more interested in a comfortable ride. However, I am interested in 'adjusting height' should I ever want to put the car back up to stock height... Will coilovers allow me to do this???

[teK--]

+1 to everything Lee has said. The term coilovers has also evolved since the advent of aftermarket suspensions with adjustable bottom spring perches (that collar on the bottom of the spring), which allow you to change the ride height of the car without disassembling anything.

Unless you are planning to change the ride height regularly I would recommend against fitting coilovers as there are many caveats that first timers may not be aware of. If you want to restore stock ride height eventually perhaps when you sell the car, then you can just refit the stock springs in that case.

$500.00 or so for some good quality springs which give mild lowering but without a substantially firmer springrate will give acceptable performance with your stock dampers. I could recommend the Eibach Pro springs which by all reports mate perfectly with an otherwise stock suspension setup and lower your car by around 25mm (1 inch).

p.s Springs ultimately hold the weight of the car up and absorb the impact force of the road, however the dampers (also called struts or shock absorbers or shocks) control the motion of the spring so that your car is not like a pogo stick. If the dampers do not match the springs then you will pogo in some amount or another. IMHO the term "shock absorber" is quite deceptive because that is not the role of that component.

[Laps]

Ok so let me get this straight...

To lower my car approx 25mm and not make my ride too bumpy, all I will need to do is replace springs? And a good set is about $500? This is good news, I thought I would have to be spending about $1000 to retain a quality ride. Also, how does changing springs actually adjust the height of the car, is it because the new springs will be shorter in length?

You are correct Tek... The only reason i would adjust the height of my ride is if i was going to sell it, so I spose coilovers arent really relevant to me.

BTW how do i know which springs will mate perfectly with my stock dampners. Because no doubt if I go into a suspension shop they will tell me I need to change my dampners aswell... So how do I know if they are telling the truth or not lol. And if I do have to change my dampners, how much would that cost (roughly)

[Hotwire]

Ok so let me get this straight...

To lower my car approx 25mm and not make my ride too bumpy, all I will need to do is replace springs? And a good set is about $500? This is good news, I thought I would have to be spending about $1000 to retain a quality ride.

Yes - as your car (damper) only has 30,000km with only an approx 1" drop from a set of Eibach Pro Kit springs should see the dampers still operate fine (not bounce) for around another 50,000+kms.

Also, how does changing springs actually adjust the height of the car, is it because the new springs will be shorter in length?

Yes - the compressed height of the spring is shorter, thus the lower stance

You are correct Tek... The only reason i would adjust the height of my ride is if i was going to sell it, so I spose coilovers arent really relevant to me.
BTW how do i know which springs will mate perfectly with my stock dampners.

Past experience of others and quality of build... stick with Eibach Springs - you'll get quality

Because no doubt if I go into a suspension shop they will tell me I need to change my dampners aswell... So how do I know if they are telling the truth or not lol. And if I do have to change my dampners, how much would that cost (roughly)

Combined with only a 1" or so drop, the stock dampers will be fine for some time. Dont let them sell you new dampers.

[teK--]

Ok so let me get this straight...
BTW how do i know which springs will mate perfectly with my stock dampners. Because no doubt if I go into a suspension shop they will tell me I need to change my dampners aswell... So how do I know if they are telling the truth or not lol. And if I do have to change my dampners, how much would that cost (roughly)

Need to compare the spring rate of the springs to the dampening rates. I.e. don't trust the shop to give you a clear answer. You will need to do some research on this as I do not know what the stock spring springrates are. I am only going by feedback that the Eibach Pros are well matched to the stock dampers.

If you do need to replace dampers with firmer/shorter ones there unfortunately are not many choices for our cars. Basically there are KONI Yellows (about $1300 for a set of 4 plus installation, or Bilstein B8 Sprints at around $1500 a set plus installation. Alternatively you buy the Subuaru Spec B Bilstein (OEM fitment) for even more than this amount which I don't think is good value for money.

[Laps]

Wow I really would not like to replace the dampners for that price lol :(:(:(
Lol if i need to get new springs AND dampners, thats like $80+ per mm lol (I want it 25mm lower)...

Has anyone lowered their libs ONLY replacing the springs, and did this result in an ok job?