Lowering

by **matty_et** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:07 pm

Hey,
I was just hoping to get some help and other peoples input on what would be the best option for me in lowering my 2005 MY06 2.5i Liberty sedan. I have a set of Lenso Wide Tracks 18"x8" (I think the offset is +45 correct me if im wrong) I just wanted to know whether or not id need to roll the gaurds and how the ride/comfort would be. Im loking at getting the gaurds to sit reasonably close to the tyres. say 1.5" rear 2" front.

my options are:
pedders sports rider coil springs, i have been quoted $600 fitted, wheel alignment, 2yr warranty etc.

Wholesale Suspension at penrith quoted me $500 for a set of king springs fitted, wheel alignment, warranty etc. They also offered to do a 'BC' coilover setup that has been re-valved and re-sprung to suite Australian roads for $1850 which i know would be the optimal choice, but i thought kind of unnecasary on a N/A car...its not like im going to be taking it to the track or anything.

I have heard stories from people stating that king spring are cheap and nasty and purely for an asthectic look, and that coilovers are preety stiff even when set on a soft dampening setting. So im a little strung up with what i should go ahead with.
If any one has dealt with these companys or products any input would be much appreciated
Thanks.

by **Arith** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:09 pm

Hey Matty,

Lowering your car is always going to be a balancing act between your budget and demanding you are with how your car sits after the lowering.

For me, I am very specific on how low I want my car, and get annoyed when it's not at a ride height I want it. Unfortunately I went the cheap route and got springs only at first. Sure, that was great in that it lowered the car. But the fronts will always sit higher than the rear, sometimes to a large degree. So in the end I forked out the money for coilovers.

Firstly, coilovers are not as stiff as you have been told. You should drop by one of the next meets and take a ride in one of the many Libs that have coilovers to see for yourself. Yes, coilovers are a bit overkill for street use in terms of performance, but what you're paying for is the ability to dial in whatever firmness setting you want and the exact height you want out of this mod. You want to lower it 1 inch? Done. You want it another 2 inches? Done. You want to raise it back up for a long trip? No worries! The flexibility to adjust your ride height is such a worth while investment.

However if you do have a budget and settle for springs, I've had bad experiences with Kings. Plus they have some sort of catalogue/logistics issues. When I first tried to fit Kings on the MY05 GT to see if I can go lower than what Pedders could offer, the shop keep said it would lower the car another 0.5 inches. But after fitting the springs, the front went up by 1.5 inches! WTF? The shop keep verified with King that was the correct part number and all, and no one could explain why it went up instead of down. I think that application was for replacing the stock springs with the same ride height ones, but it got listed as the lowering ones in the catalogue. I'd stay away if possible.

Pedders are okay. Had them on the car for over 3 years. Decent ride and the lowering wasn't too bad. But again, the fronts were 10 - 15 mm too high for what I wanted from a lowered car.

You can always do the custom made springs route like KMac. But once fitted, it's at the same ride height forever until you replace the springs. Want to go lower? Sorry. Need to raise it up for any occassion. Out of luck!

Anyway, just ask yourself how picky you are with your mods and how exact does it have to be before you're happy? If you're very strict on how it should look, go coilovers. Because I guarantee you, you will never ever be happy if you go with springs because the brand determines the right height, not you. However if you're flexible or on a budget, get springs like Teins (highly recommended) or Pedders.

Oh, with 18x8, you should only require rolling of the rear guards.

by **tangcla** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 6:55 am

I'm running 18x7.5 +42 and the fronts need to be rolled too... I think if you run 8" you need offset 38 or 40, if I recall correctly.

by **Arith** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:53 am

I ran 19x8 with a +45mm offset and 225/35 tires with the HP Designs before. No worries at all from the front with a 25mm lowering from the Teins S.Tech's.

But if matty_et decides to go with coilovers and tuck the wheels under, then most likely a roll will be needed. But just lower it first to the heigh you're happy with, drive around and do some hard corners, and see if it rubs.

by **Akwoo** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 9:22 am

tangcla wrote:I'm running 18x7.5 +42 and the fronts need to be rolled too... I think if you run 8" you need offset 38 or 40, if I recall correctly.

WRONG.
try stick around at least +43 - +48 if you have 8 inch wide wheels.
+40 has been a pain in the ass for me, but I just wanted these wheels so bad, oh wellz, might have to go wide body.

by **matty_et** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:49 pm

thanks for the help guys, great info. still deciding ...im thinking coilovers haha..let you guys know how i go. cheers

by **Subie Boy** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:14 pm

do it mate...I was so close on getting K-Mac springs but then in the last minute went with the Coilovers...getting them done this Thursday, can't wait!!

by **matty_et** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 12:05 am

hey what coil over are you getting. let me know how they are. thanks mate

by **Arith** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 12:10 am

Subie Boy has a dedicated thread

http://forum.liberty.asn.au/viewtopic.php?t=2235

by **Subie Boy** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:17 am

matty_et wrote:hey what coil over are you getting. let me know how they are. thanks mate

Hey mate, as per what Jim said, check my thread as I went through the same sort of questions as you did. And for your info I am getting K-Sport Coilovers installed this Thursday at A&B Motorsports here in Brookvale. Will update you afterwards!!

by **LibJam** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 4:15 pm

Hi,
Just wondering how the sus mods went for those that made them? New to the forums, and thinking about making some subtle tweaks.

Will

by **Subie Boy** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 4:24 pm

http://forum.liberty.asn.au/viewtopic.p ... c&start=15

Read the topic above, mate and also here are some pics of mine with 20s.

http://forum.liberty.asn.au/viewtopic.p ... ght=evulve

PM me if you need more details, etc! More than happy to help!

by **LibJam** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 7:21 pm

damn! I agree with the posts in the second thread, the chromes look schmick with the black.

dunno how'd they look on pearl white though.

by **Mano™** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 3:33 pm

man up get tein coil overs

by **matty_et** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:39 pm

i ended up going the BC coilovers from wholesale suspension penrith/blacktown. very happy with them

tangcla was spot on... the ability adjust the height, stiffness etc. at your desire make them worth the bit extra $$.
i also chose the coilovers for the reason that most subys have got a good name for handling so i didnt want to just dump my car on some super low springs witch were purely for asthetics looks. all the good control/handling spring didnt really go as low as i wanted. even though my car is N/A and wont be hitting the track or anything like that i think it was a major improvement in the handling department.

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